Verisign: Record 13.1 Million New .com and .net Names as Growth Speeds Up

Verisign ended the third quarter of 2026 with 182.5 million .com and .net registrations, 6.1% more than a year earlier, after adding a net 3.36 million names in the quarter. It processed 13.1 million new registrations, a record according to Verisign and 23.2% more than the 10.6 million of the third quarter of 2025.

Growth in the domain base has picked up in each of the last four quarters, and Verisign’s quarterly filing names what has helped. Alongside registrars’ focus on customer acquisition and their engagement with Verisign’s marketing programs, the registry credits “the evolution of AI tools used in content and website creation.”

On the results call, chief executive Jim Bidzos, who called the second quarter a record as well, spoke of “an AI tailwind.” Verisign is hearing “from some registrars that AI is a factor,” he added, and AI “clearly makes it easier to find a domain name, develop a website, and maintain a website.”

Key facts

• Guidance: Verisign now expects its 2026 domain base to grow 6.5% to 7.0%, up from 5.2% to 6.0% three months ago, and raised its revenue range.
• Renewals: Verisign’s preliminary renewal rate for the third quarter of 2026 is 74.3%, down from 75.4% a year earlier.
• Prices: the .com wholesale fee rises from $10.26 to $10.97 on November 1, and the .net fee from $10.91 to $12.00 on March 1, 2027.
• .web: Verisign plans a 30-day trademark sunrise from mid-December and a limited registration period from mid-January 2027.

Four Quarters of Faster Growth

The quarterly reports show the domain base moving from slow growth to the fastest of the five quarters shown. A year ago, the base was growing at 1.4% a year. Each quarter since, that rate has risen, and the net additions per quarter have more than doubled.

The 10-Q describes “positive domain name base trends that began in 2025” continuing into 2026 “with higher new registrations and renewal rates.” Of the 182.5 million registrations, 169.8 million were .com and 12.6 million .net. According to Domain Name Wire, nearly all of the quarter’s growth came from .com, up from 166.6 million at the end of the second quarter, while .net added about 0.1 million.

Renewals have moved less than new registrations. The final rate for the first quarter of 2026 was 76.3%, against 75.5% a year earlier, and the rate for the second quarter came in at 75.2%, against 75.5%. For the third quarter, Verisign gives a preliminary rate of 74.3%, against 75.4% a year earlier. Chief financial officer John Calys attributed the decline mainly to a higher share of names renewing for the first time, after last year’s strong new registrations. First-time renewal rates have held steady in the mid-40% range and later renewals in the mid-80% range, so a growing share of first-time renewals lowers the overall rate. Final rates come a quarter later, because renewals are not fully measurable until 45 days after the quarter ends.

Verisign raised its guidance for 2026 domain base growth to 6.5% to 7.0%, from 5.2% to 6.0% three months earlier. According to Domain Name Wire, the range was 1.5% to 3.5% when Verisign reported 2025 results in February. The company also raised its revenue guidance to $1.755 billion to $1.760 billion, from $1.745 billion to $1.755 billion, and narrowed its operating income guidance to $1.188 billion to $1.192 billion, from $1.185 billion to $1.195 billion.

Verisign’s 10-Q also lists what could hold demand back, including competition from country-code and other generic top-level domains, other ways of establishing an online presence, and regulations in China that, according to Verisign, are affecting demand for registrations there.

Wholesale Prices Rise in November and March

Both of the next price steps are already set. The annual registry fee for each new and renewed .com name rises by $0.71, or 6.9%, to $10.97 on November 1, 2026, the increase Verisign announced in April. The .com Registry Agreement allows increases of up to 7% in each of the final four years of each six-year period. The .net fee rises by $1.09, or 10%, to $12.00 on March 1, 2027, under an agreement that permits up to 10% a year. For registrars, and for hosting companies that bundle domains with their plans, both changes raise the wholesale cost of every new registration and renewal.

Revenue and the .web Launch

Revenue rose 5.7% to $443.0 million, and operating income grew to $296.5 million from $284.3 million. Net income was nearly unchanged at $212.6 million, against $212.8 million a year earlier, and included a $7.5 million pre-tax write-down of assets held for sale to their estimated fair value less costs to sell. Verisign attributes the revenue growth mainly to the larger domain base and to earlier .com price increases. By where its registrars are located, revenue grew 7% in the United States and 10% in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, while Asia Pacific was flat.

The next launch is .web, the top-level domain delegated to Verisign in July. Verisign reclassified $145.2 million in previously recorded acquisition deposits as an intangible asset and capitalized a further $26.2 million in related costs. On the call, Verisign laid out a 30-day trademark sunrise from mid-December, followed by a limited registration period from mid-January 2027 that could run into early April and in which most .com registrants will be able to register the matching .web name. General availability would come after that, and Verisign is finalizing pricing, which it plans to communicate to registrars over the next few weeks.