Eric Lyon
Scorpion Agency LLCTop Member
- Impact
- 29,773
Today, I'll be analyzing the .dev gTLD to see if I can uncover any helpful data points that could be stacked with someone elses research into the .dev extension.
Note: At the time of this analysis it looked like all the 1 and 2-character .dev domains were taken. However, there were some random 3-characcter .dev domains available for a 3-figure premium registration costs and some dictionary word .dev domains for a 4-0figure premium registration cost.
With the above in mind, lets dive right in...
Note: NameBio.com shows 118 .dev domain sales reports ranging from $100 to $27,988.
Notable .dev Sales:
The .dev gTLD has maintained a steady upward trajectory since its launch, with a significant surge in adoption over the last 12 months. According to DNS.Coffee, the extension has grown from 250,704 registrations in 2021 to 603,110 today, a total increase of approximately 140% over five years.
.dev Registration Growth (2021–2026)
Growth Analysis
The "Complete Word" Hack
This is the most common method, where the SLD (second-level domain) and the TLD (.dev) combine to spell a full English word.
Because ".dev" is a common industry abbreviation for "in development," it is used to create a status-based URL.
These hacks treat the TLD as a suffix to define what kind of developer or development is occurring.
Cybersquatting & the ACPA (U.S. Law)
The Anticybersquatting Consumer Protection Act (ACPA) allows trademark owners to sue registrants who, in "bad faith," register a domain that is identical or confusingly similar to a distinctive mark.
The Uniform Domain-Name Dispute-Resolution Policy (UDRP) is a faster, cheaper process than a lawsuit used by most registrars. To lose your domain in a UDRP, the trademark owner must prove:
Your outbound email itself can be used as the primary evidence of "bad faith." Proving bad faith often relies on:
If a large company tries to bully you into giving up a domain you have a legitimate right to (e.g., you owned apple.dev for a fruit stand before Apple Inc. expressed interest), you may be able to claim RDNH. This is a finding that the trademark owner acted in bad faith by attempting to take a domain they knew they had no right to.
Strategy for the .dev Market
Given that DNS.Coffee shows 603,110 registrations, many common words are already taken. If you own a premium "hack" like brain.dev (which sold for $27,988 according to NameBio.com), you are on safer ground if the word is a generic dictionary term rather than a unique brand like "Nike" or "Exxon." When conducting outbound for generic terms (like api.dev or ux.dev), focus your pitch on the industry utility of the domain rather than its similarity to their specific brand name to avoid "bad faith" triggers.
The "Generic Technical Keyword" Strategy
Focus on short, foundational technical terms. The $25,000 sale of api.dev and the $27,988 sale of brain.dev demonstrate that "category killer" keywords are the highest-performing assets.
Invest in domains that serve as a direct call-to-action or status indicator. The $7,965 sale of ux.dev proves that specific professional functions carry a high premium.
Leverage the mandatory HTTPS requirement of the .dev gTLD to target the Fintech and Security sectors.
Helpful Outbound articles and tools
What works for one may not work for another and vice versa.
Have a great domain investing adventure!
Source
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Note: At the time of this analysis it looked like all the 1 and 2-character .dev domains were taken. However, there were some random 3-characcter .dev domains available for a 3-figure premium registration costs and some dictionary word .dev domains for a 4-0figure premium registration cost.
With the above in mind, lets dive right in...
.dev domain registration cost
According to Tldes the .dev domain registration cost ranges from $4.99 to $13.99..dev domains registered today
According to DNS.Coffee there are 603,110 .dev domains registered today.Public .dev domain sales reports
There's a few .dev domain sales to look at online.Note: NameBio.com shows 118 .dev domain sales reports ranging from $100 to $27,988.
Notable .dev Sales:
- brain.dev: $27,988
- api.dev: $25,000
- future.dev: $15,000
- ux.dev: $7,965
- axel.dev: $4,854
- zeroclick.dev: $688
- juicebox.dev: $100
5-year .dev domain growth summary
The .dev gTLD has maintained a steady upward trajectory since its launch, with a significant surge in adoption over the last 12 months. According to DNS.Coffee, the extension has grown from 250,704 registrations in 2021 to 603,110 today, a total increase of approximately 140% over five years.
.dev Registration Growth (2021–2026)
| Date | Total Registered Domains | Annual Growth (Quantity) | Annual Growth (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 2021 | 250,704 | — | — |
| Mar 2022 | 292,307 | +41,603 | 16.6% |
| Mar 2023 | 353,106 | +60,799 | 20.8% |
| Mar 2024 | 410,786 | +57,680 | 16.3% |
| Mar 2025 | 457,670 | +46,884 | 11.4% |
| Mar 2026 | 603,110 | +145,440 | 31.8% |
Growth Analysis
- The 2025–2026 Surge: The most notable trend is the massive jump between March 2025 and March 2026. After several years of growing by roughly 40k–60k domains annually, the extension added 145,440 domains in the last year alone, more than tripling its previous average annual growth rate.
- Secondary Market Confidence: This spike in registrations aligns with the high-value sales reported by NameBio, such as brain.dev ($27,988) and api.dev ($25,000), suggesting increased speculation and professional investment in the extension.
- Market Position: With 603,110 registrations, .dev has solidified its place as a top-tier "new gTLD" (ngTLD), successfully moving beyond a niche technical extension into a broader professional branding tool.
8 niches for .dev domains
- Software Engineering & Open Source: The primary market for individual contributors and teams to host code repositories, documentation, and project homepages (e.g., flutter.dev, playwright.dev).
- Developer Portfolios & Personal Branding: Software engineers and web designers use .dev to signal professionalism to recruiters and clients, moving beyond generic subdomains like github.io.
- AI & Machine Learning Development: A rapidly growing niche where developers showcase agentic AI frameworks, specialized intelligence tools, and LLM experiments.
- Fintech & API-First Services: Companies providing developer-centric financial tools (like payment gateways and crypto infrastructure) leverage the mandatory SSL requirement of .dev to build immediate security trust.
- DevOps & Productivity Tools: Niche for SaaS companies offering software solutions that streamline development workflows, such as CI/CD pipelines, containerization, and data operations (e.g., dataops.dev).
- Coding Bootcamps & Technical Education: Online learning platforms and university CS departments use the extension for coding tutorials, bootcamps, and developer-focused resource hubs like mdn.dev.
- Web3 & Decentralized Infrastructure: Blockchain developers use .dev for DApp development, smart contract audits, and decentralized prediction market platforms.
- Mobile App Development: Used by developers to host app-specific landing pages, testing environments, and API endpoints for iOS and Android projects.
What a playful .dev domain hack might look like
A domain hack uses the characters before and after the dot to spell out a single word or a recognizable phrase. With .dev, this usually involves words that naturally end in the letters "dev" or use the extension as a shorthand for "development."The "Complete Word" Hack
This is the most common method, where the SLD (second-level domain) and the TLD (.dev) combine to spell a full English word.
- under.dev (Underdev, as in underdeveloped)
- ra.dev (Radev, a common Slavic surname)
- i.dev (Idev, sounding like "idea" or "I develop")
Because ".dev" is a common industry abbreviation for "in development," it is used to create a status-based URL.
- siteunder.dev (Site under development)
- productin.dev (Product in development)
- gameis.dev (Game is in development)
These hacks treat the TLD as a suffix to define what kind of developer or development is occurring.
- game.dev (Game development)
- web.dev (Web development, officially used by Google)
- app.dev (App development)
- indie.dev (Indie developer)
10 lead sources for .dev domain outbound campaigns
- GitHub Repositories:
- Search for trending repositories or "stars" in specific languages. Developers often need a professional .dev domain to host documentation or a dedicated site for their open-source projects (e.g., projectname.dev).
- Product Hunt (Upcoming Section):
- Monitor the "Coming Soon" or "Ship" pages. Startups in the pre-launch phase are the primary buyers of "In Development" hacks like product.dev or status.dev.
- TechCrunch & VentureBeat:
- Track "Seed" and "Series A" funding rounds for fintech, AI, and SaaS companies. These companies have the budget for premium acquisitions, similar to the $25,000 api.dev or $27,988 brain.dev sales seen on NameBio.
- LinkedIn ProFinder & Job Boards:
- Identify freelance developers or small agencies currently using generic subdomains (e.g., name.github.io or wordpress.com). These are prime candidates for a .dev personal branding upgrade.
- Hacker News (Show HN):
- This is the epicenter of early-stage technical launches. Developers posting their "Show HN" projects often use temporary URLs and may be looking for a permanent .dev home.
- Behance & Dribbble (UX/UI Niche):
- Search for designers focusing on "Developer Experience" (DX). As evidenced by the $7,965 sale of ux.dev, this niche values short, industry-specific domains for portfolios.
- Stack Overflow Careers:
- Target developers with high reputation scores who do not have a linked personal domain. Offering them a name.dev domain is a high-conversion pitch for career professionalization.
- Indie Hackers:
- A community specifically for "solopreneurs" building products in public. They frequently discuss domain naming and are often looking for .dev "word hacks" for their micro-SaaS tools.
- Crunchbase:
- Filter for companies in the "Software" and "Information Technology" categories that have recently rebranded or launched a new API. These entities are the most likely to invest in short, technical gTLDs.
- Wappalyzer (Technographic Data):
- Use this to find sites currently built on developer frameworks (like React, Vue, or Flutter) that are still using a .com or .net. You can pitch the .dev equivalent as a more relevant technical "home" for their documentation.
- How to leverage an Ai Assistant to find domain leads
- How to leverage Social media to find domain leads
- How to leverage Job Boards to find domain leads
- eMail Marketing Best Practices for Domain Outreach
- List of FREE tools for outbound domain sales
- Outbound Domain sales Tips
Legal considerations when selling a domain to an existing business
Approaching a business to sell a domain that matches their trademark is a legal tightrope. While selling a domain is not inherently illegal, the intent and manner of your approach determine whether you are seen as a legitimate broker or a "cybersquatter."Cybersquatting & the ACPA (U.S. Law)
The Anticybersquatting Consumer Protection Act (ACPA) allows trademark owners to sue registrants who, in "bad faith," register a domain that is identical or confusingly similar to a distinctive mark.
- The Risk: If you approach a company and your primary intent is shown to be profiting specifically from their brand equity, a court can order the domain forfeited and award damages up to $100,000 per domain.
- Protection: Having a legitimate reason for registration (e.g., using it for a "word hack" unrelated to their industry) can help defend against bad faith claims.
The Uniform Domain-Name Dispute-Resolution Policy (UDRP) is a faster, cheaper process than a lawsuit used by most registrars. To lose your domain in a UDRP, the trademark owner must prove:
- Your domain is identical or confusingly similar to their mark.
- You have no rights or legitimate interests in the domain.
- The domain was registered and is being used in bad faith.
Your outbound email itself can be used as the primary evidence of "bad faith." Proving bad faith often relies on:
- Solicitation: Proactively reaching out to a trademark owner to sell them a domain for a price far exceeding your "out-of-pocket" costs.
- Pattern of Conduct: If you own dozens of domains matching various trademarks, it's easier for a company to prove you are a serial cybersquatter.
- Blocking: Registering the domain specifically to prevent the trademark owner from reflecting their mark in a corresponding domain (e.g., stopping a tech firm from owning its own .dev name).
If a large company tries to bully you into giving up a domain you have a legitimate right to (e.g., you owned apple.dev for a fruit stand before Apple Inc. expressed interest), you may be able to claim RDNH. This is a finding that the trademark owner acted in bad faith by attempting to take a domain they knew they had no right to.
Strategy for the .dev Market
Given that DNS.Coffee shows 603,110 registrations, many common words are already taken. If you own a premium "hack" like brain.dev (which sold for $27,988 according to NameBio.com), you are on safer ground if the word is a generic dictionary term rather than a unique brand like "Nike" or "Exxon." When conducting outbound for generic terms (like api.dev or ux.dev), focus your pitch on the industry utility of the domain rather than its similarity to their specific brand name to avoid "bad faith" triggers.
Potential .dev domain investing strategy
Based on the registration surge reported by DNS.Coffee and the high-value sales data from NameBio, the .dev market has transitioned from a niche playground to a high-utility asset class.The "Generic Technical Keyword" Strategy
Focus on short, foundational technical terms. The $25,000 sale of api.dev and the $27,988 sale of brain.dev demonstrate that "category killer" keywords are the highest-performing assets.
- Target: Terms like cloud, build, code, deploy, script, or data.
- Why: These have "universal" appeal across all 8 top niche markets, reducing the risk of being tied to a single failing industry.
Invest in domains that serve as a direct call-to-action or status indicator. The $7,965 sale of ux.dev proves that specific professional functions carry a high premium.
- Target: docs.dev, test.dev, demo.dev, logs.dev, or auth.dev.
- Why: Companies often buy these as secondary "utility" URLs for their technical documentation or staging environments, even if their main site is a .com.
Leverage the mandatory HTTPS requirement of the .dev gTLD to target the Fintech and Security sectors.
- Target: pay.dev, secure.dev, vault.dev, or node.dev.
- Why: Because these domains are on the HSTS preload list, they offer "security by default," which is a powerful selling point for outbound campaigns to security-conscious startups.
- Volume vs. Quality: With 603,110 domains already registered, the "easy" names are gone. Don't "spray and pray" with low-quality names. One $15,000 future.dev type asset is more valuable than 100 mediocre ones.
- Renewal Awareness: Maintain your portfolio at a registrar like Cloudflare or Spaceship to keep your overhead near the $12.20–$12.62 range. High renewal costs at other registrars can quickly eat into your profit margins during long hold periods.
- Safe Outbound: When approaching leads from GitHub or Product Hunt, always pitch based on the generic utility of the word (e.g., "This is a great home for an API project") to avoid the UDRP/bad faith risks associated with trademarked brands.
Helpful Outbound articles and tools
- How to leverage an Ai Assistant to find domain leads
- How to leverage Social media to find domain leads
- How to leverage Job Boards to find domain leads
- eMail Marketing Best Practices for Domain Outreach
- List of FREE tools for outbound domain sales
- Outbound Domain sales Tips
Questions for you
- Do you own any .dev domains?
- If so, how are they doing for you?
- Thinking about investing into .dev domains?
- If so, what niche will you target and why?
What works for one may not work for another and vice versa.
Have a great domain investing adventure!
