advice Is it still worth buying .net domains in 2026?

[domainlover2017]

Hey everyone

So I've been going back and forth on this for a while and figured I'd just ask here since there's no better place for it.

I keep coming across some pretty decent .net domains — good keywords, clean history, reasonable reg fee — but I always hesitate pulling the trigger because I'm never sure if there's still a real market for them.

I know .com is king, always has been, always will be. But what about .net? Back in the day it felt like a legit second choice, especially for tech-related stuff. Now with all the new gTLDs floating around (.io, .ai, .co, etc.) I'm genuinely not sure where .net stands anymore.

A few things I'm curious about:

• Are end users still actively buying .net domains, or is it mostly domainers trading among themselves?
• Do you price .net at a fraction of the .com equivalent, or does it depend heavily on the niche?
• Any recent sales you've seen that surprised you (good or bad)?

Not trying to start a .com vs everything else war lol — just want to get a feel for whether .net is still worth adding to a portfolio or if I'd just be burning renewal fees every year.

Would love to hear from people who've actually bought or sold .net recently. What's your experience been like?

Thanks in advance

 

[noneisnone]

i only deal with SEO domains lately and for those buyers usually don't care if it is a .net instead of a .com

 

[domainlover2017]

i only deal with SEO domains lately and for those buyers usually don't care if it is a .net instead of a .com

You are absolutely right. Metrics matter in that case. But if you want to fli them is it worth or not?

 

[DomainArmer]

I don't think so, .net is always considered as a secondary choice.

 

[VURG]

I think .net domains have renewal fees that are too high. They are overpriced at too many places and I think this has done damage to the brand.

 

[Viqta]

I think .net domains have renewal fees that are too high. They are overpriced at too many places and I think this has done damage to the brand.

I second this opinion.

I do come across .net sales or requests once in a while and I'd be wondering if it's worth the stress. This is considering the comparative sales/price potential if I had used that same reg. fee on a .com instead - with change.

I actually found this thread while researching to see if it has another planned price increase for 2026, on top of the already-high prices.

 

[nicenic]

I think .net can still make sense when the name fits the extension: hosting, infrastructure, security, developer tools, networks, SaaS, tech services, or aged SEO domains with clean history.