Register .dev Domain — Price Comparison 2026
The .dev TLD is Google's domain for the developer community — and it comes with built-in HTTPS enforcement. Perfect for documentation sites, developer tools, personal portfolios and open-source projects.
| Registrar | Registration | Renewal | Transfer | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
$6.84 $10.55 SPSR86 | $12.62 |
$10.16 $12.62 | Get Deal | |
|
$8.72 | $12.98 |
$12.98 | Get Deal | |
|
$10.18 | $10.18 |
$10.18 | Get Deal |
What is a .dev domain?
.dev is a generic top-level domain owned and operated by Google Registry. Launched in February 2019, it was created specifically for the developer community — a dedicated digital home for coders, open-source maintainers, technical writers and everyone who builds the internet.
Google itself uses .dev for its flagship developer resource: web.dev.
Who uses .dev?
.dev has been adopted broadly across the developer ecosystem:
- Personal portfolios — yourname.dev is clean, memorable and immediately signals your profession
- Documentation sites — docs.yourtool.dev, etc.
- Open-source projects — as a primary or supplementary domain
- Developer tools and CLI apps — where the audience expects .dev
Popular examples include svelte.dev, fly.dev (Fly.io's docs) and brew.sh (Homebrew switched to this style).
.dev security model
Like .app, .dev is on the HSTS (HTTP Strict Transport Security) preload list built into all major browsers. This means:
- Your site must have a valid SSL/TLS certificate
- Browsers refuse plain HTTP connections automatically
- No configuration required on your end beyond the certificate itself
Free certificates from Let's Encrypt are accepted, so there's no extra cost.
.dev vs .io vs .app — which to choose?
- Use .dev if your audience is developers themselves (tools, docs, portfolios)
- Use .app if your product is an application that non-developers use
- Use .io if you want a broader tech-startup association
.dev is the most affordable of the three and arguably the most honest if you're building developer-facing software.
Frequently Asked Questions
- .dev is used by developers for portfolios, documentation sites, developer tools, open-source projects and coding-related content. Google itself uses web.dev as its main resource for web development guidance.
- Yes. Like .app, the .dev TLD is on the HSTS preload list. Browsers automatically require HTTPS connections. An SSL certificate is mandatory — but free certificates from Let's Encrypt or Cloudflare work perfectly. This is a security feature that benefits everyone.
- Generally yes. .dev registration and renewal prices are typically $12–18/year, compared to $35–55/year for .io. Both signal tech-savviness, but .dev is significantly more affordable for projects on a budget.
- Yes — there are no restrictions. Despite the developer connotation, any individual or organisation can register a .dev domain. In practice, it's used almost exclusively by people in software development.