If you’ve been searching Porkbun for a new domain name, you may have noticed that certain domains are listed for a higher amount than the rate shown on our pricing page. These higher-priced domains are known as premium (or “registry premium”) domains.
What makes a domain premium?
The vast majority of domains are considered non-premium, so in general, the price listed on our pricing page is what you can expect to pay at checkout. However, most registries (the companies that own the domain extension) maintain a list of high-value keywords they’ve classified as premium terms. This means that when a registrar such as Porkbun registers a premium domain on behalf of a customer, the registry for that domain charges a higher-than-usual cost that the registrar must pass on to the consumer.
What terms are considered premium?
Premium terms vary from registry to registry. Common first and last names, short words, and short numbers are more likely to be flagged as premium by a registry. Combinations of first and last names, less-common words, word combinations, and larger numbers are more frequently non-premium. For instance: smith.example and jessica.example might both be considered premium, whereas jessicasmith.example would probably be non-premium. 30.example might be flagged as premium, whereas 30001.example likely would not.
Words closely associated with a particular domain extension might also be considered premium. For example, pen.ink is probably a premium name, whereas pen.dog probably isn’t.
How can I identify premium domains?
When searching Porkbun or one of our affiliated sites for a premium domain, it is displayed in the search results with the phrase “premium registration” shown underneath the price.
How much more do I have to pay?
Depending on perceived value of a given term, a registry may charge more or less. Depending on the term and the registry, you may end up paying anywhere from a few extra bucks per year to thousands of dollars for certain extremely desirable domain names.