.AI vs .com: Complete Comparison Guide
.AI instantly signals your project's AI focus. Perplexity.ai, Character.ai, Stability.ai chose deliberately. Google uses ai.google.
In 2021 Google classified .ai as generic country code with no geographic restrictions. .com costs $10-15/year, .ai $140-200/year with 2-year minimum. But 161 million .com vs 632,000 .ai registrations means better name availability.
Aftermarket average $6,525. fin.ai sold for $1M, you.ai for $700K. .com is mature, .ai in growth phase.
For AI sector, .ai is the clear winner..
Strategic Positioning in the Digital World
Every new development in artificial intelligence expands the sector's digital footprint. For companies, startups, and individual investors, owning the right digital assets at the right time provides a strategic advantage. In this context, .ai domain names hold a special position due to their direct association with the AI sector. As long as the sector's growth momentum continues, the value of these digital assets will continue to increase.
For entrepreneurs and technology investors worldwide, this space holds significant opportunities. Industry-specific keyword .ai domains are still available at reasonable prices. As the global AI market grows, these domains are expected to appreciate in value. For early movers, there is serious return potential that makes acting now particularly important for long-term digital asset strategy.
AI Sector and Domain Market
These developments once again demonstrate how rapidly the artificial intelligence sector is growing. According to official registration data, .ai domain count grew from approximately 143,000 in July 2022 to over 533,000 by October 2024 and exceeded 632,000 as of March 2025. According to Domain Name Wire, over 20,000 new .ai domains are registered every month. This growth rate has made the .ai extension one of the most compelling assets in the digital investment landscape.
In the secondary market, .ai domains are performing strongly. In 2024, 20 .ai domains appeared among the top 100 domain sales overall. The average sale price reached $6,525, while the highest publicly disclosed .ai sale was fin.ai at $1 million in March 2025. Other notable sales include you.ai at $700,000, npc.ai at $250,000, and ace.ai at $205,000. According to DNJournal data, all top 13 positions in the 2025 ccTLD sales chart were occupied by .ai domains.
The biggest domain market news of 2026 was ai.com selling for $70 million. Purchased by Crypto.com CEO Kris Marszalek with cryptocurrency, this sale broke the all-time record for domain sales. The previous record was held by voice.com, sold for $30 million in 2019. OpenAI's purchase of chat.com for $15.5 million also demonstrates the importance major players place on domain investments.
In 2021, Google classified the .ai extension as a generic country code top-level domain. This means .ai domains can be used in global search engine optimization without any geographic restrictions. For companies operating in the artificial intelligence sector, the .ai extension has become a powerful branding tool that instantly reflects sector identity. Successful companies like Perplexity.ai, Character.ai, and Stability.ai deliberately chose this extension.
For the government of Anguilla, this growth is vital. For this small Caribbean island of 15,000 people, .ai revenues have become the third largest income source. Communications Minister Jose Vanterpool told BBC that revenue from .ai domains has reached approximately 47 percent of state income. Registration fees vary from $140 to $200 per year depending on registrar, with a minimum 2-year registration period. Since January 2025, Identity Digital has taken over technical management of the .ai extension. The renewal rate exceeds 90 percent, a strong indicator that domain owners continue to protect their investments.
For entrepreneurs and investors looking to establish their presence in the AI ecosystem, .ai domain names remain a strategic asset. Short, meaningful, industry-relevant names are being claimed rapidly. With over 161 million .com registrations compared to just 632,000 .ai registrations, valuable names are still accessible. Search for the right .ai domain on Spaceship and browse premium domains on AlanAdi.ai.
Holen Sie sich noch heute Ihre Traum-.ai-Domain
Suchen →