Type
Country code (British Indian Ocean Territory)
All TLDs / .io
.io — should you use it?
Country code (British Indian Ocean Territory), used generically · introduced 1997
The short answer
The default startup TLD of the 2010s. Still credible for dev tools, but pricier and no longer novel — and its ccTLD status has a real geopolitical asterisk.Why it works
- Strong developer-brand recognition (I/O)
- Short, clean, good availability for real words
- Google treats it as generic despite being a ccTLD
Why it might not
- Expensive renewals
- Chagos Islands sovereignty transfer puts long-term status in rare-but-real question
- So popular it's now a cliché
The longer take
io = input/output made this the developer TLD, and that association still pays rent. Two caveats: renewals are 3–5x a .com, and the UK–Mauritius Chagos deal means the 'IO' country code could theoretically be retired someday (precedent says years of transition, but .com never has this conversation). For a dev-facing product it remains a strong, safe-enough pick.
Where .io ranks
Straight answers about .io
- Will using a non-.com domain hurt my Google rankings?
- Can I register a .de or .ca domain if I don't live in that country?
- Should I buy the .net and .co versions of my domain to protect my brand?
- Will emails from a .xyz or .io address go to spam?
- Is it risky to build my company on a .io domain because of the Chagos Islands deal?
- How much will a .ai domain cost over 5 years, including renewals?
- Why does my .dev site require HTTPS, and can I turn it off?
.io and British Indian Ocean Territory
.io is the country-code top-level domain assigned to British Indian Ocean Territory, administered by the registry Internet Computer Bureau Limited.
The Internet country code top-level domain (ccTLD) .io is nominally assigned to the British Indian Ocean Territory, but in practice used typically by technology organisations and websites because of its connection with the computer science term input/output.
Source: Wikipedia — .io (CC BY-SA)
Where to buy .io
Renewal trap: .io costs $28.12 in year one but $51.80/yr to renew — 1.8× the intro price. Budget for the renewal, not the promo. Full Renewal-Trap Index
| Registrar | First year | Renews | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dynadot Sponsored | $28.89 promo | $53.50 | Go → |
| Porkbun Trust pick cheapest | $28.12 promo | $51.80 | Go → |
| Cloudflare Trust pick at-cost | $32.00 | $50.00 | Go → |
| Namecheap Sponsored | Live price unavailable — confirm at the registrar. | Go → | |
Porkbun & Cloudflare prices in USD, pulled from their daily feeds (checked 2026-10-21). Cloudflare sells at wholesale cost but requires using Cloudflare’s nameservers. Full comparison: where to buy .io.
Some links are affiliate links. Prices are set by the registrar and can change — always confirm at checkout.