How to calculate the value of a .IO domain name

So we can all admit that .IO came out of nowhere and became popular almost overnight. Now some of the most successful startups are branding on .IO domains and the trend doesn’t seem like it’s slowing down.

.IO Domain Pricing

As we all know, .IO domains don’t sell for as much as .COM’s, honestly, in most cases it’s not even close. That being said, what is the best way to calculate the value of a .IO domain if you happen to know the .COM price? Here’s some examples of the differences that can be found:

Art.io – $6,050
Art.com – $450,000

Blue.io – $4,500
Blue.com – $500,000

Event.io – $3,450
Event.com – $165,000

King.io – $2,150
King.com – $155,000

This is a very small amount of data but I think if you were to continue you’d find that on average .COM names sell for somewhere between 50x – 80x what a .IO would sell for. So if you’re a startup looking to buy a .IO domain, finding the .COM name (look on somewhere like NameBio or DNJournal) and dividing it by something in the 50 – 80 range should give you a reasonable estimate for what the .IO could sell for.

This is also why your $100 or $350 offer for a incredibly premium one-word .IO name like Art.io is ignored. You’ll get a huge price break going from .COM to .IO, but it’s important to be realistic and put some logic behind your price expectations. The good news is, you can build a great brand on a non .COM and at one fiftieth the price that’s not a bad discount either!

Morgan Linton

Morgan Linton