Most Important TLDs
By the end of September 2025, the combined domain base for .com and .net stood at roughly 171.9 million registrations. This represents a modest rise of 1.4 million domains, or 0.82%, compared with the 170.5 million recorded at the close of June 2025. Year over year, the total increased by 1.3 million, reflecting growth of about 0.7% from the 169.6 million registered in September 2024.
Breaking down the distribution, .com domains accounted for 159.4 million registrations, while .net domains reached 12.5 million. New registrations for these two TLDs in Q3 2025 totalled 10.6 million, up from 10.4 million in the previous quarter and from 9.3 million in the same period of the prior year.
In the third quarter of 2025, the total number of registered domain names across all top-level domains reached 378.5 million. This figure reflects an expansion of 6.8 million compared with the previous quarter’s 371.7 million, amounting to a 1.83% increase quarter over quarter. On a yearly basis, registrations grew by 16.2 million relative to the 362.3 million recorded in Q3 2024, corresponding to an annual growth rate of 4.47%.
As of the end of September 2025, country-code top-level domains (ccTLDs) reached a total of 144.8 million registrations. This reflects an increase of 1.4 million, or 0.97%, compared with the 143.4 million recorded at the end of June 2025. On a year-over-year basis, ccTLD registrations rose by 4.7 million, a 3.35% increase from the 140.1 million reported in September 2024.
By the end of Q2 2025, new generic top-level domains (ngTLDs) reached 42.9 million registrations. This represents a quarterly gain of 3.4 million, or 8.6%, compared with the 39.5 million recorded in the prior quarter. Relative to the same quarter in 2024, when registrations totaled 35.4 million, ngTLDs increased by 7.59 million year over year, amounting to a 21.44% rise.
By the close of Q3 2025, legacy generic top-level domains (gTLDs) excluding .com and .net totaled 18.9 million registrations. This reflects a rise of 0.6 million, or 3.27%, relative to the 18.3 million recorded at the end of Q2. Year over year, these legacy gTLDs expanded by 1.6 million registrations, a 9.24% increase compared with the 17.3 million reported in the same quarter of 2024.
Key Takeaways
Overall Domain Market Shows Stable Growth
The global domain market keeps growing at a steady clip, with total registrations now over 378 million. Growth has been consistent quarter to quarter, suggesting the market is holding up well even
if it’s not exploding. As the digital economy expands, demand for domains continues along with it.
Traditional gTLDs Are Saturating
.com and .net maintain their dominant position, but their growth is slowing. We’ve said this before, but it seems they’ve hit a maturity point where the biggest, most recognizable domains are filling up. Don’t expect dramatic gains here anymore. Registries will need to get creative if they want to pull in
new registrations in these spaces.
Emerging and Alternative TLDs Drive Significant Growth
New gTLDs and legacy gTLDs are where the real action is. NgTLDs are growing at over 8 percent per quarter, which tells you that users and businesses are actually adopting alternative domains in meaningful numbers. These TLDs are pushing the market forward.
Traditional gTLDs Are Saturating
.com and .net maintain their dominant position, but their growth is slowing. We’ve said this before, but it seems they’ve hit a maturity point where the biggest, most recognizable domains are filling up. Don’t expect dramatic gains here anymore. Registries will need to get creative if they want to pull in
new registrations in these spaces.
Market Concentration Highlights Geographic and Segment Trends
A handful of TLDs control most of the market: .com leads overall, .cn dominates ccTLDs, and .xyz tops ngTLDs. Growth is happening, but it’s concentrated in specific regions and domain types. For registries and investors, this means going after popular or emerging TLDs makes more sense than trying to break into crowded, saturated segments.
Conclusion
The domain market in Q3 2025 is healthy and growing, mostly thanks to new and alternative TLDs gaining traction. Traditional domains like .com and .net are showing their age, with only modest upticks that suggest they’re close to full. The market’s still expanding overall, but future growth is going to come from diversification rather than leaning on legacy TLDs. New gTLDs are rising fast, and country-code domains in China, Germany, and the United Kingdom continue performing well.
Both geographic concentration and segment-specific growth will keep shaping where this market goes. Total registrations will likely keep climbing at a moderate pace, but the real opportunities
for growth and innovation are in emerging domains and underused TLDs. Businesses and individuals are looking for alternatives to the crowded traditional options, and that’s where the next phase of growth will likely come from.
Methodology
The data presented in this report is based on domain registration statistics obtained from a combination of industry sources and internal analysis. For Q3 2024, we use data published by the Domain Name Industry Brief (DNIB), a recognized and authoritative source on global domain trends. For Q2 2025 and Q3 2025, the data comes from Freename’s own queries on publicly available zone files, which are open resources widely used across the industry to monitor domain registrations. This
mixed-method approach ensures both accuracy and real-time relevance, allowing us to deliver up-to-date insights into the domain name ecosystem.
About The Quarterly Report | Registrations
The Domain Standard Quarterly Report - Registrations provides an in-depth analysis of global domain registration trends across all top-level domains (TLDs) for each quarter. It offers insights into the performance of the most prominent generic TLDs (gTLDs), country-code TLDs (ccTLDs), and new generic TLDs (ngTLDs), providing a comprehensive view of the state of the domain name market.
Who's this report aimed at?
This report is designed for investors, analysts, and industry professionals who require up-to-date data on the registration patterns and growth trajectories of domain names. It tracks key metrics such as the total number of domain registrations, quarter-over-quarter growth, year-overyear changes, and the performance of individual TLDs.
Furthermore, it highlights significant trends, emerging opportunities, and shifts in the market, making it a valuable resource for decision-makers in the domain and digital property sectors. The report offers both a high-level overview of the global domain landscape and detailed insights into specific segments of the market, including the continuing dominance of .com and .net, the growing popularity of localized ccTLDs, and the explosive rise of ngTLDs. By analyzing these trends, the report aims to inform strategic decisions, uncover investment opportunities, and guide stakeholders through the ever-evolving domain name ecosystem.
Here you can find other Quarterly Reports:
- Quarterly Report Aftermarket Q3 2025
- Top Selling Countries by Country Code TLDs
- Global Domains Registrations in Q2 (2025)
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