NameSilo is a reasonable registrar in 2026 if you will use its Discount Program and you care about the renewal, not a homepage teaser. On 7 October 2026, NameSilo’s pricing table listed a .com at $17.29 to register in the 1–49 column and $17.29 to renew at the retail rate. The same .com is $11.05 to register and $11.05 to renew on the Discount Program’s lowest tier, which requires Account Funds. WHOIS privacy, DNS, email forwarding, and Domain Defender are included at no extra fee for domains that qualify. There is no 30-day money-back guarantee on a registration. A refund of a new registration is available only if you cancel within three days and the account is not flagged for excessive cancellations.
Moon Picke may earn a commission if you use the NameSilo link below. Prices are from NameSilo’s own pricing table and support articles, checked 7 October 2026. The method is on how we evaluate products. Commission terms are on the affiliate disclosure.
Check current NameSilo domain prices
NameSilo at a glance
Best for: an owner of one or many domains who will keep Account Funds on the account and wants privacy and DNS included.
Less suitable for: a buyer who will pay the $17.29 retail .com and expected that number to be a first-year promotion that drops later, or who needs phone help outside a short weekday window.
.com, checked 7 October 2026: registration $17.29 for 1–49 domains, or $11.05 with the Discount Program at the 0+ tier. Renewal $17.29 retail, or $11.05 at that same Discount Program tier. Transfer $10.80 on sale, with $11.95 shown as the regular transfer price.
What holds up
- The renewal is printed next to the registration. For .com, NameSilo is not using a cheap first year and a higher second year at the rates above. Retail matches retail. The Discount Program rate matches itself.
- WHOIS privacy is free and on by default, with a documented exception for some country-code extensions.
- Email forwarding, domain forwarding, DNS management, custom WHOIS records, and Domain Defender are listed as included, not as paid add-ons.
- A transfer is priced by extension, and NameSilo says a year is added to the expiration date for the extensions in that transfer table, unless the name was renewed at the old registrar in the prior 45 days.
- Two-factor authentication is offered through an authenticator app at no NameSilo fee.
What does not
- $17.29 is the .com price a buyer sees without the Discount Program. That is not a bargain sticker. The lower $11.05 rate requires Account Funds, and adding funds has a $50 minimum.
- A registration promo is not a renewal. .org registration shows $10.79 in the 1–49 column, with $14.99 crossed out. The .org renewal row shows $14.99 retail and $13.49 on the Discount Program’s 0+ tier, not $10.79.
- At 100 or more domains in the Discount Program, .com registration drops to a promotional $8.75, with $11.00 crossed out. The .com renewal row at 100+ is $11.00 with no sale price on top of it. Do not budget $8.75 for year two.
- New registrations refund only inside three days. Restorations do not refund. After expiration, the name can go to auction.
- Phone support is listed as weekdays, 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Arizona time. That is not round-the-clock phone help.
What NameSilo is
NameSilo is a domain registrar. The job this review covers is registering a name, renewing it, transferring it, and managing DNS and account security. The company also sells hosting, email, and SSL. Those are separate products. A link in the site menu is not a reason to pick NameSilo as your web host. If the question is where the domain should live, the pricing table and the expiration rules matter more than the hosting page.
The account is built for people who hold more than one name. The pricing table has columns for 1–49, 50–100, and 101–500 registrations, and a Discount Program with tiers at 0+, 100+, 500+, 1,000+, 2,500+, and 5,000+ domains in the account. A single .com still has a price. The deeper discounts are for a portfolio, and only some of those cells are on sale.
What a .com costs right now
NameSilo’s pricing page, on 7 October 2026, splits registration into quantity columns and Discount Program columns. For .com registration the cells were:
| .com registration | Price |
|---|---|
| 1–49 domains | $17.29 |
| 50–100 | $17.19 |
| 101–500 | $17.09 |
| Discount Program, 0+ | $11.05 |
| Discount Program, 100+ | $8.75 now, $11.00 crossed out |
The crossed-out figure is the price NameSilo says applies after the promotion ends. The $8.75 cell is a registration promotion for accounts already in the 100+ Discount Program tier. It is not the price of one .com, and it is not the renewal.
.com renewal on the same day, with no crossed-out sale in those cells:
| .com renewal | Price per year |
|---|---|
| Retail | $17.29 |
| Discount Program, 0+ | $11.05 |
| 100+ | $11.00 |
| 500+ | $10.95 |
| 1,000+ | $10.90 |
| 2,500+ | $10.85 |
| 5,000+ | $10.80 |
.com transfer was on sale at $10.80, with $11.95 crossed out as the regular transfer price. NameSilo’s transfer section says a one-year extension is added to the expiration date for domains in that table. A separate transfer article says the extra year is not added in the usual way if the name was renewed at the previous registrar within 45 days. In that case NameSilo says it still adds the year and you may have to ask the old registrar for a refund. Do not treat every transfer as a guaranteed extra year until that 45-day exception is checked.
.net registration was $15.95 for 1–49 names, $11.85 on the Discount Program 0+ tier, and $8.75 on sale at 100+ with $11.75 crossed out. .net renewal was $15.95 retail and $11.85 at Discount Program 0+, again with no sale strikethrough on the renewal row checked. .net transfer was $11.35 on sale, with $15.95 crossed out.
.org registration was on sale even in the 1–49 column: $10.79 now, $14.99 crossed out. The Discount Program 0+ registration cell was $9.29, with $13.49 crossed out. .org renewal was $14.99 retail and $13.49 at Discount Program 0+, with no sale price in the renewal cells checked. .org transfer was $11.99, with no second price in that cell.
| TLD | Register, 1–49 | Renew, retail | Transfer | Privacy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| .com | $17.29 | $17.29 | $10.80 sale, $11.95 regular | Included by default where the TLD allows it |
| .net | $15.95 | $15.95 | $11.35 sale, $15.95 regular | Included by default where the TLD allows it |
| .org | $10.79 sale, $14.99 regular | $14.99 | $11.99 | Included by default where the TLD allows it |
Checked 7 October 2026 on NameSilo’s pricing page. Discount Program prices are lower and are not in this summary table. Premium and aftermarket names can be priced outside these rows. NameSilo says most coupons do not apply to premium names.
Three years at today’s rates
A .com kept for three years, using only the retail column, is $17.29 to register plus $17.29 plus $17.29 to renew. That is $51.87. The same three years on the Discount Program’s 0+ tier, if those published rates are still the rates at renewal, is $11.05 three times, or $33.15. This is an illustration from the table checked on 7 October 2026. It is not a promise that NameSilo will charge $11.05 in 2028. Domain prices change. The point of the sum is that the first year and the later years match each other for .com. You do not get a $10.79 trick on .com the way the .org registration cell is on sale.
A .org bought at the current 1–49 sale and then renewed at retail is a different shape: $10.79, then $14.99, then $14.99, or $40.77 if those later prices stay put. The sale is the first registration, not the renewal. Anyone comparing NameSilo with another registrar should line up year two, not the crossed-out cell.
The Discount Program is the real price cut
NameSilo’s Discount Program is optional. The support article says there is no fee to join, you can turn it on and off, and the requirement is that you pay with Account Funds. Adding funds has a $50 minimum. NameSilo lists verified card, verified PayPal, AliPay, verified Skrill, wire, and cryptocurrency as ways to add those funds. Coupons cannot be combined with the program. Drop-catch orders are excluded. Savings apply in the cart and on automatic renewals, so you do not type a code.
The 0+ column is the one a small account uses. It does not require 100 names. For .com it is $11.05, not $8.75. The $8.75 registration figure starts at the 100+ Discount Program column and is marked as a promotion. Large registration orders can also get the quantity breaks in the 50–100 and 101–500 columns, which on .com are only dimes under $17.29. Those quantity breaks are not the same thing as the Account Funds program.
If you will not leave $50 in the account, budget the retail column. Calling NameSilo a $11 registrar without that condition is how the pricing page gets misread.
ICANN fees and privacy
NameSilo’s shopping-cart article lists ICANN fees as their own line and says they are included by default, next to a processing fee it describes as typically free. The help page does not print the ICANN dollar amount. Do not add or subtract an assumed $0.18 from the table until the cart shows the line. Compare registrars on the cart total, not on a slogan about fees.
WHOIS privacy is the clearest included feature.
NameSilo’s privacy policy says the service is free and enabled by default, and that your contact details are not sent to the registry unless you turn privacy off. The pricing page labels it “Free WHOIS Privacy Forever.” That label is NameSilo’s. The same policy says some country-code registries do not allow this protection, and it points to a list of those extensions. Turning privacy off publishes the contact data, and NameSilo warns that copies can remain elsewhere even if you turn privacy back on. Privacy is included for eligible names. It is not a promise that every extension in the 463-row table can hide the registrant.
DNS, forwarding, and what “email” means
NameSilo includes DNS management and says you can use its DNS tools without a recurring add-on fee. DNSSEC is available as DS records in the domain manager for registries that support it. If the toggle is off, that registry does not support DS records through NameSilo. The help article tells you not to turn DNSSEC on unless you can configure it, and it says NameSilo does not support configuring third-party name servers for you. A broken DS record can stop the name from resolving. The tool is there. The repair, if you point DNS somewhere else, is yours.
Email forwarding is included. It is not a mailbox. NameSilo also sells email as its own product. Forwarding sends a message to an address you already have. It does not give you a hosted inbox, storage, or a mail app. Domain forwarding is included as well, which is a redirect, not a website.
Custom WHOIS records are listed with the free tools. Use them only if you intend to publish contact data. They are the opposite of leaving privacy on.
Locks, Defender, and the account
Domain Defender is listed with the free add-ons on the pricing page. NameSilo does not, in the pages checked, define it as a guarantee that an account cannot be taken over. Treat it as a named protection product, not as a security result.
Two-factor authentication is documented as free and app-based. NameSilo says it does not charge for text messages. If the phone with the app is lost and the backup in the app is gone, the help article says you cannot enter the account until a removal process is finished. Turn on 2FA, and keep the recovery path the app describes.
A transfer out still depends on an unlock and an authorization code. NameSilo’s transfer-in article says every ICANN-accredited registrar has to provide the code, allow an unlock, and allow the WHOIS changes a transfer needs. It also says privacy at the losing registrar sometimes blocks the transfer, and it recommends turning that privacy off first when you are not sure. That is a process description, not a timed promise. This review did not move a name and did not measure how long a transfer takes.
Expiration is where the money is
NameSilo’s expiration article, checked with the pricing page, uses a calendar that is stricter than “it will keep working for a month.”
From day 1 through day 30 the name is expired. Parking name servers are applied on day 1, so visitors can hit a parking page even while you can still renew or transfer at the standard rate. Day 30 is the last day at that standard renewal price. From day 31 through day 40 the name can go to auction. If a bid wins and is validated, the name changes hands. If it does not sell, it can return on day 41 and enter a restoration window through day 64. Restoration has a fee that NameSilo says varies by extension and may or may not include a renewal year. The article does not print one restoration price for .com. Restorations cannot be cancelled or refunded.
Auto-renew is optional in the cart. NameSilo says it charges the default payment method and that you can change it in the account. An automatic renewal is the practical way to stay out of the auction window. Cancelling a renewal you did buy is only available within three days, and the cancellation article says cancelling a renewal means the name must be permanently deleted, except for certain automatic renewals. Read that section before you cancel a renewal to “get the money back.”
A new registration refunds only if the cancellation is inside three days and the account is not marked for excessive cancellations. Transfers can be cancelled before they complete, with a refund if you cancel within 59 days of the transaction. Marketplace purchases do not refund. None of this is a 30-day satisfaction guarantee.
Paying, and buying more than one name
The Discount Program article is specific about money in the account. A verified card, verified PayPal, AliPay, verified Skrill, wire, and cryptocurrency can fund it. The minimum deposit is $50. NameSilo says there is no fee to turn the program on. A payment method that is only attached at checkout, without Account Funds, is how you pay the retail column. If a method is unverified, it does not count toward the discount. Refunds of domain orders follow the cancellation windows above. They do not follow a general store return policy, and a crypto payment is not a reason to assume a longer refund window. The cancellation article does not create one.
Buying several names is a separate column, not a mood. The registration table drops a .com by ten cents at 50–100 and another ten cents at 101–500. Those are volume prices on the retail side. They do not replace the Discount Program. The program’s own steps, at 100, 500, 1,000, 2,500, and 5,000 domains in the account, change the renewal as well as the registration, and the higher registration cells can also carry a temporary sale. A one-domain buyer never reaches those steps. A small portfolio reaches the 0+ Discount Program price as soon as the account is funded. An investor with 100 or more names should read two cells for every extension: the sale registration, if one is struck through, and the renewal in the same tier, which may have no sale at all.
NameSilo lists portfolio management and sub-account tools next to the free features. This review did not log into an account and did not run a bulk search, a bulk transfer, or a sub-account. The public evidence is the price table itself, the cart note that volume discounts exist, and those feature labels. Use the table. Do not treat a feature name as a test of the screen.
Support and the screen you will use
NameSilo’s contact lines, on its RDAP page, list email to support@namesilo.com as available 24/7, and phone at (888) 462-6950 on Monday through Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Arizona time. The public site also has a Live Chat link. Hours for that chat were not stated on the pages used for the phone line, so this review does not call chat 24/7. A support catalog exists. Moon Picke did not open a ticket and did not time a reply. Availability is documented. Quality is not scored.
The pricing page is a large table with registration, renewal, and transfer as separate tabs. That separation is the useful part of the interface, because the numbers are not the same kind of price. This review did not register a name, so it does not describe the dashboard as easy or slow. What the public pages show is a portfolio-oriented price list, a cart that can turn on auto-renew, and a discount switch that depends on Account Funds.
Who should use it, and who should not
Use NameSilo if you will fund the account and you want the .com renewal to stay at the same published Discount Program rate as the registration, with privacy left on. That fits a small business with a few names, and it fits a larger portfolio that can reach the 100+ and higher tiers and will read the renewal column before believing a registration sale. The quantity columns are the published volume pricing. Portfolio tools are labeled on the site. This review did not run them. An investor who already works in a registrar panel, and who will set auto-renew before day 30, is the buyer those columns are written for.
Skip it if you want the lowest possible retail .com with no account balance. $17.29 is the number in the 1–49 cell. Skip the .org sale if you only compared $10.79 and did not see the $14.99 renewal. Skip it if you need a mailbox and thought forwarding was hosting. Skip it if your extension is on NameSilo’s list of ccTLDs that cannot use its privacy service, and privacy is the reason you were switching. Skip it as a web host based on this article. Hosting is sold, and it is not what was priced here.
Namecheap, Porkbun, Cloudflare Registrar, and GoDaddy show up in the same searches. A direct NameSilo-versus-Namecheap decision is a different article. This page does not borrow another registrar’s price to declare a winner. The comparison that matters inside NameSilo is retail versus Discount Program, and registration versus renewal.
FAQ
Is NameSilo legit?
NameSilo is an operating registrar with a public pricing table, an account system, and published terms. Legit does not mean every extension is $11. A .com is $17.29 at retail and $11.05 on the Discount Program’s 0+ tier, checked 7 October 2026. The public site lets a buyer search and price a name. This review did not complete a paid US checkout.
Is NameSilo worth it in 2026?
Yes, if you will use Account Funds and you want privacy, DNS, and a .com renewal that matches the registration rate you actually pay. No, if you will pay $17.29 and you were comparing NameSilo with registrars that advertise a lower everyday .com. The Discount Program is the discount. It is not automatic.
How much is a .com renewal?
The retail renewal is $17.29 a year. With the Discount Program, the 0+ tier is $11.05, and the 100+ tier is $11.00. The $8.75 figure on the registration table is a 100+ registration promotion. It was not the renewal price.
Does privacy cost extra?
NameSilo says WHOIS privacy is free and on by default. Some country-code extensions cannot use it. “Forever” is the label on NameSilo’s pricing page, limited by that registry exception. Turning privacy off publishes your contact details.
Are ICANN fees extra?
The cart help page lists an ICANN fee line and says it is included by default. It does not print the amount. Read the cart. Do not assume the $17.29 already is, or is not, the only registry-related charge until that line is visible.
Can I transfer a domain to NameSilo?
Yes, for extensions NameSilo sells transfers for. A .com transfer was $10.80 on sale, regular $11.95. NameSilo says the transfer adds a year, with a special case if the name was renewed at the old registrar in the last 45 days. You need the name unlocked and an authorization code. This review did not time a transfer.
What happens if I forget to renew?
On day 1, NameSilo applies parking name servers. You can still renew at the standard price through day 30. Days 31–40 can be an auction. Restoration, if the name does not sell, runs to day 64 and costs a fee that varies by extension. Set auto-renew if you cannot watch the date.
Is it good for many domains?
The price table is built for that. Quantity columns and Discount Program tiers lower some prices, and registration sales at 100+ names are real on .com and .net. Renewals do not automatically use the registration sale. A large account should price year two from the renewal tab.
Final verdict
NameSilo is worth using in 2026 when the Discount Program price is the price you will actually pay and you want privacy and DNS included. For a .com, that is $11.05 to register and $11.05 to renew at the 0+ tier, after you fund the account with at least $50. The retail .com is $17.29 both to register and to renew. That match is honest. It is not cheap. A transfer at $10.80 is a sale against $11.95, and it is a different decision from a new registration. Leave the name on auto-renew, because day 31 can be an auction, and do not read a crossed-out registration price as next year’s bill.