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.com vs .shop: which domain should you choose?

The default address against an extension that says "buy here". .shop is cheaper in the first year, but .com costs less over three years once renewals are counted.

.com and .shop prices

From our current price list, in SAR. +VAT 5% where applicable. The order form always shows the price before you pay.

.com and .shop prices in SAR; the lower price in each row is marked.
Price.com.shop
First year SAR 52.28SAR 6.71Lower
Renews at (per year) SAR 52.28LowerSAR 145.43
Transfer inUsually adds a year to the registration. SAR 52.28LowerSAR 145.43
3 years in totalFirst year plus two renewals. SAR 156.84LowerSAR 297.57
Price rise after year one None+2067%

Who each one suits

.comGeneric

The original commercial extension (1985) and the one people type by default.

Run by
Verisign
Who can register
Anyone, anywhere, for any purpose.
Best for
startup or SaaS product, local business, tech or developer project, online shop, personal brand or portfolio
Costs
SAR 52.28 first year, then SAR 52.28 a year

.com details and search

.shopGeneric

A 2016 extension for e-commerce, understood in many languages.

Run by
GMO Registry
Who can register
Anyone selling products or services.
Best for
online shop
Costs
SAR 6.71 first year, then SAR 145.43 a year

.shop details and search

Registry rules and restrictions

What applies before and after you register. We confirm anything special before you pay.

.com

  • Anyone, anywhere, for any purpose.
  • No HTTPS requirement from the registry, but every site should still use SSL.

.shop

  • Anyone selling products or services.
  • No HTTPS requirement from the registry, but every site should still use SSL.

SEO: does the extension matter?

Short answer: not for rankings. Content, links and site speed decide where you rank; the extension mostly affects trust, memorability and which country search engines assume you serve.

.com

A generic extension: no ranking advantage or penalty on its own. Search engines rank the content and the links, and let you target any country.

.shop

A generic extension: no ranking advantage or penalty on its own. Search engines rank the content and the links, and let you target any country.

Myth check: no extension gets a hidden ranking bonus, and keyword extensions (like .shop or .tech) do not rank better for that keyword. Switching an established site to a new extension costs time while search engines re-learn it, so choose well up front.

Our verdict, by kind of site

Based on what each extension signals to visitors and its three-year cost at today’s prices.

  • Startup or SaaS product.com.com reads as a product brand to investors and users; .shop is a weaker match for a startup name.
  • Local business.com.com is what local customers expect; .shop reads as less local.
  • Tech or developer project.com.com signals a technical product or team at a glance; .shop is less specific.
  • Online shop.comBoth fit equally well; .com costs less over three years at today’s prices.
  • Non-profit or community.com.com is the better fit for an organisation or community; .shop reads as more commercial or technical.
  • Personal brand or portfolio.com.com reads naturally as a personal name or portfolio; .shop is less personal.

.com vs .shop: questions and answers

.shop is cheaper in the first year (.com SAR 52.28, .shop SAR 6.71). Renewals are SAR 52.28 and SAR 145.43 a year, so three years cost SAR 156.84 for .com and SAR 297.57 for .shop, in SAR before VAT where it applies.

Got the name? Register it in .com or .shop

Search now and see the live price before you pay.