Applying for a .BRAND or open gTLD is a major business initiative. This article outlines exactly who you need on your team and what you should budget.
As we approach the imminent start of ICANN’s long-awaited 2026 New gTLD program, excitement is building and parties are starting to prepare. For many organizations, the investment in a new gTLD initiative is the ultimate in brand building and protection, promotes security and stability, or offers an interesting commercial opportunity. While the vision of owning a proprietary top-level domain is compelling, the focus for your organization and leadership must evaluate the financial and operational practicalities that the journey requires.
In our previous article, we ventured back nearly 15 years to ICANN’s first new gTLD round (generic top level domains, or “right of the dot” domain extensions for those of you not versed in our many acronyms) that took off in 2012. To date, we see over 43 million active domain registrations in these ‘new’ top level domains along with plenty of daily activity, new markets, niches, and exploited branding opportunities alike.
We outlined three types of potential applicants who should consider whether applying for a new top level domain through ICANN’s program is the right move for them. You can read more about that in the aforementioned article.
We now turn our attention to the practicalities of ICANN’s second new gTLD round, which is set to open for applications on April 30, 2026.
Let’s start first by outlining the parties involved.
There are a number of parties involved in the journey, here is a summary:
ICANN – the global non-profit organization responsible for coordinating the internet’s domain name system. They set the rules, evaluate applicants and applications, enter into contracts with Registry Operators, and manage the delegation and maintenance of top level domains.
Registry Operator – if you apply for a new gTLD and are awarded your top level domain string, then you are the Registry Operator, congratulations! You are the owner of your own top level domain and ultimately responsible for TLD. You are required to meet and maintain the technical and legal obligations enforced by ICANN and others, set your policies, and operate the authoritative nameservers which tell the world where to find the websites registered in your TLD. In practice, unless you are in the registry business, you will outsource some, or all, of the technical systems, administrative and legal aspects of your TLD to a Registry Service Provider, or RSP.
Registry Service Provider – if you’re not in the registry business already, then you cannot provide your own technical services because ICANN has already approved official Registry Service Providers for this round. In this case, you hire an RSP who handles the technical systems for you, and in many cases, legal and compliance as well. An RSP is your operating partner. Approved RSPs contract with you and with ICANN to provide their services for your TLD.
Registrar – next down the chain is the Registrar (101domain is a registrar). RSPs typically do not provide the storefront, control panels, or customer services to end users of your domain names. This is typically done by Registrars who connect your RSP’s technical systems to provide your domain names to end users, whether for your internal teams if you are a private .brand TLD or to public customers around the world. Registrars contract with you, ICANN, and your RSP to provide their services for your TLD.
You and your team – Your TLD is your asset and it is critical that you are engaged and treat it like an operational business unit with a strong team backing your initiative. The good news is that 101domain is able to partner with you throughout.
Whether you are a private .BRAND TLD, an open/generic TLD sold to the public, or a community/geographic TLD, you will have various ongoing business activities that require your attention, direction and management. This starts with active participation in the application process through delegation (or “launch”). It includes the development of policy, business strategy, operations , legal, and abuse and compliance work. Clear ownership in your internal organization is a must.
101domain is here to partner with you on your new gTLD applications as a full service provider to walk you through the process, launch and operational aspects of the new gTLD program.
Contact us today to get started.
Now about the costs
With so many parties involved, costs are multi-faceted.
You can expect a minimum initial investment of $350,000 – $500,000 and at least $75,000 annually to operate your TLD.
Budgeting for a new gTLD involves two main types of expenses: the upfront investment and startup costs required for your application and launch, and then the annual recurring costs for your ongoing TLD operation, after your TLD is approved and delegated by ICANN.
You will also need to pass ICANN’s financial evaluation, demonstrating that your organization has the long-term financial capacity and strategic plan to sustain registry operations.
Upfront Investment
Below are one-time application and start up costs you can expect to incur. Aside from the ICANN application fee of $227,000 which is set, all other fees are estimates, and may or may not be applicable to you:
| Type | Cost | Details |
|---|---|---|
| ICANN application fee, per name | $227,000 | Payable to ICANN. Covers ICANN evaluation, legal and technical review. |
| Application Consulting fee, per name | $50,000 – $100,000 | Engage 101domain, others or handle inhouse. Prepare, submit, and guide your application through ICANN’s process. |
| ICANN conditional evaluation fees | Varies, if applicable | Payable to ICANN. ICANN fee table |
| Legal & Compliance | Varies, if applicable | Engage 101domain, others or handle inhouse. Policy development, trademark work, legal entity set up, contested or disputed applications. |
| ICANN Auction | Varies, if applicable | Payable to ICANN. If your string has multiple applicants and goes to auction. If you are the winning bidder, this amount can vary greatly. |
Recurring costs
Once your TLD is awarded and delegated, your financial commitment shifts to annual maintenance and compliance. Aside from the ICANN mandatory fee, all costs are estimates and dependent on your TLD model and volume.
| Type | Annual Cost | Details |
|---|---|---|
| ICANN Registry Fee, per name | $25,000 | Payable to ICANN. Mandatory annual fee paid to ICANN for up to 50,000 active domains then $0.2575 per domain thereafter |
| Registry Service Provider, per name | Starting at $35,000 | Engage 101domain or others. Registry technical system, DNS, EPP, security, etc. |
| Registrar Provider, per name | Starting at $10,000 | Engage 101domain or others. End user interfaces and platform, registry connection, end user customer service |
| Legal & Compliance | Varies | Engage 101domain, others or handle inhouse. ICANN audits, policy and privacy work |
| Marketing & Operations | Varies | Engage 101domain, others or handle inhouse. Dependent on your business model |
In Summary
Securing a generic top-level domain transitions your organization from a standard domain name owner to a Registry Operator. It can initially cost between $350,000-$500,000 per name for a private TLD and much more to launch a commercially-available top level domain. There are a number of parties involved in the process, requires cross-function organization buy-in and it can be complex. If the opportunity is right for you, 101domain is here as your expert partner to guide you through it and minimize those complexities for you.
The application window opens on April 30, 2026 and closes on August 12, 2026. Once this window closes, it may be another 10 years before this opportunity comes around again. The entire process will require at least two years with our expectation that the first new gTLDs will launch in the 2nd quarter of 2028 (although this has not been confirmed by ICANN yet).
Now that you understand the parties and costs involved, we will move on to present the entire lifecycle of this new gTLD program so that you can understand the requirements and commitments you will face in each stage over the next two years.