.top Domain Search
Check .top domain availability and search for available .top domain names. Learn about .top pricing, adoption trends, registry governance, and security considerations.
Country
China
Pricing
0.99 to 14 USD per year
Registrations
Over 2 million
Growth
Low renewal rates and abuse control efforts shrink the active base
Why Choose .top?
Short, memorable, and broadly brandable string
Strong semantic meaning around 'top' and rankings
Very low first year pricing during promotions
Internationalized Domain Name support for multiple scripts
Can be useful for short term campaigns and testing
History
The .top top level domain is a new generic TLD from ICANN's 2012 expansion program. Operated by Jiangsu Bangning Science & Technology Co., Ltd. in Nanjing, China, .top was positioned as a universal, prestige oriented string and culturally aligned with ranking concepts in Chinese internet culture. The TLD was delegated to the root zone in August 2014. Adoption accelerated through aggressive low price promotions, peaking during speculative registration waves before later volatility driven by low renewals and abuse related cleanups.
Usage & Applications
The .top extension is frequently used for low cost websites, short term marketing pages, affiliate landing pages, experimental projects, and bulk portfolio registrations. Some legitimate uses exist around ranking, lists, and 'best-of' branding, but the namespace is widely associated with transient registrations due to aggressive discounting.
Popular .top Domains
First Registered .top Domain
N/A
2014
The TLD entered General Availability on November 18, 2014.
Registration Info
Requirements
Open to anyone worldwide via ICANN accredited registrars
Registry
Jiangsu Bangning Science & Technology Co., Ltd.
Key Milestones
Frequently Asked Questions
1How can I check .top domain availability
Use a .top domain search tool from a registrar to see if a name is available in real time.
2Why are .top domains so cheap sometimes
.top is often promoted with very low first year prices to drive high registration volume, with higher renewal pricing later.
3How much does a .top domain cost to renew
Renewals commonly range from about 6 to 14 USD per year depending on the registrar.
4Is .top good for a long term brand
It can work, but some audiences and security systems may treat .top with more suspicion due to historical abuse rates.
5Can anyone register a .top domain
Yes. Registration is generally open worldwide via ICANN accredited registrars, though extra verification may apply for some China hosted use cases.
6Does .top support DNSSEC
Yes. The registry supports DNSSEC by allowing DS records to be published through registrars.
7Does .top support internationalized domain names
Yes. .top supports IDNs, including Chinese characters and other scripts.
8Why do some email providers flag .top domains
High rates of spam and phishing using cheap disposable .top domains can reduce deliverability and increase filtering.
9Who operates the .top registry
The registry is operated by Jiangsu Bangning Science & Technology Co., Ltd., with backend services provided by ZDNS.
10What happened with the ICANN breach notice
ICANN issued a breach notice in July 2024 citing issues related to abuse handling and fees, requiring remediation to stay in good standing.