.hu Domain Names
17 registrars compared — cheapest from $6.69 at Regery
Delegated in 1990, .hu predates the modern Hungarian Republic by nearly a decade of digital history—yet it remains one of Central Europe's most culturally embedded country codes.
| # | Registrar | Registration | Renewal | Transfer | 5-Year Cost | 10-Year Cost | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Regery Cheapest | $6.69 | $6.99 | $6.99 | $34.65 | $69.60 | Visit |
| 2 | Sav | $7.73 | $7.73 | $4.84 | $38.65 | $77.30 | Visit |
| 3 | Regtons | $9.10 | $4.55 | $9.10 | $27.30 | $50.05 | Visit |
| 4 | Marcaria | $16.00 | $16.00 | $16.00 | $80.00 | $160.00 | Visit |
| 5 | Netim | $19.00 | $19.00 | $13.50 | $95.00 | $190.00 | Visit |
| 6 | NameSilo | $20.80 | $20.80 | $20.80 | $104.00 | $208.00 | Visit |
| 7 | Directnic | $20.99 | $26.99 | $20.99 | $128.95 | $263.90 | Visit |
| 8 | Infomaniak | $22.20 | $15.54 | $133.20 | $84.36 | $162.06 | Visit |
| 9 | 101domain | $24.49 | $31.49 | $24.49 | $150.45 | $307.90 | Visit |
| 10 | EuroDNS | $33.93 | $33.93 | $33.93 | $169.65 | $339.30 | Visit |
| 11 | INWX | $36.00 | $36.00 | $36.00 | $180.00 | $360.00 | Visit |
| 12 | Internet.bs | $46.99 | $46.99 | $46.99 | $234.95 | $469.90 | Visit |
| 13 | Blacknight | $47.71 | $47.71 | $47.71 | $238.55 | $477.10 | Visit |
| 14 | MrDomain | $60.99 | $60.99 | $60.99 | $304.95 | $609.90 | Visit |
| 15 | UK2 | $67.98 | $59.98 | $19.20 | $307.90 | $607.80 | Visit |
| 16 | OnlyDomains | $67.99 | $59.99 | $19.20 | $307.95 | $607.90 | Visit |
| 17 | Gandi | $98.00 | $167.98 | $98.00 | $769.92 | $1609.82 | Visit |
Prices updated daily. Some registrars show promotional first-year prices. Always verify the final price on the registrar's website before purchasing.
A Registry That Preceded the Republic
When .hu was delegated on November 7, 1990, Hungary was still the Hungarian People's Republic—the fall of the Iron Curtain had begun, but the country wouldn't formally rename itself until later. That makes .hu one of the few ccTLDs whose existence spans both a socialist state and an EU member. The registry is run by the Council of Hungarian Internet Providers (CHIP), a cooperative of local ISPs, which took over stewardship in the chaotic post-transition years. The domain's registration rules still echo that era: open to persons and companies in Hungary or the European Union, a structure that kept .hu local even as the internet globalized.
The Small Print: Why .hu Feels More Regulated Than Its Neighbors
Unlike .de or .uk, .hu never became a wide-open registry. Registration is restricted to individuals and companies in Hungary or the EU—a requirement that filters out much of the international squatting that plagues other ccTLDs. Subdomains under .hu carry their own extra rules; some, like .co.hu or .org.hu, have historically demanded proof of entity status. This layered approach means that while the main .hu space is accessible to any EU resident, the ecosystem still distinguishes between local businesses, organizations, and individuals. The trade-off: fewer speculative registrations, but also a registration process that outsiders occasionally find bureaucratic.
Popularity That Speaks Hungarian
In a country of under 10 million, .hu has achieved remarkable penetration—largely because Hungarians prefer it for everything from corporate sites to personal blogs. Google indexes .hu pages far more readily in Hungarian-language searches than generic gTLDs, which incentivizes locals to register even for hobby projects. The actual use is so dominant that 'Hungarian domain' in everyday speech means .hu, not .com. But that popularity has also bred a peculiar habit: many Hungarian businesses now register both .hu and .com to protect their brand, mirroring a pattern seen across .eu and other regional codes, though .hu retains a uniquely local flavor.
Security and Disputes: The Quiet Infrastructure
.hu has supported DNSSEC for years, a technical measure that lets visitors verify a site's authenticity without extra steps—a meaningful safeguard for a domain that handles government services and banking portals. On the dispute side, .hu relies on alternative dispute resolution rather than court litigation, a system that's become standard across European ccTLDs. For registrants, this means faster resolution of domain conflicts, though the specifics still funnel through Hungarian rules. The registry's WHOIS server is whois.nic.hu, and the registry website is domain.hu—both run by CHIP, which has kept the infrastructure domestic since the 1990s.
Pricing Spread: From Budget to Boutique
The .hu market shows an extreme pricing spread: the cheapest registrar charges a fraction of what the most expensive asks, and there are over 17 registrars in the game. That range makes [Regery](Regery) look like the obvious entry point, but the variance isn't random. Budget registrars often tack on renewal fees or require multi-year commitments, while premium ones bundle WHOIS privacy or local payment methods—useful for Hungarian VAT invoices. In practice, the gap between $6.69 and the $35.68 average is large enough that shopping around pays off, unlike the .de market where price differences tend to be narrower. Renewal costs at the cheap end, $6.99, are still well below the most expensive, $98.00, but locking in a bargain rate can lock you into a registrar's quirks.