.institute Domain Names
43 registrars compared — cheapest from $5.38 at Spaceship
From a single word evoking research labs and think tanks, .institute emerged in the 2012 new gTLD round — a blank slate for the institutions of tomorrow.
| # | Registrar | Registration | Renewal | Transfer | 5-Year Cost | 10-Year Cost | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Spaceship Cheapest | $5.38 | $25.04 | $25.04 | $105.54 | $230.74 | Visit |
| 2 | Namecheap | $5.98 | $42.98 | $32.98 | $177.90 | $392.80 | Visit |
| 3 | Sav | $6.99 | $25.16 | $25.16 | $107.63 | $233.43 | Visit |
| 4 | Dynadot | $7.71 | $25.90 | $25.90 | $111.31 | $240.81 | Visit |
| 5 | Porkbun | $7.72 | $25.23 | $25.23 | $108.64 | $234.79 | Visit |
| 6 | Regery | $7.99 | $25.99 | $25.99 | $111.95 | $241.90 | Visit |
| 7 | Above.com | $8.14 | $23.32 | $23.32 | $101.42 | $218.02 | Visit |
| 8 | Cosmotown | $8.22 | $23.20 | $23.20 | $101.02 | $217.02 | Visit |
| 9 | INWX | $8.57 | $44.40 | $44.40 | $186.17 | $408.17 | Visit |
| 10 | OVHcloud | $8.66 | $27.19 | $26.69 | $117.42 | $253.37 | Visit |
| 11 | Blacknight | $8.86 | $35.50 | $35.50 | $150.86 | $328.36 | Visit |
| 12 | All Domains | $8.88 | $35.52 | $35.52 | $150.96 | $328.56 | Visit |
| 13 | NameSilo | $8.99 | $32.99 | $27.99 | $140.95 | $305.90 | Visit |
| 14 | Hostinger | $9.19 | $32.19 | $9.19 | $137.95 | $298.90 | Visit |
| 15 | Truehost | $11.32 | $42.11 | $27.56 | $179.76 | $390.31 | Visit |
| 16 | EuroDNS | $12.93 | $48.47 | $48.47 | $206.81 | $449.16 | Visit |
| 17 | Gname | $12.99 | $34.99 | $34.99 | $152.95 | $327.90 | Visit |
| 18 | Directnic | $13.99 | $36.99 | $36.99 | $161.95 | $346.90 | Visit |
| 19 | Name.com | $13.99 | $44.99 | $44.99 | $193.95 | $418.90 | Visit |
| 20 | Netim | $14.00 | $40.50 | $24.00 | $176.00 | $378.50 | Visit |
| 21 | GoDaddy | $14.19 | $48.19 | $48.19 | $206.95 | $447.90 | Visit |
| 22 | Cloudflare | $21.20 | $21.20 | $21.20 | $106.00 | $212.00 | Visit |
| 23 | eDomains | $21.60 | $21.60 | $21.60 | $108.00 | $216.00 | Visit |
| 24 | Alibaba Cloud | $23.00 | $23.00 | $23.00 | $115.00 | $230.00 | Visit |
| 25 | NameBright | $23.00 | $23.00 | $23.00 | $115.00 | $230.00 | Visit |
| 26 | Infomaniak | $23.14 | $23.14 | $23.14 | $115.70 | $231.40 | Visit |
| 27 | DreamHost | $24.99 | $24.99 | $24.99 | $124.95 | $249.90 | Visit |
| 28 | Crazy Domains | $27.49 | $27.49 | $27.49 | $137.45 | $274.90 | Visit |
| 29 | Marcaria | $28.00 | $28.00 | $28.00 | $140.00 | $280.00 | Visit |
| 30 | UK2 | $28.36 | $28.36 | $28.36 | $141.80 | $283.60 | Visit |
| 31 | Epik | $28.95 | $28.95 | $28.95 | $144.75 | $289.50 | Visit |
| 32 | Hello.co | $29.99 | $29.99 | $29.99 | $149.95 | $299.90 | Visit |
| 33 | Gandi | $30.76 | $63.98 | $26.07 | $286.68 | $606.58 | Visit |
| 34 | MrDomain | $31.02 | $31.02 | $31.02 | $155.10 | $310.20 | Visit |
| 35 | 123 Reg | $32.98 | $32.98 | $32.98 | $164.90 | $329.80 | Visit |
| 36 | Internet.bs | $33.16 | $33.16 | $29.23 | $165.80 | $331.60 | Visit |
| 37 | Squarespace | $35.00 | $35.00 | $35.00 | $175.00 | $350.00 | Visit |
| 38 | Regtons | $37.99 | $37.99 | $37.99 | $189.95 | $379.90 | Visit |
| 39 | IONOS | $40.00 | $40.00 | $40.00 | $200.00 | $400.00 | Visit |
| 40 | 101domain | $40.17 | $45.67 | $40.17 | $222.85 | $451.20 | Visit |
| 41 | Hover | $40.19 | $40.19 | $40.19 | $200.95 | $401.90 | Visit |
| 42 | Moniker | $41.20 | $46.58 | $41.20 | $227.52 | $460.42 | Visit |
| 43 | OnlyDomains | $46.49 | $51.99 | $51.99 | $254.45 | $514.40 | Visit |
Prices updated daily. Some registrars show promotional first-year prices. Always verify the final price on the registrar's website before purchasing.
The Institutional Blank Slate
When Binky Moon, LLC delegated .institute on December 19, 2013, it wasn't claiming a niche like .academy or .school. Instead, it secured a broad, aspirational term that could apply to any organized body devoted to research, education, or advocacy. The IANA record shows a generic domain with no single industry lock-in. That breadth is both a strength and a weakness: it invites registrants from think tanks to tech R&D labs, but it also means the extension must compete with more specific choices like .academy or .school. The delegation in the 2012 round was part of ICANN's program to expand the namespace, and Binky Moon — operating under the Identity Digital umbrella — has kept the registry alive since.
Why 'Institute' Carries More Weight Than You'd Think
Unlike more generic terms like .site or .online, the word 'institute' carries scholarly and professional connotations. It suggests a place of learning or research, which can lend credibility to a project from the start. This is why nonprofits, think tanks, and educational programs might choose it over a purely descriptive alternative. Yet the trade-off is discoverability: because 'institute' appears in many established names, registrants risk confusion with existing organizations. The delegation date places it among the first new gTLD wave, so it's had a decade to establish some track record, but its success hinges on how well registrants use it to signal legitimacy.
Pricing: A Wide Spread, A Mixed Signal
Registrar pricing for .institute varies considerably across the 43 registrars offering it. At the low end, Spaceship positions it as a budget-friendly option, while the gap to the $46.49 suggests some registrars are treating it as a niche with premium appeal. The average price $20.78 reflects that inconsistency: the same string could cost a student-run symposium a few dollars or a corporate 'institute of excellence' a lot more, depending on the registrar. That spread is a clue that the market hasn't settled on a single price story for .institute — a sign the extension is still defining itself.
Choosing Sides Among Education's New gTLDs
For an academic or research entity, the decision isn't .institute versus .com — it's .institute versus its siblings. .academy leans into classical learning, .school targets pre-collegiate education, and .education is the broad umbrella. .institute sits apart by implying a structured, professional body — often one with a research mandate. That makes it a distinctive choice for a think tank that might otherwise fall back on .org. As ICANN's delegation data shows, all these options arrived together in the 2012 round, so the competition among them is still being sorted out by registrants.