.to Domain Names
25 registrars compared — cheapest from $20.70 at Spaceship
Delegated to the Kingdom of Tonga in 1995, .to has become the internet's playground for domain hacks — 'to' is the English preposition — but it also carries a heavy load of piracy and adult content.
| # | Registrar | Registration | Renewal | Transfer | 5-Year Cost | 10-Year Cost | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Spaceship Cheapest | $20.70 | $20.70 | $20.70 | $103.50 | $207.00 | Visit |
| 2 | Namecheap | $39.98 | $39.98 | $39.98 | $199.90 | $399.80 | Visit |
| 3 | Gname | $43.50 | $69.99 | $69.99 | $323.46 | $673.41 | Visit |
| 4 | All Domains | $44.40 | $66.60 | $66.60 | $310.80 | $643.80 | Visit |
| 5 | Porkbun | $51.80 | $51.80 | $51.80 | $259.00 | $518.00 | Visit |
| 6 | Gandi | $51.99 | $263.98 | $138.00 | $1107.91 | $2427.81 | Visit |
| 7 | Sav | $51.99 | $51.99 | $51.99 | $259.95 | $519.90 | Visit |
| 8 | Netim | $53.50 | $71.50 | $52.50 | $339.50 | $697.00 | Visit |
| 9 | Regery | $56.99 | $56.99 | $56.99 | $284.95 | $569.90 | Visit |
| 10 | Dynadot | $60.00 | $60.00 | $60.00 | $300.00 | $600.00 | Visit |
| 11 | NameSilo | $63.99 | $64.99 | $52.49 | $323.95 | $648.90 | Visit |
| 12 | eDomains | $70.00 | $70.00 | $70.00 | $350.00 | $700.00 | Visit |
| 13 | Directnic | $75.90 | $75.90 | $75.90 | $379.50 | $759.00 | Visit |
| 14 | INWX | $78.00 | $78.00 | $78.00 | $390.00 | $780.00 | Visit |
| 15 | Marcaria | $78.00 | $78.00 | $78.00 | $390.00 | $780.00 | Visit |
| 16 | 101domain | $78.99 | $99.50 | $78.99 | $476.99 | $974.49 | Visit |
| 17 | Regtons | $81.00 | $81.00 | $81.00 | $405.00 | $810.00 | Visit |
| 18 | MrDomain | $84.30 | $84.30 | $168.66 | $421.50 | $843.00 | Visit |
| 19 | GoDaddy | $99.99 | $99.99 | $99.99 | $499.95 | $999.90 | Visit |
| 20 | Name.com | $99.99 | $99.99 | $99.99 | $499.95 | $999.90 | Visit |
| 21 | IONOS | $100.00 | $100.00 | $100.00 | $500.00 | $1000.00 | Visit |
| 22 | EuroDNS | $113.11 | $113.11 | $113.11 | $565.55 | $1131.10 | Visit |
| 23 | Epik | $139.95 | $139.95 | $299.00 | $699.75 | $1399.50 | Visit |
| 24 | Blacknight | $149.83 | $149.83 | $149.83 | $749.15 | $1498.30 | Visit |
| 25 | OnlyDomains | $195.99 | $213.99 | $213.99 | $1051.95 | $2121.90 | Visit |
Prices updated daily. Some registrars show promotional first-year prices. Always verify the final price on the registrar's website before purchasing.
A Two-Letter Preposition That Became a Hack
The .to domain is the country code for Tonga, a Polynesian kingdom of over 170 islands. But its two letters spell 'to' in English, making it a natural fit for domain hacks like 'go.to' or 'come.to'. While Tonga has only about 100,000 inhabitants, its ccTLD serves a global audience. Registration has been open to anyone since the 1995 delegation, with uses ranging from technology startups in Toronto (think 'dev.to') to file-sharing sites. The linguistic flexibility of '.to' is unmatched — it's a preposition, a particle, and an infinitive marker, slots that appear in countless phrases.
The Notorious Shadow of Piracy
Beyond the clever hacks, .to has earned a reputation as a haven for illegal streaming and torrent platforms. According to Wikipedia, the domain is frequently used for unlicensed digital streaming and piracy websites. Why? The registry's dispute policy is minimal — no uniform dispute resolution, just a vague prohibition on vulgar words and spam. That lax oversight, combined with Tonga's geographic distance from major copyright holders, makes .to attractive for operators who might face takedowns elsewhere. It's a double-edged sword: the same openness that fuels creative domains also lets illicit services thrive.
Rules Despite the Wild West
Even with its loose reputation, .to isn't entirely free-for-all. The sponsor — the Government of Tonga, represented by the Crown Prince — reserves some trademarked names, meaning you can't grab a famous brand's domain. And while vulgar words are banned, the prohibition seems selectively enforced. For most registrants, though, the rules are simple: register, use, and renew. There's no local presence requirement, and the WHOIS server is run by Tonic, the registry. This minimal policy is part of the appeal — a domain that asks little and gives much.
Cheap Entry, Wide Spread
Pricing for .to domains spans a surprisingly wide range, reflecting its dual identity. You can find budget registrars offering entry-level prices — the cheapest is Spaceship — but renewal costs can climb steeply, sometimes catching domain squatters off guard. The average price across 25 registrars sits in a mid-range zone, but the gap between promo rates and standard renewals is notable. For a domain that's often used for short-term projects or hacks, that renewal sticker shock is a real consideration. Compare that to other Oceania ccTLDs like .cc or .tv, which have more predictable pricing — .to rewards those who plan ahead.
Tonga's Digital Ambassador
For a small island nation, Tonga's ccTLD has paradoxically become one of its most visible exports. The .to Wikipedia entry notes that actual Tonga-related sites are rare — a minority of registrations. Instead, .to functions as a global digital commodity, like .tv for Tuvalu or .fm for Micronesia. The revenue from registrations is a boon for the kingdom, though the sponsor's structure is unusual: run by the Crown Prince's consulate, not a typical registry. That quirk underscores how a small state can wield outsized digital influence — even when its own citizens rarely use those domains.