Will .AI Reach Parity with .COM?
By Chetan Gera, Founder – Brands.io
For decades, .com reigned as the universal business address, commanding the highest resale values. Over the past three years, however, .ai domains (the ccTLD for Anguilla repurposed by the AI community) have surged. Fueled by record-breaking rounds of AI investment, premium .ai names are now fetching prices that would once have been unthinkable, often rivalling mid-tier .com sales. This post explores how quickly the gap has narrowed, what’s driving the shift, and where values might go next.
A Brief History of the Gap
From 2017 to 2019 a flagship .com like Voice.com sold for $30 million, while the leading .ai sale—Music.ai—barely broke $101 K. Fast-forward to 2025: Fin.ai crossed the seven-figure mark at $1 million, while Icon.com traded at $12 million—compressing the spread to roughly 12×. What used to be a canyon is now a river you can realistically bridge with the right keyword.
Why AI-Specific Terms are Reaching Parity
Five Forces Behind the Price Compression
- Category Signal & Credibility
For an AI-native venture, an .ai domain screams “we build intelligence.” Buyers now treat the extension as a vertical signal on par with industry-specific .coms-evidenced by You.ai landing $700 K and instantly slotting into DNJournal’s Top-Five sales list. - Proof via Marquee Sales
Recent comps reset expectations: Fin.ai at $1 M, Cloud.ai at $600k, Stack.ai at $258 888, NPC.ai at $250 K, and Zip.ai at $200 K. Each headline makes founders more comfortable paying six figures for a single-word .ai that fits their product story. - Scarcity of Short .COM Alternatives
Most single-word .coms are either taken or priced in the eight-figure stratosphere. A crisp .ai offers the same semantic punch for a fraction of the capital and doesn’t require wresting the name from a corporate incumbent. - Big-Tech Endorsements
Industry giants reinforce the signal by actively using .ai: Facebook operates facebook.ai, and OpenAI’s branding push helped make .ai mainstream. These use-cases legitimize the extension for end-users and investors alike. - Liquidity & Velocity
Turnover has exploded: reported .ai sales jumped from 718 in 2022 to 2160 in 2023; a single month in 2025 logged nearly 800 transactions worth $2.4 M. High liquidity lowers perceived risk, buyers know they can upgrade or exit later for profit.
Where the Gap Remains Wide
- Generic consumer words: Travel.ai changed hands for $90 K, yet a matching .com would cost millions.
- Ultra-premium tier: .com’s ceiling stretches into eight figures; no .ai has touched Voice.com’s $30 M record yet.
Brands.io Benchmarks
Brands.io, the premier marketplace for strong .ai domains, has placed names such as Accelerated.ai ($44 899) and Surplus.ai ($36 000), alongside two-dozen more five-figure USD transactions. These deals have pushed our lifetime .ai sales well past the half-million-dollar mark—momentum that mirrors the broader market shift outlined above.
Looking Ahead
- Six-figure asks normalize: Expect $100 K–$500 K to become routine for mission-critical AI keywords.
- The first eight-figure .AI? Still a stretch, but a unicorn needing a global-ready brand could test that ceiling.
- Sector bifurcation: Tech ventures lean on .ai, while mass-market consumer brands stick with .com; savvy investors arbitrage the difference.
Key Takeaways for Founders & Investors
- Building deep-tech? .ai is no longer fringe—it’s expected.
- Pricing is context-driven: a fintech might pay seven figures for Fin.ai; a retailer won’t.
- Liquidity is real: hundreds of .ai sales close each month, many at five- and six-figure levels.
- .com remains the default for broad consumer trust—budget accordingly.
Bottom Line
The gap between .ai and .com has shrunk from a canyon to a bridgeable river. In AI-focused verticals, the right .ai name can now go toe-to-toe with a mid-tier .com. Outside AI, .com still wears the crown. Smart portfolio strategy isn’t “.ai or .com” but “.ai and .com”—deployed where each shines brightest.