.com vs .io vs .ai vs .co — which TLD should you actually pick?

There are over 1,500 top-level domain endings active today. For 95% of businesses, the decision narrows to about 5 of them. Here's an honest breakdown of each.

.com — the default

Created 1985. Currently has about 160 million registered domains — more than every other TLD combined. Universally recognized; browsers autocomplete it; users type it without thinking; SEO weighting is neutral but trust is high.

Pick .com when: you can get the exact name you want, OR you're willing to pay aftermarket premium for it (often $1,000–$50,000 for short, brandable names), OR a slight name variation is acceptable.

Skip .com when: the only name you can get is awkward (thecompanysoftware.com), or premium pricing isn't justified by your current stage.

.io — the developer favorite

Country code for the British Indian Ocean Territory (population: ~3,000 mostly military personnel). Started getting marketed as a "tech" TLD around 2010. GitHub, Sentry, Linear, and most modern developer tools landed here when .com was either taken or expensive.

Pick .io when: your audience is technical (developers, IT teams), or you want a "modern tech" feel without paying .com premiums. Most short brandable .io names are still available at standard pricing (~$50/yr).

Skip .io when: your audience is non-technical (lawyers, doctors, small-town retail) — they'll Google "yourname" instead of typing ".io" directly. Conversion suffers.

.ai — the AI signal

Country code for Anguilla. Marketed aggressively as the "AI" TLD starting around 2020 as the AI boom took off. Premium pricing (~$109/yr at retail) reflects high demand. Used by OpenAI's developer subdomain, You.com, Character, Perplexity, and most well-funded AI startups.

Pick .ai when: your product genuinely involves AI/ML, and you want that to be the first thing people understand about you. The signal is strong.

Skip .ai when: AI isn't your core differentiator, or you might pivot away from AI in the next 2 years. The name becomes a misleading label.

Note on the AI boom and .ai prices: Anguilla's small registry is genuinely a small piece of national income at this point. Pricing has held steady but could drift up as demand keeps growing. Lock in long terms (5-10 years) if you go .ai for a long-term brand.

.co — the short alternative

Country code for Colombia, marketed globally as "the short alternative to .com" since around 2010. Reads naturally as "company" or "co." (as in collaborate, co-op). Good middle ground when .com is taken and you want to keep things short.

Pick .co when: .com is taken, .io feels too techy, and you want a 2-character ending that still feels professional.

Skip .co when: you're worried about typing-habit fall-through (users typing .com out of habit and ending up on someone else's site) — for high-value brands, this risk is real.

.net — the classic alternative

Created in 1985 alongside .com. Originally for network infrastructure providers — and many of the world's biggest ISP/hosting names are still on .net. Slightly dated feel today; younger brands tend toward .io or .co.

Pick .net when: you're in infrastructure (hosting, network, CDN, IoT), or you want an inexpensive recognizable alternative to .com.

Skip .net when: brand modernity matters — .net carries some "Web 1.0" baggage now.

.org — for mission-driven work

1985-era TLD originally meant for non-profit organizations. Open to anyone today, but the connotation persists: non-profit, community, educational, mission-driven.

Pick .org when: you're a 501(c)(3), open-source project, community group, or anything where the "we exist to do good" framing fits.

Skip .org when: you're a for-profit business — even though it's allowed, you'll feel slightly off-brand and customers might wonder if you're a non-profit.

.xyz — the modern wildcard

Launched 2014. Cheap (~$15/yr), short, no preconceptions. Used by Alphabet (abc.xyz) and a lot of indie projects. Connotation is "modern, indie, lower stakes."

Pick .xyz when: you want a short cheap name for an indie project, side hustle, or experimental product.

Skip .xyz when: the brand needs to project enterprise credibility.

.nyc, .london, and other city TLDs

City-specific TLDs add local credibility — but require proof of local presence (NYC requires a physical address in one of the 5 boroughs, no P.O. Boxes). Strong choice for local businesses where geographic identity is part of the brand.

The decision tree

1. Can you get the exact .com you want at standard pricing? Take it.
2. Is the .com premium aftermarket and you have funding? Pay it. Premium .coms hold value over time.
3. Is your audience technical? Consider .io.
4. Is AI core to your product? Consider .ai.
5. None of the above and .com is taken? .co is the strongest neutral alternative.
6. Local-only business? .nyc / .london / .berlin / etc.