A new TLD (new gTLD) is a domain extension created under ICANN's New gTLD Program — the expansion that, from 2013, opened the namespace far beyond the original .com, .net and .org. It added hundreds of options such as .app, .dev, .shop, .xyz, .online and .ai-era branding — and a fresh application round opened in 2026, so more are on the way.
What “new gTLD” actually means
For the internet's first three decades the choice of generic extension was tiny — essentially .com, .net, .org, .info and .biz. In 2012 ICANN opened applications for brand-new generic top-level domains, and the first delegations went live in 2013–2014. That programme — the New gTLD Program — is where almost every modern extension comes from. It is the reason you can now register .shop for a store, .dev for code, .blog for writing or .xyz for anything at all.
The programme more than tripled the size of the root zone, which today holds roughly 1,440 TLDs. In April 2026 ICANN opened the next application round, the first since 2012 — so the list of new extensions will keep growing. The table below is the curated short-list of the new gTLDs people actually use.
The most useful new TLDs
Not every new extension is worth your attention — many are niche or barely registered. These are the categories that have genuinely caught on:
- Developer & tech: .app and .dev (both HTTPS-only, run by Google Registry), .tech, .cloud, .software, .io.
- Commerce: .shop, .store, .online — cheap, available and self-explanatory for retail.
- Content & brand: .blog, .news, .media, .studio, .design, .art.
- Catch-all: .xyz, .site, .website, .space — the cheapest, most flexible generics.
Notable new top-level domains
A curated table of the most useful new gTLDs from ICANN's expansion programme. Sort by price or registry; open any extension for full detail.
| TLD | Type | Meaning / intended use | Registry | Example sites | Typical price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| .academy | gTLD | Academy — courses, training and education brands. | Identity Digital | online courses | $25/yr |
| .ai | ccTLD | Artificial intelligence — the go-to extension for AI products and startups. | Government of Anguilla (gov.ai) | x.ai, you.ai | $70/yr |
| .app | gTLD | Apps — web and mobile applications; HTTPS-only (HSTS preloaded). | Google Registry (Charleston Road Registry) | cash.app, calendar apps | $14/yr |
| .art | gTLD | Art — artists, galleries and creative work. | UK Creative Ideas / Identity Digital | artist sites | $13/yr |
| .blog | gTLD | Blog — personal and professional blogs. | Knock Knock WHOIS There (Automattic) | WordPress.com blogs | $25/yr |
| .care | gTLD | Care — healthcare, charities and support. | Identity Digital | care providers | $25/yr |
| .chat | gTLD | Chat — messaging, communities and support. | Identity Digital | chat apps | $25/yr |
| .cloud | gTLD | Cloud — cloud computing, hosting and SaaS. | Aruba PEC | hosting/SaaS sites | $18/yr |
| .design | gTLD | Design — designers, studios and agencies. | Identity Digital | design portfolios | $35/yr |
| .dev | gTLD | Developers — software, developer tools and projects; HTTPS-only (HSTS preloaded). | Google Registry (Charleston Road Registry) | web.dev, react.dev | $13/yr |
| .digital | gTLD | Digital — digital agencies, products and services. | Identity Digital | agency sites | $25/yr |
| .education | gTLD | Education — schools, tutors and learning sites. | Identity Digital | edu sites | $22/yr |
| gTLD | Email — email services and contact pages. | Identity Digital | email tools | $22/yr | |
| .finance | gTLD | Finance — financial services, advisors and fintech. | Identity Digital | fintech sites | $35/yr |
| .fun | gTLD | Fun — games, entertainment and playful brands. | Radix | game sites | $5/yr |
| .games | gTLD | Games — game studios, titles and communities. | Identity Digital | game sites | $22/yr |
| .health | gTLD | Health — health, wellness and medical content. | Identity Digital | health sites | $55/yr |
| .io | ccTLD | Tech & startups — a ccTLD used generically by developers, SaaS and Web3. | Internet Computer Bureau / ICANN-administered | github.io, itch.io | $35/yr |
| .law | gTLD | Law — lawyers, firms and legal services. | Identity Digital (verified) | law firms | $75/yr |
| .legal | gTLD | Legal — legal services and professionals. | Identity Digital | legal sites | $35/yr |
| .life | gTLD | Life — lifestyle, wellness and personal brands. | Identity Digital | lifestyle blogs | $25/yr |
| .link | gTLD | Link — short links, link-in-bio and redirects. | UNR / Nova Registry | link-in-bio tools | $12/yr |
| .live | gTLD | Live — streaming, events and live content. | Identity Digital | event/stream sites | $22/yr |
| .media | gTLD | Media — media companies, agencies and creators. | Identity Digital | media sites | $25/yr |
| .money | gTLD | Money — personal finance, payments and money tools. | Identity Digital | finance blogs | $25/yr |
| .news | gTLD | News — publications, blogs and media outlets. | Identity Digital | news sites | $22/yr |
| .online | gTLD | Online — a broad, generic extension for any online presence. | Radix | general sites | $4/yr |
| .page | gTLD | Page — landing pages and simple sites; HTTPS-only. | Google Registry | landing pages | $12/yr |
| .shop | gTLD | Shopping — online stores and e-commerce brands. | GMO Registry | retail stores | $5/yr |
| .site | gTLD | Site — a simple generic 'website' extension. | Radix | general sites | $4/yr |
| .social | gTLD | Social — social platforms and communities. | Identity Digital | mastodon.social | $25/yr |
| .software | gTLD | Software — software companies and products. | Identity Digital | product sites | $25/yr |
| .space | gTLD | Space — creative, personal and project 'spaces'. | Radix | portfolios | $3/yr |
| .store | gTLD | Store — retail and e-commerce storefronts. | Radix | online stores | $5/yr |
| .studio | gTLD | Studio — creative studios, music and production. | Identity Digital | studio sites | $22/yr |
| .tech | gTLD | Technology — tech companies, products and communities. | Radix | viceroy.tech, startup sites | $5/yr |
| .today | gTLD | Today — news, blogs and timely content. | Identity Digital | news/blog sites | $22/yr |
| .tools | gTLD | Tools — online tools, utilities and apps. | Identity Digital | web tools | $22/yr |
| .website | gTLD | Website — explicit 'website' extension for any project. | Radix | general sites | $3/yr |
| .world | gTLD | World — global brands, communities and causes. | Identity Digital | global sites | $25/yr |
| .xyz | gTLD | Anything — a cheap, flexible generic extension popular with startups and Web3. | XYZ.com LLC | abc.xyz (Alphabet) | $2/yr |
Last updated 20 June 2026 · Source: IANA root zone database & public registry data · methodology. Click a column header to re-sort. Machine-readable: /tld-list.json.
Are new TLDs worth it?
For most people, yes — with eyes open. The upside is enormous availability: the short, exact-match name that is long gone in .com is often free in a new extension, and a meaningful word-plus-extension (get.app, read.blog) can read better than a compromised .com. The downsides are real but manageable: some audiences trust unfamiliar extensions less, and a few registries price renewals aggressively. New gTLDs carry no SEO penalty whatsoever — Google has stated repeatedly that it treats them like any other generic TLD.
If you are weighing a new extension against a legacy one, the how-to-choose guide walks through trust, price and availability, and best TLDs by use-case recommends a specific extension for your kind of project.