.DE Domain Price Comparison | Costs of the DE Domain Compared
The DE domain extension is the country code top-level domain of the Federal Republic of Germany. In our comprehensive comparison, you will find the affordable prices of the various DE domain providers listed clearly.
With more than 15 million registered domains, the DE domain extension is the most popular country code top-level domain and the second most registered domain extension worldwide, following the COM domain. It was introduced on 5th November 1986 by the Network Information Center at the University of Dortmund. The very first DE domain registered at that time was the address uni-dortmund.de. Since 1997, the administration and allocation of domains have been handled by a cooperative named DENIC eG, established by several web hosting providers for this purpose. Domain providers, as seen in our price comparison, must register with the allocation body to offer DE domains to their customers.
Allocation Policies for DE Domains
Since 2008, domain names can be between 1 and 63 alphanumeric characters long, whereas previously they had to be at least 3 characters. Hyphens are also allowed, but they cannot be at the beginning or end. Additionally, special characters such as all German umlauts or the esszett can be used in the name.
For the allocation of the domain, DENIC requires a German owner; for foreign domain owners, at least the administrative contact person must be reachable at a domestic address. A complete, valid postal address is required, and a PO box alone is not sufficient.
DE domains are registered indefinitely and must be paid for at least one year in advance. Some providers also charge a one-time setup fee for the setup of the domain. For more detailed information, please refer directly to the respective provider in our DE domain provider price comparison.
A so-called Auth Code Procedure is used to transfer the domain to another provider or to change the registered owner details. In December 2013, a Redemption Grace Period was introduced additionally. This ensures that a domain marked for deletion does not immediately become available for re-registration. The previous owner has the opportunity to renew the domain within 30 days. This effectively prevents accidental deletions.
For all websites related to Germany, the affordable DE domains from providers in our comparison should be the first choice. Whether it is the offering of a company based in Germany or a hobby project with interested readers from the German-speaking area, the low Domain Costs for inexpensive DE domains make this country-specific top-level domain particularly popular.
Alternatives to the .de Domain
For most German-language web projects targeting a German-speaking audience, the .de domain is the preferred choice. However, online projects targeting a German-speaking audience from other countries often prefer Alternatives to the .de Domain such as the .at Domain for Austria, the .li Domain for Liechtenstein, or the .ch Domain for Switzerland. For international web presence, the .com Domain is the most popular choice.
