Why choose .ai for a company or startup
In my experience, the ending should tell people something true about the business.
A .com says worldwide business. A .ai says the product, tool or service uses artificial intelligence to do the work: the research, most of the functions, maybe the images or the video.
When I look at a .ai name, I also ask how much room it leaves. Nutritious.ai could be an app, a website, a tool or a service, and nutrition matters in every country, not one region. MoneySaving.ai could run as a consumer product or a business tool, in almost any industry. Names like that give whoever owns them room to grow.
How .ai compares with .com, .co, .io and .si is in my guide to picking a domain name.
These four questions help compare an AI product with its proposed name:
- Does AI do the core work of the product, or is it one feature among many?
- Will you sell worldwide, or mainly in one country?
- Would the name still fit if the product changed shape in five years?
- Does anyone else already use the name? My guide to checking a company name lists the official registers.
Companies using .ai
- Perplexity uses perplexity.ai for its AI search and answer service. Its company and product overview is on the same domain.
- Harvey uses harvey.ai for its company and product website, describing AI software for legal and professional services.
These are current .ai websites, checked on 13 October 2026.
What .ai actually is
.ai is a country code, like .uk or .sg. IANA, which keeps the master list of every top-level domain, records it as the code for Anguilla, a small Caribbean island, managed by the Government of Anguilla since 1995.
The same letters are the abbreviation for artificial intelligence. That gives .ai an additional meaning for AI companies, separate from its official country-code status.
How fast .ai has grown
The .ai registry publishes its registration counts. Here they are, as listed on its FAQ.
- Jul 2018 48,272
- Jan 2020 85,596
- Jul 2022 143,737
- Jun 2023 248,609
- Dec 2023 353,928
- Jul 2024 478,696
- Jan 2025 598,007
That is more than twelve times as many in under seven years. When I checked on 25 September 2026, Spaceship's .ai page put the total at around 1.3 million.
Who can own one, and the rules that come with it
Spaceship, one of the registrars that sells .ai, says registration is available worldwide.
The registry sets rules on use. Its FAQ lists abusive uses, such as malware, phishing, spam and infringing someone else's trade mark, and says the Government of Anguilla can suspend, cancel or transfer a name to deal with abuse or disputes.
The registry says it follows the UDRP, the international process also used for .com, for complaints that a name was registered in bad faith against someone's trade mark.
What it costs to hold a .ai
Each registrar sets its own price. On 25 September 2026, Spaceship listed .ai at $79.98 a year to register, renew or transfer, for a minimum of two years.
That is the yearly cost of keeping a name. Buying a name that someone already owns is a separate, one-off price agreed with the owner. My guide to buying a premium domain explains how that works.
Premium .ai names in the Onomora collection
These names are already registered and available by offer:
See all premium .ai domains, or email [email protected] if you want to talk a name through.
Common questions
Is .ai a country domain?
Yes. IANA, which keeps the list of all top-level domains, records .ai as the country code for Anguilla, managed by the Government of Anguilla since 1995. It is now widely read as "artificial intelligence".
Can anyone register a .ai domain?
Spaceship, one of the registrars that sells .ai, says .ai registration is available worldwide. The registry's own rules on abusive use still apply to every name.
How much does a .ai domain cost?
Registrars set their own prices. On 25 September 2026, Spaceship listed .ai at $79.98 a year to register, renew or transfer, for a minimum of two years. An already-owned premium .ai costs whatever the owner asks.
What happens if there is a dispute over a .ai name?
The .ai registry says it follows the UDRP, the international process for complaints that a domain name was registered in bad faith against someone's trade mark. Complaints are handled by approved providers such as WIPO.
How many .ai domains are there?
The registry's FAQ lists 598,007 .ai domains on 2 January 2025, up from 48,272 in July 2018. When I checked on 25 September 2026, Spaceship's .ai page put the figure at around 1.3 million.
This guide is not legal, tax or financial advice. For those questions, speak to a qualified professional where you trade.
Sources: IANA root zone database, .ai; .ai registry FAQ (nic.ai); Spaceship, .ai domains (prices checked 25 September 2026); WIPO, UDRP.