Web3 domains are based on block­chain tech­no­logy and allow for de­cent­ral­ised ad­min­is­tra­tion. They’re saved as NFTs in block­chains like Ethereum, making them cen­sor­ship-resistant and fully owned by the user. They link crypto­cur­rency wallets, de­cent­ral­ised websites and other Web3 ap­plic­a­tions, which makes them a central part of the new, user-centred internet.

What is a Web3 domain name?

Web3 domains are unique digital iden­tit­ies that are stored on a block­chain and re­gistered and run as a non-fungible token (NFT). They are in­teg­rated as smart contracts in block­chains like Ethereum, Polygon and Solana and enable de­cent­ral­ised, un­change­able and secure name al­loc­a­tion. They serve as addresses that can be read by humans, for example for crypto­cur­rency wallets or de­cent­ral­ised ap­plic­a­tions (also known as DApps.

Given that they are stored on a block­chain, Web3 domains are forgery-proof and enable direct in­ter­ac­tion with Web3 protocols without central control instances. They’re im­ple­men­ted in the form of NFT standards like ERC-721 and ERC-1155, which ensures their in­ter­op­er­ab­il­ity with other block­chain ap­plic­a­tions. The domains are a central part of the in­fra­struc­ture of the de­cent­ral­ised internet and offer a permanent digital identity that works in­de­pend­ently of cent­ral­ised providers.

Defin­i­tion

Web3 refers to the next level of de­vel­op­ment of the internet, which is based on de­cent­ral­isa­tion, block­chain tech­no­logy and user-con­trolled iden­tit­ies. Unlike tra­di­tion­al Web2, which is dominated by cent­ral­ised platforms and in­ter­me­di­ar­ies, Web3 enables direct, secure and trans­par­ent in­ter­ac­tions between users. That creates an internet-based ecosystem in which property, data pro­tec­tion and digital trans­ac­tions can be managed without cent­ral­ised au­thor­it­ies.

What’s the dif­fer­ence between tra­di­tion­al domains and Web3 domains?

Unlike tra­di­tion­al domains, which are managed by cent­ral­ised re­gis­trars, Web3 domain names are stored on a block­chain. That elim­in­ates de­pend­ency on in­sti­tu­tions like ICANN and DENIC. Domain owners have full control of their domain and don’t need to pay annual fees. While classic domains are primarily used for accessing cent­ral­ised websites, Web3 domains also offer features like direct linking with wallet addresses and support for de­cent­ral­ised ap­plic­a­tions.

They also allow for the hosting of cen­sor­ship-resistant websites in peer-to-peer networks. Their de­cent­ral­ised nature protects against domain seizures and fa­cil­it­ates global trans­ac­tions. However, Web3 domains aren’t yet natively supported by all browsers, which limits their reach.

Domain Checker
  • .uk
  • .co.uk
  • .com
  • .org
  • .online
  • .net
  • .uk
  • .co.uk
  • .com
  • .org
  • .online
  • .net

What are the top 15 Web3 domains?

Although Web3 domains have only existed for less than a decade, 10 million new domain endings have already been re­gistered. Here are the most popular Web3 domain endings according to the Global Domain Report 2025 by InterNetX:

  1. .eth: One of the most well-known Web3 domains; managed by the Ethereum Name Service, which is often used to link to Ethereum wallets
  2. .nft: NFT domain for identi­fy­ing digital col­lect­ibles and NFT projects and making them more ac­cess­ible
  3. .crypto: Ending for crypto wallets, de­cent­ral­ised websites and Web3 iden­tit­ies
  4. .wallet: Optimised for crypto payments; enables easy use as a wallet address in lieu of long al­pha­nu­mer­ic strings
  5. .x: Short and versatile domain ending for various uses
  6. .block­chain: This block­chain domain indicates direct con­nec­tion to block­chain tech­no­logy and is often used for projects in the field of smart contracts and DeFi
  7. .bitcoin: Specially designed for Bitcoin-related services to support wallets, payment services and de­cent­ral­ised ap­plic­a­tions in the Bitcoin ecosystem
  8. .zil: Created by the Zilliqa Name Service (ZNS) and closely connected with the Zilliqa block­chain
  9. .dao: Used by de­cent­ral­ised autonom­ous or­gan­isa­tions (DAOs) to mark their digital presence
  10. .888: A highly symbolic extension often as­so­ci­ated with luck, ex­clus­iv­ity and high-value digital assets
  11. .polygon: Developed for users and projects in the Polygon network
  12. .go: A flexible ending that’s often used for gaming, metaverse projects and Block­chain ap­plic­a­tions
  13. .metaverse: Specially developed for virtual worlds, digital real estate and immersive Web3 ex­per­i­ences to clearly identify metaverse projects
  14. .hi: In­nov­at­ive domain ending fre­quently used for per­son­al­ised digital iden­tit­ies
  15. .hodl: Popular ending among crypto and trading en­thu­si­asts that refers to the term ‘HODL’, meaning holding on for a long time

What are the most expensive Web3 domain names?

Web3 domain names are often expensive, as they are based on unique digital assets that are re­gistered as NFTs on a block­chain. Ad­di­tion­ally, they are per­man­ently owned by the buyer, without annual renewal fees, which increases their long-term value. Below we list the most expensive Web3 domain name purchases according to DotNames:

  1. paradigm.eth – $1,508,884
  2. 000.eth – $317,759
  3. abc.eth – $253,100
  4. deepak.eth – $220,401
  5. porno.eth – $204,505
  6. mazars.eth – $195,067
  7. artdao.eth – $194,560
  8. sapdeutschland.eth – $179,731
  9. ensmaxisnft.eth – $166,315
  10. opensea.eth – $163,889
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