.us vs .com
Which domain extension should you choose? Here's how the two compare — and when each one is the better pick.
Side by side
| .us | .com | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | United States's ccTLD | Legacy generic TLD, since 1985 |
| Runs the registry | Registry Services, LLC | VeriSign, Inc. |
| In the root zone since | Early ccTLD (date not recorded) | January 1, 1985 |
| Popular meaning | words ending in -us, like "plus" or "campus" | the default for businesses |
| Search geotargeting | Signals United States to search engines | Generic — not tied to a country |
| DNSSEC-signed | Yes | Yes |
| Name servers (IPv6) | 8 (8) | 13 (13) |
Choose .us if…
- U.S. businesses and nonprofits that want a clearly American address
- Local and civic projects
- Names that read as words ending in "-us" (campus, plus, nexus)
Watch out for
- You must meet the U.S. nexus requirement
- Privacy/proxy services are not permitted, so your contact details are public
- Many Americans still default to .com
A good fit for U.S.-focused brands, local businesses and civic projects — as long as you're fine with your registration details being public.
Choose .com if…
- Any business that wants the "default" address customers will guess
- Brands that expect word-of-mouth and radio or podcast mentions
- Email addresses people won't misspell
Watch out for
- Short, dictionary-word .com names are almost all taken or sold as premiums
- Typosquatters target popular .com names — register common misspellings if you're big
- Don't pay a broker before checking whether a newer TLD tells your story better
If the exact name you want is available on .com at a sane price, take it. Everything else is a trade-off against the ending people assume.
.us vs .com FAQ
Is .us better than .com?
Neither is better across the board. A good fit for U.S.-focused brands, local businesses and civic projects — as long as you're fine with your registration details being public. If the exact name you want is available on .com at a sane price, take it. Everything else is a trade-off against the ending people assume.
Does .us or .com rank better on Google?
Google doesn't give either ending a ranking bonus. What differs is geotargeting: .us is signals united states to search engines, and .com is generic — not tied to a country. Content and links matter far more than the TLD.
Can I use both .us and .com?
Yes, and many brands do: register both, pick one as the main site, and redirect the other to it so links and email never go astray.