Quick answer
What does .pw stand for, and can anyone register one?
.pw is the country code of Palau, a Pacific island nation. Its registry markets it as the Professional Web, and anyone in the world can register one for 1 to 10 years. At Pearlcay, a .pw costs $20.49/year the first year and $20.49/year to renew (2 November 2026), paid in crypto with no KYC.
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- .pw $20.49
If the name is taken, or the registry refuses it, the full amount goes back to your balance.
.pw at a glance
| Country code of | Palau, an independent Pacific island nation |
|---|---|
| Registry | Micronesia Investment and Development Corporation |
| Technical operator | Radix (technical contact in the IANA record), for PW Registry |
| Who can register | Anyone, anywhere; no residency rule |
| Registration term | 1 to 10 years |
| Public WHOIS / RDAP | Set by the registry's WHOIS policy; free privacy applies where it allows |
| Known for | Cheap promotional first years, and a 2013 spam episode |
.pw price per year
| Extension | 1st year | Renewal | Transfer | WHOIS privacy | Restrictions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| .pw | $20.49 | $20.49 | $20.49 | Free | None |
The price is the same in year one and at every renewal. On 2 November 2026 four other registrars showed first years from $4.30 to $6.98 against renewals of $18 to $23, so compare both. A transfer is priced like one renewal; the domain must be at least 60 days old.
Palau behind .pw
Palau is an independent island nation in the western Pacific. It gained independence on 1 October 1994, the day a Compact of Free Association with the United States went into force and the US recognized it, according to the Office of the Historian. Its registry story is less quiet than its size suggests.
IANA lists the Micronesia Investment and Development Corporation as the sponsor of .pw, PW Registry Corporation as the administrative contact and Radix Technologies Inc SEZC as the technical contact. A redelegation report dated 30 June 2003 is attached to the record. The registry's own site says the ending reached general availability on 25 March 2013, after a sunrise period from 3 December 2012 and a landrush that began on 18 February 2013. Its slogan is the Professional Web, so PW is read as professional web, not as Palau.
The launch had a rough side. Domain Incite reported on 3 May 2013 that Symantec had ranked .pw fourth among the domains used in spammed links for the week ending 26 April. The head of Directi's .PW Registry unit, the company that then ran .pw, said it took a zero-tolerance approach. Domain Incite wrote that Directi had deactivated 4,000 to 5,000 .pw domains and revoked the discount of the registrar behind most of the abusive names.
Who uses a .pw domain?
The registry's pitch is the Professional Web: a short name for freelancers, consultants and small businesses that cannot find the .com they want. In practice the draw is price. On 2 November 2026 four registrars advertised first years between $4.30 and $6.98.
Renewals are the catch. The same registrars renew a .pw at $18.11 to $22.98, as the table below shows. Spaceship's $18.11 was the lowest renewal of the four. A flat price is easier to plan around.
The sources behind this page name no major brand on .pw, so we do not claim any. Test email delivery from a new .pw address before you rely on it, given the spam history above.
If you want an ending with a longer record, compare .co or .me. For names that read across the dot, see domain hacks.
.pw price at other registrars
Prices listed on 2 November 2026. Every registrar shown advertises a first year far below its renewal. Namecheap's $6.98 is a sale (list price $23.98) and its $22.98 renewal is also shown as a sale (list price $27.98). Cloudflare did not carry .pw.
| Registrar | First year | Renewal | Pays in crypto |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pearlcay | $20.49 | $20.49 | Yes, only crypto |
| Namecheap | $6.98 | $22.98 | Yes (BitPay or BTCPay, account funds first) |
| Porkbun | $4.43 | $18.33 | Yes (USDC) |
| Dynadot | $4.30 | $18.73 | Yes (BTC, USDT, USDC and others) |
| Spaceship | $6.29 | $18.11 | Yes (Bitcoin, per its terms) |
Last checked on ; older figures carry their own date
Prices per year in US dollars, from each registrar's public price list on 2 November 2026 (sources below). They change often: check before you buy.
What are the .pw rules?
Who can register. Anyone, with no residency rule. Term. One to ten years.
Policies. The registry publishes WHOIS, reserved names, domain dispute and inter-registrar transfer policies on its site, together with an abuse policy and a form for reporting abuse.
Transfers. The domain must have been created or transferred at least 60 days earlier. Gandi says an owner change needs proof of ID. At Pearlcay a transfer is priced like one renewal.
Whois. Our dataset says the registry allows WHOIS privacy, and Pearlcay applies its free privacy where the registry allows it.
Reserved names. The registry has a reserved names policy, but the survey did not retrieve its text, so which short names are held back is unclear.
Disputes. Pearlcay handles trademark disputes through the UDRP.
Abuse and content. The sources behind this page set no content rule beyond the registry's abuse policy. Phishing, malware and fraud reports follow our abuse page.
Price risk. The survey found no .pw price notice for 2025 or 2026.
.pw questions
What does .pw stand for?
It is the country code of Palau. The registry sells it worldwide as the Professional Web, and reads PW that way.
Why does .pw have a spam reputation?
In 2013 Symantec ranked .pw fourth among the domains used in spammed links for the week ending 26 April, Domain Incite reported. The registry said it deactivated 4,000 to 5,000 domains. Test email delivery from a new .pw address.
Why do other registrars show a $4 first year for .pw?
It is a promotion. On 2 November 2026 Dynadot showed $4.30 then $18.73 and Porkbun $4.43 then $18.33. Pearlcay charges one flat yearly price.
Should I use a .pw address for email?
Test it first. Send messages from the new address to the inboxes you care about before relying on it, because of the 2013 spam history. The registry says it has an abuse policy and a reporting form.
Who runs the .pw registry?
IANA lists the Micronesia Investment and Development Corporation as the sponsor, PW Registry Corporation as the administrative contact and Radix Technologies Inc SEZC as the technical contact.
Can I pay for a .pw with crypto and no ID?
Yes. Pearlcay takes crypto only, from a prepaid balance. We ask for no identity document: the only data is one email address per domain, which is verified and kept private.
Sources (8)
- Delegation record for .PW — IANA (checked 2026-11-02)
- .PW Registry — .PW Registry (checked 2026-11-02)
- Directi fighting "massive" .pw spam outbreak — Domain Incite (checked 2026-11-02)
- Palau: guide to recognition and relations — US Department of State, Office of the Historian (checked 2026-11-02)
- Namecheap full TLD list (.pw) namecheap.com/domains/full-tld-list — Namecheap (checked 2026-11-02)
- Porkbun public pricing API api.porkbun.com/api/json/v3/pricing/get — Porkbun (checked 2026-11-02)
- Dynadot domain prices dynadot.com/domain/prices — Dynadot (checked 2026-11-02)
- Spaceship domain pricing spaceship.com/domain-search/pricing — Spaceship (checked 2026-11-02)