Cheapest .CO.ZA domain prices in South Africa

A MyBroadband analysis has revealed that Absolute Hosting offers the lowest .co.za domain registration prices at R74, beating the next-most affordable option by R15.

We compared .co.za domain registration prices from various local hosting providers, including Absolute Hosting, Axxess, Afrihost, 1-Grid, and Xneelo.

Absolute Hosting managing director Jade Benson recently told MyBroadband that the provider had reduced its .co.za domain registration and renewal prices for resellers while keeping registration prices the same for end users.

This is despite the price increase implemented by ZA Domain Name Authority (ZADNA) on 1 October 2024.

“By working closely with our various partners we have been able to absorb our input costs and pass these savings onto our domain resellers, and keep our pricing the same for end users,” said Benson.

In June 2024, ZADNA announced impending wholesale price hikes for co.za, org.za, net.za, and web.za domains.

ZADNA CEO Molehe Wesi said the decision was based on a comprehensive financial analysis and the impact of inflation and exchange rates on its operational expenditure.

“This decision follows thorough consultations with industry stakeholders and aligns with current economic developments and operational needs,” he said.

ZADNA’s price hikes kicked in on 1 October 2024, increasing the wholesale cost of .ZA domains by 5.23%.

These fees will remain in effect until 30 September 2025.

ZADNA said the price adjustment was Consumer Price Index–linked, and that the increase saw the wholesale registration and renewal fee rise from R55 to R61 per domain name.

As these are wholesale increases, it was up to registrars to determine whether they could absorb the price adjustments or pass them on to customers.

ZADNA also highlighted its expected price hikes for the 2025/26 and 2026/27 financial years. Over the next three years, the price increases for .ZA will be as follows:

• 2024/25 — 5.23%
• 2025/26 — 6.56%
• 2026/27 — 6.15%

“These figures will be confirmed annually in July, based on the prevailing Consumer Price Index (CPI), allowing for industry implementation in October of every year,” said Wesi.

Following ZADNA’s announcement, MyBroadband asked local hosting providers whether they planned to absorb the costs or increase pricing.

Absolute Hosting’s Benson said they would try to absorb some of the increase, anticipating a slight registration price hike of R2 for end users.

“We are aware that our clients are sensitive to price increases overall, and it is because of this that we introduced affordable co.za domain registration pricing at R69 last year,” said Benson.

“We anticipate that our co.za domain registration fee after the price increase will be priced at around R71 including VAT, as we try to absorb some of the increases announced by ZADNA and reduce the impact on our clients.”

1-Grid said it had already increased the price of its .co.za domain registrations from R89 to R99.

“This is the only price adjustment we’ve implemented recently,” it said.

.co.za domain price comparison

End-users currently pay R74 once-off to register a domain through Absolute Hosting, making it the most affordable provider for .co.za registrations.

They will also pay R91 per year to renew their domains, while resellers pay R78 per year for .co.za domains.

Axxess is the next-most affordable provider, charging R89 to register or renew a .co.za domain.

Other providers, including Register Domain SA, 1-grid, Afrihost, Domains.co.za, Xneelo, and Host Africa charge R95 and R99 for .co.za domain registrations.

The table below compares .co.za domain registration prices from various prominent hosting providers in South Africa.