Most good .com names went years ago. So people settle for a hyphen, a misspelling or an extra word nobody remembers. There is another route. Since ICANN opened up new top-level domains, hundreds of extensions have gone live, and a handful of them are genuinely fun. .boo. .lol. .dad. .ing. Even .zip and .mov, which look like file names (and caused a small security panic when they launched).
Fun does not mean unserious, though. Every one of these is run by a registry with its own rules, its own pricing and, occasionally, its own surprises. Below are 14 of the best, who is behind each one, and what to check before you buy. Every extension links to its HostList domain guide, where registration, renewal and transfer prices sit side by side across providers.
The 14 at a glance
| Extension | Registry | Reads as, or suits |
|---|---|---|
| .boo | Charleston Road Registry (Google Registry) | Halloween, playful personal sites, peekaboo hacks |
| .buzz | DOTSTRATEGY CO. | News, hype, launches, anything with bees |
| .icu | ShortDot SA | "I see you". Short, cheap, open to anyone |
| .lol | XYZ.COM LLC | Comedy, memes, side projects |
| .dad | Charleston Road Registry (Google Registry) | Fatherhood, family blogs, dad jokes |
| .dog | Binky Moon LLC (Identity Digital) | Breeders, trainers, shelters, dog people |
| .monster | XYZ.COM LLC | Games, creators, loud brands |
| .quest | XYZ.COM LLC | Coaching, gaming, learning journeys |
| .zip | Charleston Road Registry (Google Registry) | Fast, compact, file-flavoured brands |
| .mov | Charleston Road Registry (Google Registry) | Video, film, moving images |
| .ing | Charleston Road Registry (Google Registry) | Domain hacks: a whole word ending in -ing |
| .new | Charleston Road Registry (Google Registry) | Action links that create something instantly |
| .fun | Radix | Games, humour, leisure |
| .day | Charleston Road Registry (Google Registry) | Occasions, causes, events |
Who actually runs these extensions
A small group of companies runs most of the fun corner of the internet. Google's registry arm, Charleston Road Registry, runs seven of the 14 above. XYZ.COM, best known for .xyz, has three. The rest sit with ShortDot, Radix, Identity Digital (through its Binky Moon entity) and DOTSTRATEGY. It matters more than it sounds. The registry sets the wholesale price, decides which names are premium, and writes rules like "HTTPS only" or "must launch an action". Your registrar just passes all of that on. HostList's registry directory lists every operator and the extensions each one runs.
The list
.boo: the spooky one
.boo is run by Charleston Road Registry (Google Registry) and was delegated in 2014. Google pitches it as a playful, secure namespace, anything from Halloween shops to affectionate personal sites. The catch is the "secure" part: .boo requires HTTPS, so the site will not load without an SSL certificate in place. Registration is open to anyone, and some names sit in a premium price tier.
.buzz: for launches and hype
DOTSTRATEGY CO. is the registry operator for .buzz. It reads as noise, excitement, something people are talking about. That suits launch pages, newsletters, event microsites and, obviously, honey brands. It is also short enough to work well on merch and printed flyers.
.icu: "I see you"
.icu is now run by ShortDot SA in Luxembourg, with CentralNic on the back end. It was first delegated to One.com in 2015 and moved to ShortDot, which opened it to the public in 2018. Three letters, open to anyone worldwide, and usually among the cheapest extensions around. Cheap extensions attract throwaway sites, so if you plan to send email from one, set up SPF, DKIM and DMARC properly from day one.
.lol: comedy, memes, side projects
.lol is operated by XYZ.COM LLC, the company behind .xyz. The registry markets it at comedy and meme culture, but nothing in the rules limits it to jokes. A podcast about bad startup ideas, a meme archive, a joke-a-day newsletter: this is where they belong.
.dad: for fathers, and dad jokes
.dad is another Charleston Road Registry (Google Registry) extension, delegated in 2014. It is loosely themed around fatherhood and family, though the theme is not enforced. As a dad of a toddler myself, I think the best use is the obvious one: a family blog, a parenting newsletter or a very committed dad-joke archive. Like most Google extensions, expect HTTPS to be required.
.dog: for dog people
.dog is run by Binky Moon LLC (Identity Digital). No restrictions on who registers, but the branding points squarely at breeders, trainers, shelters, groomers, vets and the communities around them. A local dog walker on .dog is instantly clear in a way a .co.uk with "walkies" in it is not.
.monster: loud on purpose
.monster was delegated in December 2015 and is run by XYZ.COM LLC, with CentralNic handling the technical side. It suits games, creator brands and anything that wants to feel big. It is not subtle, and that is the point.
.quest: a search or a pursuit
.quest is also an XYZ.COM LLC extension, delegated in 2015. It trades on the literal meaning, and it is marketed at coaches, educators, gaming projects and personal brands. A course, a challenge or a long-running personal project reads well on .quest.
.zip: fast, compact, and a bit controversial
Charleston Road Registry (Google Registry) got .zip delegated in 2014 but only opened it to the public in May 2023. It looks like the file-compression format, which is exactly why security researchers raised concerns at launch: a link ending in .zip can look like a file. Good for brands built around speed or compression. Just be aware that some email filters and corporate security tools treat these links with extra suspicion.
.mov: moving pictures
.mov also comes from Charleston Road Registry (Google Registry). It was delegated in 2014 and launched publicly in April 2023. It reads as the familiar QuickTime video suffix, so video editors, filmmakers, animation studios and showreels are the natural fit. It shares the same file-name caveat as .zip.
.ing: the domain hack extension
.ing is run by Charleston Road Registry (Google Registry) and was delegated in 2014. It is built for names that read as a single word, like design.ing or go.ing, where the extension finishes the verb. That makes it one of the most creative extensions going. It also means the best words get snapped up fast, and many sit in premium tiers.
.new: the one with the strictest rules
Charleston Road Registry (Google Registry) runs .new, and it is not a normal extension. Every .new domain must take the visitor straight into an action: creating a document, starting an invoice, opening a form. You cannot use it for an ordinary homepage. Google's own docs.new, which opens a blank Google Doc, is the best-known example. If you run a SaaS product, it is the most useful name on this list.
.fun: exactly what it says
.fun is run by Radix and was delegated in 2016. No built-in meaning beyond the word itself, and the registry pitches it at games, humour and leisure. Party venues, kids' activity businesses and hobby clubs all fit here without explanation.
.day: for occasions and causes
.day is the seventh Charleston Road Registry (Google Registry) extension on this list, delegated in 2014 and pushed publicly by Google from 2022. It reads naturally as a date or an occasion: a wedding, a birthday, an awareness day, a product launch day. Short-lived event sites are where it shines.
Three clever ways to use a fun extension
1. The domain hack
Let the extension finish the word. With .ing, .boo or .day, the whole address becomes one phrase, and people remember phrases far better than brand-name-plus-suffix. A design studio at design.ing, a Halloween pop-up shop ending in .boo, a couple's wedding site ending in big.day. The test is simple: say it out loud once, and someone should be able to type it without asking you to spell it.
2. The action link
If your product creates something (an invoice, a booking, a document, a ticket), a .new name turns your best feature into a URL. Type it and you are in the product, doing the thing. It is marketing that doubles as a shortcut. Read the registry's rules before you buy, because the name must launch an action from day one.
3. The campaign microsite
Keep your serious brand on its .com and use a fun extension for the campaign. A launch on .buzz, a meme contest on .lol, a charity walk on .day, a dog-friendly range on .dog. When the campaign ends, 301-redirect it to the main site so the links people shared keep working. You get the personality without betting the whole brand on it.
Before you buy a fun one
- Check the renewal, not the first-year price. Promotional first years are common on newer extensions, and the renewal can be several times higher. HostList compares registration, renewal and transfer prices across providers for exactly this reason. My guide to the best domain registrar covers the same trap.
- Look for premium tiers. Registries like Google and XYZ price short or dictionary-word names at premium rates, sometimes on every renewal, not just the first year.
- Plan for HTTPS. Several of Google's extensions, .boo included, require HTTPS to load at all. Most modern hosts give you a free certificate, but have it ready before launch day.
- Check the name, not just the extension. A clever domain does not protect you from a trademark claim. Run the name through my brand name generator with a trademark check first, and read whether to secure the trademark or the domain first.
- Test your email. Set up SPF, DKIM and DMARC, then send a few test emails to Gmail and Outlook before you print anything with the address on it.
Quick answers
Are fun domain extensions bad for SEO?
No. Google has said that new generic extensions are treated like any other generic top-level domain. A .lol site can rank as well as a .com. What matters is the content, the links and whether people trust and click the result. The extension itself is not a ranking factor.
Can anyone register these?
Almost all of the 14 are open registration: anyone, anywhere, first come, first served. The exception is .new, which has use rules the registry enforces. Premium names cost more, but they are open to anyone who pays.
Should a fun extension be my main domain?
It can be, if the name is memorable and you own it outright for the long term. For most businesses, the safer pattern is a serious primary domain plus a fun one for campaigns, redirects and memorable links. Start with a name that clears a trademark check, then pick the extension that makes it land.