9
23 Comments

.app or .io

Which domain extension would you prefer for a web based SaaS?

.app or .io

Both domain extensions are cool and a great alternative if the .com has already been taken.

In my opinion, .io looks more appealing to the eye, while .app looks more appealing to the ear.

I'm leaning towards .io more, but I'm thinking of using both extensions.

I will use .app when presenting the product verbally (very rare cases) while .io will be the main / landing domain.

What are your thoughts?

posted to Icon for group Ideas and Validation
Ideas and Validation
on December 21, 2019
  1. 7

    Definitely .io unless it is a mobile-only app.

  2. 5

    .io is better for web-based SaaS.
    .app is now synonym with mobile applications.

  3. 3

    .app sounds cheap/unappealing to me.

  4. 3

    .io seems cool imo

  5. 3

    .io always. big fan.

  6. 2

    Hey there,

    For my part I have used a .app since it especially refers to an Android mobile app.

    It was cheap and relevant to us, but pleas bear in mind that .app domains require TLS, hence a certificate that you may obtain for free with https://letsencrypt.org/ (for example).

  7. 2

    .io is better but would prefer .app if it is a mobile app and .co is another cool alternative, I guess cheaper too

  8. 2

    I believe in building trust from the domain to design. Using .io will always be the front runner for me. What’s the name of your web app? That matters. I think shorter names work better with .io as well.

    1. 1

      Publer (pʌblər), short for publisher.

      So publer.app or publer.io

      Either way I got both domains.

      Edit: The fact that .app wasn't automatically turned into an hyperlink is another indication to go with .io.

      1. 2

        Yep, big fan of .io and great point.

  9. 2

    .app is easier for consumer app or service for non-developers. .io doesn’t mean anything to non-developers but it would work if it’s for developers.

    1. 1

      Yeah. That's why I'm undecided. It's a social media management app, thus mostly for non tech savvy people.

      1. 1

        Ok. It’s pretty obvious choice to me then. App for sure cos no one understand what io is. I don’t even as a developer, is it cool because of the planet? 😂

        1. 1

          .io is the tld for Indian Ocean or more commonly used in Input/Output. 😜

  10. 1

    This comment was deleted 6 years ago.

    1. 1

      This comment was deleted 6 years ago.

      1. 2

        Last time I contacted the owners of the .com, they asked for at least $15K. They no longer maintain / use the website, but they still use the emails with that domain and that was their reasoning for the price.

        I can't change the name as I've been in the market for a few years now.

        1. 3

          Another option if you want a .com but can't change the name is to append something like get/use/go to your name and then drop it when you are making enough money to afford it. Drip.com was GetDrip.com for a very long time. GetPocket.com actually still uses the get prefix even though I'm sure they can afford to drop it by now.

          1. 2

            That's what I did in the past (used SuperPubler.com), but users were referencing it as Super Publer.

            I'm not saying that it's not super, but not helpful when you're trying to build a brand.

            1. 1

              Yea that’s a fair point. It’s not helpful for sure (I’m now recalling Rob Walling saying people used to call it Get Drip instead of Drip). Although it clearly wasn’t a major issue for either Drip or Pocket.. both being very successful.

        2. 2

          I also like this approach my Marc Kohlbrugge.

        3. 1

          This comment was deleted 6 years ago.

          1. 1

            I told them I will give them $5k. Let's see.

            1. 2

              This comment was deleted 6 years ago.

              1. 1

                They refused my offer and said that they will reconsider it if I made a 5 digits offer, so at least $10,000.

  11. 3

    This comment was deleted 6 years ago.

    1. 1

      Haha true. Not a fun way to spend Saturday.

Trending on Indie Hackers
Agencies charge $5,000 for a 60-second product demo video. I make mine for $0. Here's the exact workflow. User Avatar 147 comments I've been building for months and made $0. Here's the honest psychological reason — and it's not what I expected. User Avatar 140 comments This system tells you what’s working in your startup — every week User Avatar 40 comments 11 Weeks Ago I Had 0 Users. Now VIDI Has Reviewed $10M+ in Contracts - and I’m Opening a Small SAFE Round User Avatar 19 comments I built a health platform for my family because nobody has a clue what is going on User Avatar 15 comments Why Direction Matters More Than Motivation in Exam Preparation User Avatar 14 comments