.ton is the native domain naming system of the TON network. Each name lives as an NFT on-chain, can be sold, gifted, attached to a wallet address or to a website. By 2026 the .ton ecosystem has become one of the most liquid NFT segments on TON: short names sell for tens of thousands of dollars, while a regular medium-length registration still costs 1 TON.
This guide is for anyone who wants to register a domain for themselves or simply understand how the market works.
Why .ton matters
Technically a .ton domain solves three things:
-
Human-readable address. Instead of
EQDrjaLahLkMB-hMCmkzOyBuHJ139ZUYmPHu6RRBKnbdLIYIyou writedurov.ton. Wallets and DEXes resolve the name to an address automatically. - A site on TON Sites. A domain can point to an ADNL address of a TON node, and the site becomes accessible through TON Proxy — without classic DNS, without traditional hosting.
-
Identity. A
.tonname is a unique public identifier that’s harder to steal than a@username(because Telegram usernames are a separate product — don’t confuse them).
Beyond utility, it’s also a speculative asset. Short, snappy names (a.ton, tg.ton, eth.ton) are a real NFT category with sizeable trades.
How registration works
Every .ton domain is allocated through a public auction at dns.ton.org. There’s no centralised registrar — a smart contract on TON accepts bids and decides the winner.
The rules:
- The name must be between 4 and 126 characters. Names shorter than 4 are unavailable (to avoid clashing with regular domains).
- Starting price depends on length:
- 11+ characters — from 1 TON;
- 10 characters — from 100 TON;
- 9 characters — from 300 TON;
- 8 characters — from 1,000 TON;
- and so on, scaling for shorter names.
- Auctions last 7 days from the first bid.
- Each new bid must be at least 5% higher than the previous one.
- Whoever placed the last bid at auction end wins.
If no one bids above the starting price within 7 days, no auction triggers and the name stays unavailable.
iLong names — almost free
If you need a functional name (e.g. for receiving transfers or hosting a site), not a short “brand”, consider 11+ character domains. They start at 1 TON and most go uncontested.
Buying a domain step by step
Registration takes 5–10 minutes plus a 7-day auction wait.
Step 1. Visit dns.ton.org
Open dns.ton.org in any browser (desktop or mobile — same thing). Connect a wallet via TON Connect (Tonkeeper, MyTonWallet, any compatible wallet).
Step 2. Search for a name
Type the desired name without .ton into search. The site shows:
- whether the name is free;
- if taken — the owner and the renewal date;
- the starting auction price.
Step 3. Place a bid
If the name is free — click “Place a bid”, choose an amount (minimum is the starting price), confirm in the wallet. Gas is the standard TON few cents.
The first bid starts a 7-day clock. During that time anyone can outbid you (minimum +5%). If outbid, your stake returns automatically — no loss.
Step 4. Wait for the auction to end
After 7 days without further bids the name is yours. The NFT-domain arrives at your address — it now appears in the wallet as a regular NFT.
Step 5. Configure the bindings
A bare NFT-domain is just a name. To make it work as a transfer alias (username.ton → your address), you set up resolvers:
- Go to dns.ton.org → My domains.
- Open the domain → Settings.
- Bind a wallet address (your current wallet).
- Optionally — TON Site (for a website), Telegram (link to profile), TON Storage.
After that any wallet that resolves .ton (Tonkeeper, MyTonWallet, all major ones) accepts your name in the recipient field.
Renewal
A domain renews once a year via a manual transaction: send 0.015 TON to the domain’s smart contract. It’s a routine operation, usually done with one click in the dns.ton.org UI.
If you forget to renew — the domain goes back to auction. The previous owner fully loses their rights. There’s no DNS-style grace period; it’s a hard expiry.
!Set a reminder
0.015 TON is less than a dollar, but precisely because renewals are “pennies”, domains slip through more often than you’d think. Set a calendar reminder a month before expiry, or use services that automate it (some wallets can).
Selling a domain
A domain is an NFT — sellable on any TON NFT marketplace.
The main venues in 2026:
- getgems.io — the largest general TON NFT market.
- dns.ton.org → Marketplace — built-in venue for direct sales.
- webdom.market — domain-specialised marketplace.
-
Fragment.com — Telegram’s separate product. Not for
.tondomains — for usernames and anonymous numbers.
Sales are like ordinary NFT trades: list at fixed price or open auction, the marketplace takes its cut (typically 5%), TON arrives at your address.
Fragment vs .ton — not the same
This is the most common confusion. Side-by-side:
| Parameter | .ton domain (dns.ton.org) | Telegram username (Fragment) |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Domain name with TON resolver | Telegram username @nickname |
| Auction venue | dns.ton.org | fragment.com |
| Where it’s used | TON wallets, TON Sites, ADNL | Only inside Telegram |
| Min characters | 4 | 5 |
| Storage | NFT on TON | NFT on TON (separate collection) |
| Renewal | 0.015 TON per year | Free (one-time purchase, kept forever) |
Both products are NFTs on TON; both sell via auction; but they’re different collections with different goals. A .ton domain doesn’t grant a Telegram username, and vice versa.
What domains actually cost
Mid-2026 prices, drawn from getgems.io and dns.ton.org:
- 3-character — not registerable; only exist from early reservations; rare on the market, $50k+.
- 4-character — typical 5,000–50,000 TON ($30,000–300,000+).
- 5-character — 500–5,000 TON.
- 6–7 characters — 50–500 TON.
- 8–10 characters — 5–50 TON.
- 11+ characters — auction starts at 1 TON, most are free.
That’s the secondary market. The primary auction is cheaper if you’re quick and willing to monitor.
Field log · 2024–2026In our case we picked up a 12-character name on dns.ton.org for the 1 TON starting bid — no one outbid us in 7 days. In parallel we watched a 6-character auction: in a week the price climbed from 50 TON to 320 TON, and finally sold at 410 TON. Long, functional names rarely see contention; short ones almost always do.
— TON Adoption
How to use a domain
Beyond “receive transfers under a pretty name”, several practical scenarios:
TON Sites — your own site without hosting
Bind the domain to a TON node ADNL address running a website. Open the site through TON Proxy — built into Tonkeeper and MyTonWallet, or via gateways like myname.ton.site in a regular browser.
It’s a niche: no SEO, low traffic, but ideologically real Web3.
Brand for a project
If you run a project on TON, a .ton domain simplifies onboarding: “go to ourapp.ton” beats a long HTTPS URL.
Speculation
A real segment. Buy a short name at auction; sell it higher in a year or two. Risks — broad crypto drawdown plus trend shifts. Not financial advice: approach it like a collectible NFT purchase.
Where to start
If you want your own .ton:
- Install a wallet — Tonkeeper or MyTonWallet.
- Buy 5–10 TON for registration and renewal.
- Visit dns.ton.org and find a free 11+ character name.
- Bid 1 TON, wait 7 days.
- Bind your wallet to the domain.
After that — depending on interest: spin up a TON Site, sell speculatively, or just enjoy a clean resolver.
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