Freename vs ENS: Custom TLDs, .eth Names and Costs

Compare Freename custom Web3 extensions with ENS .eth names, including control, renewals, royalties and app support.

Side-by-side: the exact products

Which fits your intended use?

Begin with ENS if the requirement is a .eth identity, ENS address records or a maintained name for a project already using ENS-aware apps. Our ENS hub connects the cost, setup, renewal and troubleshooting workflow.

Begin with Freename if the question is operating a custom extension in its Web3 naming environment. That involves evaluating the service around the extension as well as the asset. A custom Web3 TLD is not automatically a globally delegated DNS extension. Ask how the intended users will resolve it.

If your only aim is a memorable payment alias, compare verified app behavior before spending on an extension business. If your aim is selling registrations to a community, write down who that community is, why it wants the suffix and what support work you would provide.

Compare a complete ownership budget

Use the same holding period, payment assumptions and required actions for both options. Put the acquisition price, subsequent renewals, configuration transactions and optional tools on separate lines. Keep ETH amounts in ETH until you state an exchange-rate assumption. A “no renewal” label answers only the name-renewal question.

A practical worksheet records the complete identifier, controlling wallet, intended use, app support, first payment and later-year charges. This makes it possible to compare the decision you are actually considering, rather than the most attractive line from each provider's marketing.

Compatibility is a task, not a logo

Ask which wallet version, network and action is supported. Paying with a wallet at checkout does not prove the purchased name works in that wallet's recipient field. An NFT appearing in a collection does not prove a primary-name lookup works. Use the source-linked compatibility matrix to distinguish the evidence.

For a hypothetical studio, list two must-have tasks such as “customers can resolve our payment name” and “our team profile displays the name.” Check each task separately for each complete identifier. If either cannot be verified, record it as unresolved instead of scoring it as supported.

Questions to settle before buying

• Do you need a .eth identity or a custom extension in a particular naming system?
• Who controls the asset, records and any parent namespace?
• Which recurring term or optional service needs to be maintained?
• Is any royalty calculation based on actual eligible customers?
• Does your intended app resolve the complete identifier today?

Our comparison method

This is a documentation-based comparison. We checked the linked provider rules and named integration evidence on the review date. We have not purchased both products, tested every wallet or verified typical resale proceeds. Our selection guidance is an editorial inference from the use cases and requirements above.