You pay for a .eth name in stablecoins (USDC). USDC is the only token the apps take today. In the ENS App you can register with USDC on Ethereum, Base, Arbitrum or Optimism, and renew with USDC on Ethereum. ENS Explorer takes USDC on Ethereum.
What each app accepts
Network | ENS App: register | ENS App: renew | Explorer: register and renew |
Ethereum | USDC | USDC | USDC |
Base | USDC | – | – |
Arbitrum | USDC | – | – |
Optimism | USDC | – | – |
Any other token, or USDC on any other network, won't work. Before you pay, move it to a network the table shows for what you're doing, or swap it to USDC with a swap service or exchange.
What about the network fee?
The network fee (gas) comes on top of the price. In the ENS App, when you register or renew, it comes out of the same USDC. Keep a little ETH too, in case your wallet asks for a separate approval. In ENS Explorer the network fee is paid in ETH.
Other actions have their own network fee. Setting a primary name pays it in USDC in the ENS App and in ETH in ENS Explorer. Editing records and upgrading a name need a little ETH. See What is gas?
How paying works
Your wallet asks you to approve each step in turn. In the ENS App there are two:
Approval. You let ENS take up to the amount shown, in USDC, from your wallet. This is not a payment yet.
Registration or renewal. This charges the price and registers or renews the name.
Once you approve, the next step starts on its own.
Common questions
What is a stablecoin?
A token that holds the value of a currency, usually the US dollar. A name's price is set in dollars, so paying in USDC means the price doesn't move with the price of ETH.
I don't have USDC. What can I do?
Get USDC from a swap service or any major exchange, and send it to your wallet before you pay. The apps don't swap other tokens into USDC for you.
Will you add more tokens?
Support for DAI, ETH and WETH is coming. This page lists what works today.
Didn't ENS use to take ETH?
Yes. Names used to be priced in dollars but paid in ETH, so what you paid moved with ETH's price. ENSv2 charges the dollar price in USDC, so it stays the same. This applies to every name, including names still on ENSv1.
How much does a name cost?
$8 a year for 5+ characters, more for shorter names, and less a year for 2+ years, plus the network fee. See Pricing, fees and multi-year discounts.
Can I pay with a credit or debit card?
No. You pay in USDC from your connected wallet. In the ENS App, the checkout shows the name's price and the network fee before you confirm.
Why is "You pay" lower than the total?
In the ENS App you approve the price and the network fee plus up to about 10% extra. What isn't used stays in your smart account (HCA), which you own. It comes off your next payment, or you can send it back with Withdraw leftover funds in the account menu. The payment summary shows the Registration total (or Renewal total), your Existing balance, and what You pay. If the balance covers it all, the app says no extra payment is needed.
Where do the fees go?
Registration and renewal fees go to the ENS DAO, the community that governs ENS.