.com.np vs .com: Which Domain Should a Nepali Business Choose?
A clear comparison of .com.np and .com domains for Nepali businesses — cost, trust, SEO, registration effort, and when to choose each (or both), so you pick the right web address the first time.
Picking your domain extension is a decision you live with for years, so it's worth getting right. For a Nepali business the real choice is almost always between .com.np and .com. One is free and unmistakably local; the other is paid and globally recognized. This guide compares them head-to-head across the things that actually matter — cost, trust, SEO, and effort — and tells you when to pick each.
Short version: if your customers are in Nepal, .com.np is hard to beat. If you're going global (or want maximum flexibility), .com wins. Many businesses register both. Here's how to decide.
Once you've chosen, you can register a free .com.np domain yourself, or register a
.comalongside your hosting on our domain page.
The quick comparison
| Factor | .com.np | .com |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Free (no registration or renewal fee) | ~NPR 1,500–2,000/year |
| Registration time | ~2 working days (document review) | Instant |
| Documents required | Yes (ID or company registration) | None |
| Local trust in Nepal | Very high | High |
| International recognition | Low outside Nepal | Highest, universal |
| Local SEO signal | Strong for Nepal | Neutral |
| Best for | Local businesses, orgs, schools | Global brands, startups, ecommerce |
Cost: .com.np wins outright
There's no contest on price. A .com.np domain is completely free — no registration fee and no renewal fee, managed by Mercantile Communications. A .com costs roughly NPR 1,500–2,000 per year, every year.
For a bootstrapped local business, free is free. But cost alone shouldn't decide it — the other factors matter more over time.
Trust and perception
This one's about who your customers are.
- A
.com.npaddress signals "we're a real Nepali business." For local customers, that's reassuring — it reads as established and locally accountable. Government bodies, schools, and local organizations especially benefit from it. - A
.comreads as professional and global. If you're a startup, an exporter, a SaaS product, or anyone pitching beyond Nepal,.comavoids the "are they only local?" question and matches what international customers expect to type.
Neither is "more trustworthy" in the abstract — it depends on whether trust, for your audience, means local roots or global standard.
SEO: a small but real edge for local
Search engines use a country-code domain like .np as a signal that your site is especially relevant to that country. So a .com.np can give a mild boost for Nepal-based searches — helpful if 100% of your customers are in Nepal.
But don't overweight this. A .com can rank just as well in Nepal with good local content, a Google Business Profile, and Nepal-focused pages. Domain extension is a minor ranking factor compared to content quality, speed, and backlinks. If you plan to serve customers outside Nepal, a .com avoids sending the "we're only for Nepal" signal to those searchers.
Registration effort
.comregisters instantly with just a payment — no paperwork..com.nprequires documents (citizenship/passport for individuals, or company registration plus a request letter on letterhead for organizations) and a manual review of about two working days.
If you need to be online today for a launch or campaign, .com is faster. If you can wait a couple of days, the .com.np paperwork is a one-time task for a permanently free domain. Our .com.np registration guide has the exact documents and a request-letter template.
So which should you choose?
Choose .com.np if:
- Your customers are almost entirely in Nepal.
- You're a local business, school, NGO, or government-adjacent organization.
- You want to minimize ongoing cost.
- Local trust and local SEO are your priorities.
Choose .com if:
- You serve or plan to serve customers outside Nepal.
- You're building a startup, SaaS, or exporter brand.
- You want instant registration with zero paperwork.
- You want the most universally recognized, flexible extension.
Register both if: you want the best of both worlds. Point one at your site and redirect the other to it. This protects your brand, covers both audiences, and costs only the price of the .com.
Frequently asked questions
Is .com.np good for SEO?
Yes, for local Nepal searches — the .np country code is a mild positive signal for relevance to Nepal. For international audiences it offers no advantage and can suggest you're local-only.
Can I use both .com.np and .com for one business?
Absolutely. A common setup is to register both, serve your website on one, and 301-redirect the other to it. This protects your brand name and reaches both local and global visitors.
Is a free .com.np domain less professional than a paid .com?
No. .com.np is the official, government-backed country domain for Nepal and is widely used by established businesses and institutions. "Free" here doesn't mean low-quality — it's simply Nepal's policy.
Does .com renew for free like .com.np?
No. .com domains carry an annual renewal fee (roughly NPR 1,500–2,000). Only .np domains are free to register and renew.
Which is faster to set up?
.com — it registers instantly. .com.np takes about two working days because the registry manually reviews your documents.
The bottom line
For most local Nepali businesses, a free .com.np is the smart, cost-effective choice with a genuine local-trust and SEO edge. For anyone with global ambitions or a need for instant setup, .com is worth its modest annual fee. And if you can't decide, registering both is a proven, low-cost hedge.
Whichever you pick, you'll need hosting to build on it. BabalCloud's plans work with any domain extension and include free SSL, so your site loads securely whether it ends in .com.np or .com.