Blockchain Naming Services

Naming Services evaluated across whether you can lose the name, whether it sits in an onchain registry or a company namespace, whether it resolves without a plugin, and published price and renewal terms.

14providers tracked

6ranked (methodology v2026.11.1)

12 November 2026Ranking snapshot

3 November 2026oldest read · due 18 Dec

Independent. Evidence-based.We rank with a published method and sourced evidence. No one can pay to rank.How it works

Set your country and amount to see your costs ·

6 providers match your requirements

Out of 6 ranked providers. 0 excluded.

What this ranks

Ranked here: naming services that let you use a name instead of an address, for a reader who wants to keep the name.Not ranked here: services that have shut down, usernames ranked under SocialFi, namespaces that fail on wallet resolution by design, and services that duplicate one already ranked.6 of the 14 assessed are ranked; 8 were turned away by name. Who, and whyRequirements narrow the list; they never change a published ChainChoice Score. How the ranking works

ENS (Ethereum Name Service)

How ENS (Ethereum Name Service) was chosen

Leads this ranking on Onchain registry or company namespace

Onchain .eth registry on Ethereum mainnet

81 out of 100published score, #1 of all 6 worldwide

Evidence

High

4/4 criteria scored, with 4 dated sources quoted.

Does your wallet resolve it without a pluginOnchain registry or company namespacePublished price and renewal terms

Why it leads

ENS (Ethereum Name Service) is 17 points ahead of Base Names (Basenames), mainly because it scores higher on its registry decentralisation and its resolution reach.
Best in this ranking on ownership durability and registry decentralisation
Ahead of Base Names (Basenames) on registry decentralisation (+7.8 points) and resolution reach (+4.7 points)

Sort by

#ProviderPriceCompare

ENS-protocol names on Base L2

64 out of 100

Solana name registry migrating .sol to .sns

56 out of 100

Multi-chain name service issuing .bnb and .arb,...

52 out of 100

Onchain usernames inside Lens social protocol;...

50 out of 100

Same score, not joint · ordered by weighted total (36.60 against 36.40)

Company-issued Web3 TLDs sold as one-time...

50 out of 100

Compare providers (0)

See key differences in features, fees, security and more.

Cost transparency

Published price and renewal terms

10% of the published criteria weight. Scored 0–10 from the published evidence; the order below is by this criterion, then the published ranking.

Provider	Cost transparency (0–10)	ChainChoice Score
ENS (Ethereum Name Service)	9	81
Base Names (Basenames)	6	64
SNS (Solana Name Service, formerly Bonfida)	5	56
SPACE ID	4	52
Lens Usernames (formerly Lens Handles)	4	50
Unstoppable Domains	3	50

Ownership durability

Whether you can lose the name

40% of the published criteria weight. Scored 0–10 from the published evidence; the order below is by this criterion, then the published ranking.

Provider	Ownership durability (0–10)	ChainChoice Score
ENS (Ethereum Name Service)	7	81
Base Names (Basenames)	6	64
SNS (Solana Name Service, formerly Bonfida)	5	56
SPACE ID	4	52
Lens Usernames (formerly Lens Handles)	4	50
Unstoppable Domains	4	50

Registry decentralisation

Onchain registry or company namespace

25% of the published criteria weight. Scored 0–10 from the published evidence; the order below is by this criterion, then the published ranking.

Provider	Registry decentralisation (0–10)	ChainChoice Score
ENS (Ethereum Name Service)	9	81
SNS (Solana Name Service, formerly Bonfida)	5	56
Base Names (Basenames)	4	64
SPACE ID	4	52
Lens Usernames (formerly Lens Handles)	4	50
Unstoppable Domains	3	50

Resolution reach

Does your wallet resolve it without a plugin

25% of the published criteria weight. Scored 0–10 from the published evidence; the order below is by this criterion, then the published ranking.

Provider	Resolution reach (0–10)	ChainChoice Score
ENS (Ethereum Name Service)	10	81
Base Names (Basenames)	7	64
SNS (Solana Name Service, formerly Bonfida)	3	56
SPACE ID	3	52
Unstoppable Domains	3	50
Lens Usernames (formerly Lens Handles)	2	50

All 4 published criteria

Every ranked row’s score on each criterion, in the published order. Choose a column to order by it.

	Provider					ChainChoice Score
1	ENS (Ethereum Name Service)	7	9	10	9	81
2	Base Names (Basenames)	6	4	7	6	64
3	SNS (Solana Name Service, formerly Bonfida)	5	5	3	5	56
4	SPACE ID	4	4	3	4	52
5	Lens Usernames (formerly Lens Handles)	4	4	2	4	50
6	Unstoppable Domains	4	3	3	3	50

How this ranking works

How firm the #1 is, the per-criterion arithmetic behind each score, who pays ChainChoice, and which naming services were assessed and left out.

FirmThis verdict holds under every one-point re-read

See the arithmetic

Every published criterion was moved up and down by one point and the ranking re-run. The same product came first each time. The published rankings file

Why this score4 published criteria · leads every one

Published criterionWtScore, and the best hereGap out of 10Pts

Whether you can lose the name9.6·79.0

Onchain registry or company namespace6·97.2

Does your wallet resolve it without a plugin6·108.0

Published price and renewal terms2.4·92.9

Σ methodology points27.0/32

Each bar is the score on that criterion’s own 0–10 scale, never rescaled to the pool. The dark line is the best any product here reached on that axis. Wt is the most the criterion can add to the 86-point weighted total. Pts is weight × score × 32; the sum is the methodology score, and each weighted point behind the leader costs 2.6 on the displayed score. how these are weighted

Why it ranks first

Why ENS (Ethereum Name Service) leads this category right now

Onchain .eth registry on Ethereum mainnet; annual renewal required. Strongest on does your wallet resolve it without a plugin (10/10): Competing registries build on ENS: Base states that Basenames are built on the open-source ENS protocol, and SPACE ID's docs say the BNB Domain Name Service is built on the foundation of ENS, so ENS-aware wallets and apps resolve .eth names without a plugin. Weakest on whether you can lose the name (7/10): .eth names are rented: after expiry a grace period (28 days on ENSv2, 90 on ENSv1) lets anyone renew, then 21 days of Price Cooldown open the name to anyone at an extra fee falling from $100 million to $0. ENS states it cannot forcibly transfer a name. Published price: ENS support page "Pricing, fees and multi-year discounts" (support.ens.domains, read 2026-11-03), after ENSv2 went live on Ethereum mainnet on Oct 27, 2026: "A .eth name costs from $8 a year, plus the network fee (gas).

Best for

Does your wallet resolve it without a plugin — 10/10

Main tradeoff

ENS Labs cancelled Namechain — the ZK rollup announced in 2024 specifically to make .eth registration cheap — on 6 February 2026, and moved ENSv2 to Ethereum mainnet only (theblock.co/post/388932). Registration therefore stays a two-transaction L1 operation with L1 gas indefinitely. Separately, the $5/year headline is per-year and the clock does not stop: an .eth name is rented, and a 90-day lapse plus a 21-day auction is all that stands between you and someone else owning your payment address.

Verify before signup

ENS support page "Pricing, fees and multi-year discounts" (support.ens.domains, read 3 November 2026), after ENSv2 went live on Ethereum mainnet on 27 October 2026: "A .eth name costs from $8 a year, plus the network fee (gas). Add two or more years at once and every year costs less, up to about 44% off." Per year: 5+ characters "$8", 4 characters "$160", 3 characters "$640"; "Names of 5 or more characters cost $8 a year, up from $5, upgraded or not. 3- and 4-character prices are the same." Multi-year per-year rates (5+ / 4 / 3 characters): 2 years "$7.00" / "$140" / "$560"; 3 to 5 years "$5.50" / "$110" / "$440"; 6+ years "$4.50" / "$90" / "$360". "The discount goes by the years you add in one go, and covers every one of them. It is the same when you register and when you renew, at every name length." Worked example, quoted from the page: "Example: 3 years for a 5+ character name costs $16.50, or $5.50 a year, before the network fee." Payment: "You pay the price in USDC from your wallet, on Ethereum." Lapse: "For its grace period (28 days for an ENSv2 name, 90 days for a name still on ENSv1), anyone can still renew it at the normal price, and nobody else can register it. After that comes Price Cooldown" (21 days, a temporary extra fee on top of the price; its opening level is quoted on a separate ENS support article, not here). Gas is not quantified.

Recommendation summary

What should decide this category

Would you rather renew annually and keep control, or pay once and trust a company to persist?

Which chain and wallet must resolve this name without the user installing anything?

Is your next step about using naming services, or do you still need a wallet, exchange, or bridge decision first?

Quick picks

Strong options in this category

Start with the lead choice first, then use the shortlist only if you still need a challenger or stronger fit for a specific setup.

Best overall

ENS (Ethereum Name Service)

Onchain .eth registry on Ethereum mainnet; annual renewal required

Best for: Does your wallet resolve it without a plugin — 10/10

Whether you can lose the name · weight 40%7/10Onchain registry or company namespace · weight 25%9/10Does your wallet resolve it without a plugin · weight 25%10/10Published price and renewal terms · weight 10%9/10

Quick pick

Base Names (Basenames)

ENS-protocol names on Base L2, issued by Coinbase, priced in ETH

ENS-protocol names on Base L2, issued by Coinbase, priced in ETH. Strongest on does your wallet resolve it without a plugin (7/10): Base states that Basenames are built on the open-source ENS protocol and can be used to connect to onchain apps and to send and receive on Base and any other EVM chain; ENS-aware clients resolve them through an off-chain CCIP gateway. Weakest on onchain registry or company namespace (4/10): Basenames registration runs through a permissioned contract on Base, with an upgradeable registrar controller behind a proxy admin, and resolution relies on an off-chain gateway serving CCIP requests: a single-operator L2 namespace. Published facts: Annual fees quoted in ETH, not USD, on base.org/names (read 2026-11-03): "Annual registration fees are as follows:" "3 characters 0.1 ETH", "4 characters 0.01 ETH", "5-9 characters 0.001 ETH", "10+ characters 0.0001 ETH".

Best for: Does your wallet resolve it without a plugin — 7/10

Whether you can lose the name · weight 40%6/10Onchain registry or company namespace · weight 25%4/10Does your wallet resolve it without a plugin · weight 25%7/10Published price and renewal terms · weight 10%6/10

Quick pick

SNS (Solana Name Service, formerly Bonfida)

Solana name registry migrating .sol to .sns; one-time payment, no renewal fees today

Solana name registry migrating .sol to .sns; one-time payment, no renewal fees today. Strongest on whether you can lose the name (5/10): SNS charges no renewal fee 'today' and says that may change if .sol becomes an ICANN top-level domain. Its migration FAQ reserves the right to exclude a domain from the snapshot or withhold the matching new .sol name on a legal order or a credible scam report. Weakest on does your wallet resolve it without a plugin (3/10): SNS's own FAQ says .sol names no longer resolve and that an app may fail to resolve a .sns domain until it adds support; reach depends on each wallet and app integrating the new names, and no third-party implementation is shown. Published price: SNS docs "Register a domain" (docs.sns.id/collection/sns-v2/register, read 2026-11-03) list one-time prices still labelled for .sol: "1 character .sol names: $750 USD", "2 character .sol names: $700 USD", "3 character .sol names: $640 USD", "4 character .sol…

Best for: Whether you can lose the name — 5/10

Whether you can lose the name · weight 40%5/10Onchain registry or company namespace · weight 25%5/10Does your wallet resolve it without a plugin · weight 25%3/10Published price and renewal terms · weight 10%5/10

Quick pick

SPACE ID

Multi-chain name service issuing .bnb and .arb, annual registration

Multi-chain name service issuing .bnb and .arb, annual registration. Strongest on whether you can lose the name (4/10): SPACE ID names are rented: holders can renew during the term and for a 90-day grace period after expiry; after that the name is open to anyone to register, with no premium phase stated. Weakest on does your wallet resolve it without a plugin (3/10): The only reach evidence is SPACE ID's own claim of integration with over 100 projects and protocols, including BSCScan and Trust Wallet; no competing registry or independent wallet documentation is shown. Published price: From the SPACE ID community wiki page "How to register a .bnb domain" (community.space.id, marked "Last updated 3 years ago", read 2026-11-03): "3 character domains - $650 USD worth in BNB per year"; "4 character domains - $160 USD worth in BNB per year"; "5+…

Best for: Whether you can lose the name — 4/10

Whether you can lose the name · weight 40%4/10Onchain registry or company namespace · weight 25%4/10Does your wallet resolve it without a plugin · weight 25%3/10Published price and renewal terms · weight 10%4/10

Considered and not ranked

8 products we looked at and left out

A shortlist is only honest if it says who it turned away. Each of these was assessed against the same published criteria as the ranked table and excluded for a stated reason — not overlooked.

We assessed 14 products here and rank 6 — 43% of what we looked at. That share is of the products we assessed, not of the category: how many exist is not something we can count, so we do not claim a number for it.

3DNS· No longer operatingAvvy Domains (.avax)· No longer operatingNameStone· No longer operatingFarcaster (fnames / Farcaster usernames)· Ranked elsewhereHandshake (HNS)· No longer operatingNamecoin (.bit)NamefiSuiNS (Sui Name Service, .sui)

What this ranking does not assess

Contract failure: the code holding the funds is exploited.
Regulatory failure: no licence where you are, or a forced market exit.
Execution failure: you get a worse price, later, or nothing.
Exit failure: you cannot get out at par, on time, or with what is yours.

These can still cost you money here; the ranking does not measure them, so a high place says nothing about them. Which criterion scores each family, and why the others do not apply, is in /data/risk-coverage.json.

How this ranking is built

Reviewed on how you could lose the name, whether the registry is onchain or a company namespace, whether your wallet resolves it without a plugin, and published renewal terms.

Data checked Nov 2026 · Independent rankings · We show our work

Reviewed 3 November 2026Next review by 18 December 2026Published 4 August 2026Methodology v2026.11.1

How this page is reviewed

Reviewed means every product ranked on this page was read against its sources on or after that date; every ranked category is re-read at least every 45 days. Models research, extract and parse. A deterministic engine ranks. Every quote passes an adversarial refute pass.

Accountable for this review: Mathias Siemonsmeier, Founder.

How we review · Review calendar · Corrections log · How we make money

Direct answer

What is the best naming service in 2026?

ENS (Ethereum Name Service) ranks #1 overall for naming services on ChainChoice. Onchain .eth registry on Ethereum mainnet; annual renewal required. It holds that rank under an affiliate-blind methodology scored across 4 published, weighted criteria — the code that ranks providers physically cannot read affiliate payouts (CI-enforced), so a payout can't move a rank. The verdict re-computes on every fee change, incident, or regulatory action; the full reasoning and the audit receipt are under Methodology.

How you can lose money here, and what the ranking scores

Control failure: a key or vote changes the rules, freezes or mints.
Scored by Whether you can lose the name · 40% (ENS (Ethereum Name Service) 7/10, Base Names (Basenames) 6/10, SNS (Solana Name Service, formerly Bonfida) 5/10)
Scored by Onchain registry or company namespace · 25% (ENS (Ethereum Name Service) 9/10, Base Names (Basenames) 4/10, SNS (Solana Name Service, formerly Bonfida) 5/10)

Not assessed by this ranking: Contract failure, Regulatory failure, Execution failure, Exit failure. A high place says nothing about these; the Methodology tab says what each means.

Also scored, as cost, quality or a summary of several families: Does your wallet resolve it without a plugin (25%), Published price and renewal terms (10%).

FAQs

3 questions readers ask before choosing naming services.

Frequently asked

Questions people ask before choosing naming services

What counts as a naming service?

A naming service maps a human-readable name to an address. The differences that matter are not the suffix but the ownership model: whether the registry is a permissionless onchain contract or a company database, and what mechanism could take the name back.

When should I explore naming services instead of another crypto category?

It matters most when the name carries value — a brand, a payment handle, an identity. At that point 'lifetime' versus 'renewable' stops being a pricing detail and becomes the whole question.

What matters most when choosing a naming service path?

How you could lose it, and whether the registry is onchain — 65% of the weight between them. Wallet resolution follows, because a name nothing resolves is a collectible rather than an address.

Free advisorNo signup needed

Still unsure? Get your best naming services pick

Answer a few quick questions and get one clear recommendation based on how you actually plan to use crypto — then review the evidence before deciding.

No signupFree first pass · PrivateNo spam · No account

Not financial advice · Independent · Always do your own research

Best picks

Best naming services in 2026

The right naming service depends on how you could lose the name, which the two business models in this category answer completely differently. One sells an annually renewed registration that expires if you stop paying; the other sells a 'lifetime, no renewal' domain whose permanence depends on the company continuing to exist and honour it. Both are defensible, and only one matches what most buyers assume they are buying. After that: does your wallet resolve it without a plugin, and can the name be reclaimed on a trademark claim?

Best overall

ENS (Ethereum Name Service)

Onchain .eth registry on Ethereum mainnet; annual renewal required

Data checked Nov 2026

Best for: Does your wallet resolve it without a plugin — 10/10

Browse this network

Keep exploring naming services

The same published ranking, read for your country, side by side, or one provider at a time.

Every ranked provider, its full verdict

Best naming services by country

How this category is defined

Naming Services: overview, criteria and weights

Written and reviewed by Mathias Siemonsmeier Founder

Not financial advice · For informational purposes only · Always do your own research

Your setup

6 providers match your requirements

Why it leads

Compare providers (0)