$24.99 for a .com, charged only on a catch. That is the cheapest backorder of the big three. For any expiring domain with links worth having, though, the fee is only the opening bid of a public auction that runs up to ten days.
Backorder auction
3 backordersexp*****ds.com
caughtFee
$24.99
Runs
7 to 10 d
To pay
47 h
Every bid in the last 5 minutes adds 5 more. Illustration, not a live auction.
The short answer
A Dynadot backorder costs $24.99 for a .com and is charged only if Dynadot catches the name. You need $5 in account balance or a $5+ order in the past year to place one, and there is no limit on how many. If you are the only backorder, you get the name at the fee. If anyone else backordered it, a public auction of 7 to 10 days sets the price, and the winner has 47 hours to pay. Use it as a cheap second line next to DropCatch for names that drop at the registry.
Taken from Dynadot's backorder list and help center in October 2026. Prices on the list vary by extension and change, so check the line for your exact name before you rely on it.
| Rule | Dynadot | What it means for a buyer |
|---|---|---|
| Backorder price | $24.99 for .com, .net and .org on the live list; $12.70 to $39.99 on other extensions | The cheapest .com backorder among the big catchers: DropCatch charges $59, NameJet $79. |
| High priority | Offered on some extensions only (for example $49.99 on .info names); none showed on the .com names we checked | For a .com the standard fee is the only option, so there is nothing to upgrade. |
| When you pay | Only when Dynadot catches the name | A long watchlist of backorders costs nothing until something lands. |
| Who can place one | A Dynadot account with $5 in balance or a $5+ order in the past 365 days, plus marketplace payment settings | Brand-new accounts need a small prepay order before the first backorder. |
| How many | No limit on backorder requests | You can cover every name on your list. |
| Two or more backorders | Public backorder auction, 7 to 10 days | Anyone eligible on Dynadot can bid, not only the backorder holders. |
| First backorder | Gets an opening bid at the backorder price | If nobody else bids, the first backorder wins at the fee. |
| Late bids | 5-minute extension for any bid in the last 5 minutes, no cap | Sniping does not work. Decide your ceiling before the last hour. |
| Paying after a win | 47 hours, then the second bidder gets 24 hours | Miss the window and the name moves on, and your account standing suffers. |
| Bids over $2,000 | 10% deposit, forfeited if you do not pay | Big bids lock cash for the length of the auction. |
| Cancelling | Up to 24 hours before the drop time | After that, a caught name must be paid for or you risk an auction ban. |
The backorder only matters at the very end. Most of the wait is the old owner's chance to renew, and a contested name adds more than a week of auction on top of the drop.
Cancel by 24 hours before the drop time or the backorder is binding. That one rule catches people who backorder fifty names in a hurry and forget them. A caught name you did not want still has to be paid for, and leaving it unpaid can get the account banned from Dynadot auctions.
Add it up and a contested .com takes roughly three months from expiry to a name in your account, with no promise at the end. If the domain is for a project that starts this quarter, that clock is the real cost, not the $24.99.
The fee is the smallest difference. What matters is where each service gets its names and who is allowed to bid when the name is contested.
Dynadot
$24.99
Contested: Public auction, 7 to 10 days, open to eligible Dynadot users
Catches: Names that drop at the registry
DropCatch
$59
Contested: Public auction, 3 to 5 days, proxy bidding
Catches: Names that drop at the registry
SnapNames and NameJet
$79
Contested: Private auction, about 3 days, backorder holders only
Catches: Names from Network Solutions, Bluehost, IONOS and other partner registrars, before the drop
This is the backorder auction for names that already dropped. Names still in Dynadot's hands around 40 days after expiry go to a separate 7-day expired auction, covered in the Dynadot auctions review. Dynadot's backorder auction is public, which is a real difference from NameJet's private one. Anyone eligible on Dynadot can bid, so backordering early buys you the opening bid and nothing else. On a name that many finder-tool subscribers have spotted, expect competition from people who never placed a backorder.
Domain investors on NamePros have also reported Dynadot's own API registrations beating its backorder service at drop time, a complaint first raised in 2018 that Dynadot answered by confirming the API sometimes wins. Treat a Dynadot backorder as one lottery ticket. The DropCatch review and the SnapNames and NameJet backorder review cover the other two tickets, and the domain backorder service comparison puts all of them side by side.
Use it
You already backorder at DropCatch. Adding Dynadot on the same names costs nothing unless it catches, and $24.99 is the cheapest win if you turn out to be the only backorder.
Use it with care
Check the registrar in WHOIS first. If it sits at a registrar that feeds NameJet, a Dynadot backorder never fires. If it will drop, backorder at Dynadot and DropCatch both, and set a ceiling.
Skip it
A backorder gives you a chance in three months. When the deadline is yours, a domain you can buy expired domains from today, with its metrics and price public, is the faster route.
Nothing in a backorder tells you whether the domain is worth having. Dynadot sells the catch, not a quality check, so the vetting is yours: referring domains, anchor text, Wayback history, spam flags. The listings in our catalogue right now are priced from $1,800 to $2,400 with Ahrefs DR from 42 to 51, and that asking price is the whole price of the name. Each listing comes with the Ahrefs report, and members pay $24.50/mo billed yearly or $49/mo to see every name.
Plenty of backorders target a rival's lapsed brand. If that is your plan, it pays to monitor that competitor's site and pricing changes while you wait, because a renewal or a relaunch shows up there before the drop date does.
Put $5 on the balance or place a small order, and set your marketplace payment settings before the drop.
WHOIS first. Names at Network Solutions, Bluehost or IONOS go to NameJet, so backorder there instead.
Pull the backlinks and the Wayback history, then write down the most the name is worth to you.
Watch the auction end yourself. Missing the payment window hands the name to the second bidder.
You place a backorder on a domain that has passed its grace and redemption periods, and Dynadot tries to register it the moment it drops, usually about 75 days after expiry. If you are the only backorder and the catch works, the name goes into your account and you pay the backorder fee. With two or more backorders it goes to a public auction.
A standard backorder on a .com, .net or .org was $24.99 on Dynadot's live list in October 2026, charged only if the name is caught. Other extensions range from about $12.70 to $39.99, and some offer a high priority option. For a contested name the fee becomes the opening bid and the auction sets the real price.
The caught name goes to a backorder auction that runs 7 to 10 days and is open to all eligible Dynadot users, not just the people who backordered. The first person to backorder gets an opening bid at the backorder price. A bid in the last 5 minutes extends the auction by 5 minutes, with no limit.
No. Dynadot charges only when it successfully catches the domain. If the owner renews, another catcher registers it first, or you lose the auction, you pay nothing. If you win and do not pay within 47 hours, the name goes to the second bidder and you can be banned from Dynadot auctions and backorders.
Yes, as long as at least 24 hours remain before the domain's drop time. Go to Aftermarket, then Buyer, then My Backorders, tick the domain and click Delete Request. A backorder you leave in place has to be paid for if it is caught, so clean the list before drop day.
It is the cheapest serious second line for .com names that drop at the registry, and the fee is charged only on a catch. Its weak point is the catch rate on popular names: DropCatch is built for the .com drop, and domain investors have reported Dynadot's own API registrations beating its backorder service. Use it next to DropCatch, not instead of it.
Cheap, fair and charged only on a catch, so it belongs on any serious drop list as the second ticket next to DropCatch. It is the wrong tool when you need one good domain on a deadline. For that, see what checked domains cost first, or read where to buy expired domains for every route side by side.