Unstoppable Domains has decided to halt its efforts to integrate nine of its Web3 domain extensions, including .crypto and .bitcoin, into the conventional Domain Name System (DNS). The company cited the requirements set by ICANN and the associated costs as the primary reasons for this decision.
The domains affected also include .wallet, .polygon, .nft, .dao, .unstoppable, .zil, and .blockchain. These will continue to operate as on-chain domains but will not attain the status of traditional domain zones that are inherently supported by standard internet infrastructure.
Application Costs Estimated at Over $2 Million
ICANN has opened the application process for new top-level domains for the first time in years as part of its 2026 round. The fee for each application stands at $227,000. Consequently, registering the nine domains would have cost Unstoppable Domains more than $2 million, not including additional expenses and potential auction costs due to competition for the same names.
Matthew Gould, the founder of Unstoppable Domains, mentioned that the total costs for compliance, applications, and possible bidding exceeded the anticipated revenue from sales. He stated that the market remains "small and niche."
However, the financial implications were not the only barrier. The management highlighted that the proposed ICANN regulations for integrating DNS with alternative addressing systems would require the registration and payment for each domain in a combined zone, along with the disclosure of owner information.
This would affect more than 4 million existing Web3 domains issued by Unstoppable Domains. Some users had purchased these domains years ago as purely on-chain assets, with no annual fees or intention to register with DNS.
"We are not prepared to impose this on our users or bill them for it," the company explained.
Refunds Offered to Customers
Some Unstoppable Domains customers have criticized the company. A user named Double_0_dotx mentioned that they had received offers to sell their Web3 domains but declined, anticipating that their value would increase following DNS integration.
Refunds should be available for all domains not bought via free credits. People held onto the web 3.0 domains on the basis that you were taking them to ICANN. I've had offers I've turned down on this basis.
— 00.x (@Double_0_dotx) August 26, 2026
Another user, coinplatypus, reported spending thousands of dollars on Unstoppable Domains' domains.
In response to this situation, the company has decided to reimburse those who purchased domains after the public announcement of its intention to submit the zones to ICANN.
Refunds will be available for .crypto, .wallet, .polygon, .nft, .bitcoin, .dao, .unstoppable, and .zil, provided the purchases were made after March 5, 2025. The .blockchain refund eligibility starts from June 5, 2024.
Requests for refunds can be submitted from August 25 to September 25, with processing expected to take up to 28 days.
Despite withdrawing from ICANN, the Web3 domains will continue to function. They will maintain all their on-chain capabilities, such as replacing lengthy wallet addresses, according to Unstoppable Domains. However, full compatibility with traditional DNS for these zones will not occur in this application round.
.gram and .xmr Domains Still Pursuing DNS Integration
Unstoppable Domains has not entirely abandoned the ICANN program. The company has submitted applications for five additional domain zones: .agi, .robot, .gram, .hub, and .xmr.
.AGI and .ROBOT are being developed alongside the 0G ecosystem, targeting AI agents and machine identification. The company is acting as the infrastructure provider for Telegram in the acquisition process for .gram, while .xmr is being developed in collaboration with the Monero and Cake Wallet ecosystems. Another application, .hub, is associated with Hub Culture.
The ICANN application window closed on August 12, with over 1,600 submissions for new top-level domains received. A public list is expected to be released no later than nine weeks after the application window closes.
Unstoppable Domains anticipates that the first approved zones could emerge by mid-2027, with a full launch into DNS expected between late 2027 and 2028.
It’s worth noting that at the end of 2023, Nick Johnson, the head of the Ethereum Name Service, accused Unstoppable Domains of patent theft.