ChanTan Studio DocsDomain Prices and Renewals in ChanTan Studio
What a domain really costs, why "FROM $1/YEAR" is not the price, and the one thing to do before it expires — ChanTan domain renewals are manual today.
Two things about domains cause more confusion than anything else in ChanTan Studio: what a domain costs, and what happens after the first year. Both are answered here, plainly.
⚠️ The one thing to remember: your domain is registered for 1 year and it does not renew automatically today. Note the expiry date on your domain card and contact support well before it to arrange the renewal. A domain lost by letting it lapse is not something ChanTan can undo.
What a domain actually costs
"FROM $1/YEAR" on the "Buy a domain" card is a marketing label, not a price. Never plan your budget around it.
The real price comes from the registrar and depends entirely on the ending:
- Some endings (like
.shop) genuinely start around $1 a year. - Popular endings like
.comcost more. - Rare or in-demand names cost more again — some are marked "Premium name" and can't be bought here at all.
The only numbers you should trust are the ones on your screen:
| Where you see it | What it says | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| A search result | "Available · {price} / first year" | The real price for that exact domain |
| A search result | "Available" | Buyable — the price is still loading |
| The checkout card | The exact first-year price | What your card will be charged |
The price is locked while you decide
The quote on the checkout card is held for 10 minutes. If it lapses, a fresh quote is fetched automatically — and if the registrar's price changed in the meantime, the purchase is refused rather than silently charging you more.
You're only charged if the domain is really secured
Your card is authorised first and captured only after the domain is actually booked. If the registrar doesn't complete it, the authorisation is released and you are not charged. Domains are paid by card through Stripe's secure checkout — ChanTan never sees your card number, and domains are never paid in credits.
Renewals: manual, today
Your registration covers 1 year from the day you bought it. Automatic renewal is switched off in ChanTan Studio right now — if anything ever suggests otherwise, the honest answer is the one on this page.
What to do
- Find the expiry date. Your domain card shows "Expires {date}" together with the tag "Purchased". Open it from the Publish window's domain section, or from "Manage ▾" → "Domain".
- Write that date down somewhere you'll see it — a calendar reminder a month ahead is ideal.
- Contact support well before that date and ask them to renew it. They'll confirm the amount for another year before anything is paid.
⚠️ Don't leave it to the last day. Registrars take time to process a renewal, and a lapsed domain can be picked up by someone else. "Well before" means weeks, not hours.
If a registration does lapse, the domain card shows the badge "Expired" and your site stops being served on that address.
Your free address is not affected
Your yourname.chantan.one address is free forever and has no expiry date at all. Even if a bought domain lapses, your app stays reachable there — nothing is deleted. Hosting for the published app is billed separately in credits (details here).
Quick answers
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Does my domain renew by itself? | No. Contact support before the expiry date |
| Is the domain really mine? | Yes. It's registered in your name with the registrar |
| Can I pay for a domain with credits? | No — domains are paid by card through Stripe |
| Is there a refund button? | No. Every payment problem goes to support, with your "Order {id}" |
| Where's my order id? | On the screen shown right after the purchase. Keep it — support needs it |
| What if the purchase failed? | You weren't charged; the authorisation is released |
Moving your domain to another company
The domain you bought is yours to move. A transfer needs an authorisation code from the registrar, and there is no button for it in ChanTan Studio today — contact support and ask for it.
One industry rule to know: newly registered domains are locked by registrars for their first 60 days and can't be transferred during that window. That's not a ChanTan rule and nobody can waive it.
Domains you bought elsewhere
If your domain came from GoDaddy, Namecheap or any other registrar, its renewal stays with them — you renew it where you bought it, on their schedule and at their price. ChanTan only connects it to your app. See Connect your own domain.