Frequently Asked Questions

XNS names follow the format <label>.<namespace> (e.g., alice.xns, vitalik.100x). Both labels and namespaces must be 1-20 characters long and can only contain lowercase letters (a-z), digits (0-9), and hyphens (-). They cannot start or end with a hyphen, and cannot contain consecutive hyphens (--).

XNS names make sending and receiving crypto easier and safer. Instead of copying and pasting long addresses and exposing yourself to clipboard malware and look-alike address attacks, you can simply send funds to a name. It's also a form of digital identity that works across the Ethereum ecosystem.

ENS replicates the web2 domain model with a rent-seeking approach:

• Names expire and must be renewed, creating ongoing subscription costs for users.
• ENS introduces name sniping: if you forget to renew, others can grab your name, especially if it previously received funds. If you don't notice and continue sharing the name, funds will be lost.
• ENS allows transferring domains, which encourages speculation rather than use as permanent identity.

XNS takes a fundamentally different approach:

• Names are permanent and never expire.
• Names are non-transferable, discouraging speculation.
• XNS aligns incentives with ETH holders by burning 80% of registration fees paid in ETH, accruing value to ETH holders by reducing the ETH supply. No valueless governance token like ENS needed.

Beyond these core differences, XNS offers additional capabilities: permissionless namespace registration (for a fee), support for private namespaces with exclusive control, and compatibility with both EOAs and smart contracts, making it ideal for naming smart contracts (incl. multisigs) and individual wallets alike. Refer to the XNS documentation for more details.

Unstoppable Domains (UD) operates as follows:

• Names are issued as NFTs on Polygon.
• Name resolution relies on off-chain infrastructure. UD could change how resolution works in the future.
• Name NFTs are transferable, which encourages speculation rather than use as permanent identity.

XNS takes a fundamentally different approach:

• XNS is a simple on-chain mapping of address to name and vice versa. No NFTs needed.
• Resolution is a pure contract read. There is no off-chain dependency for resolution.
• Names are non-transferable, discouraging speculation.
• XNS aligns incentives with ETH holders by burning 80% of registration fees paid in ETH.

Beyond these core differences, XNS offers additional capabilities: permissionless namespace registration (for a fee), support for private namespaces with exclusive control, and compatibility with both EOAs and smart contracts, making it ideal for naming smart contracts (incl. multisigs) and individual wallets alike. Refer to the XNS documentation for more details.

Our mission is simple: protect users and strengthen the credibility of the Ethereum ecosystem. If we accept ENS's expiring account names as core naming infrastructure, we undermine trust of the entire space at the most basic level. XNS exists to fix this with permanent, non-transferable names that put users first.

Prices vary by namespace. The .xns namespace costs 0.001 ETH, .mana costs 0.003 ETH, and .yolo costs 0.005 ETH. Other namespaces have different pricing. This is a one-time registration fee, and names are yours permanently. For a full list, see the price list.

Yes. Once you register an XNS name, it's yours forever. There are no renewal fees or expiration dates, giving you complete peace of mind.

No. Each Ethereum address can only have one XNS name registered to it at a time. When you register a name, it becomes permanently bound to your address. This ensures a one-to-one mapping between addresses and names, making the system simpler and more reliable.

XNS names are non-transferable and remain permanently bound to one address. However, you can still rotate keys by assigning your name to a Safe wallet (or any other smart wallet) which is controlled by your EOA. If you need to change accounts, update the Safe's signer setup; the Safe address (and therefore your XNS name) stays the same.

80% of the ETH you pay to register a name is permanently burned, making it a deflationary mechanism that benefits all ETH holders. 10% goes to the namespace owner, and 10% to the XNS contract owner. In the first year, the XNS contract owner is handing out namespace ownership for free. Reach out on X if you're interested in getting a namespace.

Bare names are names without a namespace suffix (for example, 'vitalik' or 'bob'). They cost 10 ETH to register and are managed under the special .x namespace. Both 'vitalik' and 'vitalik.x' resolve to the same address.

Simply enter the recipient's XNS name (like alice.xns) in the Send widget. The system will automatically resolve it to their address by querying the XNS registry on Ethereum.

Yes! XNS names are registered on Ethereum (the source of truth), but you can use them to send funds to on any other EVM-compatible chain. For example, if alice.xns resolves to 0x1234...5678 on Ethereum, you can send funds to alice.xns on Polygon, Arbitrum, or any other supported chain, and it will resolve to the same address.

This works because EOAs (regular wallet addresses) are the same across all EVM-compatible chains. For smart contracts, refer to the XNS documentation for details on multi-chain handling.

If your desired name is taken in one namespace, check if it's available in others. For example, if alice.xns is taken, alice.yolo might be available.

The XNS smart contract has been audited for security. You can read the full security audit report here.

Not yet. Currently, only public namespaces are available, which allows anyone to register names. Support for private namespace registrations may be added at a later stage.