How to Use This Guide
Work through the five questions, assign a score, and the lease rate follows automatically.
Score the name → find the tier → apply the annual lease rate. Every name in the same tier prices the same. No exceptions, no guesswork.
Step 1 — Understand How the Scorer Works
Every name in the registry is scored by a rule-based engine that evaluates what the name actually is — not what vertical it belongs to. The engine parses each name into its component words and evaluates three things in sequence.
The Three Scoring Layers
| Layer | What It Measures | Example | Boost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base Score | Starting value from the vertical segment. High-value segments (DEV.ORCHESTRATOR, CHAIN.SUBSTRATE) start higher. | DEV.ORCHESTRATOR = 11 base | 6–12 |
| Root Noun | The last meaningful word — what the name fundamentally IS. Orchestrators, layers, protocols score highest. | sequencerlayer → layer = +4 | +1 to +4 |
| Qualifier | What KIND of that root noun. The modifier before the root. Only fires when paired with a root noun boost. | sequencerlayer → sequencer = +2 | +1 to +3 |
| Demand Weight | Market reality layer. Hot sectors (ZK, L2, AI agents, rollups) get a builder demand bonus. Capped at +3 total. | zk+sequencer = +4 demand (capped +3) | 0 to +3 |
| Specialty Boost | Always fires for rare technical terms regardless of position — orchestrator, frame, ensv2, blob, rln. | orchestrator anywhere = +4 | +1 to +4 |
| Length Adj. | Longer names score lower. Exception: infrastructure / layer / protocol roots suppress this penalty entirely. | ≤ 8 chars = +1, > 20 chars = −2 | −3 to +1 |
The Root Noun Doctrine
The most important rule: the same word scores differently depending on its position in the name.
| Name | Root | Modifier | Score Direction |
|---|---|---|---|
sequencerprotocol | protocol (root) = +4 | sequencer = +2 qualifier | High — protocol IS what it is |
protocolrouter | router (root) = +2 | protocol = modifier only | Lower — protocol describes the router |
compliancelayer | layer (root) = +4 | compliance = +3 qualifier | High — it IS a layer |
layer2bot | bot (no boost) | layer = modifier only | Low — layer just describes it |
Scores 16–20 Require Both Root AND Qualifier
The elite tiers (16–20) have a strict gate: both a root noun boost AND a qualifier boost must fire. A name with only a strong root noun is capped at 15. This prevents generic single-word names from reaching the top tiers regardless of how important the word is.
Five Questions to Ask Before Scoring
| # | Question | If Yes → | If No → |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Does this name define a vertical or anchor an infrastructure layer? | Start at score 13+. This name IS the infrastructure. | Start at 7–10 and work up from there. |
| 2 | Is there a strong root noun (orchestrator, layer, protocol, prover)? | Add root noun boost (+1 to +4). | Cap likely at 10–12 without a strong root. |
| 3 | Does the modifier qualify the root in a meaningful way? | Add qualifier boost. Both layers fire → 16+ possible. | Root fires alone → capped at 15. |
| 4 | Is this in a hot builder sector (ZK, L2, AI agents, rollups, ENSv2)? | Add demand weight up to +3. | No demand bonus — score on semantics alone. |
| 5 | Is this a jurisdiction name (national, federal, cayman, bermuda)? | Jurisdiction boost always fires — high floor guaranteed. | No jurisdiction boost. |
The Method Behind the Madness
Most ENS marketplaces price names by gut feel, hype, or what someone paid last. We don’t do that. Every name in this registry has a score — a number derived from a rule-based engine that evaluates what the name actually is, not what vertical it belongs to or how long it is.
The core insight is simple: a name’s value comes from function + scarcity. A name that defines an entire infrastructure function and has no synonym is worth more than a name that describes a product. A name that controls a layer is worth more than one that participates in it.
Why “What It Is” Matters More Than “What It’s In”
Two names can sit in the same vertical and score completely differently. sequencerprotocol.eth and rollupnode.eth are both in CHAIN. But one names the standard for a thing. The other names an instance of a thing. The first is worth ten times the second. The scorer knows the difference.
The Root Noun Doctrine
The engine parses every name into its component words and asks: what is the last meaningful word — the root noun? That root tells you what the name fundamentally IS. The words before it are modifiers that tell you what KIND of that thing it is.
The same word scores differently depending on its position:
sequencerlayer.eth— layer is the ROOT. This name IS a layer. Score: 19. It defines infrastructure.layer2bot.eth— layer is the MODIFIER. This name is a bot that works with L2. Score: 7. It participates in infrastructure.complianceprotocol.eth— protocol is the ROOT. This IS the protocol standard for compliance. Score: 16.protocolrouter.eth— protocol is the MODIFIER. This is a router that handles protocols. Score: 11.
Same words. Completely different value. The root noun doctrine is what separates this system from every other pricing model in the ENS space.
Why Scores 16–20 Require Both Root AND Qualifier
The elite tiers have a strict gate: to score 16 or above, a name must have both a strong root noun AND a meaningful qualifier. This prevents single-word names — no matter how important the word — from automatically reaching the top. orchestrator.eth is a powerful word, but it’s a single noun. complianceorchestrator.eth is a compliance orchestrator — the orchestration layer for an entire compliance stack. That compound earns score 20.
The gate exists because real infrastructure primitives are almost always compound names. They describe a specific function in a specific domain. Generic single words are valuable, but they’re not canonical primitives.
Why Scarcity Is Not the Point
ENS names are technically unlimited — anyone can register anything for $5/year. Scarcity in the traditional domain sense doesn’t apply. What creates value here is semantic scarcity: the number of names that actually describe a foundational infrastructure function is very small. There are only a handful of ways to name the sequencer layer for Ethereum L2. We own the best ones. A developer building on that layer doesn’t want a name that sounds like the thing — they want the name that IS the thing.
Why Pricing Is Fixed by Tier
We don’t negotiate on individual names. The price is the score, and the score is the function. This is how AWS prices EC2 instances and how Infura prices API calls — fixed tiers based on what the thing actually does, not on who’s asking. It removes speculation from the equation entirely and lets builders budget with confidence.
The Bottom Line
If a developer is building a $5M protocol on a namespace, $8,000–$15,000/year is infrastructure cost, not a luxury purchase. The names at the top of this registry are the ones that can credibly anchor that kind of system. That’s the math.
Step 2 — Score → Tier → Annual Lease
Match your score to the annual lease rate. Every name in the same score tier leases at the same rate. No guesswork, no exceptions.
| Score | Tier | Annual Lease | Strategic Value & Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Novelty / Lifestyle | $100/yr | Novelty and lifestyle names. No strategic leverage. Personal brands, sports, food. |
| 2 | Lifestyle with Brand Value | $200/yr | Lifestyle with some brand value. Niche utility. Small communities and personal projects. |
| 3 | Generic Utility | $300/yr | Generic utility. Basic function, replaceable. Single-purpose tools with limited vertical leverage. |
| 4 | Solid Single-Use Utility | $400/yr | Solid single-use utility. Real function, limited scope. Works for a product in one specific context. |
| 5 | Useful Infrastructure | $500/yr | Useful infrastructure. Commercial application in one vertical. Works for protocols and platforms. |
| 6 | Good Infrastructure | $750/yr | Good infrastructure. Strong utility in one vertical. Real builders would use this. |
| 7 | Premium Utility | $1,000/yr | Premium utility. Multi-vertical or segment-adjacent. Serious builders want this. Strong subdomain potential. |
| 8 | Strong Infrastructure | $1,500/yr | Strong infrastructure. Defines a product layer. Enterprise or protocol grade. Multiple verticals apply. |
| 9 | Enterprise Infrastructure | $2,000/yr | Enterprise infrastructure. Powers major protocols or enterprise systems. The go-to name for a function. |
| 10 | Premium Enterprise | $2,750/yr | Premium enterprise. Category-defining at product level. Anchors a company, protocol, or platform identity. |
| 11 | Protocol-Level Primitive | $3,500/yr | Protocol-level primitive. Powers agents, registries, and multi-system functions. Real infrastructure at scale. |
| 12 | Category-Defining | $4,500/yr | Category-defining. The default name for something important. Enterprise, protocol, and government grade. |
| 13 | Near-Monopoly Vertical | $5,500/yr | Near-monopoly vertical. Controls a primary segment. Serious builders pay for this positioning. |
| 14 | Top Infrastructure Primitive | $6,750/yr | Top infrastructure primitive. Defines an entire segment. The canonical name for an infrastructure function. |
| 15 | Category Monopoly | $8,000/yr | Category monopoly. Controls an entire vertical namespace. The default name builders seek out first. |
| 16 | Vertical Anchor | $9,500/yr | Vertical anchor. The root namespace for an entire infrastructure vertical. One name, one function, no alternatives. |
| 17 | Protocol Monopoly | $11,000/yr | Protocol monopoly. The canonical term for a protocol class. Enterprise systems route through this name. |
| 18 | Namespace Root | $12,500/yr | Namespace root. Anchors an entire infrastructure layer. The name that names the naming system. |
| 19 | Canonical Primitive | $13,750/yr | Canonical primitive. The singular term for a foundational concept. No substitute exists at any price. |
| 20 | Absolute Monopoly | $15,000/yr | Absolute monopoly. Top of the registry. Defines a concept that entire ecosystems are built on. |
Certain segments carry a transferable rights designation, meaning lessees may need to re-assign or transfer their subdomain lease to a third party — common in SaaS platforms, consumer apps, gaming, media, retail, and healthcare contexts. These names command a 1.5× multiplier on the standard lease rate. A Score 9 name normally leases at $2,000/yr — with transferable rights it becomes $3,000/yr. Affected segments include PLATFORM, CONSUMER.GAMING, PLATFORM.HEALTH, FINTECH.RETIREMENT, CONSUMER.MEDIA, CONSUMER.CREATOR, and consumer-facing identity.
What ENSv2 Changes About Subdomain Leasing
ENSv2 deploys directly on Ethereum Layer 1 — not a separate Layer 2. ENS Labs scrapped its planned Namechain L2 in February 2026 after Ethereum L1 gas costs fell 99% in one year (from ~$5 to under $0.05 per registration). Ethereum L1 is scaling faster than anyone predicted, making a dedicated rollup unnecessary.
This changes the economics of every name in the portfolio:
- Each .eth parent name gets its own smart contract registry, enabling true subdomain ownership with flexible terms.
- L1 gas costs for ENS dropped 99% — registration now costs under $0.05, making leasing viable at smaller transaction sizes and opening the market to SMBs and individual developers.
- A single well-positioned parent name can issue hundreds of subdomains, turning one name into a recurring revenue platform.
- Names that score 9 or higher on the scoring framework become subdomain infrastructure plays, not just individual names.
What Makes a Name Valuable for Leasing
When evaluating any name, the core questions are always the same:
- Function. What does this name enable? What does it do?
- Category control. Does it define or anchor an entire vertical?
- Enterprise relevance. Would a serious business pay to lease this identity?
- Developer demand. Is this a namespace developers actually need?
- Infrastructure potential. Can this name power real systems at scale?
- Commercial value. What is the realistic multi-year leasing revenue?
A name like orchestrator.eth or national-id.eth is not valuable because it is rare — it’s valuable because it defines infrastructure that protocols, enterprises, and governments actually need. Rarity without function is trivia. Function without rarity is a commodity. The most valuable names are both.
Example Use Cases by Tier
| Score Tier | Annual Lease | Example Subdomain Use Cases |
|---|---|---|
| 1–3 | $100–$300/yr | Sports brands, lifestyle names, personal vanity terms. Limited commercial application. |
| 4–6 | $400–$750/yr | Single-use tools, utility names, small product identities. One vertical, replaceable. |
| 7–8 | $1,000–$1,500/yr | yourprotocol.defisuite.eth — DeFi infrastructureyouragent.agentsuite.eth — AI agent systemsyourvalidator.validatorsuite.eth — Staking infrastructure |
| 9–11 | $2,000–$3,500/yr | yourplatform.compliancelayer.eth — Regulatory infrastructureyourservice.settlementengine.eth — Settlement infrastructureyoursystem.riskengine.eth — Risk management platforms |
| 12–13 | $4,500–$5,500/yr | yourservice.compliancelayer.eth — Enterprise complianceyourprotocol.zksequencer.eth — ZK sequencing infrastructureyourbusiness.identitygateway.eth — Identity ecosystem |
| 14–15 | $6,750–$8,000/yr | yourservice.validatorregistry.eth — Staking registryyourprotocol.sequencerprotocol.eth — L2 sequencing standardyoursystem.complianceorchestrator.eth — Enterprise compliance layer |
| 16–17 | $9,500–$11,000/yr | yourprotocol.executionlayer.eth — Protocol execution infrastructureyourservice.compliancelayer.eth — Regulatory layer primitiveyoursystem.namespacelayer.eth — Naming infrastructure root |
| 18–19 | $12,500–$13,750/yr | yourbank.banklicense.eth — Institutional banking identityyourprotocol.orchestrationlayer.eth — Coordination infrastructure rootyoursystem.infrastructurelayer.eth — Global infrastructure substrate |
| 20 | $15,000/yr | yoursystem.coreorchestrator.eth — Canonical orchestration primitiveyourprotocol.national-id.eth — Government identity rootyourinfra.frameprotocol.eth — Frame transaction standard |
The 15-Vertical Schema
Every name in the portfolio is assigned to a single primary vertical segment using dot-notation. Vertical assignment directly drives the base score. Core Protocol Infrastructure segments carry higher base scores than consumer or lifestyle segments.
CHAIN Blockchain & Protocol Infrastructure
- L1 Layer 1 Protocols
- L2 Layer 2 Solutions
- L2.BASED Based Rollups
- L2.OPT Optimistic Rollups
- L2.ZK ZK Rollups
- L2.APPCHAIN App-Specific L2s
- L2.OPS L2 Infra & Operations
- L2.RAAS Rollup-as-a-Service
- L2.SEQ Sequencer Services
- L2.DA Data Availability
- VALIDATOR Validators & Nodes
- CONSENSUS Consensus & Security
- BRIDGE Cross-chain & Bridges
- NETWORK Network Layer Services
- MEV MEV & Block Building
- ENS ENSv2 Infrastructure
- GAS Paymaster & Gas
- NAMESPACE Namespace Infrastructure
- FRAME Frame Transaction Infrastructure
- SUBSTRATE Global Infrastructure Substrate
- UPGRADE Ethereum Upgrade Infrastructure
- INTEROP Interoperability
- INTEROP.MSG Cross-chain Messaging
- INTEROP.ABSTRACT Chain Abstraction
- INTEROP.OMNI Omnichain Infrastructure
- INTEROP.LIQ Cross-chain Liquidity
- INTEROP.STD Interoperability Standards
- INTEROP.ID Cross-chain Identity
- INTEROP.GOV Multi-chain Governance
AI Artificial Intelligence & Agents
- INFRA AI Infrastructure & Models
- AGENTS Agent Networks & Registries
- AGENTIC Agentic Systems & Operations
- COORD Agent Coordination & Control
- MARKETPLACE Agent Marketplaces & Tooling
- AUTONOMOUS Autonomous Systems
- SERVICES AI Services & Applications
- NEURAL Neural Networks & Processing
- AGI AGI Frameworks
- DATA Data & Analytics Agents
- WORKFLOW Workflow & Operations Agents
- FINANCE Financial Services Agents
- GOV Governance & Access Agents
- MESSAGING Messaging & Bridge Agents
- COMPLIANCE Compliance & Security Agents
- PROCESSING AI Processing Infrastructure
- CURATION Curation & Social AI
- SAFETY AI Safety & Alignment
- SAFETY.AUDIT Model Auditing & Safety
- SAFETY.POLICY AI Governance & Policy
- SAFETY.ETHICS Responsible AI Infrastructure
- SAFETY.EXPLAIN Transparency & Explainability
DEV Developer Tools & Frameworks
- SDK SDKs & Libraries
- API APIs & Gateways
- TESTING Testing & Debugging
- DEPLOY Deployment Tools
- CODE Code Development
- WORKSPACE Developer Workspaces
- CLIENT SDK & Client Management
- WORKFLOW Workflow & Pipeline Tools
- ROUTER Router Pattern Infrastructure
- EXECUTOR Executor Pattern Infrastructure
- ORCHESTRATOR Orchestrator Pattern Infrastructure
- ENGINE Engine & Processor Infrastructure
- GATEWAY Gateway, Hub & Endpoint Infra
- DISPATCHER Handler & Dispatcher Infrastructure
- MANAGER Manager & Controller Infrastructure
IDENTITY Identity, Auth & Credentials
- DID Decentralized Identity
- CREDENTIALS Credentials & Attestations
- KYC KYC & Compliance Identity
- VERIFY Identity Verification
- REPUTATION Reputation Systems
- REGISTRY Registry Services
- ACCESS Rights & Access Control
- JURISDICTION Jurisdictional Identity
- CRED_MGMT Credential Management
- RECORDS Records Management
- TRUST Trust & Enforcement Infrastructure
- AUTH Authentication & Authorization
- IP IP Identity
- ENFORCEMENT Enforcement Root Primitives
- DOMAIN Domain-Specific Identity
- CERT Certification Services
- GOV_ID Government & Healthcare IDs
- EDUCATION Education Credentials
DEFI Decentralized Finance & Payments
- LENDING Lending & Borrowing
- DEX DEXs & Trading
- LIQUIDITY Liquidity Provision
- YIELD Yield Farming & Optimization
- STABLE Stablecoins & Payments
- DERIVATIVES Derivatives & Perpetuals
- SETTLEMENT Payment Rails & Settlement
- PAYOUT Financial Distribution
- AUTOMATION DeFi Automation & Bots
- AIRDROP Airdrop & Distribution Layer
- STREAMING Streaming Payments
- INTENTS Intents & Order Flow
- INTENT_INFRA Intent Infrastructure
- STABLE_INFRA Stablecoin Infrastructure
- SWAP Swap & Collateral Infrastructure
- MARKET Trading & Market Making
- EXCHANGE Marketplace & Exchange Infrastructure
- RECURRING Recurring / Rent Payments
ASSETS Real-World Assets & Physical Infrastructure
- TOKENIZE Asset Tokenization & Management
- REALESTATE Real Estate & Property Tech
- RWA_INFRA RWA Infrastructure & Workflows
- RWA_YIELD RWA Yield Infrastructure
- UTILITY Real-World Utility
- LEASE Rental & Leasing Infrastructure
- PROPERTY Property Management
- MOBILITY Transportation & Mobility RWAs
- OWNERSHIP Ownership Transfer Layer
- DEPIN DePIN Coordination & Tokenomics
- DEPIN_COMPUTE Compute & Storage DePIN
- DEPIN_MOBILITY Mobility & Transportation DePIN
- DEPIN_ENERGY Energy & Power DePIN
- DEPIN_SENSORS Environmental Sensors DePIN
- DEPIN_BANDWIDTH Data & Bandwidth Markets
- DEPIN_AVIATION Aviation & Airspace DePIN
- IOT IoT & Environmental Monitoring
- INDUSTRIAL Industrial IoT & Supply Chain
- MACHINE Machine Economy Infrastructure
- WATER Water Infrastructure
- ENERGY_STREAM Energy Streaming Infrastructure
- SPACE Satellite Data & Infrastructure
- SCIENCE Scientific Compute & Research
- DEEPTECH Deep Tech Protocols
- SUPPLY Supply Chain & Provenance
- TRADE Trade Finance
- CUSTOMS Customs & Compliance
- WAREHOUSE Inventory & Warehouse Management
- VENDOR Supplier & Vendor Management
FINTECH Traditional Finance, Insurance & Risk
- INSURANCE Insurance & Coverage
- RISK Risk Management & Fraud
- BANKING Banking & Lending Platforms
- TREASURY Treasury & Capital Management
- TAX Tax & Accounting
- RETIREMENT Retirement Plans & Admin
- RETIREMENT.401K 401k & Defined Contribution
- RETIREMENT.IRA IRA & Individual Retirement
- BENEFITS Benefits Administration
- INVESTMENT Investment & Asset Management
- WALLET Account & Wallet Management
- CUSTODY Custody Services
- CHARTER Digital Banking Charters
- BANKING_INFRA Banking Infrastructure
COMPLY Compliance, Legal & Enterprise
- ENTERPRISE Enterprise Solutions
- REGULATORY Compliance & Regulatory
- REPORTING Financial Statements & Reporting
- HR_OPS HR & Enterprise Operations
- INSTITUTIONAL Institutional Finance & Treasury
- AML AML/KYC Services
- AML_INFRA AML Infrastructure
- KYC_INFRA KYC Infrastructure
- FINTECH Fintech Compliance
- AUDIT Audit & Verification Infrastructure
- TAX Tax & Accounting Infrastructure
- LEGAL Legal Infrastructure
- AI AI-Driven Compliance Systems
- CHARTER Banking Charters
- REG_INFRA Regulatory Infrastructure
PLATFORM SaaS, Platforms & Business
- BUSINESS Business SaaS
- DEV Developer SaaS
- VERTICAL Vertical-Specific SaaS
- INDUSTRY Industry-Specific Suites
- CLOUD Cloud Platform Services
- WORKSPACE Workspace & Collaboration
- AUTOMATION Business Automation
- HR HR & Workforce Management
- HR_OPS HR Operations & Payroll
- BENEFITS Employee Benefits & Programs
- LOYALTY Loyalty & Rewards Programs
- HEALTH Healthcare & BioTech Infrastructure
- INDUSTRY Industry-Specific Platforms
CONTRACT Smart Contracts & Standards
- PRIMITIVE S-Tier Primitives
- DEV Contract Development
- SYSTEM Smart Contract Systems
- SOLIDITY Solidity Ecosystem
- AUDIT Security Audits
- STANDARD ERCs & Protocol Standards
- VERIFY Verification Services
- MANAGE Contract Management & Execution
SECURITY Security, Privacy & ZK
- ZK Zero-Knowledge Proofs
- ZKVM zkVM Infrastructure
- ZKWASM zkWasm Infrastructure
- ZKPROOF ZK Protocols & General
- ZKEVM zkEVM Infrastructure
- PROVER Prover Services & Proof Generation
- PRIVACY Privacy Protocols
- AUTOMATION Security Automation
- KEYS Encryption & Key Management
- PQC Post-Quantum Cryptography
- CONFIDENTIAL Confidential Computing
- RLN Rate-Limit Nullifiers
- MEMPOOL Censorship Resistance & Mempools
CONSUMER Social, Gaming, Media & Retail
- SOCIAL Social Networks
- MESSAGING Messaging & Communication
- COMMUNITY Community Tools
- CONTENT Content & Publishing
- GAMING Gaming Infrastructure
- METAVERSE Metaverse Platforms
- MEDIA Content Creation & Publishing
- IP IP & Licensing
- NFT NFTs & Collectibles
- DISTRIBUTION Media Distribution
- CREATOR Creator Tools
- RETAIL Crypto Payments at Point of Sale
- ECOMMERCE E-commerce & Shopping
- LOYALTY Consumer Loyalty & Rewards
- WALLET Consumer Identity & Wallets
- CREDIT Retail Finance & BNPL
- TRAVEL Travel & Hospitality
DATA Data, Oracles & Analytics
- ORACLE Oracle Networks & Feeds
- INDEX Data Indexing & Query
- ANALYTICS Analytics & Dashboards
- AGGREGATE Data Aggregation
- SERVICES Data Services & APIs
- STREAM Data Streaming Infrastructure
- PROVER Oracle Validators & Provers
- PREDICT Prediction Infrastructure
- PIPELINE Data Pipelines
- CROSSCHAIN Cross-Chain Indexing
STAKING Staking, Restaking & Validators
- RESTAKE Restaking Protocols
- LIQUID Liquid Staking Tokens
- INFRA Restaking Infrastructure
- SECURITY Security Services
- SLASHING Slashing Protection
- VALIDATOR Validator Services
- COORD Staking Coordination
- PRIVATE Private Staking
- KEEPER Keeper & Health Monitoring
GOV Governance, DAOs & Coordination
- DAO DAO Frameworks
- VOTING Voting & Proposals
- TREASURY Treasury Management
- TOOLS Governance Tools
- INFRA Governance Infrastructure
- TREASURY_COORD Treasury Coordination
- RULES Rules & Membership Systems
Every name in our registry is scored, assigned to a vertical segment, and priced using this exact framework. Every card shows the tier label and annual lease rate. View all namespaces →