Ethereum Name Service

What Ethereum Name Service does

Ethereum Name Service (ENS) is a decentralized naming protocol founded in 2017 and operated as a DAO-governed public good, with ENS Foundation (Cayman Islands) providing the legal entity and ENS Labs Ltd (Singapore, a 1-10 employee non-profit) responsible for core software development. ENS maps human-readable names (e.g., name.eth) to machine-readable identifiers including cryptocurrency wallet addresses, content hashes, smart contracts, and metadata, with resolution supported across 100+ chains including Ethereum, Bitcoin, Solana, and XRP. The protocol has accumulated 638,435 owners, 1,345,030 registered.eth names, and an ecosystem-wide footprint of 1.6M domains with 30M subnames, embedded in 600+ wallets, dapps, exchanges, browsers, and developer tools.

The product surface consists of the ENS Protocol (core on-chain naming infrastructure), the ENS App (a consumer-facing self-serve registration interface at app.ens.domains with stablecoin payments, chain abstraction, and wallet abstraction), and the ENS Explorer (a developer tool for inspecting names, custom resolvers, and contract relationships). Notable technical components include CCIP Read (EIP-3668) for cross-chain interoperability, ENSIP-17 Gasless DNSSEC which lets traditional DNS domains function as crypto wallet addresses without gas fees, an ENSv2 Hierarchical Registry giving each.eth name its own registry with role-based permissions (managing records, updating resolvers, controlling ownership, administrative settings), and offchain resolvers that enable subname issuance without onchain transactions. Distribution channels are predominantly self-serve product-led growth coupled with deep OEM/embedded integrations across Coinbase Wallet, MetaMask, Rainbow, Phantom, Brave, Etherscan, PayPal/Venmo, and Base App.

ENS earns revenue from one-time name registration fees (including Dutch auctions for premium names) and annual renewals priced from 0.1 ETH/year for three-letter names down to 0.0001 ETH/year for ten-plus-character names, with stablecoin payments supported across EVM chains. The $ENS token is a governance instrument rather than a revenue share or equity; token holders vote on proposals, control the DAO treasury, and approve grants (130 ETH distributed historically across 680 proposals with 500 voters). The DAO approved 800 ETH in March 2026 to fund the ENSv2 migration to ZKsync Era Layer 2, targeting mainnet launch in Q3-Q4 2026. Because ENS is structured as a non-profit DAO-governed protocol, revenue figures are not publicly disclosed and the operating entity (ENS Labs) is intentionally lean. Customer segments span individual crypto users (primary), DAOs and communities, enterprises and brands, developers and builders, and L2 ecosystems and protocols.

Name

Ethereum Name Service

Legal name

ENS Foundation

Website

https://ens.domains

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Ethereum Name Service (ENS) is a decentralized naming protocol on Ethereum that maps human-readable .eth names to cryptocurrency addresses, content hashes, and metadata across 100+ chains. Governed by the ENS DAO, it serves crypto users, brands, and developers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Decentralized Identity Infrastructure

NAICS

Securities and Commodity Exchanges (5232)

SIC

Commodity Contracts Brokers & Dealers (6221)

akta.pro primary industry

Cross-Chain Identity & Naming (multi-chain DID, ENS cross-chain resolution) (FSAPAKAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Account Abstraction & Smart Wallet Tooling (AA SDKs, paymasters, session keys) (FSAPABAK), Smart Contract Wallets & Account Abstraction (FSADACAF), Smart Contract Execution Environments (EVM/WASM, runtimes, precompiles) (FSAPABAA)

Keywords

• Decentralized naming service
• Blockchain identity protocol
• Crypto wallet addresses
• Domain name system
• Web3 identity infrastructure

Headquarters

HQ city

Singapore

HQ country

Singapore

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Name Registration Fees: Fees collected when users register ENS names on Ethereum. Pricing varies by name length with longer names being cheaper. Registration is a one-time event with renewals required annually.
2. Name Renewal Fees: Annual renewal fees for maintaining ENS name ownership. Pricing model: 0.1 ETH/year for 3-letter names, 0.01 ETH/year for 4-letter names, 0.001 ETH/year for 5-9 letter names, 0.0001 ETH/year for 10+ letter names
3. ENS Token ($ENS): ENS governance token used for DAO voting. Token holders approve funding for protocol development, grants, and strategic initiatives. Protocol is undergoing v2 migration with DAO funding of 800 ETH approved in March 2026

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Ethereum Name Service (ENS) is a decentralized naming protocol built on the Ethereum blockchain that maps human-readable names (e.g., name.eth) to machine-readable identifiers such as cryptocurrency wallet addresses, content hashes, smart contracts, and metadata. The protocol operates across 100+ chains including Ethereum, Bitcoin, Solana, and XRP, while being secured by Ethereum. ENS offers a self-serve app for name registration and management, a developer explorer, and is governed by the ENS DAO using the $ENS governance token.

Product overview

ENS is a decentralized naming protocol that functions as the identity layer for the internet, mapping human-readable names to crypto wallet addresses, content hashes, smart contracts, and metadata across 100+ chains. The core ENS Protocol connects to the consumer-facing ENS App for streamlined name registration and management, and the ENS Explorer for deep protocol inspection. The ecosystem includes ENS DAO for governance, developer documentation, a grants program (130 ETH funded, 680 proposals), and a bug bounty program (up to $250,000). ENSv2 represents the next generation featuring ZKsync Era Layer 2 migration with hierarchical registry architecture giving each .eth name its own registry, role-based permissions, and enhanced cross-chain interoperability.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ENS App: A streamlined consumer product for newcomers and everyday users focused on seamless name registration and identity management.
• ENS Explorer
• ENSv2

Products and services

• ENS Protocol Core decentralized naming protocol built on Ethereum that maps human-readable names to machine-readable identifiers including crypto wallet addresses, content hashes, smart contracts, and metadata across 100+ chains.
• ENS App Consumer-facing application for registering and managing ENS names with simplified registration flows, stablecoin payments across EVM chains, wallet abstraction, and notifications.
• ENS Explorer Developer tool for inspecting ENS names, contracts, resolvers, and protocol data with advanced ownership capabilities and historical records.
• ENSv2 Next generation of ENS protocol featuring migration to ZKsync Era Layer 2, hierarchical registry architecture giving each .eth name its own registry, role-based permissions, and enhanced multi-chain interoperability.
• ENS DAO Decentralized autonomous organization that governs the ENS protocol, with $ENS token holders voting on proposals including funding allocations and protocol upgrades.
• ENS Developer Documentation Comprehensive developer documentation covering ENS contracts, CCIP Read protocol, quickstart guides, and integration resources.

Quantifiable outcome

• 45% reduction in failed transactions due to incorrect addresses
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration14 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• CoinbasecoreTechnology or IntegrationCoinbase integrated ENS into Coinbase Wallet and Base ecosystem. Base uses ENS for Basenames identity system. Deep integration as foundational infrastructure partner with Coinbase's L2 Base built on ENS naming standards.
• UniswapcoreTechnology or IntegrationUniswap Labs integrated ENS for uni.eth subdomains enabling gasless usernames in Uniswap Wallet. Over 2M usernames registered. Integration demonstrates ENS as standard for decentralized identity.
• GoDaddycoreTechnology or IntegrationGoDaddy partnered to enable DNS domains (.com, .org, .ai) to function as crypto wallet addresses via ENSIP-17 gasless DNSSEC. Onboards millions of GoDaddy customers to Web3.
• PayPalcoreTechnology or IntegrationPayPal and Venmo integrated ENS for sending/receiving PYUSD and crypto with .eth names. First traditional fintech to integrate ENS, enabling payments to human-readable addresses.
• WorldcoreTechnology or IntegrationWorld App uses ENS naming (world.id) for user accounts and smart contract addresses across Ethereum, Optimism, and Polygon. Demonstrates ENS as standard for verified identity.
• FarcastercoreTechnology or IntegrationFarcaster integrated ENS usernames (farcaster.eth) for social identity. ENS usernames now live on Farcaster. Supported in Base App.
• EthereumcoreTechnology or IntegrationENS is built on Ethereum and serves as the primary naming layer for the Ethereum ecosystem. Ethereum Foundation supports interoperable L2 ENS standards.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Emerging players

• Handshake: Handshake is a decentralized DNS alternative that aims to replace the root zone file and DNS hierarchy with a blockchain-based naming system. It competes with ENS at the infrastructure level for decentralized domain ownership, though it operates at a different layer of the naming stack.
• Worldcoin / World ID: World ID is a proof-of-personhood identity system that uses ENS subnames (world.id) for user accounts. It competes in the broader digital identity space with ENS and overlaps in use cases around verifiable identity, though it is differentiated by its biometric verification layer.
• Verida: Verida is a self-sovereign identity platform that provides decentralized identifiers (DIDs) and credential management. It competes with ENS in the Web3 identity space, focusing on credential portability and user data ownership rather than naming resolution.
• Lens Protocol: Lens Protocol is a decentralized social graph with built-in handle/naming primitives that compete for social identity and profile naming in Web3. While it overlaps with ENS in identity standards, it focuses on social graph portability rather than multi-chain wallet resolution.
• Quadrata: Quadrata provides onchain identity and compliance attestations that complement or compete with ENS-based identity, particularly for enterprise and regulatory use cases. Both address Web3 identity, but Quadrata focuses on verifiable credentials rather than naming.
• Farcaster: Farcaster is a decentralized social protocol that uses ENS subnames (farcaster.eth) for user identity. While ENS underpins Farcaster's naming, Farcaster's social-graph-native identity model partially competes with ENS's role as the default identity layer for Web3.

Direct peers

• Space ID: Space ID is a multi-chain naming service offering .bnb, .arb, and other top-level domains across BNB Chain and other ecosystems. It directly competes with ENS for naming standardization in non-Ethereum L1/L2 environments and shares the same use cases around wallet resolution and Web3 identity.
• Unstoppable Domains: Unstoppable Domains is the closest direct competitor to ENS, offering blockchain-based human-readable names that map to crypto addresses and serve as Web3 identities. Both compete for the same user segment (crypto wallet holders and Web3 users) with similar value propositions centered on replacing hex addresses.
• Bonfida (Solana Name Service): Bonfida operates the Solana Name Service (.sol), the primary naming protocol on Solana. It directly competes with ENS for cross-chain wallet identity users who interact with Solana-based wallets, exchanges, and dApps, addressing the same human-readable address problem.

Broad incumbents

• Coinbase / Base: Coinbase is a major ENS integration partner (Coinbase Wallet, Basenames) and a broad incumbent in crypto infrastructure. While ENS powers Basenames, Coinbase's broader platform strategy and Base L2 represent a BROAD_INCUMBENT position that could potentially substitute or absorb naming functionality over time.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ensdomains
• GitHubgithub.com/ensdomains
• YouTubeyoutube.com/ensdomains
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ens-labs-ltd

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments1 record

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ethereum Name Service