Afilias
Afilias, a wholly owned subsidiary of Identity Digital Inc., operates back-end domain name registry services as part of the world's largest domain extension portfolio (400+ TLDs), serving enterprises, registrars, and resellers globally through cloud-based registry infrastructure.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2012
- HeadquartersDublin, Ireland
- Headcount251–500
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Afilias does
Afilias is a wholly owned subsidiary of Identity Digital Inc. (formerly Donuts Inc., founded 2012; rebranded 2021) and serves as the legacy registry operator that was integrated into Identity Digital following the 2017 acquisition. The company provides back-end domain name registry services, DNS, IDN, and RFID services, with historic ownership of high-value legacy TLD contracts including .info and .biz, plus a broader portfolio spanning 400+ domain extensions across industries such as Business, Education, Financial, Healthcare, Legal, Travel, Sports, Retail, Real Estate, Tech, and Entertainment.
Identity Digital's product platform is organized around three core service lines: Registrar Services for domain resellers, cloud-based Registry Services providing the backend infrastructure powering its TLD portfolio, and a Reseller Program enabling third parties to add Identity Digital domains to their product suite. The technology foundation is a cloud-based registry infrastructure with anti-abuse tooling, industry-leading uptime, and supplementary services including DNSid (DNS security), Premium Catalog (high-value domains), WHOIS Access, and RDDS Layered Access. Notable scale signals include 86% Fortune 50 brand adoption and Inc. 5000 recognition.
The business model is recurring subscription-based domain registration, monetized through a three-tier channel architecture: Registrar partners who offer Identity Digital domains to end customers, Registry backend operations, and Reseller arrangements. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. Customer segments span Fortune 50 / Enterprise companies (brand protection), Startups and growth companies (descriptive domain SEO positioning), and the Registrar/Reseller/Registry channel itself, supported by vertical industry-specific TLD targeting and content-led marketing including Anti-Abuse and Investor Insights reports.
Afilias firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Afilias
- Legal name
- Identity Digital Inc.
- Website
- https://afilias.info
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2012
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 251–500 employees
- Short description
- Afilias, a wholly owned subsidiary of Identity Digital Inc., operates back-end domain name registry services as part of the world's largest domain extension portfolio (400+ TLDs), serving enterprises, registrars, and resellers globally through cloud-based registry infrastructure.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Afilias is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Dublin
- HQ country
- Ireland
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Afilias business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Domain Registration Services: Revenue generated from registrar, registry, and reseller domain registration services across a large portfolio of new domain extensions
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
Afilias product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Afilias provides back-end domain name registry services, DNS, IDN (Internationalized Domain Names), and RFID services. Operating as part of Identity Digital, Afilias powers the technical infrastructure for top-level domain registries including legacy TLDs such as .info and .biz, and supports a portfolio of 400+ domain extensions distributed through registrars, resellers, and registry partners worldwide.
Product overview
Identity Digital operates a comprehensive domain name services platform consisting of three core service lines: Registrar Services for domain resellers, Registry Services providing cloud-based domain infrastructure, and a Reseller Program for partners. The platform offers the world's largest portfolio of domain extensions (400+ TLDs) including descriptive domains (.life, .flights, .coffee) and industry-specific domains (.doctor, .lawyer, .realestate). Additional products include a Premium Catalog for high-value domain names, DNSid for DNS security, WHOIS Access, and RDDS Layered Access for data services. The company publishes quarterly Anti-Abuse Reports and annual Investor Insights Reports, targeting Fortune 50 companies, startups, and domain investors.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- DNSid: DNS security and intelligence platform referenced at dnsid.ai
Quantifiable outcome
- Sites using descriptive domains achieve first-page Google rankings within 3 months of launch
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Afilias
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Afilias technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Afilias partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Afilias competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Tucows: Operates a registrar and reseller platform (Hover, Enom) and historically wholesale domain services. Comparable as a domain distribution intermediary though vertically integrated as a registrar/reseller rather than a registry.
- GoDaddy Registry: Operates registry services as part of GoDaddy's broader domain and hosting platform. Comparable backend registry capability, but bundled within a much larger registrar and web services incumbent.
Direct peers
- CentralNic Group: Operates a portfolio of new gTLD registries and provides registry backend services. Directly comparable in TLD portfolio breadth and registrar-driven distribution model.
- GMO Registry: Operates multiple new gTLDs (.shop, .tokyo, .ninja) and provides registry platform services. Directly comparable as a new-gTLD portfolio operator.
- Radix Registry: Operates a portfolio of new gTLDs including .online, .store, .tech, .site. Comparable new-gTLD portfolio operator competing for the same descriptive-domain customer segment.
- Public Interest Registry (PIR): Operates the .org registry and offers registry services to other TLDs. Directly comparable registry operator with similar backend infrastructure and registrar channel model.
- Verisign: Operates the .com and .net registries, the dominant generic TLDs globally. Directly comparable as a registry operator serving registrars and managing the internet's core addressing layer.
Regional players
- Nominet: Operates the .uk country-code registry and related services. Comparable registry operator but focused on the UK ccTLD market with a different geographic footprint.
Emerging players
- Cloudflare Registrar: Operates a registrar at-cost service and significant DNS infrastructure. Comparable in the DNS and domain services layer and a potential channel partner or competitive disruptor to incumbent registry economics.
Others
- Identity Digital (parent brand reference): Listed separately because the subject company 'Afilias' is now a wholly-owned subsidiary of Identity Digital; included for completeness given the data explicitly identifies this parent-subsidiary structure.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Afilias social profiles
Digital presenceAfilias financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Afilias leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles11 records
Afilias subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries2 records
Afilias funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Afilias M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A4 records
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Afilias
What does Afilias do?
Afilias provides back-end domain name registry services, DNS, IDN (Internationalized Domain Names), and RFID services. Operating as part of Identity Digital, Afilias powers the technical infrastructure for top-level domain registries including legacy TLDs such as .info and .biz, and supports a portfolio of 400+ domain extensions distributed through registrars, resellers, and registry partners worldwide.
Is Afilias a public or private company?
Afilias is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Afilias founded?
Afilias was founded in 2012. It employs 251 to 500 people.
Where is Afilias based?
Afilias is headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, in the Europe region.
How does Afilias make money?
One revenue line is on record: domain Registration Services.
Who are Afilias's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Tucows and GoDaddy Registry. Direct peers are CentralNic Group, GMO Registry, Radix Registry, Public Interest Registry (PIR) and Verisign. Nominet is listed as a regional player. Cloudflare Registrar is listed as an emerging player. Identity Digital (parent brand reference) is listed as an others.
Does Afilias have an API?
No public API is recorded for Afilias.