The ICANN fee, explained
The ICANN fee is a small mandatory charge — about $0.20 (USD 0.18) per domain per year — that applies to registrations, renewals, and transfers of generic top-level domains (gTLDs like .com, .org, .app). Registrars collect it and pass it to ICANN to fund the organization that coordinates the domain name system. It does not apply to country-code TLDs (ccTLDs like .de or .co.uk), which set their own rules. Some registrars fold it into the displayed price; others add it as a separate line at checkout.
What it is
ICANN — the non-profit that coordinates domain names globally — is funded partly by a per-transaction fee on gTLD domains. The current fee is USD 0.18 per domain-year, commonly rounded to about $0.20, charged on each registration, renewal, and transfer.
When it applies (and when it doesn't)
The fee applies to gTLDs — the TLDs ICANN contracts govern, including legacy ones (.com, .net, .org) and new ones (.app, .shop, .io is treated as a gTLD-style TLD by many registrars). It does not apply to country-code TLDs, which are run by national authorities outside ICANN's fee structure.
Why you sometimes see it as a separate line
Registrars handle it two ways: bundle it into the advertised price, or show the base price and add the ICANN fee at checkout. Either way it's the same small amount — it's not a hidden markup, just a pass-through. When comparing registrars, remember the fee is identical everywhere; the real difference is the registrar's own margin.
The ICANN fee is a mandatory USD 0.18 (~$0.20) per-domain-per-year charge on gTLD registrations, renewals, and transfers, collected by registrars and passed to ICANN. It does not apply to ccTLDs. It is identical across registrars, so it is never a point of price difference — registrar markup is.