Are you trying to decide whether to use a .br or .com domain for your website?
You’ve come to the right place.
Many businesses targeting Brazil struggle with this decision.
But why does choosing between .br and .com matter, yet on paper, both domains work perfectly fine? They both look professional, can be indexed by Google, and let you build your brand online.
Well, choosing between a .br vs .com matters because in practice, the one you choose affects:
- How customers find you,
- How much trust you earn, and
- How easy it is to legally operate your website in Brazil
In addition, a .com domain is the globally recognized standard that’s easy to buy and manage from anywhere. A .br domain gives you stronger local credibility.
Let’s break all this down below to help you make the right choice.
What’s the Difference Between .com vs .Br?
The .com domain is a generic top-level domain (gTLD) that’s open to anyone in the world.
It was originally intended for company websites but is now commonly used for all types of websites, even personal blogs and portfolios.
People prefer .com domains because you don’t need special approval to register one. It’s fast, simple, and is recognized globally.
On the other hand, the .br domain is a country code top-level domain (ccTLD) reserved for websites that operate their businesses in Brazil.
As such, having a .br domain extension indicates that a website is Brazilian, helping to build trust among people who wish to transact with local businesses.
The most common .br domain format is .com.br, and makes up a majority of all .br domain registrations. That means when someone refers to a “.br domain,” they’re almost always talking about .com.br.
If your business serves customers in Brazil, using .br makes your site feel local from the first click. But if your operations are international, that local focus might limit you, making it necessary to get a .com.
Who Manages .br and .com and Why Does It Matter?
The .br and .com domains are governed by very different systems.
Verisign manages .com domains under the oversight of ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers). ICANN is a non-profit organization based in the United States, and it operates under U.S. law.
Its rules are global, transparent, and relatively straightforward. Anyone, from anywhere, can register a .com domain through an accredited registrar like Truehost.
.br, on the other hand, is managed by Registro.br, which operates under the Brazilian Network Information Center (NIC.br). It’s therefore controlled by Brazilian law, including the country’s data protection rules.
This difference is more than administrative. It affects how you register, what information you must provide, and dispute resolution.
For Brazilian companies, this legal oversight reinforces trust. But for foreign entities, it introduces compliance hurdles that can slow down expansion or add legal costs.
Registering a .BR Domain Is Not as Simple as Clicking “Buy”
Registering a .com domain takes less than 10 minutes. You choose a name, pay a small fee, and it’s yours for a year. No forms, no local documentation.
Registering a .br domain is a different story.
To qualify, you must have a valid Brazilian tax ID: either a CNPJ (for companies) or a CPF (for individuals). When you submit your details, Registro.br automatically checks your tax information with Brazil’s Federal Revenue Service. If anything doesn’t match, your registration is rejected.
You also have to provide accurate details for four specific roles:
- Owner (who legally controls the domain)
- Administrative contact
- Technical contact
- Billing contact
All these must be traceable, verifiable, and up to date.
This strict process exists to make sure that every registered br domain is legitimate, and can be traced within Brazil. Besides building trust among local Brazilians, it reduces internet fraud.
Learn more about how to register a .br domain.
Extra Requirements For Foreign Companies
If you’re not based in Brazil, you can’t register a .br domain directly. You’ll need a local presence, which means more paperwork.
The typical process involves appointing a local representative or attorney who can act on your behalf in Brazil. To do that, you’ll need to:
- Provide a Power of Attorney (POA) that grants your representative authority to manage your domain.
- Submit a Statement of Commercial Activity, describing what your company does.
- Obtain a surrogate CNPJ from Registro.br to fulfill the local presence requirement.
All of this must be notarized and sometimes translated by a certified translator.
The cost varies depending on the representative or service you use, but it’s never as cheap as a regular domain registration.
And once your domain is live, you’ll still have to pay annual maintenance fees to keep your representative active.
Although this verification process adds cost and delay, if your foreign company is committed to establishing a long-term presence in Brazil, it’s a worthwhile investment that will help you build credibility and be compliant with local Brazilian laws from the start.
By contrast, .com domains are open to everyone. You don’t need a local ID, representatives, or paperwork. Plus, you can register one from anywhere in the world in minutes.
That is the reason why .com dominates globally because whether you are a startup, global brand, or even a solo creator, you can get online quickly without worrying about national restrictions.
SEO Implications of .br vs .com
Your domain name plays a subtle but important role in how Google interprets your website.
When you use a .br domain, Google automatically associates your site with Brazilian searches.
That means if someone searches in Portuguese for a service you offer, your site is more likely to appear among local results. You don’t need to configure geo-targeting manually.
If you’re targeting only Brazil, using a .br domain gives you a natural SEO boost.
With .com, Google sees your website as global by default. That can be great if you’re marketing to multiple countries. But if Brazil is your main focus, you’ll need to use hreflang tags to clarify which pages are meant for Brazilian audiences.
For example, if you’re a U.S.-based SaaS company offering services in Brazil, you could use “example.com/br” with Portuguese content and properly configured hreflang tags. But if your business is purely local, e.g., a São Paulo bakery or a law firm, “example.com.br” will almost always outperform “example.com” in local search.
.br vs .com: Trust and Perception
The way people perceive your website often starts with your domain name.
In Brazil, users instinctively trust .br domains. It’s a signal that your business exists legally within the country, follows Brazilian regulations, and can be held accountable. Perception and trust are important for:
- e-commerce stores and shops that process online payments,
- financial institutions like banks that are prone to fraud,
- and government agencies that deal with sensitive citizen data.
On the other hand, you can best achieve global trust and perception with a .com domain because .com domains show stability and international reach.
For example:
- Say you own a chocolate shop in Rio. You might use “riosfinestchocolate.com.br” to help your local customers in Rio to find you.
- Now, suppose you want to start exporting your chocolate globally. A domain like “riosfinestchocolate.com” would make it easier to build a digital identity globally and also aid with your marketing.
So you can build trust with both extensions, but just with different audiences in mind.
How .br and .com Vary in Cost
At first glance, .br domains are more expensive to register than .com domains.
A typical .com domain costs between $12 and $20 per year, while a .br domain can range from $40 to $155 per year, depending on your registrar and whether you’re a local or foreign entity.
But the real difference lies in hidden costs.
For .br, foreign entities often pay:
- Legal and translation fees for documentation.
- Ongoing payments to local representatives.
- Extra administrative costs for renewals and compliance.
Even local businesses spend more time managing their domain because Registro.br’s verification process is stricter than global registrars.
Meanwhile, .com domains are simple to renew, transfer, or manage, and you can move registrars easily if you find a better deal.
For growing companies, that flexibility can be a big advantage, especially if you’re managing multiple domain extensions.
Final Thoughts
Choosing between .br and .com isn’t about which domain looks better but about what each represents for your business.
- .com gives you freedom, global reach, and simplicity. You can buy it, set it up, and start building immediately, no matter where you are in the world.
- .br gives you legitimacy, visibility, and trust within Brazil. But it also asks for commitment. It’s designed for businesses that want to be recognized as truly local and are willing to comply with the regulations that come with that.
If your business is rooted in Brazil or sells to local Brazilians, .br is worth the extra effort. But if you’re still testing markets, expanding globally, or running an international brand, try a .com.
At the end of the day, no domain is better than the other. It just depends on your goals.
Ready to launch your website in Brazil? Get your .br domain from Truehost today.
