---
title: Direct EPP (own accreditation)
slug: direct-epp
url: "https://toolweight.com/tools/direct-epp"
homepage: "https://www.icann.org/resources/pages/accreditation-2012-02-25-en"
categories: domain-api-providers
last_verified: 2026-07-23
dataset_version: 0738be72
license: CC-BY-4.0
---

# Direct EPP (own accreditation)

> Become the registrar: ICANN accreditation plus an EPP client per registry

- The baseline against which every provider above is a convenience purchase
- Apply for ICANN accreditation, sign a registry-registrar agreement per registry, post deposits or letters of credit
- Speak EPP to each registry directly, for registry cost with no margin and total lifecycle control
- Also brings compliance obligations, data escrow, abuse handling and an on-call rotation

## Identity

|  |  |
| --- | --- |
| Name | Direct EPP (own accreditation) |
| Company | Direct EPP (own accreditation) |
| One-liner | Become the registrar: ICANN accreditation plus an EPP client per registry |
| Site | https://www.icann.org/resources/pages/accreditation-2012-02-25-en |
| Compared in | 1 |

## Where it is compared

### [Domain APIs](https://toolweight.com/compare/domain-api-providers)
Ranked **#12 of 15** on default weights.
| Field | Value | Confidence | Verified | Source | Note | Permalink |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Spend to first call | $7,500 up front | Vendor-claimed | 2026-07-23 | https://www.icann.org/resources/pages/accreditation-2012-02-25-en | US$3,500 non-refundable application plus US$4,000 a year in accreditation fees, before registry deposits, letters of credit, insurance and the cost of building an EPP client. Registry security deposits are the larger number and vary per registry. | https://toolweight.com/compare/domain-api-providers#direct-epp--min_spend_to_api |
| Sandbox / OTE | ● | Inferred | - | - | Every registry runs an OT&E, and passing its certification test is mandatory before production credentials are issued. | https://toolweight.com/compare/domain-api-providers#direct-epp--sandbox_env |
| Reseller contract | ○ | Inferred | - | - | No reseller agreement, you sign a registry-registrar agreement with each registry instead, which is considerably more onerous. | https://toolweight.com/compare/domain-api-providers#direct-epp--reseller_contract |
| Min prepaid balance | - | Unknown | - | - | Set per registry; commonly a deposit or letter of credit sized to your projected volume. | https://toolweight.com/compare/domain-api-providers#direct-epp--min_prepaid_balance |
| ICANN accredited | ● | Inferred | - | - | - | https://toolweight.com/compare/domain-api-providers#direct-epp--icann_accredited |
| API auth | epp-xml | Inferred | - | - | EPP over TLS with client certificates and IP allowlisting, one persistent session per registry. | https://toolweight.com/compare/domain-api-providers#direct-epp--api_auth |
| TLDs offered | - | Unknown | - | - | Unbounded in principle, one contract at a time in practice. | https://toolweight.com/compare/domain-api-providers#direct-epp--tld_count |
| .au support | ● | Inferred | - | - | Requires separate auDA accreditation on top of ICANN, with its own fees and Australian presence requirements. | https://toolweight.com/compare/domain-api-providers#direct-epp--au_support |
| Register endpoint | ● | Inferred | - | - | - | https://toolweight.com/compare/domain-api-providers#direct-epp--register_api |
| Bulk availability | ◐ | Inferred | - | - | The EPP check command accepts several names, but registries cap it and watch check-to-create ratios. | https://toolweight.com/compare/domain-api-providers#direct-epp--bulk_availability |
| Suggestion API | ○ | Inferred | - | - | - | https://toolweight.com/compare/domain-api-providers#direct-epp--suggestion_api |
| Transfer in/out | ● | Inferred | - | - | - | https://toolweight.com/compare/domain-api-providers#direct-epp--transfer_api |
| DNS record API | ○ | Inferred | - | - | EPP sets nameservers; running DNS is a separate system you build or buy. | https://toolweight.com/compare/domain-api-providers#direct-epp--dns_record_api |
| EPP code via API | ● | Inferred | - | - | - | https://toolweight.com/compare/domain-api-providers#direct-epp--epp_code_api |
| Auto-renew control | ● | Inferred | - | - | Renewal is an explicit command; auto-renew is a policy you implement yourself. | https://toolweight.com/compare/domain-api-providers#direct-epp--auto_renew_api |
| Webhooks / events | ◐ | Inferred | - | - | The EPP message queue is poll-based and must be drained or the registry complains. | https://toolweight.com/compare/domain-api-providers#direct-epp--webhook_events |
| Contact model | reusable-handles | Inferred | - | - | - | https://toolweight.com/compare/domain-api-providers#direct-epp--contact_model |
| Privacy via API | not-in-api | Inferred | - | - | Privacy is a service you operate, not a flag you set. | https://toolweight.com/compare/domain-api-providers#direct-epp--privacy_api |
| Rate limit | 600 req/min | Inferred | - | - | Registry-imposed per-session command limits. Check commands are watched closely and abusive ratios attract warnings. | https://toolweight.com/compare/domain-api-providers#direct-epp--rate_limit |
| Pricing basis | wholesale | Inferred | - | - | - | https://toolweight.com/compare/domain-api-providers#direct-epp--pricing_basis |
| Renewal price in API | ○ | Inferred | - | - | Registries publish price lists contractually, not through EPP. | https://toolweight.com/compare/domain-api-providers#direct-epp--renewal_price_api |
| .com renewal | $10.98/yr | Inferred | - | - | Verisign wholesale plus the US$0.18 ICANN transaction fee. Approximate, and it steps up again each September. | https://toolweight.com/compare/domain-api-providers#direct-epp--com_renewal_usd |
| MCP server | ○ | Inferred | - | - | - | https://toolweight.com/compare/domain-api-providers#direct-epp--mcp_server |
| Machine-readable spec | ○ | Inferred | - | - | EPP is specified by RFC rather than by a schema you can generate a client from, though the RFCs are precise, which is arguably better. | https://toolweight.com/compare/domain-api-providers#direct-epp--openapi_spec |
| API since | 2004 | Inferred | - | - | - | https://toolweight.com/compare/domain-api-providers#direct-epp--api_since |
| Positioning | The reference point: registry cost with no margin, in exchange for becoming a regulated party. | Inferred | - | - | - | https://toolweight.com/compare/domain-api-providers#direct-epp--positioning |

**Verdict.** A reference point, not a recommendation; below roughly a hundred thousand names the compliance load outweighs every reseller margin.

## Alternatives

- [Dynadot](https://toolweight.com/tools/dynadot), Domainer-oriented registrar with strong bulk tools and a built-in marketplace.
- [Gandi](https://toolweight.com/tools/gandi), European registrar with huge TLD breadth and post-2023 premium pricing.
- [GoDaddy](https://toolweight.com/tools/godaddy), The default registrar for people who have never compared registrars.
- [Hexonet](https://toolweight.com/tools/hexonet), Wholesale platform with 1,000+ TLDs, bulk checks and a free OT&E on signup
- [Internet.bs](https://toolweight.com/tools/internetbs), Old-school reseller API with published test credentials and no onboarding gate
- [Name.com](https://toolweight.com/tools/name-com), Clean REST API with streaming search, a dev environment and auth-code retrieval
- [Namecheap](https://toolweight.com/tools/namecheap), The mainstream cheap registrar: heavy first-year discounts, higher renewals.
- [NameSilo](https://toolweight.com/tools/namesilo), Flat renewals, free privacy and portfolio tooling for people holding hundreds.
- [Netim](https://toolweight.com/tools/netim), French registrar with unusually deep ccTLD coverage and corporate controls.
- [OpenSRS](https://toolweight.com/tools/opensrs), Tucows' wholesale platform, deep API, real OT&E, signed contract required
- [Porkbun](https://toolweight.com/tools/porkbun), Near-cost pricing with free privacy, SSL and forwarding, and a clean exit.
- [AWS Route 53 Domains](https://toolweight.com/tools/route53-domains), SigV4 domain registration inside AWS, with no sandbox and hard throttling

## Licence and attribution

Data from Toolweight (https://toolweight.com), licensed CC-BY-4.0.

- Licence: [CC-BY-4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
- Canonical HTML: https://toolweight.com/tools/direct-epp
- Machine-readable: https://toolweight.com/tools/direct-epp.md · https://toolweight.com/api/v1 · https://toolweight.com/mcp
- Toolweight takes no affiliate revenue and sells no placements.