Before you build a brand, print a logo or tell anyone your new business name, you need to know whether the domain is free. The checker above asks the official registry for each extension whether a name is registered, then checks the same name across .com and 11 other popular extensions at once, so you can see in a few seconds where it is free and where someone got there first.

How the Checker Works

Every domain extension is run by a registry, the organization that keeps the master list of names under that extension. Verisign runs .com and .net, Public Interest Registry runs .org, and other registries run the rest. When you search, the checker sends one request to the right registry for each extension through RDAP, the public lookup system that replaced WHOIS.

The registry answers one of two ways. If it has a record for the name, the name is taken. If it has no record, the name is not registered and you can register it today. Because the answer comes from the registry itself, it is the same answer a registrar gets when you try to buy the name.

A few registries do not offer RDAP lookups, and now and then one is slow to answer. In those cases the checker falls back to public DNS. A name that has no DNS records at all is almost always unregistered, so it is marked as likely available. A name with DNS records is in use and marked as taken.

How to Read Your Results

The name you searched appears at the top with a clear answer, followed by the same name in the other extensions. Each row shows one of four results:

• Available: the registry has no record of the name, so you can register it at the standard fee
• Likely available: the registry did not answer, but the name has no DNS records, which usually means it is free
• Taken: the name is registered to someone, whether or not a website is running on it
• Could not check: neither the registry nor public DNS gave a clear answer, so try again in a minute

Free names show the typical yearly price range for that extension, so you can compare costs before you choose. Taken names link to our Domain Age Checker, where you can see when the name was registered, when it expires and which registrar holds it.

Why a Name Can Be Taken With No Website

Many people are surprised to find that a name with no website is registered. A domain only needs to be registered to be taken. The owner does not have to build anything on it, and a large share of registered names never host a real site.

Some owners are businesses that registered the name to protect their brand, or plan to use it later. Some are domain investors who hold names to sell. Others are people who registered a name for a project that never got started and simply keep renewing it. In every case, the name stays taken until the owner sells it or lets it expire.

Why an Available Name Can Cost More

Most free names cost the standard fee for their extension. Some do not. Many registries hold back short, common or valuable names as premium names, and sell them for anywhere from a hundred dollars to tens of thousands. A premium name is still unregistered, so it shows as available here, but your registrar will show the higher price when you go to buy it.

The first-year price can also differ from the renewal price. Registrars often discount the first year to win your business, then charge full price every year after. Check the renewal price before you register, because that is what you will pay for as long as you keep the name.

Choosing an Extension

A .com is still the safest choice for most businesses. People type it by default, and they remember it more easily than anything else. If the .com is free, register it even if you plan to use a different extension, so no one else can take the version your visitors will guess first.

When the .com is taken, the other extensions are worth a look. Each one tends to suit a different kind of project:

• .net and .org: long-standing alternatives, with .org trusted for nonprofits, communities and open projects
• .co: short and modern, popular with startups, though people sometimes type .com by mistake
• .io and .ai: well known in tech, with higher prices to match
• .app and .dev: run by Google and secured with HTTPS by default, a good fit for software and developers
• .ca: for Canadian businesses and people, with a requirement to show a Canadian connection
• .xyz, .info and .me: low-cost options for personal sites, side projects and short links

Think about who will type your address. If most of your visitors find you through search or links, the extension matters less. If people will hear your name on the radio or read it on a truck, a .com saves you from losing visitors to the wrong address.

What to Do When the Name You Want Is Taken

A taken name is not always a dead end. Start by finding out more about it. Our Domain Age Checker shows when the registration expires, and whether it is already past its expiry date and on its way to being deleted. If the name points to a for-sale page, the owner is open to offers, and the page usually tells you how to make one.

If the name is not listed for sale, you can still reach the owner through the contact form many registrars offer, or through a domain broker who handles the approach for you. Before you make an offer, get a sense of what the name is worth. Our free domain appraisal gives an end-user value and an investor value with every factor explained, so you know whether the asking price is fair.

If buying the name is not realistic, adjust it instead. Add a short word that describes what you do, such as a place, a product or a verb. Drop a word that does not add much. Or try our Domain Name Generator, which builds dozens of ideas around your words and only shows names that are free right now. Avoid hyphens and numbers if you can, because people forget them and type the name without them.

Check the Name Beyond the Domain

A free domain does not mean the name itself is free to use. Before you commit, search the name in the trademark database for each country where you plan to do business, and check whether the same name is free on the social networks you plan to use. A business already trading under the same name in your field can force you to rebrand later, even if you registered the domain first.

It also helps to say the name out loud to a few people and ask them to type it. If they spell it differently, you will lose visitors to the wrong address. Names that pass this test are easier to share by word of mouth.

Registering Your Name

When you find a free name you like, register it through an accredited registrar. Compare renewal prices, not just the first-year price, and look for free WHOIS privacy so your personal details stay out of public records. Once the name is yours, turn on auto-renew and registrar lock, and make sure the email address on the account is one you check, because renewal notices go there.

If the name matters to your business, register the main variations too, such as the .com and your local extension, or the plural and the singular. Point the extra names to your main site with a redirect, so visitors who guess wrong still find you.

Your Searches Stay Private

Some people worry that checking a domain lets someone grab it before they do. That fear has a history in the domain world, and it is exactly why we built this checker the way we did. We never register, reserve or backorder the names you look up, and nothing you search here is linked to you. Lookups go to the official registries and to public DNS resolvers, the same public systems every registrar uses. Still, a good name will not stay free forever, so if you find one you love, register it soon.