How Much Is My Domain Worth? Free Domain Appraisal Tools Compared

Type the same domain into three free appraisal tools and you'll often get three very different numbers: $450, $2,800 and $12,000. None of them is lying. They just measure different things, with different data, for different buyers.

This guide explains how automated domain appraisals work, compares the free tools most investors use, and shows you how to turn their numbers into a price you can actually sell at.

How automated appraisals work

Every appraisal tool does roughly the same thing: it compares your domain with names that sold before and adjusts for the features that usually change the price. Common factors include:

• Length and the number of words.
• Extension: .com is worth more than almost any other.
• Keywords: how valuable and how searched the words are.
• Brandability: is it easy to say, spell and remember?
• Other extensions taken: if the same name is registered on many extensions, people clearly want it.
• Age and history.
• Comparable sales of similar names.

The differences come from the data each tool has and how it weighs these factors. A tool trained mostly on investor auctions will give lower numbers than one trained on end-user sales.

The free domain appraisal tools compared

GoDaddy Domain Appraisal

GoDaddy's free appraisal is the one most people try first. It gives an estimated value and a list of comparable sales from its large marketplace data.

• Good for: a quick first estimate with comparable sales to look at.
• Watch out for: the number is an estimate of a typical sale, not what an end user would pay for your specific name.

Estibot

Estibot is one of the oldest automated appraisal services. It shows a value and a long list of data points: search volume, keyword data, extensions taken and more.

• Good for: the detailed data behind the estimate.
• Watch out for: free use is limited, and some investors find its values high for long or keyword-stuffed names. Use the data more than the headline number.

Atom appraisal

Atom, the brandable marketplace formerly known as Squadhelp, offers its own appraisal. It returns a value, a domain score, the number of extensions where the name is registered, possible trademark conflicts and the signals behind the score.

• Good for: brandable names, which Atom knows well from its own sales.
• Watch out for: like any automated tool, it can't know the one business that would pay most for your name.

Dynadot's appraisal

Dynadot shows an appraisal next to names in its marketplace and expired listings.

• Good for: a rough reference while you browse auctions.
• Watch out for: automated values next to cheap expired names can be far higher than what those names actually sell for. Don't take them as a sale price.

NameBio (sales data, not an appraisal)

NameBio isn't an appraisal tool. It's a large database of reported domain sales. You search a keyword and see what similar names really sold for, and where.

• Good for: real comparable sales, which are the best evidence of value you can get for free.
• Watch out for: it shows reported sales only. Many private sales are never reported.

PitchName AI Domain Rating

PitchName's AI Domain Rating is built around selling to end users. Along with a value range and a recommended buy-it-now price, it tells you who would buy the name.

• Good for: a likely sale range and BIN price, a score with the reasons, a buyer persona, the kinds of businesses to pitch, how many other extensions of the name are taken, and trademark warnings. When available, it also uses Atom's appraisal and recent auction comparables.
• Watch out for: it's an estimate to guide pricing and outreach, not a formal appraisal. Each rating uses one AI credit, and the free plan includes 10 credits a month.

Why the numbers disagree

Three reasons explain most of the gaps:

1. Wholesale vs. retail. Some tools estimate what an investor would pay at auction. Others estimate what an end user would pay. The second can be 5 to 20 times the first.
2. Different sales data. Each tool sees a different slice of the market.
3. Your name's real buyer. No tool knows that a specific company in your city would pay a premium for your exact name.

So don't look for the "right" tool. Use them together, and read them as a range.

A simple way to price your domain

1. Run two or three tools and note the range.
2. Look up real comparable sales for similar names, with the same keyword, length and extension. Real sales beat any estimate.
3. Check the auction floor. What do similar expired names get at auction? That's roughly the lowest a reasonable buyer would pay.
4. Identify the buyer. Is there a clear type of business that would use the name? If yes, you can price for an end user. If not, price closer to the investor market.
5. Set a buy-it-now price inside the end-user range, rounded to a natural number like $2,495 or $4,888.
6. Revisit it after a few months of no interest, or after a strong inquiry.

Our full guide on how to value a domain name goes deeper into each step.

Red flags that lower any appraisal

• Trademarks. A name that contains a brand isn't worth what the tools say, because it can be taken from you. See the UDRP trap.
• Hyphens, numbers and long phrases.
• A spammy history. Names once used for spam, adult or gambling sites can be hard to sell.
• No clear buyer. A clever name nobody needs is only worth what an investor will pay.

How to see what your domain is worth with PitchName

• AI Domain Rating: a value range, a BIN price, the buyers to pitch and the risks, in one place.
• Sales History: what similar names really sold for at GoDaddy and Dynadot expired auctions, searchable by keyword. These are wholesale prices, so treat them as a floor.
• Domain history check: whether a name has a spammy past.
• Buyer Finder: how many real businesses could use your name, which is the best sign of end-user value.

If you're new to all of this, start with our domain flipping guide for beginners.

The bottom line

A domain is worth what the right buyer will pay for it. Appraisal tools give you a starting range, comparable sales give you evidence, and knowing who the buyer is tells you how high you can go. Use all three, and you'll price with confidence instead of guessing.

Rate your domain with PitchName, free.