How to find an available domain name
A good domain is short, easy to say out loud and spelled the way people expect. Start with the words a customer would type, then trim them until the name still makes sense. Type it in the search box above and you will see, in a second or two, whether it is free on .com and on 80 other extensions.
- Say it, then spell it. If you have to explain the spelling on the phone, people will mistype it.
- Keep it short. Two words are easier to remember than three, and shorter names fit better on vans, signs and business cards.
- Avoid hyphens and numbers unless they are part of a brand people already know. They are the first thing people forget.
- Match what customers search. For a local business, the service and the city together (like a roofer in Miami) make a name that describes itself.
What the results mean
Each name is checked live against a registrar, with two public sources as a backup:
- Registrar data. A domain registrar tells us whether the name can be registered right now, and at what price, including premium names that registries sell for more.
- Public DNS. A name with nameservers is in use, so it is shown as taken straight away.
- The registry itself, through RDAP. RDAP is the official successor to WHOIS. Each extension's registry answers whether the name is registered, even when it has no website.
Available means nobody owns it, and the price shown is a typical first-year price (registrars differ a little). Premium means it is free to register but the registry charges the higher price shown. Likely available means the registry for that extension (for example .io or .us) has no public lookup and DNS shows no record, so the registrar confirms it when you add it to your cart. Taken means someone owns it, which is not the end of the road (see below).
Which extension should you choose?
.com is still the extension people type first, so it is worth the effort for any business that wants to be found, especially in the United States. Country extensions such as .co.uk, .de or .fr build trust with local customers. .io and .ai are popular with software and AI products, and .co is a common short alternative when the .com is gone. If you can, register the .com and the .net of your main name, so customers who guess the wrong one still reach you.
The .com is taken. Now what?
1. Look at the name ideas
Under the results, PitchName suggests variations on .com: a short prefix (get, try, my), a suffix (hq, app, hub), the plural, or the words with a hyphen. One of them is often free and still easy to remember.
2. Check whether it is for sale
Many taken names are owned by people who never built a website on them and would sell. The For sale? button opens the name on Sedo, the largest domain marketplace, where you can see its price or make the owner an offer. Prices range from a few hundred dollars to much more, depending on the name.
3. See who owns it
The Owner button opens ICANN's official registration lookup. Many owners hide their details for privacy, but you will see the registrar, the registration date and usually a way to contact the owner through it.
4. Check trademarks before you buy
A name that contains someone else's brand can be taken away from you in a dispute, even after you pay for it. Search the trademark office of your country before you commit to a name.
Buying a name to sell it later
Domain investors register names a business would want, like a service and a city, and sell them to that business. If that is your plan, the hard part is not finding a free name, it is finding the buyer. PitchName does that part: add the name to your portfolio and it finds the local businesses most likely to buy it, scores each one, and helps you write a personal pitch.
Create a free PitchName account
Questions
How do I check if a domain name is available?+
Type the name in the search box above. PitchName checks it on .com, .net, .org, .co, .io, .ai and 14 more extensions as you type (and 50+ more on request), plus domain hacks like roof.ing, using live registrar data, with public DNS and the official registry lookup (RDAP) as a backup. Available names show the price and a Buy button that opens the registrar of your choice.
Is this domain search free?+
Yes. The domain search is free for everyone, with no account and no limit on searches. Create a free PitchName account if you also want to keep track of the names you buy and find businesses to sell them to.
Does searching a domain here mean someone can register it before me?+
No. PitchName never registers names and never sells searches. We keep a short-lived record of whether a name is available, with no link to who searched it, so popular names load faster.
What is a premium domain?+
Registries keep some short or common names aside and sell them at a higher price, from about a hundred dollars to tens of thousands. PitchName shows these as Premium with the registry price. A name that only says "may be premium" is one we could not get a price for, and the registrar shows the real price at checkout.
What does "Likely available" mean?+
Some registries, including .io and .us, do not offer a public lookup service. When public DNS shows no record for the name, PitchName marks it Likely available and the registrar confirms it when you add it to your cart.
The .com is taken. What should I do?+
Look at the name ideas under the results, try a shorter or clearer version, or check whether the owner is selling: many taken names are listed on marketplaces like Afternic, Sedo and Dan. The For sale? button opens the name on Sedo, where you can see its price or make an offer.
Which domain extension is best?+
For a business that wants customers to find it, .com is still the one people type first, especially in the United States. Country extensions like .co.uk or .de work well for local businesses, and .io or .ai are common for tech products.