Free tool
Domain name checker
Type a product or startup name. See whether .com, .io, .co, .app, .dev, and .ai are registered. The check uses each registry’s RDAP server from the IANA bootstrap file. Free, no signup, and no affiliate links.
How this check works
You enter one name, such as launchly. The server loads the IANA RDAP bootstrap at data.iana.org/rdap/dns.json and caches it. For each ending, it looks up that TLD’s RDAP base URL and requests /domain/ plus your name. The form never supplies a URL. Only hosts published in that bootstrap file are contacted.
HTTP 404 means likely available. HTTP 200 means registered. If the record includes a registrar or a registration date, those are shown. Anything else, including a timeout, is “Couldn’t check.” If the bootstrap has no RDAP server for a TLD, the row says “Can’t check via RDAP” instead of guessing from WHOIS.
A checked row links to the RDAP record that was queried. A row with no RDAP server links to ICANN Lookup so you can look the name up yourself. Likely available is a strong hint, not a guarantee. The registrar has the final say.
Choosing a launch-ready name
Say the name out loud. If you have to spell it, the launch post will spell it too. Decide which ending you will put on the site. This page checks six common startup endings. It does not pick one for you.
Hyphens and numbers are valid DNS labels, and they are easy to mistype. Use them when they are part of the product name. RDAP tells you whether a domain is in the registry. It does not tell you whether a trademark, a social handle, or an app-store name is free.
DNS allows 63 characters in a label. A name people can type on a phone is shorter than that limit. Match the name to the product. A pun that hides what it does pushes the work onto your tagline.
After the name is settled
Write the one line under the name with the free launch tagline generator, then submit the project for a Monday launch week on IndieHunt. This checker does not register the domain and it does not schedule the launch.
Domain name checker FAQ
RDAP checks for startup names, with the limits written out
1Is the domain name checker free?
Yes. It does not ask you to create an account. IndieHunt runs the lookup on the server. There are no affiliate links and the result is not sold.
2Does likely available mean I can register the name?
No. Likely available means the TLD’s RDAP server returned HTTP 404, which is a strong hint that the name is not in that registry. It is not a promise. A registrar can still treat the name as premium, reserved, or blocked. The registrar’s checkout is the final answer.
3Which endings does this check?
.com, .io, .co, .app, .dev, and .ai. The server reads each ending’s RDAP base URL from the IANA bootstrap file at https://data.iana.org/rdap/dns.json. If that file has no RDAP server for an ending, the row says “Can’t check via RDAP.” This tool does not guess with WHOIS.
4What do registered and couldn’t check mean?
HTTP 200 means the name is registered. When the RDAP record includes a registrar name or a registration date, the row shows them. Any other result, including a timeout or a server error, means the check did not finish, so the row says “Couldn’t check.”
5Can I type a full domain such as launchly.com?
Enter one name, such as launchly, not launchly.com. The checker adds each ending itself. Use letters, digits, and hyphens, 1–63 characters. Names with non-English letters are converted to punycode. A label that is not valid DNS is rejected.
Launch the product behind the name
IndieHunt runs weekly launches for indie products. Submit when the name and the one-line pitch are ready, or compare free and Premium before you pick a Monday.