Finding the perfect domain name is one of the most important steps in launching a website. But before you fall in love with a name, you need to check if it's available.

This guide shows you how to check domain availability — both for single domains and for bulk lists of hundreds of names.

What Does "Domain Available" Mean?

A domain is either:

  • Available — no one has registered it. You can buy it from any registrar.
  • Registered — someone already owns it. You'd need to negotiate a purchase, which is often expensive.

There's no "maybe" — either a domain is registered or it isn't. Some registrars show "premium" status, which means the registry has reserved it and is selling at a higher price.

Why Bulk Checking Matters

Most brandable, short, and meaningful domains are already taken. For every good idea you have, there are 10 alternatives to check.

Instead of checking domains one at a time, bulk domain checking lets you test 100, 500, or even 1,000 domains in a single run. You get a list of available ones back in seconds.

Try our bulk domain availability checker — it accepts up to 1,000 domains per batch.

How to Check a Single Domain

  1. Open our domain availability check tool
  2. Enter the domain (e.g., example.com)
  3. Click "Check"
  4. Green = available, red = registered

How to Bulk Check Domains

  1. Switch to "Bulk Check" mode
  2. Paste one domain per line (up to 1,000)
  3. Click "Bulk Check"
  4. Results stream in with live progress

You can copy all available domains with one click, or download them as a text file.

What About Extensions?

The tool supports:

  • .com — the gold standard, most valuable
  • .io — popular for tech startups
  • .co — short and clean
  • .ai — trending for AI projects
  • .net, .org — traditional alternatives
  • .xyz, .top, .club — affordable options
  • .cn, .de, .uk — country-specific

For branding, .com remains the most valuable. If you can't get the .com, consider .io or .co before .xyz or .top.

Automatic Value Scoring

Our domain check tool automatically scores each available domain based on:

  • Extension value (.com > .io > .xyz)
  • Length (2-letter > 3-letter > 4-letter)
  • Pronounceability (CVCV patterns score highest)
  • Meaning (common words score highest)
  • Brand fit (industry prefixes like ai-, shop-, pay-)

Domains are graded as:

  • 💎 Premium (score ≥ 88)
  • 🔥 High Value (≥ 72)
  • ⭐ Great (≥ 58)
  • 💡 Catchy (≥ 45)

You can filter results by grade and copy just the premium domains.

Common Mistakes When Choosing a Domain

1. Forgetting to Check Trademarks

Just because a domain is available doesn't mean you can safely use it. Check for registered trademarks in your country before registering.

2. Ignoring the Extension

.com is always preferred for international brands. Country-specific extensions (.cn, .de) work for local businesses but can hurt international SEO.

3. Picking Hard-to-Spell Names

If someone hears your domain and can't spell it, they won't find you. Avoid numbers, hyphens, and confusing spellings.

4. Not Checking History

An "available" domain might have been used for spam before. Check Whois history and archive.org before buying aged domains.

Try It Now

Ready to find your perfect domain? Use our free domain availability checker — single or bulk mode, instant results, no sign-up.

For detailed registration info on any domain, use our Whois lookup tool.

Summary

  1. Always check availability before falling in love with a domain
  2. Use bulk checking to test many ideas quickly
  3. Prioritize .com, then .io, .co, .ai
  4. Check trademarks before you commit
  5. Verify history for aged domains

Bookmark our domain checker — you'll use it every time you brainstorm new brand names.