Domain availability checker. Live RDAP, no signup.
Type a domain. The form sends one query to rdap.org, the public RDAP gateway, and tells you whether the registry has a record. No record = available. No registrar affiliate hop, no email wall, no analytics beacon.
Type a candidate domain. We send one RDAP query to rdap.org and tell you whether the registry has a record. No record = the name is open at the registry layer. We surface the truth — not a registrar funnel. Sub-second response on .com / .ai / .io / .co / .app / .dev and most ccTLDs.
The name is open at the registry. Pick your registrar and buy directly — none of the links below pay us a referral.
Sources used by this tool
- rdap.org — public RDAP gateway routes to authoritative registry per IANA bootstrap
- RFC 7483 — RDAP JSON response format spec
- ICANN RDAP requirement — gTLDs must support RDAP since Aug 2019
No data is sent to Digital Heroes servers. Query goes directly from your browser to rdap.org.
Privacy: query sent only to rdap.org. Recent lookups stay in browser localStorage.
Three outcomes. All from one query.
Available. The registry has no record for the name. RDAP returns a 404 from the authoritative registry, and we surface that as the green verdict above. From here, register at any provider — Cloudflare Registrar sells at registry cost, Porkbun bundles WHOIS privacy free, Namecheap is the cheapest first-year promo. We list five reputable options below the verdict — none of them pay us a referral.
Registered. The registry returns a record. We render four supplementary cards: the registrar of record (which company holds the lease), the registration date (a domain registered in 2009 has different acquisition mechanics than one registered last week), the expiry date (a domain expiring in 14 days may be lapse-eligible), and the status flags (RFC-5731 EPP codes that tell you if the domain is locked, pending transfer, or in redemption). For acquisition, the registrar field is the destination for the auth-code request; the expiry field is the timing signal.
Inconclusive. The TLD does not publish a public RDAP endpoint, or the registry restricts programmatic access. We surface the upstream message and recommend the registry's web search as the canonical fallback. Common cases: .de (DENIC has its own protocol), .ru, several ASEAN ccTLDs, a handful of new gTLDs in transition. For everything else — .com / .ai / .io / .co / .app / .dev / .xyz / common ccTLDs — the response is sub-second and definitive.
Four practical jobs this tool does.
Job 1: Brand naming sprint. When a founding team is shortlisting names, the question is rarely "is the .com taken" — it is "is at least one credible TLD open across our top 20 candidates." Run the shortlist sequentially. The honest registry truth — not a registrar funnel that pushes the .biz upsell when the .com is taken — saves a naming meeting from drifting toward worse names just because they are easier to register.
Job 2: Defensive registration audit. For any owned brand name, periodically check the close variants — typo squats (g00gle.com style), the alternate TLD set (.io / .ai / .co), the hyphenated form, the plural form. If any are open, register defensively at low cost. If they are taken by a third party, our WHOIS Lookup tells you who holds them.
Job 3: Acquisition target screening. Before reaching out to a domain broker, run the target through this tool. If the verdict is "registered" and the expiry is more than a year out with strong status locks, you are looking at a serious negotiation. If the expiry is 30 days out and there are no transfer locks, the owner may not be paying attention — the lapse window may open soon. Pair with the Domain Age Checker to see how long the owner has held it.
Job 4: Trademark shadow check. If you have just been granted a trademark, the same word in a TLD you do not control is the next item on the legal hygiene list. Check the obvious set — your trademark in .com / .net / .org / your country ccTLD. The result tells you whether the next conversation is "register defensively" or "talk to the lawyer about UDRP." Pairs well with our brand identity service on a full naming engagement.
Six questions users ask.
How does this differ from a registrar's search?
A registrar's search is a sales funnel — they show 'available' to push you to checkout, then upsell privacy, hosting, and email. We surface the same RDAP truth they query under the hood, with no upsell, no affiliate redirect, and no email gate. Once you know a name is open, buy at any registrar you trust — Namecheap, Cloudflare Registrar, Porkbun, Gandi, or your reseller of choice. We do not affiliate with any of them.
Why is the result sometimes 'inconclusive'?
A handful of TLDs do not yet operate a public RDAP endpoint, or restrict programmatic access. Examples include .de (DENIC), .ru, several ASEAN ccTLDs, and a few new gTLDs in transition. For those, rdap.org returns 501 or a network error. We surface the upstream message and recommend the registry's own web-based search as the canonical fallback. The vast majority of buyers in 2026 are searching .com / .ai / .io / .co / .app / .dev / .xyz / regional ccTLDs, all of which respond instantly.
What do the auxiliary signals mean if the domain is taken?
When the registry returns a record, we render four supporting fields below the verdict: registrar of record (which company holds the lease), registration date (older = harder to acquire), expiration date (lapsing soon = potential acquisition window), and status flags (clientHold means suspended; redemption period means recently lapsed and recoverable for a fee). These tell you whether the domain is locked, expiring, or in a window where the current owner might consider a sale.
Can I check premium TLDs like .ai and .io?
Yes. Both .ai (Anguilla) and .io (British Indian Ocean Territory) operate full RDAP endpoints reached via rdap.org. .ai availability checks return instantly; .io is similar. Note that premium-tier names — short, dictionary, two-letter — often appear 'registered' to a holding company even when they are technically purchasable through a broker. The tool tells you the registry truth; broker negotiations are a separate conversation.
Does this tool log my domain query?
No. The query is sent only from your browser to rdap.org. Nothing is logged on Digital Heroes servers. Recent searches are stored in your browser's localStorage and stay on your device. There is no signup, no email field, and no analytics beacon that includes your query string. The page is served as static HTML from our CDN.
What if I want to bulk-check many candidate names?
This tool checks one name at a time deliberately. Bulk-check tools tend to hammer rdap.org and risk rate-limit warnings, and they typically gate features behind signup. For a brand naming exercise, write a shortlist of 20-50 candidates and run them sequentially — the response is sub-second per name. If you need automation at scale, the rdap.org JSON API is documented openly; the request format is the same one this tool sends.
Naming a new brand? 30-min call.
A naming engagement runs from candidate generation through trademark screening, domain acquisition, and identity system. A 30-minute call covers the full sequence + a fixed-price quote.