Domain check · RDAP · 8 TLDs · 14 social platforms
Free domain check — 8 TLDs, two seconds.
RDAP-level lookup across .com, .ai, .app, .dev, .io, .co, .so, and .com.ai — plus a 14-platform social-handle audit including npm, GitHub, PyPI, and Hugging Face. No signup. Five free verdicts per IP.
§1. Why RDAP, not registrar search.
Most founders check domain availability by typing the candidate into a registrar's search bar — Namecheap, GoDaddy, Porkbun, Dynadot. The registrar workflow is fast but has a documented failure mode: registrar-logged searches sometimes front-run the aftermarket, with a clean candidate appearing on the aftermarket the next day at a $5,000–$50,000 markup if you didn't buy in the same session.
RDAP — the Registration Data Access Protocol that replaced WHOIS — is the registry-level lookup. It does not log queries against aftermarket-pricing engines; it just returns the registration record if one exists. Etymolt's domain axis queries RDAP directly across all eight TLDs in parallel, so you receive a clean availability picture in one call without tipping off any aftermarket engine.
The verdict includes a classification of held domains: an operator hold (the holder runs a business on the asset, aftermarket pricing is rational) vs a squatter hold (the holder runs no business on the asset and is motivated by maximum-price extraction at acquisition). The distinction matters: category-leader operator holds run $40K–$200K typically and can sometimes be negotiated; squatter holds can run $500K+ and rarely close.
§2. The 14-platform handle audit.
Domain availability is necessary but not sufficient. A 2026 brand also needs distribution surfaces: npm, GitHub, PyPI, X, Hugging Face, LinkedIn, YouTube, Discord, Bluesky, Mastodon, TikTok, Threads, Farcaster, and Hacker News. The 14-platform audit runs in parallel with the RDAP queries and returns a per-platform availability map.
For AI startups specifically, four handles are disproportionately load-bearing: npm, GitHub, X, and PyPI. Without all four, the brand story has structural friction before launch. The verdict flags any candidate where any of these four are taken.
§3. What the verdict means.
PROCEED · 85–100
At least one primary TLD available; 11+ of 14 social handles claimable. Register the primary TLD today, pre-claim handles in the next hour.
DUE_DILIGENCE · 60–84
Operator hold on the .com or 9–10 of 14 handles available. Workable with a hedge TLD (.ai / .app) and a handle-recovery plan for the locked platforms.
ITERATE · 40–59
Multiple primary TLDs held by operators; fewer than 8 of 14 handles available. The brand-equity build-out is structurally expensive on this candidate.
ABANDON · 0–39
Squatter-priced .com plus npm or GitHub already held by an unrelated owner. The candidate's distribution surface is not recoverable without an extortionate aftermarket transaction.
§4 · Also relevant
Run trademark availability in the same call.
The Etymolt verdict includes USPTO, EUIPO, UKIPO, and 14 more trademark jurisdictions alongside the RDAP domain check. Or hit the dedicated trademark-check page if trademark availability is your lead axis.
We don't generate names. We validate them.
Etymolt is a clearance signal, not a legal opinion. The domain axis returns a snapshot of registration state at the moment of the call; domain registration state can change between the verdict and your registrar purchase. We recommend registering available primary TLDs in the same hour as the verdict to avoid front-running risk. Full terms: etymolt.com/terms.
Methodology v2.4 · published 2026-05-15 · CC BY 4.0