Picking out a perfect domain name for your online project is the first step of its journey to success. As an important part of its online identity, your domain name is the first thing the future visitors to your website will perceive. As soon as they spot it, they should have an idea of what to expect and feel about your site’s content. This is why you’re supposed to be extra careful when choosing one.
However, this task can be terribly tricky. Even if you come up with a short and catchy domain that perfectly describes your site, your first choice might be already taken. After all, there can be only so many perfect names with the most popular top-level domain (TLD) - yes, we’re talking about “.com”.
In such a case, you could contact the domain name owner and ask them whether they would like to sell it to you. However, there’s a strong chance they like their domain name where it is. So, what are your other options? Rather than getting back to the drawing board, you could utilize one of the best domain name generators and begin searching for a solid alternative.
You could also pick from the best domain registrar services to get your site up and running.
What is a domain name generator?
A domain name generator is an online AI-powered tool that comes up with unique names for domains based on keywords you’ve previously selected. Usually, you start by typing in a couple of keywords related to your site into the look-up field and hitting the Enter button. In a matter of seconds, this tool will generate some great domain names for your site.
In addition to coming up with clever suggestions and showing which are available to you, it should also provide a link to reliable domain name registrars or web hosting companies so you can register your domain straight away.
Why should you use a domain name generator?
Let’s say you’ve found a perfect domain name only to figure out it’s not available anymore and its current owner can't bear the thought of selling it to you. So, without giving up hope you continued to search for alternatives and learned that all of your top picks are also taken - tough luck.
In such a case, you could wait for your creative juices to get flowing again and continue coming up with new domain names - or you could simply utilize a solid domain name generator to do the job for you.
It won’t only come up with lots of unique suggestions but also check their availability and sometimes even show prices of premium domain names. What’s best about it is that anyone can use it and you won’t even need to sign up or pay for the service.
Best domain name generators of 2023
While you can find tons of domain name generators out there, most aren’t as effective as the ones we’ve personally picked out. So, here are the top ten best domain name generators that’ll help you come up with a perfect domain name for your site.
Panabee isn’t only a terrific tool for searching and generating new domain names but you can also use it to concoct a clever name for your business or even an app. It also has one of the more stylish sites we’ve seen that also benefits from a clear, simple-to-use design.
You can start the domain name search by entering a domain name you want or two words into the search box and hitting Enter. In an instant, you’ll get a blue heart emoji if the name is available or a red broken heart emoji if it isn’t. If it is, you can click on “Buy now” and go ahead and buy your domain name - you’ll be redirected to a domain name registrar, probably GoDaddy.
However, if it isn’t, you can click on “See options” to take a look at the most similar choices, and you’ll probably get plenty of them as Panabee will check the name across all TLDs.
As for search settings, you can change the type of extension (popular, startup, or e-commerce), and choose between prepend and append option. Also, Panabee lets you check domain name availability on popular social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
While Panabee doesn't provide a wide variety of unique suggestions, it looks and feels simple to use and does its job swimmingly.
NameStation is not only a domain name generator, it’s also a colorful community. In addition to AI, there are also people like yourself that can help you pick out the right domain name for your site. So, in addition to automated name suggestions, you can crowdsource a domain name or host a contest.
To start, you’ll be asked to create an account and for that, you’ll have to surrender your email address and come up with a solid password - or simply sign in with your Google or Facebook account. Once you’re done, you’ll land on your dashboard where you can start generating specific or random domain names, creating projects, or holding a contest to get name suggestions from the community.
If you prefer to pick it on your own, there are plenty of methods and customization choices, so a scarcity of suggestions shouldn’t be a problem. Once you see something you like, you can click on the “Register” button to check the price on GoDaddy, and perhaps make a purchase.
DomainTyper won’t only get you lots of interesting domain suggestions for your keyword but also check their availability in multiple TLDs, and list prices on popular registrars such as Namecheap, GoDaddy, Netim, and Google. If you don’t see the TLD you wish to use straight away, you can click on the “Add or Edit Extensions” button and check any of the 1700+ available TLDs.
Also, any of the generated domain suggestions can be added to your favorites list, double-checked for availability, or set as a search term. You can even check if the name is available on multiple social media sites including Tumblr, DeviantArt, YouTube, and much more. There’s also a handy “Domain Hacks” feature that comes up with suggestions based on the overlap between your keyword and TLD - however, this overlap doesn't happen that often.
As for drawbacks, DomainTyper supports a single keyword, which can be a deal breaker for some users yet unimportant for others.
Nameboy has been around the block for more than two decades and managed to stay pretty popular throughout the years. Unlike Panabee, you can type in only one keyword to start the search. Like Panabee, Nameboy supports multiple TLDs, so you can expect many search results.
However, while Nameboy works similarly to other domain name generators we’re exploring today, it feels more bare-bones than most. There are no multiple-category suggestion lists, no search customization, and no filters for TLDs or web hosting companies.
On the bright side, Nameboy lets you check domain availability through Bluehost, which can be helpful. Also, with Nameboy you’ll find some superb step-by-step guides on topics such as choosing the right domain, starting a blog, creating a site, and such.
Coming from folks behind WordPress.com, Lean Domain Search is a straightforward tool that’ll come up with thousands of “.com” domain suggestions for you. Like with other tools, you’ll be asked to type in a keyword you want your domain to contain and wait for smart suggestions.
Also, you can choose to filter the suggestions to those that start or end with the keyword and sort the results according to popularity, length, or in alphabetical order. However, those who are searching for TLDs other than “.com” can skip on Lean Domain Search. Also, to get the pricing you’ll have to check it on Bluehost which feels awfully awkward.
Otherwise, it’s one of the best domain name generators around - it’s simple to use, it’s super quick, and it comes up with great suggestions. Plus, it lets you keep track of your search history and share your domain suggestions with others.
NameMesh manages to stand out amongst its competitors by splitting its comprehensive domain suggestions into multiple categories such as “Short”, “Similar”, “SEO”, and more. Thanks to this, you can find an SEO-friendly domain name and get more clicks.
To start the search, type in a keyword or multiple keywords, checkmark one or all of the TLDs (“.com”, “.net”, and “.org” are available), and tap into Enter. After a couple of minutes (yes, the search was surprisingly sluggish), we were presented with plenty of good-looking domain suggestions split into eight categories, including new TLDs (nTLDs) like “.pro”, “.link”, and “.email”.
While the search result categories were interesting to see and the number of suggested domains impressive, not that many TLDs are available with NameMesh.
If you're searching for the right domain name to start a successful blog, BlogTyrant is your best bet. As you may suspect, it's a bit more than a simple domain name generator - it's a go-to site for all beginner bloggers out there with tons of tips and tricks on building, running, and making money with a blog.
To begin, add a keyword into the search box, tap on the „Generate Names“ button, and choose a name you like best. If you're ready to pick it up, you can click on „View Details“ and it will transfer you to Bluehost's official site where you can make the purchase.
BlogTyrant doesn't display domain pricing or show domain availability status, which is its main drawback. It's powered by Nameboy, so it works in the same way but with a soft spot for blogs.
Although Looka is best at brainstorming business names for startups, it's also adept at suggesting domain names for all sorts of sites. To start working with Looka, type in a keyword or industry, and choose a length of up to 20 characters. Within seconds, you’ll get hundreds of name suggestions split into three main categories - “Invented, “Compound”, and “Multiword” names.
Once you find the one you want to use, click on it, and take a look at the left pop-up sidebar to check the popularity and availability of the name with different TLDs. If your choice is available for registration, you can click on the “Register” button right next to the suggestion and proceed to Domain.com to make a purchase.
If you scroll down, you’ll see options to see the availability of the name on multiple social media sites and check the name's online reputation. If you subscribe to Looka, you’ll also get to design a logo for your brand with their handy logo generator.
This clear, clever, clutter-free domain name generator can get you stacks of interesting suggestions within seconds. To keep things simple, iWantMyName won’t give you many customization choices - you can choose to hide unavailable domains and that’s about it.
Plenty of TLDs are supported and if you spot the perfect one, you can see its price tag sitting next to it, which makes searching by budget a bit simpler. To start, you just need to type in the domain name you want (or a fitting keyword) and click on the search icon.
iWantMyName is simple, lightning fast, and it goes straight to the point.
As the name promises, with Instant Domain Search you’ll get the search results in an instant. As soon as you start typing in a keyword in the search bar, it will start showing results - and you can use multiple keywords to boot.
The search results will be split into three columns (“Domain Extensions”, “Generator”, and “Domains For Sale”) and classified into three colors (red, green, and blue). The red color suggests that the name is taken, the green that the name is available and can be registered through one of their partners, and the blue that the name is on sale on an auction site. The pricing is listed for blue and some of the green results, but not for all of them.
The user interface utilizes a color-coding system and clear layout which makes it convenient to use.
Choose your domain name generator
While there are hundreds of domain name generators out there, not all of them can fit the bill. However, the ten we’ve picked probably can - they do everything a good domain name generator should and they do it better than their competitors.
So, it’s high time to utilize the domain name generator of your choice and start coming up with new, clever ideas for your online project.
- Some of the best web hosting services come with a free domain, should you need the whole package
