Answers, grouped by what you are trying to do.
Support is for when something breaks. This is for everything else — choosing a name, judging a price, buying safely, and selling one of your own.
Browse by task
Choosing a name
What makes a name work, and how to narrow twenty candidates to one.
Understanding price
Why two similar names can be $2,000 apart, and what comps to trust.
Buying safely
Escrow, partner checkout, and what to verify before you pay.
Selling a name
Listing it, verifying ownership, and where the money arrives.
Your account
Watchlist, saved domains, and what happens after you register.
Full guides
The longer frameworks, with the reasoning and the caveats.
The short answers
Choosing a name
What actually makes a domain name brandable?
Three tests, in order: can someone spell it after hearing it once, can they recall it a week later without writing it down, and does it avoid meaning something embarrassing in another language. Length helps — two or three syllables — but inventiveness matters more than shortness. StudyForge beats Stdyfrj.
Should I buy the .com even if the .app is cheaper?
If your buyers, partners or investors are non-technical, yes — .com removes a hesitation you will otherwise answer in every meeting. If the product is unmistakably an app or an AI tool, .app or .ai communicates intent instantly and usually costs far less. Many founders own one and redirect the other.
How many candidates should I shortlist?
Ten, then cut to three. Cutting matters more than generating: the discipline that removes names is what leaves you with one you will still like in three years.
Understanding price
Why is one .app $5,995 and another $43,995?
Demand for the word, pronounceability, how easily it is misspelled, and whether it maps to a category buyers are actively funding. Two names of identical length can differ by 7×. This is why we show an asking figure per listing rather than a formula — and why a low asking price is not automatically a good deal.
Is the asking price an appraisal?
No, and we say so wherever a figure appears. It is the seller's number. Comparable sales are available on request, and you should treat the asking price as a starting position rather than a valuation.
What is a "brand score" and should I trust it?
A 0–100 heuristic based on length, speakability and category fit. It is a comparison tool, not a valuation, and it deliberately does not try to price a name. A high score with a weak category fit is still a weak buy.
Buying safely
Where does the payment happen?
Never here. DN Detector does not process payments. You complete the purchase on the marketplace linked on that listing — Spaceship, Atom, Dynadot, Afternic or Sav — and that marketplace holds the payment and the transfer.
What does escrow actually protect?
Escrow keeps the buyer's money with a neutral third party until the domain has transferred. It protects both sides: the buyer is not out of pocket if the transfer fails, and the seller is not handing over a name without payment. It is available only where the partner marketplace offers it — we say so on the listing rather than implying it always applies.
What should I check before paying?
That the listing's partner link resolves to the actual name, that the asking price matches what the marketplace shows, and that the domain is not under a transfer lock. All three are visible before you commit.
Selling a name
Does it cost anything to list?
No. Listing is free. Commission is agreed in writing before a name goes live, and only applies on a completed sale.
How do you confirm I own the domain?
A TXT record or a small verification file on the domain itself. You keep control of the name throughout — verification proves ownership without transferring anything, and you can remove the record afterwards.
Can I sell without the name appearing publicly?
Yes. Our brokers run quiet outreach to buyers already naming a product in your category. Use the sourcing request and say you want it handled off-market.
Your account
Why create an account at all?
The watchlist, saved domains and your submitted names are stored on the account rather than in the browser, so they follow you between devices and are not lost when you clear cookies.
Do you sell on my email address?
No. See the privacy policy for exactly what is collected, why, and how long it is kept.
I forgot which email I registered with
Try the password reset with each address you own. If none arrive, contact us from a current address and tell us the domain you had saved, and we will locate the account.
Question not answered here?
Ask us directly — we would rather answer it once and write it into this page than have the next person wonder the same thing.