Appraise a Domain

Estimates are informational only and do not constitute professional appraisals. Actual market value may vary significantly.

Exactly How This Appraisal Is Calculated

Unlike black-box appraisal tools, we publish our methodology. Every domain starts at a baseline score of 500 out of 1000, then gains or loses points on transparent rules:

FactorAdjustmentWhy
Length ≤ 3 characters+200Three-character .coms are a fixed, exhausted supply — every combination has been registered since 1997
Length 4–5 characters+150Short enough to type, brand and remember; the core of the brandable market
Length 6–8 characters+80Still compact; most one-word English domains fall here
All letters, no digits+60Letters-only names are radio-testable — they survive being spoken aloud
Contains hyphens−100Hyphenated names leak traffic to the unhyphenated version and signal a second-choice registration
Contains numbers−50Digits create the "5 or five?" ambiguity (exception: number brands in some Asian markets)
.com+200The default extension in every market; commands 70–80% of aftermarket dollar volume
.ai / .io / .co+100–130Genuine end-user demand in tech; .ai in particular has re-rated sharply since 2023
.net / .org+70–80Legacy trust, but a shrinking buyer pool of end users

The final score maps to a letter grade (A+ at 800+, down to F below 350) and a dollar range produced by multiplying the score against market multipliers. When a commercial appraisal API key is configured in theme settings, that provider's model is used instead.

What No Algorithm Can Price

Honest appraisal tools acknowledge their blind spots. An algorithm cannot see that a funded startup just rebranded to exactly your domain's name (the single biggest price event a domain can experience), cannot judge whether a made-up word sounds like a brand or a prescription drug, and cannot know that two bidders want the same name — auctions, not formulas, produce record prices. Wikipedia's list of most expensive domains is a catalog of numbers no model predicted: voice.com at $30M, sex.com at $13M, ai.com reportedly in eight figures. Use the score as a sanity check and a negotiation floor, never as a promise.

Turning an Appraisal Into a Price

Sellers: list at 2–4× the algorithmic mid-point for inbound inquiries — end users anchor against your ask, and you can only negotiate down. Buyers: open at 30–50% of the appraisal and let comparable sales (check our Sale History tool) do the arguing. Both sides should remember the liquidity rule: a domain "worth" $5,000 is worth that only to the right buyer, and finding that buyer routinely takes years. Wholesale prices between investors run at 10–20% of end-user retail for exactly that reason.

Disclaimer: All valuations are estimates generated by an algorithm for informational purposes only. For professional appraisals, consult a certified domain broker or use established appraisal services. Past sales do not guarantee future performance.

Frequently Asked Questions

Each weighs factors differently and trains on different sales data — and most sales are private, so every model extrapolates from a biased sample. Treat any single number as an opinion; the average of several tools plus recent comparable sales is far more reliable.
The estimate is a retail end-user range, achievable only when the right buyer appears. Between investors the same domain trades at a steep discount. Think of the grade as inventory quality, and the price as the ceiling a motivated end user might pay.
Existing type-in traffic is directly monetizable and raises value meaningfully. Age by itself adds little — a bad name from 1996 is still a bad name — but age correlates with backlinks and history, which do matter. Audit those separately before buying.
Trademark conflict. A domain infringing a live trademark is not an asset but a liability — it can be taken through a UDRP proceeding, and "I registered it first" is not a defense when the mark predates the registration. Search USPTO/EUIPO databases before every purchase.
Licensed brokers at major marketplaces provide paid appraisals with sales-comp documentation, typically $50–$300. For six-figure names, engage a specialist brokerage — their fee buys market knowledge no automated tool has.