How to pick a domain name for your app
A practical process for choosing an app domain: naming rules, .com vs .app vs .dev, trademark and store-name checks, and a scoring checklist you can reuse.
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A domain name is one of the few launch decisions that is expensive to change later. Links, app store listings, email addresses, OAuth redirect URLs and search rankings all point at it. This guide gives a repeatable process for choosing one: generate candidates, filter them with hard rules, run legal and availability checks, then score the survivors.
It is based on official registry, app store and trademark office documentation; it is not legal advice.
Step 1: decide what the domain must do
Write one sentence: who the app is for and what it does. Then decide:
- Brand or description? A brandable name (“Linear”, “Notion”) is short and ownable but needs explaining. A descriptive name (“invoice-tracker”) explains itself but is harder to trademark and to expand beyond.
- Will the app name and domain match? Matching is ideal, but a prefix or suffix (“get”, “app”, “hq”) is a common, acceptable compromise when the exact name is taken.
- Global or local? A country-code domain (.no, .de, .co.uk) signals a local business. A generic TLD suits an app sold worldwide.
Step 2: generate 20–30 candidates
Useful patterns:
| Pattern | Example shape |
|---|---|
| Real word, new context | a noun related to the outcome |
| Compound | two short words joined |
| Modified word | a dropped or added letter, a suffix such as -ly or -ify |
| Verb + noun | what the user does |
| Name + prefix/suffix | get-, try-, use-, -app, -hq |
Do not filter yet. Quantity first.
Step 3: apply the hard rules
Cross out any candidate that fails one of these:
- Say it once, type it right. Read it aloud to someone; can they type it without asking how it is spelled?
- No hyphens or digits, unless they are part of the brand. They are hard to say out loud.
- Under about 15 characters before the TLD.
- No accidental words when the letters run together. Write it in lowercase with no spaces and read it again.
- No existing well-known brand inside it. Including someone else’s trademark is a legal and store-review risk.
- Fits the app store title limit. Google Play allows 30 characters for the app name, and the name plus a short descriptor should fit.
Step 4: choose the TLD
| TLD | Strengths | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| .com | The default people type; works everywhere | Short names are rarely available |
| .app | Clearly an app; on the HSTS preload list, so HTTPS is required on every connection | Your site must serve HTTPS (most hosts do this automatically) |
| .dev | Developer-tool audience | Also on the HSTS preload list, so HTTPS-only; less suitable for consumer apps |
| .io / .co | Familiar in tech | Pricing varies by registrar; check renewal |
| Country code (.no, .de…) | Trust for a local audience | Some have residency or registration rules |
Google Registry states that “.app is included on the HSTS preload list, making HTTPS required on all connections,” with no individual configuration needed. That is a security benefit, but it also means plain HTTP redirects and local tests on the real domain will not work without TLS.
Rule: if the .com is available at a normal price, take it. If not, a matching .app is a strong second choice for a consumer app; .dev suits developer tools. Consider buying the .com later if the project takes off, and redirect it.
Step 5: run the availability checks
For each surviving candidate, check:
- Domain availability and renewal price at your registrar (for example Cloudflare, Porkbun or Namecheap). Note the renewal price, not just the first-year price. See best domain registrar for side projects.
- Trademarks. Search the trademark databases for the markets you will sell in: the USPTO trademark search for the US, the EUIPO’s eSearch or the TMview database (which covers many national offices) for Europe. Look for identical or similar names in the same class of goods and services (software is commonly in Class 9 and online services in Class 42).
- App stores. Search Google Play and the App Store for apps with the same or a confusingly similar name.
- Social handles and package names. Check the handle on the platforms you will use, and whether a matching npm package or GitHub organization is free if those matter to you.
- Search results. Search the name. If the first page is dominated by an unrelated, established product, you will struggle to rank.
Step 6: score the finalists
Score each finalist 1–5 on each line and add them up:
| Criterion | Weight |
|---|---|
| Easy to say and spell | × 3 |
| Available as .com (or your chosen TLD) at a normal renewal price | × 3 |
| No trademark or app-store conflicts found | × 3 |
| Short (fewer characters is better) | × 2 |
| Says something about the product or feeling | × 1 |
| Social handles available | × 1 |
Worked example. Two finalists for a habit-tracking app:
- Candidate A: easy to say (5), .com available (5), no conflicts (4), 9 characters (4), evocative (3), handles available (2). Score = 15 + 15 + 12 + 8 + 3 + 2 = 55.
- Candidate B: easy to say (3), only .app available (3), no conflicts (5), 6 characters (5), evocative (5), handles available (5). Score = 9 + 9 + 15 + 10 + 5 + 5 = 53.
Close scores are normal. When they are close, prefer the one people can spell after hearing it once.
Step 7: register and protect it
- Register for at least two years if you are committed, and turn on auto-renew.
- Enable two-factor authentication and the registrar lock.
- Consider registering the most common misspelling or the .com of an .app name if it is cheap, and redirect it with a 301 to the main domain. Never serve the same site on two domains: search engines treat it as duplicate content.
- Set up the domain’s DNS and email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) before you send any email from it.
Mistakes to avoid
- Choosing a name you cannot trademark because it is purely descriptive.
- Buying a premium-priced domain before you have users.
- Picking a .app or .dev domain without knowing it is HTTPS-only.
- Forgetting the store name limit and ending up with a different name in the store than on the web.
- Registering the domain under someone else’s account (an agency or a freelancer). The registrant should be you or your company.
A 30-minute version of this process
If you need a name today:
- Write the one-sentence description of the app (2 minutes).
- Brainstorm 25 candidates without judging them (10 minutes).
- Cross out anything that fails the hard rules in Step 3 (5 minutes).
- Check domain availability and renewal price for the top ten (5 minutes).
- Search the trademark databases and both app stores for the top five (6 minutes).
- Score the top three with the table in Step 6 and pick the winner (2 minutes).
Then sleep on it, say it out loud to two people the next day, and register it if nobody stumbles over the spelling.
FAQ
Does a keyword in the domain help SEO? Not much on its own. Search engines rank pages on content and links far more than on the domain name. A memorable brand usually earns more links and direct visits than a keyword-stuffed domain.
Should I buy every TLD of my name? No. Buy the main domain and, at most, one or two obvious alternatives (the .com of an .app name, a common misspelling). Redirect them with a 301 to the main domain and let the rest go.
What if the .com is owned but unused? You can contact the owner or use a broker, but premium domains can cost far more than a normal registration. Before you have users, a good alternative name is usually the better investment.
Can I change the domain later? Yes, with 301 redirects from the old domain, but you lose some link equity and must update store listings, OAuth settings, email and printed material. Choosing carefully now is cheaper.
Sources
- Google Registry: .app domains
- Google Registry: .dev domains
- Google Play: Store listing character limits
- USPTO: Search our trademark database
- EUIPO: eSearch plus
- TMview
- WIPO: Nice Classification
- ICANN Transfer Policy
Last verified: . Prices, limits and policies come from the official pages listed under Sources, not from hands-on testing. Providers change them often, so confirm on the provider's own page before you buy. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.