Thankful for These Domain Tools

There is not one perfect domain industry tool that does everything I need. In fact, there are quite a few tools I use regularly, often in conjunction with each other. I use many of these tools to better my domain portfolio, and I use some of these tools for blog-related industry research. I am thankful for all of these tools I use nearly every day:

DomainTools Registrant Alert (paid) – I track the inbound and registrations of a number of companies that make domain name acquisitions or sales that would be notable or newsworthy.

DomainTools Historical Whois (paid) – This tool allows me to see prior registrants of domain names in the past, which is very helpful when I write about domain name sales and/or UDRP filings. The information is also helpful in doing due diligence.

DomainTools Brand Monitor (paid) – I am able to track various keywords (like brand names) to see if companies are buying domain names that might be newsworthy.

ExpiredDomains.net (free) – I used this tool sporadically over the years but never on a regular basis. Over the last few weeks, I have created several helpful searches that are more powerful than on the sites themselves. I am sure I am underutilizing this tool but I am a fan.

Dropping.pro (paid) – I receive three emails from Dropping.pro each morning with names coming up for auction that meet parameters I set. Whether I am sitting at home or on vacation in another country, my morning (or whatever timezone) routine always involves Dropping.pro. One hidden benefit to Dropping.pro is the lead generation tool, which may be the same as its sister site, Estibot.

DomainIQ (paid) – When evaluating a domain names, I can easily see other domain names in the portfolio and can filter them by value. It is also easy to search for domain names on a nameserver, depending on the size of that list. I also supplement some historical Whois searches using the DomainIQ tool when data is missing at DomainTools.

NameBio (free or paid) – NameBio is a great source of historical domain name sales data. Whether I am buying a domain name and want to find comparable sales, looking to support a price with comps, or writing an article about a domain name and need to see if it previously sold, NameBio has the data I need.

DNJournal (free) – Every week, I look for the DNJournal weekly domain name sales report to see what domain names moved and where they were sold. I also regularly reference the year to date sale report.

Domaining.com (free) – While some people might not consider Domaining.com to be a tool, I find it invaluable to be able to see the domain industry headlines at any given time. As a blog publisher, I also appreciate that people visit my website via Domaining.com.

Dofo.com (free) – I do not use Dofo as much as I could, but there is a tremendous amount of data available to search.

UDRPSearch.com (free) – I use this tool to track and see UDRP filings.

UDRP.Tools (free) – I use this tool for in-depth UDRP searches.

Archive.org (free) – The Internet Archive is a great tool to see how a website previously looked at different points of time. This is particularly helpful when I write blog posts about domain names, but it can also be helpful in tracking down contact information for domain registrants I want to contact.

Honorable Mention – While I do not use these tools on a daily/regular basis, these companies and businesses produce valuable (and free) industry reports annually or quarterly, and while they aren’t “tools” per se, I am thankful to be able to use them.

InterNetX and Sedo – Global Domain Report
Escrow.com – Quarterly Report
LMX – Liquid Market Report
Radix – Revenue Reports
Guta – Premium Domain Sales Observation Report