Free tool
.com vs .io Advisor
Two questions. One opinionated answer on whether to spend on the .com, settle for .io, or use .co, based on who you serve and what you care about.
Quick answer
For almost everyone, .com is still the right extension: it carries the most trust, the best recall, and the most type-in traffic, because people default to .com whatever you tell them. Reach for .io only for a developer-facing product where the audience reads it as native, and .co only when a strong .com is gone and you want the closest clean alternative. Avoid building a brand on a hyphenated .com. Answer two questions below for an opinionated call on your specific case.
Extension advisor
Honest answer in 10 seconds. No credit card needed.
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DomainGenius
LIFETIME- ✓Every name verified available against the live registry (zero fakes)
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- ✓Brandability score for every name
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A naming agency charges $500 to $2,000 for one brand. We find domain names for up to 500 projects for $49, once.
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The honest case for .com
Type-in traffic
People drop the extension and type .com from memory. Every .io or .co quietly hands those visitors to whoever owns the matching .com.
Trust by default
Non-technical buyers read non-.com as "is this legit?" The .com removes a silent objection you never get to answer.
The buy-back tax
Almost every .io that scaled spent five or six figures buying its .com back later. Securing it early is the cheap version.
When .io / .co is fine
Developer tools at launch, or a side project you might abandon. Even then, lock the matching .com if it is affordable now.
Frequently asked questions
Is .io bad for SEO?+
Not directly, Google ranks gTLDs equally. The damage is indirect: less type-in traffic, lower trust, weaker click-through. Those human signals compound against you over time.
My .com is taken. Should I take the .io?+
Usually no. A different name with an available .com beats the same name on .io. Changing the extension keeps a problem; changing the name solves it.
What about .co?+
The least-bad alternative, it reads naturally and rarely needs spelling out. Fine for side projects, risky for a brand you plan to scale.
How do I find a name with the .com free?+
That is exactly what DomainGenius does, up to 30 brandable names per search, every one confirmed available as a .com.