With hundreds of thousands of domains expiring every year, it can be hard to keep track of the ones you want and find them before someone else snaps them up.

The 12 Best Expired Domain Finder Sites

If you're new to the domain investment game, you may have heard of something called an expired domain finder, which can make the process much easier.

This guide will break down what these helpful tools are and which ones are the best on the market today. Before moving onto which expired domain tools will work best for your purposes, let's quickly review why you would want to buy expired domains in the first place.

Why Buy Expired Domain Names?

People "in the know" jump at the chance to buy expired domains for a number of reasons, but their reasons usually boil down to one of two fundamental interests:

  • Domain authority
  • Money

The way that people acquire expired domains will stay the same regardless of the results they're hoping to achieve.

Domain Authority

Some buy expired domain names to use the name for their own website or blog.

Repurposing domains that have expired can give you a strong SEO advantage, especially if the domain links to an authority website.

Authority sites are websites that Google and other search engines, as well as industry professionals, see as trustworthy.

If a trusted domain changes hands, the new owners will profit from the excellent reputation already established.

Expired domains also do wonders for boosting a site's SEO metrics, such as:

  • Moz Domain Authority: Moz calculates site or page authority by determining how easy it is for Google and other search engines to find the page or site and, therefore, how well it will do in search results.
  • Backlinks: Backlinks are vital components of a site's SEO plan, but they can take a long time to earn. Backlinks are links from one site to another and, in essence, become votes of confidence.

    Using an expired domain, your site will benefit from backlinks that the previous domain owner already earned. If the referring domains are especially trustworthy, they can transfer more "link juice," or credibility, to the linked-to website.

As you can see, expired domain names contain a great deal of value for people looking to get a head start on building a website or blog that will do well in search results.

Money

Domain investors are interested in buying expired domains, not to build websites with them, but so they can sell them at a profit.

There are two main ways that people make a profit by selling expired domains:

  • Domain Flipping: The concept of domain flipping is similar to house flipping in real estate.

    People buy expired domains hoping that someone will want them later and be willing to pay a higher price for them.
  • Domain Squatting: Domain squatting is the shadier cousin of link flipping. Domain squatters keep track of new trademarks and quickly buy domains that match them. If the trademark owner wants the domain, they have to pay the squatter an inflated price.

Auction websites are full of flippers and squatters hoping to profit from expired domains, so you have to be quick if you want to buy one.

What Is an Expired Domain Checker?

In short, an expired domain finder (also called an expired domain crawler or checker) is a tool that helps you search for and keep track of expiring and expired domains.

Expired Domain Checker

These invaluable tools can save you a great deal of time and effort, helping you secure the perfect domain names for your needs.

The most important thing to know is after a domain expires, when can I buy it?

Expired domain checkers work in a variety of ways:

  • Monitoring auction sites and alerting interested parties of a domain's availability
  • Crawling webpages in search of anchor text, which they check for broken links that might belong to expired domains

If you're in search of expired domains, it's worth taking advantage of these tools.

The Best Expired Domain Software

The Best Expired Domain Software

Each expired domain finder is slightly different, so we gathered the top software on the market into one place for you to compare.

Expired domain-finder summaries include the information you need to easily find the best one for you.

SpamZilla

We begin this list with SpamZilla, one of the most robust auction and expired-domain-name finders available today.

This tool not only makes finding expired domains a piece of cake, but it also qualifies the sites you're looking at so you'll know whether or not they're worth investing in.

Features include:

  • Spam Detection: The site uses a number of data points to ensure that you get clean, spam-free domains
  • Backlink Mining Tool: This tool analyzes each domain's top backlinks for quality
  • Over 80 Advanced Filters: These filters allow you to create a custom domain list so you can find exactly what you need
  • SEO Toolkit: These tools compare domain registrars, download or restore an old website, spam-check a private list of domains, and more
  • SEO Blog: There is this fantastic blog which can help you learn all about Its what happens when a domain expires etc.

SpamZilla makes it easy to find powerful domain names that will help your SEO. It's one of the best checkers on the market for finding high-value domains.

DomCop

DomCop gives you access to expired domains from auctions and both public and private drop lists.

To provide users only the highest-quality domains, DomCop runs domains through a series of checks based on over 90 industry-wide metrics from platforms like:

  • Moz
  • Domain Scope
  • SEMRush
  • Majestic

Because of DomCop's extensive filters and use of powerful metrics, you can quickly reduce a list of domains of hundreds down to only the highest-quality and most relevant domains.

DomCop checks each expired domain name for SEO spam (like backlinks with a poor link profile) as well as whether the domain shows up on a Google search.

It even goes so far as to check whether Google has ever banned the domain for previous spam-heavy practices, so you're never stuck with a dud domain name.

If you're looking to speed up your expired domain search process, DomCop is worth considering.

FreshDrop

Founded in 2007, FreshDrop is one of the oldest expired-domain browsers around. Whether you're looking to buy from an auction or from an owner willing to sell, FreshDrop can help.

FreshDrop uses metrics from industry authorities and registrars like:

  • Google
  • Yahoo
  • GoDaddy

These metrics help you accurately gauge how valuable a site is, whether you want it to promote your company's services or to sell for profit later.

FreshDrop makes your expired domain search effortless, thanks to its automated search method that lets you input your requirements so it can notify you when domains matching your needs pop up on domain lists.

This method is handy for those who don't have an endless amount of time to devote to finding the ideal domain name.

PBN Lab

PBN Lab lets users search for expired domain names manually or using keywords. Once you choose how you'd like to search, you'll have the results in several minutes.

This crawler delivers lightning-quick domain search results from sites worldwide, which you can sort using filters like domain extensions or other metrics. PBN Lab runs all results through industry metrics to verify site quality, check site links for authenticity, and so forth.

This domain crawler is easy to use, whether you're experienced and know exactly what keywords and filters to use or need some help from the company's in-house support team to get going.

The intuitive interface simplifies large amounts of data so you can focus on only what you're interested in.

With PBN Lab, you'll be on your way to the nearest domain registrar before you know it, ready to register the expired domain you were able to snag.

Domain Hunter Gatherer

Domain Hunter Gatherer employs multiple ways to find expired domains, hitting the search from all angles. Some of its search methods include:

  • Monitoring domain auction sites
  • Crawling authority sites for broken links
  • Engaging an advanced search feature using customized keywords

All Domain Hunter Gatherer pricing plans include detailed metrics and access to extensive resources such as a blog and tutorial videos. Some plans include additional features like increased speed and in-depth spam checking.

Although some crawlers have more bells and whistles than Domain Hunter Gatherer, it's a solid checker that allows you to find expired domains without wasting time, which is all you really need.

Register Compass

Register Compass constantly updates its data, so you'll know your search results will always be accurate.

The browser lets you search millions of domains using custom keywords based on your niche. You can then save the filters you chose to use again on future searches.

Once you save your search, all you have to do is click a button to refresh it next time you want an update, saving you valuable time.

The browser also lets you download data and schedule reports and alerts, making Register Compass ideal for those on the go who don't want to stay tied to a checker site all day.

ExpiredDomains.net

ExpiredDomains.net offers expired, deleted, and dropped domains on a straightforward, user-friendly interface.

Of all the checkers we tested, ExpiredDomains.net is one of the most basic, making it a strong choice for those intimidated by more robust checkers.

Even so, it may have all that you need, allowing you to search domains using custom filters and domain lists separated by:

  • Type (expired, dropped, or deleted)
  • Domain extension
  • Country codes
  • Existing links

ExpiredDomains.net isn't much to look at, but its clean, straightforward design makes it a breeze to learn and use.

Ready to Find the Perfect Expired Domain Name?

The right expired domain name can help you profit either from building your own blog or website or by reselling the domain name. Expired domain crawlers can help you find just the right domain for your needs.

If you're ready to start looking for the perfect expired domain names, you'll want to use our favorite expired domain finder on this list - SpamZilla.

SpamZilla's ease of use and in-depth analysis of metrics like backlinks make this tool the best available.

You won't waste any time finding domains with this checker, and you'll know exactly what you're getting before you buy.

For more info on SpamZilla, take a look at the company's FAQs. Already convinced?