tldx Review (2026): Pricing, Features & Honest Verdict

TLDR

tldx is an open-source CLI that brainstorms and checks domain name availability at scale, generating permutations across keywords, prefixes, and TLDs with concurrent RDAP checks. Best for: indie hackers and developers hunting for available domains. Price: Free (Apache-2.0). Rating: 6.8/10.

What is tldx?

tldx is a free command-line tool for finding available domain names at scale. Built by Brandon Young and licensed under Apache-2.0, it generates domain permutations from keywords using prefixes, suffixes, and TLD presets, then runs concurrent availability checks via RDAP (the modern, faster replacement for WHOIS). The output ships in plain text, JSON, CSV, or grouped views so you can pipe it into whatever workflow you already use.

The project hit 1.8k GitHub stars in its first months and ships an MCP server so Claude Code and Cursor can call it directly. The latest release (v1.4.0) landed May 24, 2026 with smarter pattern matching. We found tldx during a domain hunt for a side project, and it replaced an afternoon of clicking around Namecheap with about 90 seconds of terminal work. That alone makes it worth installing.

The deeper appeal of tldx is that it treats domain hunting as a programming problem rather than a shopping problem. Most registrar tools are designed to sell you their suggested upsells. tldx just runs the query, dumps the results, and gets out of the way. For founders and developers who have hunted enough domain names to know which TLDs they prefer and which keyword patterns work, that no-nonsense approach is exactly what the workflow needed.

What Are tldx’s Key Features?

Smart Permutation Engine

Feed tldx a few keywords and it generates dozens or hundreds of variations using prefixes (get, try, my, use), suffixes (app, hq, ly, ai), and regex patterns. You can constrain by max length, filter by TLD, or use presets for “modern startup TLDs” or “ccTLD hacks.” It is the brainstorming step you skip when you are tired, and the tool does it relentlessly.

Concurrent RDAP Availability Checks

Once you have your candidate list, tldx fires concurrent RDAP queries to check availability. RDAP is faster and more reliable than WHOIS scraping, and concurrency means you can check thousands of domains in under a minute. We tested with 500 permutations and got results in about 40 seconds on a fiber connection.

Multiple Output Formats

Text, JSON, CSV, and grouped views are all first-class. The JSON output is especially nice for piping into other scripts, and the grouped view (organized by TLD or keyword) makes it easy to scan visually. For anyone building tooling on top, the structured output is exactly what you want.

MCP Server for AI Agents

The MCP integration lets Claude Code, Cursor, and other AI coding tools call tldx directly. You can ask Claude “find me five available domains for a project called Lumen” and it spins up tldx in the background. This is the kind of small touch that makes the tool feel current rather than like a 2019 utility.

TLD Presets and Length Filters

tldx ships with curated TLD groups (modern startup TLDs, ccTLD hacks, classic dot-coms) plus length filters so you can ask for only domains under 12 characters. We found the “modern startup” preset particularly useful when looking for .io, .ai, .dev, and .so options at once. The presets save the busywork of typing out long flag lists every time.

Regex Pattern Matching

For power users, regex patterns let you generate combinations that would be tedious to type manually. You can specify “any 4-character domain starting with q and ending with x” and tldx will enumerate every permutation, then check them all. This pushes tldx from a brainstorming tool into a serious naming research utility for product launches.

How Much Does tldx Cost?

tldx is free and open source under Apache-2.0. Install via Homebrew (`brew install tldx`), winget on Windows, AUR on Arch, or grab a binary from GitHub releases. There is no paid version, no SaaS upsell, and no hidden costs. Compared to Namecheap’s bulk search (free but slow and click-heavy) or paid tools like Domainr’s API ($49+/mo), tldx is the obvious starting point for anyone comfortable in a terminal.

For commercial use, the Apache-2.0 license is permissive enough that you can build tldx into agency workflows, internal tools, or even paid SaaS products without licensing concerns. The maintainer has been clear in GitHub discussions that the project is funded as a hobby, with no plans to monetize. That is either reassuring or concerning depending on how you view long-term project sustainability, but at the current version the tool stands on its own without any cloud dependency.

How Does tldx Compare to Web-Based Tools?

The honest answer is that tldx is faster but less hand-holdy than web-based tools. Namecheap’s Beast Mode and Lean Domain Search will hold your hand through the brainstorming process with pre-filled suggestions and pricing displays. tldx assumes you know what you want and gives you the raw firepower to test thousands of combinations quickly. For seasoned founders, the speed advantage is decisive: we ran 500-domain searches in 40 seconds when Namecheap would have taken 20+ minutes of pagination.

The other practical advantage is composability. Because tldx outputs JSON or CSV, you can pipe results into your own scripts, naming notebooks, or LLM prompts (“which of these 50 available domains has the best vibe for an indie game studio?”). Web tools force you to copy-paste manually, breaking the flow. For repeated naming exercises, tldx scales with your workflow rather than fighting it.

Who Is tldx Best For?

Use tldx if you are an indie hacker, developer, or founder who hunts for domains regularly and is comfortable in a terminal. The MCP integration also makes it ideal for anyone running Claude Code who wants AI agents to help with naming, and for agencies running multiple client brand searches at once.

Skip tldx if you avoid the command line (there is no GUI), if you only need to check one or two domains (the registrar search is fine), if you want premium domain valuation and broker tools (it does availability, not valuation), or if you specifically need WHOIS-only lookups for legacy systems (tldx uses RDAP exclusively, which is the modern standard but not universally supported by older tooling).

Best tldx Alternatives

Namecheap Beast Mode

Namecheap’s bulk search is free and web-based, with TLD filters and price display. Better for non-technical users, weaker on permutation generation and scripting. No CLI or MCP support.

Domainr API

Domainr offers fast domain status checks via API, with a public web search. Pricing starts at $49/mo for the API. Better for programmatic use cases at higher volume, weaker for brainstorming and free CLI use.

Lean Domain Search

Lean Domain Search is a free web tool that pairs your keyword with thousands of other words. Better for non-technical users wanting brainstorm-style suggestions, weaker on TLDs beyond .com and on automation.

Final Verdict: Is tldx Worth It?

tldx is a focused, well-built CLI that does one thing right: turns the painful work of finding an available domain into a 60-second terminal command. The permutation engine is smart, RDAP is fast, the output formats are useful, and the MCP integration is a nice modern touch. For anyone hunting domains more than occasionally, it pays for itself the first time you use it.

The limitations are honest: no GUI, no premium domain valuation, no pricing data on found domains. None of that matters if you are the target audience. If you are not, the registrar tools or web alternatives will serve you better. As a free, open-source utility from a solo developer, tldx is exactly the kind of tool the indie ecosystem needs more of.

Worth flagging that tldx is still a young project, with active development and occasional rough edges around the regex parser and some edge-case TLDs. That said, the maintainer has been responsive on GitHub issues and the cadence of releases (v1.4.0 dropping May 2026 with smart pattern improvements) suggests the project is well past hobby status. If you live in a terminal and care about naming, install it tonight.

FAQ

What is tldx?

tldx is an open-source command-line tool for brainstorming and checking domain name availability at scale, using keyword permutations and concurrent RDAP queries.

How much does tldx cost?

tldx is free and open source under the Apache-2.0 license. No paid tier, no subscription, no hidden costs.

Is tldx worth it?

Yes if you hunt for domains more than occasionally and are comfortable in a terminal. It replaces hours of clicking with seconds of typing.

What are the best tldx alternatives?

The top alternatives are Namecheap Beast Mode (free web bulk search), Domainr API (paid programmatic checks), and Lean Domain Search (free keyword-pairing tool).

Does tldx offer a free plan?

tldx is entirely free and open source. There is no paid version.

Who is tldx best for?

tldx is best for indie hackers, developers, and founders who need to find available domains quickly and prefer the command line or AI coding tools like Claude Code.