Expired .net domains
Expiring and recently deleted .net domains, found in the daily .net zone file, with archive history, a spam check, a quality score and a buy link for every name. Filter by keyword, length, age and spam.
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About expired .net domains
.net was launched in 1985 and is run by Verisign. It is the original extension for networks and internet services, now a common second choice after .com. Tech firms, hosting and software brands, and owners of the matching .com protecting their name.
When expired .net names drop
Every .net name follows ICANN's expiry rules. After the expiry date the registrar can hold the name for a grace period (up to 45 days) and often auctions it. If nobody renews or buys it, the registrar deletes it: the name leaves the .net zone, spends 30 days in redemption (the owner can still restore it, for a fee) and then 5 days in pending delete, after which the registry releases it and anyone can register it. We see the name leave the zone and estimate its drop about 35 days later, marked estimate on the list. Use the drop date calculator or the domain checker to see the exact status of any name.
Where this .net list comes from
We read the full .net zone file every day through ICANN's Centralized Zone Data Service and list every name that has left it. Nothing is copied from other expired-domain sites. Once a name drops, we ask the .net registry directly whether it has been registered again, so just dropped shows which ones are free.
.net has its own cartoon character in the FreedDomains gang. Meet the .net character for more on .net and a buying tip.
What the columns mean
- History: the year the Internet Archive first saw a website on the name, and how many years it was captured. This is website history, not registration age.
- Spam: our own 0 to 100 score from the archived URLs and history: gambling, adult, pharmacy, replica or loan pages, Chinese/Japanese keyword spam, mass-generated pages and long spells of redirects all raise it. Hover or tap the score for the reasons. It is an estimate, not Moz's Spam Score.
- Authority: the name's rank in Common Crawl's public web graph (lower is stronger), a free measure of how well linked it is across the web.
- Wiki: how many Wikipedia articles link to the name (English Wikipedia, plus the country's own edition for extensions such as .se, .it and .hu), from Wikipedia's own public data. Links from Wikipedia are a strong sign the old site was real and trusted. A dash means not checked yet.
- Old site topic: what the old website was about, worked out from the words in the addresses of its archived pages (such as /menu or /recipes), so you can find a name whose past matches your plans. Shown once the name's archive history has been checked.
- MM: the rank in the Majestic Million, Majestic's free daily list of the million sites with links from the most different networks (subnets). Any expiring name in it is rare and still well linked. Hover for its number of referring subnets; a dash means it is not in the list. Turn the column on in the Column manager.
- Old site: how many pages Common Crawl's recent crawls fetched on the name and the main language of their content. A name whose old pages are in a language that does not fit its extension often had spam on it. A dash means not checked yet; turn the column on in the Column manager.
- Words and topic: under each name, the dictionary words it splits into and its topic, so you can filter for keyword or brandable names. Pattern uses C for a consonant, V for a vowel and N for a number, so CVCV finds names like "bako".
- Other TLDs: how many of .com, .net, .org, .co.uk, .io, .de and .info are already registered with the same name. Names taken in many extensions are usually valued keywords.
- DA, TF, DR: Moz, Majestic and Ahrefs metrics, shown where we have measured them. A dash means not measured, never zero.
Before you buy
Look at the old captures, check the backlinks and search for trademarks before buying: our domain history checklist covers each step. Other lists: just dropped, caught domains, dropping in 24 hours, all expired domains, top picks, .uk drop list, .se drop list, .nu drop list, .hu drop list, .au drop list, .fr drop list, .it drop list.
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Frequently asked questions
How do I buy an expired .net domain?
If the name has already dropped and the registry has no record of it, register it at any registrar: the Buy button on the list takes you straight there. If it is still pending delete, wait for the drop date, or place backorders with drop-catching services if other people are likely to want it.
How long until an expired .net domain is free?
Usually about 35 days after the registrar deletes it: 30 days of redemption and 5 days of pending delete. The owner can still renew during redemption, so some names leave the list without dropping.
Is an expired .net domain safe to use?
Most are, but check the history first. Our spam score flags gambling, pharmacy, adult and mass-generated pages from the archive, and the domain checker shows its registry status. Our red flags guide covers the rest.
Are .net domains worth buying?
For a short or meaningful name, yes: .net is widely recognised, especially for tech and network businesses.