What is dcs4?
dcs4 is a Domain Check Service that tracks every four-character .com name and shows which ones are available to register.
There are 1,679,616 possible four-character .com names using the letters a to z and the digits 0 to 9. On 22 October 2026 its home page showed 580,458 of them as available. Each name has a status of available, taken or unchecked and a last-checked date.
The site is read-only. It tells you what is free and links to a buy page, and registration is $15 a year with WHOIS privacy included.
Who is dcs4 for?
It is for founders, brand builders and domain investors who want a short .com name.
A four-character name is easy to type and say, which is why people hunt for them. The hard part is finding a good one that is still free, and catching one when it drops.
How does dcs4 work?
You type a pattern into the search box, scan the available matches, and either buy a name or watch a pattern for new matches.
The availability index is re-checked daily against the Verisign .com registry.
- Search: use * and ? as wildcards, for example n*, qu?? or *ak.
- Filter and sort: show letters-only names, and sort by newest, brand score, last checked or A to Z.
- Browse: start from any letter or digit and see matching names.
- Watch: save a pattern and get an alert when a matching name becomes available.
What can dcs4 do?
It searches available names, scores them, tracks names that are about to drop and offers sniping.
Taken names show a stage such as active, grace, redemption or pending delete. The site estimates that a .com drops about 75 days after expiry and that names in pending delete drop within 5 days.
- Wildcard search over the available 4-character .com names
- A brand score from 0 to 100 that is a pronounceability heuristic, with letters-only and consonant-vowel shapes such as CVCV scoring highest
- An Expiring view and a Premium view of taken letters-only names that are expiring or in the drop pipeline, with registrar, expiry date, stage and estimated drop date
- WHOIS records and expiry dates for names
- Watches on patterns, with alerts when a match becomes available
- Sniping of a name when it drops, from signed-in accounts
Can AI agents use dcs4?
Yes. dcs4 offers a remote MCP server at dcs4.com/mcp with no sign-in, and a JSON API.
The tools search available names, check up to 50 names at once, fetch one name’s full record, list expiring names and return market stats. The limit is 120 requests a minute per IP address. Agents cannot register a domain for you. They hand you the buy link and you complete checkout while signed in.
How much does dcs4 cost?
The index and search are free. Pro costs $29 a month, and sniping is $19 per domain.
No card is needed to browse the free index. The brand score filter (55+, 70+, 85+) is marked as a Pro feature, and early access to newly available high-scoring names is also a Pro feature.
- Free: the full availability index and search, WHOIS records and expiry dates, and sniping at $19 per domain with $15 refunded if the name is not obtained.
- Pro, $29 a month: everything in Free plus full dropped-domain search, full list exports, an AI domain chat assistant and email alerts on wins and losses.
Alternatives to dcs4
Short .com names are usually found through registrar searches, expired-domain research tools or drop-catching services. dcs4 combines a pattern search, drop tracking and sniping for the four-character space only.
- NamecheapA domain registrar with a search that checks whether a name is available across many extensions.namecheap.com ↗
- ExpiredDomains.netA research tool that lists expired and deleted domains across many extensions, with filters.expireddomains.net ↗
- DropCatchA drop-catching service that tries to register domains as they are deleted.dropcatch.com ↗
How dcs4 compares
| Option | Best for | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| dcs4 | Finding and watching available 4-character .com names by pattern | Covers only four-character .com names, and some features such as alerts, exports and the brand score filter need Pro |
| Namecheap | Checking and registering a name you already have in mind, in any extension | Not built for browsing every available 4-character .com by pattern |
| ExpiredDomains.net | Broad research on expiring and deleted domains of every length | Wider and busier than a single-purpose four-character index |
| DropCatch | Backordering a specific domain that is about to drop | Focused on catching names, not on searching for short names by pattern |
dcs4 is the simplest fit if you want a four-character .com and would rather search the whole available list by pattern than guess names one by one. If you need other lengths or extensions, or a dedicated backorder service, one of the alternatives may suit you better.
Questions people ask about dcs4
What is dcs4?
A lookup service for all four-character .com domains. It shows which are available, searches them with wildcards and tracks names that are about to drop.
Who is dcs4 for?
Founders, brand builders and domain investors looking for short .com names.
Is dcs4 free?
The availability index, search, WHOIS records and expiry dates are free and need no card. Pro costs $29 a month for dropped-domain search, exports, an AI chat assistant and email alerts.
How many domains does dcs4 track?
All 1,679,616 possible four-character .com names. On 22 October 2026 it listed 580,458 as available.
How often is the data updated?
Availability is re-checked daily against the Verisign .com registry, and each name shows when it was last checked.
How do wildcards work?
Use * for any run of characters and ? for a single character. For example n*, qu?? and *ak.
What is the brand score?
A number from 0 to 100 that estimates how pronounceable and brandable a name is. Letters-only names and consonant-vowel shapes such as CVCV score highest. It is a heuristic, not a valuation.
How much does it cost to register a name?
The buy button shows $15 a year, and WHOIS privacy is included.
What is sniping?
Sniping tries to register a name the moment it drops. It costs $19 per domain, and $15 is refunded if dcs4 does not get the name.
Can I use dcs4 from an AI assistant?
Yes. There is a remote MCP server at dcs4.com/mcp and a JSON API, limited to 120 requests a minute per IP. Agents cannot buy for you, only hand over the buy link.
What are the alternatives to dcs4?
You can use a general registrar search such as Namecheap, a broad expired-domain research tool such as ExpiredDomains.net, or a drop-catching service such as DropCatch. Each covers a different part of the job.
How does dcs4 compare with a registrar’s domain search?
dcs4 is focused on one namespace, four-character .com names, and lets you search the whole available list by pattern. A registrar search checks names you already have in mind and covers every extension.
