If you've ever tried to launch a new website, a side project, or even just a fun little blog, you know the pain. That gut-wrenching, soul-crushing cycle of brainstorming the perfect name, typing it into a registrar's search bar with trembling fingers, and seeing that big, red, soul-destroying message: TAKEN. You go through five, ten, fifty variations. You start adding hyphens. You consider a .biz domain. It's a dark place.
I’ve been there more times than I care to admit. The graveyard of my Google Docs is filled with lists of brilliant names that now host abandoned WordPress installs from 2012. So, when I hear about a new tool that claims to use AI to break this cycle, my inner SEO geek gets a little tingly. But my cynical side, the one that's been burned by a thousand “domain unavailable” messages, just raises an eyebrow. The latest tool to cross my desk is called Name Brewery. It promises to be an AI-powered domain name generator. But is it just another name-masher-upper, or is there something more to it? I had to find out.
So, What Exactly is Name Brewery?
On the surface, Name Brewery looks clean and simple. The main page (as you can see in the image) gets straight to the point: “Describe your business or website.” It’s not just asking for keywords; it’s asking for a vibe, a concept. This is where the AI part comes in. Instead of you plugging in “pet” and “food” and getting back petfood.com (taken), pet-food.com (ugly), and mypetfood.net (desperate), it tries to understand your intent.
Think of it less like a dictionary and more like a creative partner. You give it a brief, like “a subscription box for artisanal coffee from South America,” and it doesn't just shuffle those words around. It brews up (pun absolutely intended) new ideas, concepts, and word combinations that you might not have considered. And here's the kicker: it checks for availability in real-time. That alone is a massive time-saver.
My First Spin: A Test Drive with a Cat Cafe
Alright, theory is great, but I had to get my hands dirty. Following the prompt on their site, I decided to go with one of their examples: “a cat cafe.” Simple, clear, and a concept ripe for cutesy, punny names. I typed it in and hit “Generate domains.”
The results were… surprisingly good. I didn’t just get “CatCafeOnline.” The AI spat out a list of suggestions, each with a little green “Available” or red “Taken” tag right next to it. But then I saw the feature that made me sit up a little straighter. Next to each name was a tiny link to its archive.org history. Now that is interesting.
The SEO's Secret Weapon: That Archive.org Check
For most people, that little link is just a curiosity. For anyone in the SEO world, it’s a potential goldmine. Why? Because it’s the quickest way to check if a domain is truly “new” or if it’s an “aged domain.”
An aged domain is one that was registered and used in the past but has since expired. These domains can sometimes come with a pre-existing backlink profile and a bit of history in Google's eyes. Finding a clean, relevant, aged domain can give a new site a small head start. It's a strategy that's been debated for years in SEO forums, with some swearing by it and others, like Google's own John Mueller, suggesting it's probably not worth the effort. Personally, I think the truth is somewhere in the middle. A good, relevant aged domain is better than a brand new one, but a spammy, irrelevant one is poison.
Name Brewery doesn’t do the deep analysis for you, but by providing that one-click history check, it cuts out a tedious first step in the domain-hunting process. It turns the tool from a simple name generator into a prospecting tool for SEOs. Huge plus in my book.
The Good, The Quirky, and The Price Tag
After playing around with it for a while, I’ve got a pretty good feel for the platform. It’s not perfect, but it’s got a lot going for it.
What I Genuinly Liked
The AI is pretty clever. It’s not just sticking prefixes and suffixes onto your keywords. It comes up with brandable, catchy names. For my cat cafe, I saw things that were genuinely creative. The instant availability check is a godsend, period. And the ability to sign up and save a list of your favorite generated names is a simple but brilliant feature. No more frantic copy-pasting into a notepad file you’ll never find again.
The Minor Hiccups
The biggest hurdle is the generation limit. You get 3 free generations to start. If you sign up for a free account, that bumps up to 15. Is that enough? For one project, maybe. If you’re a bit indecisive or want to explore a lot of angles, you'll burn through those credits fast. It’s a classic freemium model, designed to give you a taste and then nudge you toward a paid plan.
Let's Talk Money: The Name Brewery Pricing Plans
So what happens when your 15 free credits run out? You've got to open your wallet. The pricing structure is pretty straightforward.
| Plan | Price | What You Get | My Take |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 / forever | 15 domain generations, saved archive | Perfect for a one-off project or just to see if you like the tool. No brainer to try. |
| Plus | $12 / month | Up to 50 domain generations per month, saved archive | This feels like the sweet spot. If you're a freelancer, a serial side-hustler, or a small agency, 50 searches a month is plenty to find gems for your projects. |
| Pro | $120 / month | Up to 1,000 domain generations per month, saved archive | This is for the power users. We're talking domainers who buy and sell domains for a living, or larger agencies that are constantly pitching new brands. That's a big jump in price, but also a massive jump in volume. |
A Fun Little Extra: The Other Generators
Tucked away in the footer of their site is a list of other free name generators: Baby, Middle, Country, Boat, and Restaurant names. Are they useful for my day-to-day SEO work? Not really. But it’s a fun little addition. It shows a bit of personality and makes the site feel less like a sterile, single-purpose machine. It's a nice touch, and hey, if I ever buy a boat, I know where I’m going first.
Frequently Asked Questions About Name Brewery
Is Name Brewery really free to use?
Yes, but with limits. You get 3 generations right away, and if you create a free account, you get a total of 15 generations and the ability to save your lists. For more than that, you'll need to subscribe to a paid plan.
How good is the AI at generating names?
In my experience, it's surprisingly creative. It's much better than a simple keyword spinner. It seems to understand context and can produce brandable, memorable names. Of course, you'll still get some duds, but the hit rate is pretty decent.
Is buying an aged domain from the suggestions a good idea?
It can be, but you have to be careful. Use the archive.org link to see what the site used to be. Was it a legitimate business in your niche, or was it a spammy link farm? A clean, relevant history can be a small boost; a bad history can be a major liability. Always do your due diligence.
How accurate is the domain availability checker?
It seems very accurate in my tests. It's likely pulling data directly from registrar APIs. That said, I'd always recommend double-checking on your preferred domain registrar's site (like GoDaddy or Namecheap) right before you hit the buy button, just in case.
What makes Name Brewery better than just brainstorming?
Efficiency. It combines three steps into one: brainstorming, checking availability, and doing an initial history check. It can break you out of a creative rut by suggesting angles you hadn't considered, saving you from the tedious process of checking dozens of names manually.
Who is the $120/month Pro plan for?
That plan is definitely for a niche audience. Think domain investors (domainers) who are constantly searching for valuable expired domains to flip, or large marketing agencies that need to generate name ideas for multiple clients every single month. It's not for the casual user.
My Final Take: Should You Give Name Brewery a Swirl?
So, we come back to the original question. Is it worth it? For me, the answer is a pretty solid yes. Name Brewery isn't a magic wand that will hand you a million-dollar domain on a silver platter. But it’s an incredibly smart, well-designed tool that solves a real and frustrating problem.
It elegantly combines creative AI, practical availability checks, and a genuinely useful SEO feature into one clean interface. It turns the chore of domain hunting into something that feels more like a discovery process. For anyone starting a new online venture, the free plan is a no-brainer. For those of us who do this for a living, the Plus plan offers fantastic value. It's earned a spot in my digital toolbox, and it just might be the cure for your domain-naming headaches.
Reference and Sources
- Name Brewery Official Website
- Name Brewery Pricing Page
- Google's Stance on Buying Expired Domains for Links - Search Engine Roundtable
- The Internet Archive: Wayback Machine
