Domain Watchlists Aren't Drop-Catchers (and WHOIS Refresh Isn't Monitoring)

Most people who "watch domains" are actually doing one of three different jobs — and using the wrong tool for two of them.

I build a domain watchlist product (Vacato — https://vacato.io), so I'm biased toward lane #2 below. I'm also going to say clearly when a watchlist loses to a catcher. If you only want a registrar race, this article will save you a signup.

Originally published on the Vacato blog: https://vacato.io/blog/domain-watchlist-vs-whois-vs-drop-catch

The three jobs

One-off lookup — "Is this name registered right now?" Wrong tool: paying for a watchlist, or opening twenty WHOIS sites.