Show HN: I built a free tool to find valuable expired domains using AI

Show HN: I built a free tool to find valuable expired domains using AI(pendingdelete.domains)

6 points by hikerell 340 days ago | 7 comments

Hi HN,

I’ve been collecting and analyzing expired domains for years — especially those about to drop. Every day, tens of thousands expire. Most are junk, but a few still have traffic, backlinks, SEO value, or just great names. Finding them used to take hours.

Last week I put my internal tools online: https://pendingdelete.domains No login, no paywall Updated daily Combines domain history, traffic, SEO data and AI-driven insights to identify valuable expirations The goal: help spot valuable domains quickly and skip the noise.

Still a work-in-progress — would love feedback: Is this useful? What signals or filters would you add? Any UI or speed improvements?

Thanks!

bouyaveman6 340 days ago |

I think it’s an excellent idea, but since I don’t really know the criteria, I quickly find myself wondering, “how is this calculated?” and my lack of knowledge turns into doubt. Maybe a small explanatory page on how it works (or some tooltips near the prices?) would add more clarity?

In any case, I’m going to go make sure my domains are set to auto-renew!

hikerell 340 days ago | |

Good point — I’ll add more explanations soon. auto-renew is super important. I’ve seen many good domains expire just because someone forgot to turn it on. I've helped a few clients recover theirs in time.

dudeWithAMood 340 days ago |

I realize this is out of scope for your site, but where do you recommend going to purchase domains that are expiring? It seems a bit different process from buying a brand new domain.

Also you have a spelling error in the bottom left of the search screen. For today I see, "Total 395 doamins"

hikerell 339 days ago | |

Thank you for your feedback — I’ll get that spelling error fixed!

My site doesn't directly handle domain purchases. Based on my personal experience, here's what I recommend:

1. For valuable domains that are about to expire, there’s often a lot of competition, and they typically require backordering. I suggest using platforms like DropCatch, Cached, or Dynadot Backorders to improve your chances of securing them.

2. For domains that have already expired and become available again, I usually compare prices across platforms like Domnest to find the best deal.

dudeWithAMood 339 days ago | | |

I appreciate the tips!

AnnaMere 339 days ago |

What is role of AI here? Ain't this all about WHOIS data and domain records

hikerell 339 days ago | |

Whois data is the basic source to check if a domain is in PendingDelete status. With 30,000–50,000 domains expiring daily, it's crucial to filter out the valuable ones. I use an LLM in the first round to screen based on name and brand potential, and in the final round, I combine SEO data for a full quality assessment.