How do I check if a brand name is already trademarked in India?

Use the IP India Public Search at search.ipindia.gov.in — but it's clunky, requires CAPTCHAs, and only checks one Nice class at a time. BrandAuditor automates that: we run wordmark + phonetic search across all 45 Nice classes against the IP India trademark register (5-year journal index + live search), plus a parallel MCA company-name check, in one pass.

Is BrandAuditor's trademark search free?

Yes — the free trial gives you 20 name checks over 7 days (email verification only, no card needed). Each check runs a complete trademark search against IP India, plus domain, social, SEO, and AI brandability scoring. Paid packs from ₹999 (35 names) for higher volume and full features.

How do I check if a company name is available in India (MCA)?

MCA's own portal requires DSC and is friction-heavy. BrandAuditor checks aggregated company-registry data (Zauba Corp, Tofler, The Company Check) to flag whether your proposed name is already registered as a private limited / LLP / OPC anywhere in India — same name check, no separate lookup needed.

Can BrandAuditor generate brand name ideas with AI?

Yes. Enter your category and target market, and our AI suggests names scored on distinctiveness, descriptiveness risk, and confusion risk against existing trademarks. Every suggestion is automatically cross-checked against IP India before being shown — so you're not pitched a name that's already taken.

How long does it take to register a trademark in India?

End-to-end registration takes 18–24 months on average, but you get protective rights from the day of filing. Filing itself takes a day; examination (3–6 months), publication in the Trademark Journal (4 months), opposition window (4 months), and final registration follow. BrandAuditor's job is to make sure your filing has the highest possible chance of clearing — by catching conflicts before you file.

How much does it cost to register a trademark in India?

Government fee is ₹4,500 per class for individuals/startups/MSMEs (₹9,000 per class for others), via Form TM-A. Most brands need 1–3 classes (₹4,500–₹13,500 in government fees). Attorney fees add ₹5,000–₹25,000 depending on the firm. BrandAuditor isn't a filing service — we're the pre-filing name check that helps you avoid wasted ₹4,500 fees on names that won't clear.

Why does my brand name need to clear MCA records too?

Trademark and company registration are separate but interlinked. A name can be trademark-clear but blocked at MCA (or vice versa). If you're forming a Pvt Ltd / LLP / OPC, you need both — that's why BrandAuditor surfaces both signals in one check instead of forcing you to look them up separately.

What's the difference between BrandAuditor and a free domain checker like GoDaddy or Namecheap?

Domain checkers tell you if sundara.com is available. They don't tell you Sundara Foods Pvt Ltd already exists in MCA, that 'SUNDARA' is filed as a trademark in Class 32 by another applicant, that the .in is taken by a squatter, or that the AI gives it a 47/100 confusion risk. BrandAuditor is built for founders/agencies/IP attorneys who need the full picture before naming a brand.

Does BrandAuditor work for international brand searches?

Currently India-first — IP India + MCA are the deepest integrations. We support UAE (GCC TMView) and global mode using WIPO Global Brand Database. International coverage is expanding through 2026.

Can I download a PDF report I can share with my IP attorney?

Yes — paid plans include a clean PDF report covering trademark conflicts, suggested Nice classes, MCA matches, domain status, social handles, and alternates. Share it with your attorney before they file or with a client when pitching brand options.

The best AI brand name generators of 2026 (compared)

We tested 8 AI brand name generators on the same brief — Namelix, Looka, Shopify, NameSnack, Brandcrowd, BrandAuditor, ChatGPT, and Claude. Here's what each gets right and what they all miss.

AI brand name generators have exploded in the last two years. We ran the same brief — “premium D2C skincare brand for India, ayurvedic positioning” — through 8 of the most popular tools and scored them on quality, distinctiveness, trademark cross-checking, and overall usefulness for a real founder.

TL;DR — most generators give you 100 names but no way to know which ones are actually filing-ready. Combining a generator (for ideas) with a tool that cross-checks trademark + MCA + domain (for protection) is the workflow that actually ships brands.

How we tested

Brief: D2C skincare brand, India-first, ayurvedic positioning, premium price tier.
Volume: requested 20 names from each tool.
Scoring: 1–5 stars on (a) name quality, (b) distinctiveness, (c) trademark/domain cross-check, (d) free-tier usefulness.

1. Namelix

Quality: ★★★★☆ · Distinctiveness: ★★★★☆ · TM/Domain cross-check: ★★☆☆☆ · Free tier: ★★★★★

Namelix is the OG AI naming tool. Solid output — coined names with decent meaning, nice typography mockups. Domain check shows .com availability inline, which is helpful. Doesn't check trademarks. For India-first brands, you'll need to cross-check IP India and MCA separately. Best free tier in the comparison.

2. Looka (Logojoy)

Quality: ★★★☆☆ · Distinctiveness: ★★★☆☆ · TM/Domain cross-check: ★★☆☆☆ · Free tier: ★★☆☆☆

Looka is more a logo-builder with a name generator bolted on. Names skew generic — lots of compound nouns. Pushes you toward their paid logo design from the first interaction. Skip unless you need a logo bundle.

3. Shopify Business Name Generator

Quality: ★★★☆☆ · Distinctiveness: ★★☆☆☆ · TM/Domain cross-check: ★★★☆☆ · Free tier: ★★★★★

Shopify's tool is decent for first-pass ideas, especially for e-commerce brands. Limited to 10 results per query, names tend toward suggestive/descriptive (less coined). Cross-checks domains (Shopify wants to sell you one) but not trademarks.

4. NameSnack

Quality: ★★★☆☆ · Distinctiveness: ★★★☆☆ · TM/Domain cross-check: ★★☆☆☆ · Free tier: ★★★★☆

Decent generator with good filtering by industry. Names are fine, nothing standout. No trademark check. Reasonable second-tier option.

5. Brandcrowd

Quality: ★★☆☆☆ · Distinctiveness: ★★☆☆☆ · TM/Domain cross-check: ★★☆☆☆ · Free tier: ★★☆☆☆

Logo-first. Name suggestions feel like an afterthought. Designed to funnel you into a paid logo + identity package. Skip for naming.

6. ChatGPT (free) / Claude

Quality: ★★★★☆ · Distinctiveness: ★★★★☆ · TM/Domain cross-check: ★☆☆☆☆ · Free tier: ★★★★★

General-purpose LLMs do surprisingly well for ideation. With a well-crafted prompt (give context, audience, brand frameworks, examples), Claude and ChatGPT generate diverse, on-brand names with meaningful etymology. The catch: no trademark or domain checks at all. You'll fall in love with names that turn out to be filed in IP India and have to start over.

Sample prompt that works:

“I'm launching a premium D2C skincare brand in India, ayurvedic positioning, target audience women 28–45, ₹2,000–₹6,000 product price band. Generate 20 brand name candidates across these frameworks: 5 coined, 5 Sanskrit-derived, 5 suggestive, 5 hybrid. For each: 1-line meaning + why it fits. Avoid generic herbal/leaf terms.”

7. BrandAuditor (us)

Quality: ★★★★☆ · Distinctiveness: ★★★★★ · TM/Domain cross-check: ★★★★★ · Free tier: ★★★★☆

Honest disclosure: this is our tool. We're biased. But the differentiator is the part nobody else does — every name we suggest (or you bring in) is automatically run against IP India trademark register (wordmark + phonetic, all relevant Nice classes), MCA company-name registry, domain availability, and AI scoring. You don't fall in love with a name that's already taken.

Free trial: 20 names over 7 days, no card. Paid from ₹999 for 35 names. Try it free.

8. Generic free generators (Wix, Hostinger, Domain.com)

Skip. These are domain-sales funnels disguised as naming tools. Output is generic compounds, no meaningful filtering.

What every generator misses

India trademark + MCA cross-check — global tools don't check Indian registries.
Phonetic similarity — looking only for exact matches misses 60% of conflicts.
Cultural nuance — Sanskrit-derived names that mean something unintended.
Strategic positioning — names that sound like your competitors get rejected by examiners on similarity grounds.

The workflow that actually works

Ideate with AI — Namelix, ChatGPT or Claude. Goal: 50–100 candidates.
First filter — pronounceability, gut check, .com / .in available, no obvious cultural problems.
Audit shortlist — run final 10 through BrandAuditor for trademark, MCA, social, full report.
Decide + file — pick from the 3–5 that clear all the gates.

The best AI brand name generators of 2026 (compared)

How we tested

1. Namelix

2. Looka (Logojoy)

3. Shopify Business Name Generator

4. NameSnack

5. Brandcrowd

6. ChatGPT (free) / Claude

Sample prompt that works:

7. BrandAuditor (us)

8. Generic free generators (Wix, Hostinger, Domain.com)

What every generator misses

The workflow that actually works

Related

Check a brand name, free.

Brand name & trademark
questions, answered.

The best AI brand name generators of 2026 (compared)

How we tested

1. Namelix

2. Looka (Logojoy)

3. Shopify Business Name Generator

4. NameSnack

5. Brandcrowd

6. ChatGPT (free) / Claude

Sample prompt that works:

7. BrandAuditor (us)

8. Generic free generators (Wix, Hostinger, Domain.com)

What every generator misses

The workflow that actually works

Related

Check a brand name, free.

Brand name & trademarkquestions, answered.

Brand name & trademark
questions, answered.