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.

BrandAuditor vs Vakilsearch: which one do you actually need?

Honest comparison of BrandAuditor and Vakilsearch for Indian founders. Vakilsearch files your trademark; BrandAuditor tells you which name to file. Different jobs, often used together.

We get this question from new users about once a week: “I'm using Vakilsearch already — do I need BrandAuditor?”

Short answer: they do different things. Vakilsearch is a legal services marketplace that files your trademark, company, GST, and compliance paperwork. BrandAuditor audits a brand name before you commit to it. Most users who care about both end up using them in sequence.

Long answer:

What Vakilsearch actually is

Vakilsearch is one of India's largest legal services marketplaces. It started as a freelance lawyer directory in 2012 and grew into a full-stack platform offering company incorporation (Pvt Ltd, LLP, OPC), trademark filing (TM-A application + government fee + attorney coordination), GST registration, FSSAI, ISO, accounting, and ongoing compliance.

Pricing varies by package — trademark filing typically runs ₹6,500–₹15,000 per class (government fee + Vakilsearch's service fee + an attorney on their network). They also offer a free trademark search on their website which queries the IP India register for you, but it's a single wordmark check — not phonetic, not all classes, no AI scoring, no domain or social check.

What BrandAuditor actually is

BrandAuditor is a pre-filing intelligence tool. You enter brand name candidates, and in 60 seconds we run seven parallel signals on each one:

IP India trademark search (wordmark + phonetic, all 45 Nice classes)
MCA company name conflict check
USPTO trademark search
Domain availability across .com, .in, .co, .ai, .io
Social handle check (Instagram, X, YouTube, LinkedIn)
Web presence audit
AI brandability score (distinctiveness, descriptive risk, confusion risk)

We don't file the trademark for you. We don't register your company. What we do is tell you, before you spend ₹15,000 on a Vakilsearch filing and three months waiting, whether the name you're about to file is going to clear examination.

Side-by-side

	Vakilsearch	BrandAuditor
Category	Legal services marketplace	Pre-filing intelligence tool
Files your trademark	Yes	No (we tell you what to file)
Phonetic TM search	No	Yes
Multi-class search in one query	No	Yes (all 45 classes)
Domain check	No	Yes (RDAP, 20+ TLDs)
Social handle check	No	Yes
AI brandability score	No	Yes (Claude-scored rubric)
USPTO check	No	Yes
MCA company-name check	Separate paid service	Bundled in every audit
Time per name	~5–7 days quoted, weeks in practice	~60 seconds
Starting price	~₹6,500 per class for filing	₹0 (20 free names) → ₹999 / 35 names

When to use which

Use BrandAuditor first when:

You haven't picked the name yet — you're comparing 5–10 candidates
You want phonetic conflicts surfaced (Vakilsearch's free tool misses these)
You also need to know domain + social availability before committing
You're an agency screening names for a client

Use Vakilsearch when:

You've already picked the name and confirmed it's clear
You need to file the actual TM-A application + government fee + attorney coordination
You also need company incorporation, GST, FSSAI, etc., all in one place
You want a single vendor managing legal compliance long-term

The combined workflow

For most founders we talk to, the right sequence is:

BrandAuditor — narrow 10 candidates to 1–2 winners (~₹999, 1 hour)
Vakilsearch (or any IP attorney) — file the TM-A application on the winner (~₹6,500–₹15,000 per class, 18–24 months to register)

BrandAuditor saves you from filing on a name that'll get refused under §11 (likelihood of confusion) — that's the most common cause of refusal in India, and the most expensive to discover after the fact. Vakilsearch is the right place to actually file once you have the right name.

Common confusions

“Doesn't Vakilsearch already do a free trademark search?”

Yes — they have a free single-wordmark check. It queries IP India for an exact text match in one class. That's useful for a sanity check on a name you already know is yours. It won't catch:

Phonetic conflicts — “Sundara” might be clear, but “Sundra” or “Sundaara” could refuse it under §11
Adjacent classes — a name in class 32 (beverages) can be refused if a similar mark exists in class 30 (food) when goods are related
Pending applications — marks not yet registered but already filed by someone else

BrandAuditor surfaces all three.

“Why is BrandAuditor cheaper than a Vakilsearch search?”

Different model. Vakilsearch's search is a manual process — a person logs into IP India and runs the query for you. We automate the same workflow with Playwright, run it across all classes in parallel, and add domain + social + AI scoring on top. The marginal cost per check is a fraction, so we can give 20 free.

Bottom line

Vakilsearch is for the filing side of trademarks — and they're good at it, with a deep network and a strong brand in India. BrandAuditor is for the screening side — surfacing conflicts before you've committed money to a name. Most founders use both in sequence, not instead of each other.

If you're evaluating brand names right now, try BrandAuditor free on 20 names. If they all clear, take the winner to Vakilsearch (or any TM attorney) to actually file.

BrandAuditor vs Vakilsearch: which one do you actually need?

What Vakilsearch actually is

What BrandAuditor actually is

Side-by-side

When to use which

Use BrandAuditor first when:

Use Vakilsearch when:

The combined workflow

Common confusions

“Doesn't Vakilsearch already do a free trademark search?”

“Why is BrandAuditor cheaper than a Vakilsearch search?”

Bottom line

Check a brand name, free.

Brand name & trademark
questions, answered.

BrandAuditor vs Vakilsearch: which one do you actually need?

What Vakilsearch actually is

What BrandAuditor actually is

Side-by-side

When to use which

Use BrandAuditor first when:

Use Vakilsearch when:

The combined workflow

Common confusions

“Doesn't Vakilsearch already do a free trademark search?”

“Why is BrandAuditor cheaper than a Vakilsearch search?”

Bottom line

Check a brand name, free.

Brand name & trademarkquestions, answered.

Brand name & trademark
questions, answered.