Is my app name taken?

Three different things can take an app name, and most people only check one of them.

The App Store

Apple does not allow two apps with exactly the same name. If someone already sells an app called Tidewatch, you cannot publish one called Tidewatch, however different it is. Close variations are usually allowed, but a name that only differs by a space or a capital letter is a bad start. Google Play is looser and does allow duplicates, which is why a Play search alone tells you little.

The domain

Your app will need a website, and people will type the name followed by .com. If the .com is gone you can live with .app or .io, but check before you fall in love with the name, not after.

The trademark

This is the one that actually costs you the name. A live US trademark on the same or a similar word, for software or a related service, can force a rename after launch — after the App Store listing, the domain and the logo are all done. Neither Apple nor a domain registrar will warn you about it. The mark does not have to be famous, and it does not have to be an app.

Check all three at once

NamingBay runs the App Store, the domain endings you pick and live US trademarks that contain the name in one table, for up to 10 names at a time. Free, no signup. It reads the registers and reports what they say right now — it is not legal advice, so if a trademark result worries you, talk to a trademark attorney before you commit.

NamingBay is free and needs no signup. Registry and register lookups, not legal advice.