What makes a good app name?

A good app name is short enough to display fully in app store search results and on a home screen icon label, easy to spell correctly from hearing it once, and distinctive enough to stand out from the generic descriptive names ("X Tracker", "Y Planner") that dominate most app store categories. It should also work as a domain and, ideally, as the name of the company behind it if you're not naming those separately.

Should my app name describe what the app does?

It can, but a purely descriptive name is the weakest option for trade mark protection in Australia - IP Australia can refuse to register a name that merely describes the app's function, or grant only narrow protection. A stronger approach is a name with at least one distinctive or suggestive element, which also tends to perform better in app store search once a category has more than a handful of competitors.

Is registering with ASIC the same as getting a trade mark?

No. Registering a business name with the ASIC Business Names Register confirms the name isn't identical to another registered business name and lets you legally trade under it, but it doesn't give you exclusive rights to stop someone else using a similar name for their app. Only a trade mark registered through IP Australia under the Trade Marks Act 1995 (Cth) gives you exclusive, nationwide rights to the name in your software category.

Can an AI-generated app name be trade marked?

Yes. There's no rule against registering a trade mark for a name generated with AI assistance - IP Australia assesses trade mark applications on distinctiveness and conflict with existing marks, not on how the name was originally generated. Run any AI-generated shortlist through a trade mark search at ipaustralia.gov.au before you commit, the same as you would a name you thought up yourself.

What three checks should I run before locking in an app name?

Run a domain check, a trade mark search, and an app-store-listing search - they test three different things. NameCraftr checks .com.au, .au, and .com availability in real time for free. A trade mark search at ipaustralia.gov.au checks legal exclusivity in your category. A direct search of the Apple App Store and Google Play checks whether an existing app already holds that name or a close variant, which both platforms review separately at submission. Clearing one of the three doesn't mean the other two are clear.

App Name Generator

Use the generator below to find the perfect name ideas for your mobile app, web app, or SaaS product.

What makes a strong app name?

An app name generator produces name ideas for mobile apps, web apps, and SaaS products, and checks .com.au, .au, and .com domain availability for each suggestion in real time. Naming a single product is a narrower problem than naming a company: the name has to work as an app icon label, a search result in the Apple App Store and Google Play, a domain, and often a company name all at once - and it has to do that in a handful of characters, since app store listings truncate long names in search results and on the home screen.

Descriptive names are the safe default, but they cap how distinctive you can be. Something like “Invoice Tracker” or “Budget Planner Pro” tells a potential user exactly what the app does, which helps at the moment someone is scanning app name ideas for that exact function. The trade-off is that IP Australia treats names that merely describe the app’s function as weak candidates for trade mark registration - a purely descriptive app name can be refused outright, or granted only narrow protection that won’t stop a near-identical app trading under similar wording in the same category. If you want a name nobody else can legally claim in your app’s category, you need at least one invented, suggestive, or otherwise distinctive element, not just a description of the feature.

App store search adds a layer a typical business name doesn’t have to deal with. Apple and Google both index app names and subtitles for in-store search, so a name built from generic app name ideas - the kind a “best app name generator” search returns without a specific brief - competes directly against dozens of similarly generic listings in the same category. A distinctive name is easier to find again once someone has downloaded it, and easier to recall when they recommend it to someone else.

A business name, a trade mark, and a domain are three separate protections, and app developers in particular tend to only get one or two. If you trade through a registered entity, registering with the ASIC Business Names Register confirms your name isn’t identical to another registered business name and lets you legally trade under it - it does not grant exclusive rights to the app name itself. A .com.au or .au domain only reserves a web address. A trade mark registered through IP Australia under the Trade Marks Act 1995 (Cth) is the only one of the three that gives you exclusive, nationwide rights to the name in your software category. Indie developers and small teams often stop at registering the domain, then find out later that the name they’ve been shipping under was never trade mark-safe.

For an app specifically, there is a further check beyond those three that catches developers off guard: app-store-listing availability. Apple’s App Store and Google Play both review submitted app names for uniqueness against existing listings at submission time, separately from any domain or trade mark search you’ve already done. A name can clear a domain check and a trade mark search cleanly and still get bounced or flagged at app store review because a similarly named app already holds that listing. Treat domain availability, trade mark search, and app-store-listing availability as three separate checks, not two - clearing one says nothing about the other two.

How to use the app name generator

Building the company around the app rather than just the product? The tech business name generator and startup name generator are tuned for naming the business itself rather than one product, and the digital agency name generator is the better fit if you’re naming an agency that builds apps for clients rather than the app itself. Want more general options first, outside software entirely? The full business name generator covers every category NameCraftr supports.

To get useful results from a free app name generator, brief it the way you’d brief a co-founder describing the product in one breath: platform (iOS, Android, web, or all three), core function, and target user. “App for productivity” returns generic filler close to every other AI-generated list. “A subscription budgeting app for Australian share-house renters that splits recurring bills automatically” gives the generator enough to return app name ideas that sound like they belong to that specific product, not a placeholder. An app name generator AI works from specifics, not categories - the more concrete the brief, the less generic the output.

NameCraftr checks .com.au, .au, and .com availability in real time for every suggestion. .com.au signals local presence to Australian users and any local investors or partners; .com matters more for apps with a global audience from day one, which most consumer and SaaS apps are. Run any shortlisted name through the standalone domain name checker to confirm before you commit.

Once you have a shortlist, run these three checks before you build your icon and screenshots around a name:

Domain check. NameCraftr checks .com.au, .au, and .com in real time, or confirm any shortlisted name through the domain name checker directly.
Trade mark search. Check it’s trade mark-safe with the trademark name generator, then search it directly at ipaustralia.gov.au against your software category.
App-store-listing search. Search the exact name and close variants directly in the Apple App Store and Google Play. Both platforms review submitted names for uniqueness at submission, independently of any domain or trade mark search you’ve already run.

Clearing one of the three checks says nothing about the other two - a name with a free domain and no trade mark conflict can still collide with an existing app store listing, and vice versa. Confirm all three before you commit.

How the App Name Generator Works

1

Describe your idea

Enter a short description of your business concept - what it does, who it's for, or the feeling you want it to evoke.
2

Generate name ideas

NameCraftr's AI instantly creates unique, brandable name suggestions tailored to your description.
3

Check domain availability

Each suggestion includes real-time domain availability so you can register your favourite name straight away.

Tips for Choosing a Great Name

✓ Keep it short. One to three words is ideal - easier to remember, type, and say aloud.
✓ Check the .com first. Even if you plan to use another extension, a taken .com can cause brand confusion down the line.
✓ Avoid hyphens and numbers. They're hard to communicate verbally and look less professional.
✓ Say it out loud. If you have to spell it out every time you say it, reconsider the name.
✓ Search before committing. Google the name and check your country's trademark database to avoid conflicts.

Frequently Asked Questions

What makes a good app name?: A good app name is short enough to display fully in app store search results and on a home screen icon label, easy to spell correctly from hearing it once, and distinctive enough to stand out from the generic descriptive names ("X Tracker", "Y Planner") that dominate most app store categories. It should also work as a domain and, ideally, as the name of the company behind it if you're not naming those separately.
Should my app name describe what the app does?: It can, but a purely descriptive name is the weakest option for trade mark protection in Australia - IP Australia can refuse to register a name that merely describes the app's function, or grant only narrow protection. A stronger approach is a name with at least one distinctive or suggestive element, which also tends to perform better in app store search once a category has more than a handful of competitors.
Is registering with ASIC the same as getting a trade mark?: No. Registering a business name with the ASIC Business Names Register confirms the name isn't identical to another registered business name and lets you legally trade under it, but it doesn't give you exclusive rights to stop someone else using a similar name for their app. Only a trade mark registered through IP Australia under the Trade Marks Act 1995 (Cth) gives you exclusive, nationwide rights to the name in your software category.
Can an AI-generated app name be trade marked?: Yes. There's no rule against registering a trade mark for a name generated with AI assistance - IP Australia assesses trade mark applications on distinctiveness and conflict with existing marks, not on how the name was originally generated. Run any AI-generated shortlist through a trade mark search at ipaustralia.gov.au before you commit, the same as you would a name you thought up yourself.
What three checks should I run before locking in an app name?: Run a domain check, a trade mark search, and an app-store-listing search - they test three different things. NameCraftr checks .com.au, .au, and .com availability in real time for free. A trade mark search at ipaustralia.gov.au checks legal exclusivity in your category. A direct search of the Apple App Store and Google Play checks whether an existing app already holds that name or a close variant, which both platforms review separately at submission. Clearing one of the three doesn't mean the other two are clear.