.scan
Is .scan a real TLD? Who’s applying to run it?
.scan is contested: 2 applicants have said publicly that they applied to run it, as of 19 August 2026. They are Starlight Registry and Link Freedom Group.
A useful tech verb for scanning tools and blockchain explorers, but most serious projects will treat it as a side domain, not their main name.
developers and product teams building scanning-adjacent tools: security and vulnerability scanners, QR and document-capture apps, computer-vision/AI products, and crypto block-explorer projects where 'scan' naming is an established convention.
In LFG's published list of 300+ strings submitted before the ICANN window closed on 2026-08-12. Their catalog tagline: “Instant look, instant record.”
One of 40 strings Starlight Registry (established by registrar Namecheap) applied for in the ICANN 2026 round, reported by Domain Name Wire on 2026-08-19.
The 2012 applications making the most similar bet. Chosen by AI from every string in that round, without being told what happened to any of them.
Same bet: a plain English verb naming a machine-mediated action that many unrelated industries perform, so the registry is selling the action itself rather than a category of company.
Same bet on a short, universally understood action verb marketed as an open utility string, where nobody's core identity is the word so it lives or dies on cheap, broad second-level branding.
Also a technical-action verb that works as verb and noun, but its buyers cluster around one delivery mechanic, whereas .scan's would span medical imaging, document capture and security tooling who share only the word.
What a .scan domain is
.scan is not a TLD yet. It is a string on our record of the ICANN 2026 new gTLD round, filed under AI & tech. 2 applicants have said publicly that they applied for .scan.
Is the .scan domain extension real yet?
.scan is not yet a domain extension you can register: nothing resolves under it, and no registrar sells names in it. It is a string applicants have put forward in the ICANN 2026 new gTLD round, the process that decides whether it becomes one.
When can you buy a .scan domain?
You can’t yet. ICANN publishes every applied-for string on Reveal Day, 7 October 2026 at 18:00 UTC. A .scan name can only be registered after that, once the string is delegated and its registry opens. Last round's closest parallel to .scan was .search, delegated on .
Is .scan a real TLD?
Not yet. .scan is not in the DNS root, so nothing resolves under it. It’s here because an applicant said publicly that it applied for .scan in the ICANN 2026 new gTLD round. Every claim on this page links to its source.
- Starlight Registry · first recordedDomain Name Wire
- Link Freedom Group · first recordedLink Freedom Group
“For us, moving into the registry side is a natural extension of what we have been building.”Domain Name Wire
“.scan · AI & Tech · “Instant look, instant record.””Link Freedom Group
“LFG voluntarily published its full list of submissions ahead of ICANN’s official Reveal Day.”PR Newswire (Link Freedom Group)
“Top level domain registry Link Freedom Group (LFG) has disclosed more than 300 strings submitted as part of the ICANN new top level domain name program.”Domain Name Wire (Andrew Allemann)
- Band chosen: usable but limited (30-49). The string is a common, unambiguous tech verb with several genuine product categories behind it: security scanning, QR/document capture, medical and 3D imaging, AI vision, and crypto block explorers, where 'scan'-suffixed names are a recognizable convention. That gives it real registration demand beyond pure vanity, which keeps it above the 10-29 band. It does not reach the 50-69 band because, by analogy with other single-verb keyword gTLDs, primary-identity use tends to be rare: teams building scanners typically brand on a coined name and use the keyword domain as a redirect or campaign address, so a .scan identity would need explaining and the aftermarket is likely thin outside a handful of premium one-word matches (eth.scan-style names, security.scan-style names). Verb TLDs as a class have historically leaned toward volume or promotional pricing rather than brand-signal strength; that is an inference from analogy, since no registration or pricing figures for comparable TLDs appear in the verified facts. The applicant, Link Freedom Group, filed more than 300 strings in the ICANN 2026 round and lists .scan under 'AI & Tech' with the tagline 'Instant look, instant record.', which signals a broad-portfolio strategy rather than a single-string flagship; that is stated neutrally and bears only on how concentrated marketing behind this one string may be. Main market uncertainty: whether the crypto block-explorer naming convention actually migrates onto the TLD (chainname.scan as a primary identity) or stays on legacy .com/.io names, since that one vertical is the most plausible source of premium, primary-identity demand.