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Ask HN: Naming my startup, should it end with "app"?

7 points by bdclimber14 ↗ HN
I'm working on a new startup/project for GAAP compliant accounting software, competing directly with QuickBooks and Peachtree and am at a creative loss for naming it. I want to come up with a name as clever as EverNote. Obviously, domain availability is key since we're bootstrapped. There are varying schools of thought when it comes to having a domain that is the exact name of the company.

Despite what 37signals says, I think basecamphq.com is a horrible name. I have had dozens of people to which I referred Basecamp, give up because they couldn't figure out the domain. I don't blindly trust everything 37Signals says as gospel. Notice how they never admit to any mistakes they've made? Anywanys... </rant>

Lighthouseapp.com is another example of a postfixed name, but my market isn't tech savvy developers.

One name I love is RunRate. The domain isn't available. So what about RunRateapp.com?

Anyone have any killer ideas?

22 comments

[ 3.1 ms ] story [ 52.6 ms ] thread
abhikshah
I'm also in a similar situation. The name I'd like for my webapp is taken and i'm considering hq.com or app.com. Or would it be better to use a .net or .biz?
bdclimber14
That's a good question. What's better, a .net, etc. domain, or a .com with a post-fix.

My personal opinion is to pick a more unique name. But, I'd say postfix is better. The domain name without the domain code is more brand-able than the full domain e.g. BaseCamphq is recognizably different, but doing basecamp.net wouldn't be as unique.

stringbot
If your product is killer I don't think it matters what your domain name is. People are going to get the word out.

Look at "blekko" for crying out loud.

staunch
Blekko is still very far from proving that its horrible name wasn't a huge mistake.
bdclimber14
Well it is short, unique and somewhat phonetical. I'd give it a B.
greglindahl
We hired a naming company, and they couldn't come up with a better name -- most of their suggestions were too boring.

http://www.skrenta.com/2008/01/about_the_name_blekko.html

If we succeed, the name will be considered great. If we fail, people will blame the name. Does the name really affect anything? I bet good results are more important.

staunch
Of course you're right. You can succeed with a bad name and fail with a good name. It's just a mistake to make your job harder than it needs to be (since it's already so hard!). With as much money as you guys raised there's really no excuse for having such a poor name. IMHO.

Note: I'm a fan, and hope you guys kick ass -- I'm just being honest with my opinion.

bdclimber14
Mind if I ask how much you paid the naming company? Unless you have money to burn, I can't imagine paying a company to name your startup.
greglindahl
Every startup I've been in paid a naming company. I've never liked the results, but the VCs always have liked the results...
stringbot
My employer paid for a branding agency and wound up throwing away most of their names and settling on a name we came up with ourselves. They did give us one good name that I wound up using for a logging tool two years later, so it wasn't a total waste.

I'm of the opinion that if you don't have creative enough people on your team to come up with a good name you probably have bigger problems than the lack of a creative name.

bdclimber14
I don't think you can generalize this as being binary. It makes it a hell of a lot easier for someone to spread the word if the name rocks. Your product has to be killer enough to over-compensate for a bad name, but imagine a killer product and a killer name.
config_yml
Be creative with TLDs maybe if .com and .net or your countries TLD is no longer available (.de, co.uk etc)

I feel like I've seen .io more often recently. It fit my app perfectly, well, because it takes stuff in and gives stuff out (I/O, will also make for a cool logo).

bdclimber14
I like this, but if your market (namely small businesses) is not very technology literate, explaining the non .com name is tough.

I've had enough clients that have called me asking why the example.io.com doesn't work. They were surprised when I explained that not all websites end with .com. Go figure...

phlux
Always get a .com if you can.

How about ledgerleader.com - thats available.

I might be willing to sell bitsprout.com if you like it - but I may also use it.

dollardoc.com littleledger.com mintbit.com dinerodocket.com

all available....

If you'd like some other ideas - i'd need to know more about your app.

bdclimber14
Funny story: I posted a crowdsourced project to name this. All these ideas are better than the dozens of entries I've received so far. I posted a comment describing why I like EverNote as a name, and its mechanical relation to their business. Entries started flowing in with the words "ever" and "note" in them. Face palm.

So we're developing an online accounting system for entrepreneurs, startups and eventually lifestyle small businesses. It will combine the beautiful interface of Mint.com with the rich features and GAAP compliance of QuickBooks. We'll be sporting automatic bank pulls and reconciliation. The goal is to have an accounting application that is always updated and reconciled, so it actually can be used as a tool to make financial decisions with, and not used as an after though.

I like the alliteration examples here. I think mintbit is too close to Mint and dinerodocket is too close to inDinero (both substitutes, but not direct competitors). I'd LOVE more ideas :) One I'm leaning towards is ledgered.com. My partner didn't like it, but I just want to make sure I'm not crazy.

phlux
since its an auto reconciling app - how about ledgerbot.com -- it is available and seems to carry many of the aspects of what you are looking for.

Can make a cute logo from that idea etc...

Yeah, I like alliteration as well - you have to have a name that captures your product, is a .com, is easy to spell and rolls off the tongue. Then, it will never be forgotten.

One of my first thoughts was "account.ly" would work - its registered to a guy in carlsbad... but looks like he is trying to build something.

Andrenid
Agreed with this. Get a .com, and yes there are still plenty available. I've registered ~15 .com's in the last 2 weeks for clients, all were original, all were legible and properly-spelled english words (or combination of words).

They're still there, you just need to think outside the box and pull your thesaurus out :)

staunch
App is crap. Maybe it's okay if you're a mobile-only product.

Since you're going to be dealing with people's money you want something that imparts a sense of trust/stability/credibility. You should probably spend up to a couple grand (if you can) on a great domain.

Your name (AND DESIGN!) is a huge factor for this kind of company. Follow Mint's example.

bdclimber14
I agree completely. I don't think we necessarily need to spend a couple grand on a domain to deliver on those senses, but you're dead on with design. Thank god I'm a UI rock star. Maybe just Guitar Hero level rock star...
hajrice
__hq, get___, ___now

All these are nice "sufix/prefix naming conventions." For my startup, I use HQ(ChalkboardHQ.com).

Here are some possible names for you:

- RunRateHQ.com - GetRunrate.com(I really like the sound of this one) - Runratenow.com(This one sounds like decisive and makes me sorta want to hop into it and try it)

Good luck with the naming, if you'd like, we can chat(hajrice@gmail - gtalk), I have a lot of ideas and could maybe help you more.

bdclimber14
I like Getrunrate. It actually has a nice ring. Hmm... My Gchat is sean@orangeslyce.com
alnewkirk
I think there are enough SaaS product around to warrant a .app domain, then runrate.app/ would be my suggestion. (I live in the theoretical)