Privacy policy
Last reviewed November 13, 2026
This page says what happens to information when you use the site. The short version: there are no accounts, no advertising trackers and no cookies, and the only thing you ever type in is a business name.
What we collect, and why
| When | What | Why |
|---|---|---|
| You check a business name | The name you typed and the state you chose | To look the name up and show you a result |
| You ask for name ideas | The name you typed and the state | To suggest similar names that may be free |
| You load any page | Your IP address, browser type and the page requested, in our host's standard server logs | To deliver the page, stop abuse and fix faults |
| You follow a "start my company" button | The state, business type, which button it was, and how you reached the site (for example "search engine" or "direct") | To count which pages lead to a referral |
We don't ask for your name, email address or payment details anywhere on the site.
Who receives the name you check
- State open-data services. For Colorado, Connecticut, New York, Oregon and Pennsylvania, our server searches the business-records file that the state publishes. The state's data service receives the name as a search term. It doesn't receive your IP address.
- LegalZoom. For every other state, our server asks LegalZoom's business name check whether a matching name is on file. LegalZoom receives the name and the state. It doesn't receive your IP address or anything else about you.
- Name ideas. When the suggestion feature uses an AI service, that service receives the name and the state so it can propose alternatives.
A business name you are thinking of using isn't private once you check it this way, so don't type anything you need to keep confidential.
How long we keep it
- Check results: stored for 24 hours so a repeat check is instant, then deleted. They are stored by name and state, not by person.
- Rate limiting: a scrambled (hashed) form of your IP address is kept for up to one hour to stop automated misuse of the name check.
- Server logs: kept by our hosting provider, Cloudflare, under its own retention rules.
- Referral counts: kept as totals. They contain no IP address and nothing that identifies you.
Cookies and browser storage
We set no cookies. To credit a referral to the right page, your browser's session storage holds three small values during your visit: the kind of site you arrived from, the first page you opened, and an ad click ID if you arrived from an ad. They are erased when you close the tab.
Other companies involved
- Cloudflare hosts the site and runs the name check.
- Google Fonts supplies the typeface. Your browser fetches it from Google, which sees your IP address when it does.
- Formation service. If you follow a "start my company" button you leave this site. The company you arrive at has its own privacy policy, and it receives the state, the business type and, if you checked one, the business name, so the form can be filled in for you. We may earn a commission if you buy.
Links to state websites
Our guides link to official state websites. What those sites collect is covered by each state's own policy.
Children
The site is written for adults starting or researching a business. It isn't directed at children under 13, and we don't knowingly collect information from them.
Your choices
Because we keep no account or profile, there is usually nothing tied to you to correct or delete. If you believe we hold information about you, or you want to use a right your local law gives you, write to[email protected] and we'll answer within 30 days.
Changes
If what we collect changes, this page changes first, and the "last reviewed" date above is updated.