Domain Drop Catching

Catch the domain before it’s gone.

Someone let a domain you want expire? Place a free backorder and we watch it around the clock. The instant it drops, we race to register it — so it lands in your account instead of someone else’s.

Free to backorder Pay $59 only if we catch it

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How drop catching works

Three steps, and you only pay on a win

Backordering a domain with OrangeHost is simple — and there’s nothing to pay unless we actually catch it for you.

Place a free backorder

Tell us the expiring or expired domain you want. There’s no payment and no commitment to place the request — you’re simply getting in line to catch it.

We watch and grab it

We monitor the domain through its expiry and deletion cycle and fire off fast, automated registration attempts the instant it drops and becomes available again.

Pay only if we catch it

Caught it? It’s a flat $59, first year of registration included, and the domain lands in your account. Didn’t get it? You pay $0.

Simple, honest pricing

Free to try. $59 only if we win it.

No upfront fee, no subscription, no per-attempt charge. One flat price, and only when it works.

On a successful catch

$59

flat — first year of registration included

$0to place the backorder, and $0 if we don’t catch it

No upfront cost — you’re only charged if we successfully register the domain for you
First year of registration included in the flat $59
Nothing to pay if it isn’t caught — the backorder simply closes, no charge
Free WHOIS privacy and DNS management included, like every OrangeHost domain

Backorder a domain

Takes seconds · no card required to place a backorder

Why backorder with us

The details that decide who catches it

Drop catching is a race. Here’s why OrangeHost is a good horse to back.

Fast, automated attempts

Our systems track the deletion cycle and fire registration attempts the moment a domain becomes available — no manual watching, no missed windows.

ICANN-accredited registrar

Anything we catch is registered directly through OrangeHost, an ICANN-accredited registrar — under ICANN’s policies on data protection, renewals and transfers, in your account from day one.

Transparent pricing

Free to backorder, $59 flat only on a catch — with the first year of registration included. No upfront fees, no subscriptions and no surprise charges.

Expert support, 24/7

Real people who know domains are on hand around the clock to answer questions about your backorder, the deletion cycle or what happens after a catch.

The life of an expiring domain

Why timing is everything

A domain doesn’t become free the second it expires — it moves through several stages first. This is where a backorder earns its keep.

Active
Registered
The domain is owned and in use. Nothing to catch yet — but you can place a backorder to be first in line if it lapses.
Expired / grace
~0–45 days
The registration lapsed. There’s usually a grace period where the previous owner can still renew it at the normal price.
Redemption
~30 days
A last-chance window where only the former owner can reclaim it, at a premium. Still not available to anyone else.
Pending delete
~5 days
Locked and counting down to deletion. No one can register it — but this is exactly when we line up to grab it.
Drops
The moment
It’s released and available again — for seconds. Our automated attempts fire instantly to try to register it for you.

Timings are typical, not guaranteed. Exact windows vary by registry and TLD — the ranges above reflect common gTLDs like .com.

We handle the timing for you. Once you backorder, we track every stage and attempt the catch the moment it drops.

FAQ

Drop catching, answered honestly

The real story on pricing, catches and what we can (and can’t) promise.

Is there really no charge to place a backorder?

None at all. Placing a backorder is completely free — there’s no upfront fee, no subscription and no per-attempt charge. You tell us the domain you want, we watch it and attempt to register it the instant it drops, and the only time money changes hands is if we actually succeed in catching it for you.

What does the $59 include?

If we successfully catch your domain, it’s a single flat $59 — and that already includes the first year of registration, WHOIS privacy and DNS management, exactly like every other domain we register. There are no hidden add-ons: $59 is the whole price to have the caught domain registered and sitting in your account.

What happens if the domain isn’t caught?

You pay nothing. Drop catching is competitive and no registrar in the world catches every name, so if the domain slips through — for example if the previous owner renews it, or another backorder service grabs it first — your backorder simply closes and there is no charge. You only ever pay the $59 on a successful catch.

Can you guarantee you’ll catch it?

Honestly, no — and be wary of anyone who says otherwise. When a domain drops it can be contested by multiple registrars at once, and the previous owner can also renew it right up to the last moment, so a catch can never be guaranteed. What we can promise is that our systems make fast, automated registration attempts the moment it becomes available, and that you only pay if we win it.

How long do redemption and pending delete take?

For most gTLDs like .com and .net the lifecycle is fairly predictable: after a domain expires it sits in a grace period, then a ~30-day redemption period where only the old owner can restore it, then roughly 5 days of “pending delete”, after which it drops and becomes available to register again. The exact timing varies by registry and TLD — once you place a backorder we track the domain through each stage for you.

What happens after you catch it?

The moment we register the domain we email you, the $59 is charged, and the domain appears in your OrangeHost account with the first year already paid, WHOIS privacy on and DNS ready to point wherever you like. From there it behaves like any other domain you registered with us — you can renew it, transfer it or manage its DNS from your dashboard.

Can I backorder any TLD?

You can backorder most common extensions, including .com, .net, .org and many others we support for registration. Some TLDs have their own drop mechanics or restrictions and a few (like .gov and .edu) can’t be registered through us at all. If you enter a domain we can’t backorder, the checker will tell you straight away rather than taking a request we can’t act on.

Still have a question? Talk to our team 24/7 or explore the domain overview.