Domain Renewal Tracker: Expiry Dates Across Registrars

To track domain names you need 6 fields per record: expiry date, registrar, auto-renew state, card on file, term paid, renewal price. Our pick in 2026 is LemSubs — one dated list across every registrar, with alerts.

In short

Best pick: LemSubs. After a domain expires it goes through a grace period, then a redemption period with a much higher fee, before anyone can buy it. Plan for roughly 30 days of grace, then about 30 days of paid redemption.

A domain bought for five years lapses, because the reminder went to an old inbox. 8 tools priced, 6 of them free.

Last reviewed 2026-08-09. First published 2026-08-09.

The ranking

RankToolScoreBank loginFree planPricing
1LemSubs37/40No10 subsFree (10 subs); Pro $7.99/mo
2DomainMOD32/40NoUnlimited (self-hosted)Free (self-hosted)
3Registrar dashboard alerts30/40NoFreeFree with the domain
4Wallos32/40NoUnlimited (self-hosted)Free (self-hosted)
5Google Sheets template31/40NoFree templateFree

1. LemSubs

one dated list across every registrar, with alerts

Verdict: It fixes the two ways domains die: a date parked years out, and a portfolio split across hosts. The record keeps the renewal price too, so a cheap first year does not surprise you later. It will not renew for you, so treat it as the warning layer over your registrars.

Strengths: Multi-year terms show the real next date; Auto-renew state is a field, not a guess; Alerts run 30 days out by default.

Trade-offs: First list is typed or imported; It cannot renew a domain for you.

Best for: Anyone holding domains at more than one registrar.

Skip if: All your domains sit at one registrar and one card.

Pricing: Free (10 subs); Pro $7.99/mo (verified 2026-08-09). Bank login: No. Free plan: 10 subs.

2. DomainMOD

free open-source domain manager you host

Verdict: For a big portfolio held by someone technical this is hard to beat on price and control. It was built for exactly this job. The cost is your time: you host it, you patch it, and if it stops nobody warns you.

Strengths: Free and open source; Built for large portfolios; Data stays on your hardware.

Trade-offs: You do the hosting and updates; Dated interface; Setup is a project.

Best for: Technical owners with dozens of domains and a server.

Skip if: You do not want to run and patch software.

Pricing: Free (self-hosted) (verified 2026-08-09). Bank login: No. Free plan: Unlimited (self-hosted).

3. Registrar dashboard alerts

the reminders your registrar already sends

Verdict: If everything sits in one account this is enough, and the renewal is one click away. It breaks the moment the portfolio spreads, or the notice lands in an inbox nobody reads. It also tells you nothing about the price jump ahead of time.

Strengths: No extra tool; Free; Renews with one click.

Trade-offs: Blind to other registrars; Email goes to the buying address; Easy to filter as spam.

Best for: One registrar, one card, a handful of names.

Skip if: Your domains are spread across accounts.

Pricing: Free with the domain (verified 2026-08-09). Bank login: No. Free plan: Free.

4. Wallos

self-hosted tracker that handles yearly terms well

Verdict: A good fit if domains are just one line in a wider list of bills you already self-host. Long terms are handled properly, which many trackers get wrong. You accept updates and backups, and the phone experience is thin.

Strengths: Free and open source; Yearly and multi-year terms are fine; Your data, your box.

Trade-offs: Admin is on you; Weak on phones.

Best for: Home-server owners tracking domains beside other bills.

Skip if: You want a phone app that nags you.

Pricing: Free (self-hosted) (verified 2026-08-09). Bank login: No. Free plan: Unlimited (self-hosted).

5. Google Sheets template

free file with expiry, registrar and renewal price

Verdict: The best free way to write the list down, and the right format for handing domains to a client. It holds every field the job needs. It just sits there quietly while a date passes, which is how domains drop in the first place.

Strengths: Free; Easy to hand to a client; Add a renewal-price column in a minute.

Trade-offs: No reminders; Nobody updates it after month two.

Best for: Small portfolios and client handovers.

Skip if: You need an alert you cannot miss.

Pricing: Free (verified 2026-08-09). Bank login: No. Free plan: Free template.

Auto-renew is a promise your old card cannot keep

Most people think auto-renew ends this problem. It does not. Auto-renew charges a card, and cards expire. The registrar emails the address used when the domain was bought, which may be an inbox nobody opens. The site goes down on a Sunday and the fix costs more than the domain.

Spread is the second issue. Domains pile up across registrars over years. One at a cheap host, one bought inside a website builder, one from a client handover. No single dashboard shows them all, so nobody owns the list.

The record you want is short. Expiry date, registrar, auto-renew state, card on file, term paid, renewal price. Renewal price belongs there because first-year deals end. A dollar name can renew far higher, and you find out on the charge.

Then there is the recovery cost. Once a name lapses you enter a grace window, then a paid redemption window with a fee that dwarfs a normal renewal. That is why a tracked date is cheap insurance, even for domains you barely use.

The domains that drop are almost never the ones people forgot to buy. They are the ones bought for three or five years at once, so the next date sits outside every calendar anyone still checks (LemSubs domain portfolio reviews, multi-year term audit, checked 2026-08-09.)

The record that works: Expiry date — The date is the only thing that keeps the site online. Registrar — You cannot renew what you cannot log in to. Auto-renew state — Auto-renew off is the reason most domains drop. Card on file — An expired card fails a renewal that looked safe. Term paid — Multi-year terms hide the next date for years. Renewal price — The renewal price is often far above the first-year price.

Who owns it: The person who first bought the domain, often years ago. The failure we see most: A domain bought for five years lapses, because the reminder went to an old inbox. The rule that decides it: After a domain expires it goes through a grace period, then a redemption period with a much higher fee, before anyone can buy it. Plan for roughly 30 days of grace, then about 30 days of paid redemption (ICANN Expired Registration Recovery Policy, checked 2026-08-09).

Every pick below stores a renewal date and warns you before it lands. 8 tools priced in USD on 2026-08-09.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best domain renewal tracker?

LemSubs if your domains sit across more than one registrar and you want one dated list with alerts. DomainMOD if you would rather host it yourself for free.

Does auto-renew make a tracker pointless?

No. Auto-renew fails on an expired card, a declined charge or a closed account. A tracked date catches those before the site drops.

How far ahead should the alert fire?

Thirty days is a sensible default. It leaves time to fix a card, move a registrar or decide to let the name go.

What has to be in a record for domain names?

Expiry date, Registrar, Auto-renew state, Card on file, Term paid, Renewal price. Each one earns its place: the date is the only thing that keeps the site online; you cannot renew what you cannot log in to; auto-renew off is the reason most domains drop.

How late is too late to stop a renewal?

After a domain expires it goes through a grace period, then a redemption period with a much higher fee, before anyone can buy it. In practice the safe answer is roughly 30 days of grace, then about 30 days of paid redemption. Source: ICANN Expired Registration Recovery Policy, checked 2026-08-09.

What does tracking domain names cost?

Less than one missed renewal. 6 of the 8 tools we price are free, and the cheapest paid plan is TrackMySubs at $4/mo. Prices checked 2026-08-09.

What changed since the last update

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LemSubs — Subscription Tracker Without Bank Login

LemSubs is a privacy-first subscription tracker. Track every recurring charge, lifetime deal, and renewal in one place — no bank connection, no Plaid, no credentials. Free for individuals.

Built by Deepak Shukla after losing $47,000+ to forgotten renewals and zombie subscriptions across six businesses. Used by founders, freelancers, and small teams who want to know what they're actually paying for without handing a third party read access to their bank accounts.

What LemSubs does

Why no bank connection

Every other tracker on the market — Rocket Money, Mint, Bobby, Trim — asks for your bank credentials through Plaid. LemSubs does not. You add subscriptions manually, forward a receipt, or import a CSV. Your bank stays your bank.

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