Major Updates in Domain Portfolio Software: What You Need to Know

Overview

In early 2025, ICANN began sunsetting the WHOIS protocol, significantly impacting software that relies on it. As a result, many applications that use WHOIS will become less effective and eventually cease to function. [see more here]

Transition Plan

To support this change, we have retired our older products and introduced a new RDAP-compatible series. Customers who purchased within the last two years qualify for a free upgrade, while others can benefit from special pricing.

Retirement of Legacy Products

The following desktop software products are being fully retired:

• Watch My Domains Pro
• Watch My Domains ISP
• Domain Punch Pro

Several key factors have influenced this decision:

• The gradual discontinuation of Whois protocol.
• These products date back to the late 1990s, and modern, more advanced technology stacks are now available.
• A strategic consolidation of product offerings into two distinct categories: Server Editions and Desktop Editions.

Desktop and Server Versions

Going forward, domain name portfolio management will be streamlined into two products, one for desktop installation and one for the server installation.

The new desktop edition offers enhanced speed and performance, now featuring built-in support for Socks5 proxies. It utilizes RDAP for queries but seamlessly falls back to Whois when an RDAP server is unavailable. We will be rolling out frequent updates in the coming days as we test and integrate new features.

This transition ensures a more efficient, future-ready solution for managing domain portfolios.

What happens to my existing purchases?

• If you bought any of our legacy software products within the past two years, you’re eligible for a free upgrade to a suitable edition of the new Watch My Domains Desktop.
• For purchases made over two years ago, we’re offering a special discount to upgrade to the new desktop edition. Please see the purchase page for special pricing.
• You can continue using the legacy software products for as long as they remain functional and useful to you. They will still be accessible on our site under the ‘Legacy’ section.
• However, please note that these legacy products are no longer officially supported. This means they come without guarantees regarding compatibility, performance, or ongoing assistance. Our focus is on actively supported products that align with current industry standards and user needs.