Best for
Best for applicants and practitioners who want to search the US federal trademark register themselves before filing with the USPTO.
Trademark Search & Monitoring Comparison
USPTO Trademark Search vs. WIPO Global Brand Database
At a glance
At a glance
Best for
Best for founders, brand owners and practitioners who want a free first search across international and national trademark collections before filing or commissioning a clearance search.
Cataleo does not name a winner. Both statements come from the vendors themselves.
Full Comparison
| Criterion | USPTO Trademark Search | WIPO Global Brand Database |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Free The USPTO describes its search resources as free. A free USPTO.gov account is needed for the beta image search and custom case summaries, and for an API key. | Free WIPO's terms of use describe the database as a free-of-charge public service. A WIPO account is also free and adds saved searches and record sets. |
| API | TSDR API for trademark case status, documents and images, with an API key tied to a USPTO.gov account | The terms of use forbid automated queries, scraping and bulk downloading; the Madrid collection is available on request for a fee |
| Languages | Not stated | Information pages in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish |
| Hosting | Web app at tmsearch.uspto.gov | Web app at branddb.wipo.int |
| Made in | United States | Not stated |
| Registers and countries covered | Federally registered and pending US trademarks in the USPTO database. For a comprehensive clearance the USPTO lists further sources outside the tool: the Trademark Official Gazette, state trademark and business registries, domain name registries, Madrid Monitor, WIPO's Global Brand Database and EUIPO's TMview. | International trademarks under the Madrid System, appellations of origin and geographical indications under the Lisbon System, emblems under Article 6ter, WHO international nonproprietary names, and trademarks from participating national and regional offices, with a coverage list on the database site. The Madrid collection is updated daily, EUIPO data is retrieved daily, and other national collections update as often as each office sends its data; Peru and Paraguay were added in 2026. |
| Word, phonetic and image search | Word searches by field tag such as CM for the combined mark, with exact phrases in quotes and regular expressions for alternative spellings and pronunciations, design search codes from the Design Search Code Manual, design searches by textual description, and a beta image search from an uploaded image for logged-in users | Search by keywords, names, numbers, goods and services and image similarity, or a combination of them. Logo search takes an uploaded JPG, PNG or WebP image with a choice of search strategy, and the separate Vienna Classification Assistant suggests Vienna codes for figurative elements. |
| Goods, services and Nice classes | A coordinated class filter in expert mode and the CC field tag find marks in related international and US classes, and the Trademark ID Manual lists acceptable goods and services wording | Search by goods and services, plus the separate Global G&S Terms Explorer, which helps choose goods and services terms and their Nice classification in different languages |
| Clearance and conflict screening | A search tool and not a screening: the USPTO calls its database one essential step of a clearance search, says there is no surefire way to uncover all potentially conflicting trademarks, and suggests a trademark screening service or a US-licensed attorney for an in-depth search | Results are a search, not a screening: the terms of use state that a result does not imply any legal opinion on likelihood of confusion, the FAQ states that WIPO is not mandated to conduct searches for third parties, and WIPO suggests also searching national and regional registers and consulting a trademark attorney |
| Watch and alerts | Status alerts come from separate USPTO services: MyUSPTO can send email updates when the status of an application changes, and Trademark Center has a docketing feature that tracks the status of applications filed through it | Saved searches and record sets with a free WIPO account; the FAQ states that a saved search shows new matching records when you log in again |
| Reports and exports | Logged-in users can choose which sections appear on a case summary for a record and print or save it; a result opens most of the TSDR information without leaving the search system | Reports built from selected records, up to 180 records per report, which is also the download limit; results display as a list, grid or gallery |
| Integrations and API | TSDR API for programmatic requests for trademark case status, documents and images, requiring an API key tied to a USPTO.gov account; trademark bulk data is downloadable from the USPTO Bulk Data Storage System and further data products sit on the USPTO Open Data Portal | The terms of use forbid automated queries, web scraping and bulk downloading, and the FAQ states the database is not for sale. WIPO offers the full collection of Madrid System international marks on request and for a fee. |
| Deployment | Browser-based | Browser-based |
| Onboarding | more entries Documentation and knowledge base, Video tutorials, Live online demos and webinars | Documentation and knowledge base, Live online demos and webinars |
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Row where the values differ The small markers point at the lower number, the longer list or the stated feature. They describe the data, they are not a verdict.
The short version
Key Differences
- Hosting USPTO Trademark Search Web app at tmsearch.uspto.gov WIPO Global Brand Database Web app at branddb.wipo.int
- API USPTO Trademark Search TSDR API for trademark case status, documents and images, with an API key tied to a USPTO.gov account WIPO Global Brand Database The terms of use forbid automated queries, scraping and bulk downloading; the Madrid collection is available on request for a fee
- Registers and countries covered USPTO Trademark Search Federally registered and pending US trademarks in the USPTO database. For a comprehensive clearance the USPTO lists further sources outside the tool: the Trademark Official Gazette, state trademark and business registries, domain name registries, Madrid Monitor, WIPO's Global Brand Database and EUIPO's TMview. WIPO Global Brand Database International trademarks under the Madrid System, appellations of origin and geographical indications under the Lisbon System, emblems under Article 6ter, WHO international nonproprietary names, and trademarks from participating national and regional offices, with a coverage list on the database site. The Madrid collection is updated daily, EUIPO data is retrieved daily, and other national collections update as often as each office sends its data; Peru and Paraguay were added in 2026.
- Word, phonetic and image search USPTO Trademark Search Word searches by field tag such as CM for the combined mark, with exact phrases in quotes and regular expressions for alternative spellings and pronunciations, design search codes from the Design Search Code Manual, design searches by textual description, and a beta image search from an uploaded image for logged-in users WIPO Global Brand Database Search by keywords, names, numbers, goods and services and image similarity, or a combination of them. Logo search takes an uploaded JPG, PNG or WebP image with a choice of search strategy, and the separate Vienna Classification Assistant suggests Vienna codes for figurative elements.
- Goods, services and Nice classes USPTO Trademark Search A coordinated class filter in expert mode and the CC field tag find marks in related international and US classes, and the Trademark ID Manual lists acceptable goods and services wording WIPO Global Brand Database Search by goods and services, plus the separate Global G&S Terms Explorer, which helps choose goods and services terms and their Nice classification in different languages
Every line is one datapoint from the table above, picked automatically. Nothing here is written text.
The trade-offs
Strengths and Limitations
USPTO Trademark Search
Strengths
- Free, from the office that examines US federal applications
- Field tags and regular expressions for spelling and pronunciation variants
- Coordinated class filter for related goods and services across classes
- TSDR API and bulk data for trademark records
Limitations
- Covers the federal register only; state, common-law and foreign marks need other sources
- Image search is a beta for logged-in users, and the design search codes page still states the system does not allow reverse image searching
- Field tag syntax takes practice; the USPTO publishes separate handouts and webinars for it
WIPO Global Brand Database
Strengths
- Free of charge, with a free account for saved searches
- Madrid, Lisbon, 6ter, INN and participating national collections in one search
- Logo search from an uploaded JPG, PNG or WebP image
- The FAQ states that uploaded logo images are not kept once the analysis is complete
Limitations
- Reports and downloads are capped at 180 records
- National collections are only as current as each office's last data delivery
- The terms of use forbid automated queries and bulk downloads, and the database is not for sale
- No conflict assessment; WIPO points to national registers and trademark attorneys for that
Plans
Pricing
USPTO Trademark Search
- Free Free Public search of the USPTO; a free USPTO.gov account adds the beta image search, custom case summaries and an API key.
WIPO Global Brand Database
- Free Free Public service of WIPO; a free WIPO account adds saved searches and record sets.
What users say
Review Scores · opens after launch
USPTO Trademark Search
- Ease of use
- Not rated yet
- User interface
- Not rated yet
- Onboarding
- Not rated yet
- Support and service
- Not rated yet
- Value for money
- Not rated yet
- Features
- Not rated yet
No reviews yet. Nothing has been published here yet, and no score is shown. How a review is checked before it appears is described below.
WIPO Global Brand Database
- Ease of use
- Not rated yet
- User interface
- Not rated yet
- Onboarding
- Not rated yet
- Support and service
- Not rated yet
- Value for money
- Not rated yet
- Features
- Not rated yet
No reviews yet. Nothing has been published here yet, and no score is shown. How a review is checked before it appears is described below.
How we check reviews
Before sending, the author has to confirm three things: that they have used the product themselves, that they work neither for the vendor nor for a competitor, and that nobody is paying them for the review. We also ask whether the vendor invited them to write it. That answer is required, either answer is accepted, and it stays with the review.
Every review is read by a person before it appears. An email address is required and is confirmed: we send a link to it, and a review does not reach us until the author opens that link, so a review has a sender who was reachable at least once rather than being anonymous. Where what somebody writes needs backing, we ask them for evidence that they used the product, and a review that does not get it is not published. We publish positive and negative reviews alike, we pay nothing and offer nothing for a review, and we accept none that was bought or incentivised.
What we cannot do is verify a purchase. There is no shop here and no account, so whether the author really used the tool rests on their own declaration, on whatever we ask them for, and on the plausibility of what they write. We say so rather than implying a check that does not exist.
A vendor cannot buy a review, and cannot have one removed or changed because they dislike it. We remove or edit a review only if it breaks our rules or the law, for example a false statement of fact. Paid placement has no effect on which reviews appear or on any score.
Where this comes from
Where this comes from
USPTO Trademark Search https://www.uspto.gov/trademarks/search · checked against the official source on 2026-11-07
WIPO Global Brand Database https://www.wipo.int/en/web/global-brand-database · checked against the official source on 2026-11-07
This table lists factual criteria taken from information the vendors publish themselves. For how we put it together, see the methodology.