How to Set Up Domain Monitoring on WhoisFreaks

Domain monitoring lets you track WHOIS record changes for any domain in near real-time. Whether you own the domain or are watching a competitor, WhoisFreaks detects field-level changes; registrant updates, nameserver swaps, expiry date shifts - and logs every change with timestamps.

This guide walks you through setting up domain monitoring from scratch.

Prerequisites

Before setting up domain monitoring, you need:

• A WhoisFreaks account: If you don't have one yet, follow our Getting Started with WhoisFreaks tutorial to sign up.
• An active Domain Monitoring subscription: Choose a plan that fits your needs from the Domain Monitoring pricing page.

Available Pricing Plans

Free trial available: Start with 1 domain monitor at 24h frequency at no cost. No credit card required. Upgrade anytime to unlock more monitors and faster frequencies.

Purchase a plan

• Log in to your WhoisFreaks account
• Navigate to Billing and then to Monitoring from the sidebar
• Select the Domain Monitoring plan that suits your needs
• Complete the checkout

Once your subscription is active, you can start adding domains to monitor immediately.

Visit the Domain Monitoring product page for full details.

Setting Up Your Domain Monitor

Step 1: Navigate to the Monitoring Dashboard

Log in to your WhoisFreaks account and navigate to the Monitoring section from the sidebar or top navigation.

You will land on the Domain Monitor tab by default.

Step 2: Add a Domain to Monitor

In the Enter Domain input field, type the domain name you want to monitor. You can enter multiple domains separated by commas.

Examples

Single domain monitor:

whoisfreaks.com

OR Multiple domain monitors at once:

whoisfreaks.com, ipgeolocation.io, apifreaks.com

Step 3: Select Monitoring Frequency

Before clicking "Add to monitor", select how often WhoisFreaks should check for WHOIS changes using the Frequency dropdown.

Available frequencies (paid plans only)

Note: The free trial plan is locked to 24h frequency. Upgrade your plan to access faster monitoring intervals.

Click "Add to monitor" to start monitoring.

Step 4: View Your Monitored Domains

After adding domains, they appear in the monitoring table below the form. Each row shows:

Step 5: Configure Excluded Fields

You may not care about every WHOIS field change. For example, you might want to ignore registrar_iana_id or updated_date fields that change frequently without significance.

• Click the "Add +" button or the existing field count badge in the Excluded Fields column
• A side panel opens with a dropdown of all available WHOIS fields
• Select the fields you want to exclude from change detection
• Click Save

Changes to excluded fields will no longer trigger change notifications or appear in your change log.

Step 6: View Change History

When WhoisFreaks detects a WHOIS record change, the Last Change column updates with the date.

Click "View" in the View Changes column to open the change history modal.

The modal opens with three view modes

• Latest Day (Default) - Shows only the most recent day's changes. A hint bar tells you other options are available.
• All Changes - Click the "All Changes" button to load the complete change history across all dates.
• Filter by Date - The filter panel is open by default. Use the Start and End datetime pickers to narrow down changes to a specific period, then click "Get Changes".

The filter respects the date range of your actual change data. The minimum and maximum selectable dates are set automatically.

Each change entry shows:

• Date header - collapsible, with total field change count
• Time group - changes grouped by the exact time they were detected (e.g. "2:32 PM")
• Field change - field name with "Before" (red) and "After" (green) values
• Badges - "Field Added" or "Field Removed" for new or deleted WHOIS fields

Step 7: Pause or Remove a Monitor

Pause: Toggle the Active switch off in the table row. The domain stays in your list but stops being checked. Toggle it back on to resume.

Remove: Click the trash icon to permanently delete the monitor. This frees up a slot on your plan.

Step 8: Update Monitoring Frequency

You can change the frequency of any active monitor at any time:

1. Click the frequency dropdown in the domain's table row
2. Select the new frequency
3. The change takes effect immediately

Free trial users will see locked frequency options with an "Upgrade" link.

Summary

Domain monitoring runs automatically in the background. Every check compares the current WHOIS record against the previous one and logs any differences with exact timestamps.

For more information, visit the Domain Monitoring product page.