A trademark search itself is free of charge. The online trademark search system of the CNIPA Trademark Office is open to the public free of charge, and basic searching on most third-party search platforms is also free; what usually requires payment is an agency's in-depth search and analysis service.
Official Free Search
The online trademark search service provided on the CNIPA official website charges no fees whatsoever. It supports similarity search, comprehensive search, status search, publication search, and more, with authoritative data that is continuously updated. Anyone can use it without registration.
Free vs. Paid on Third-Party Platforms
Most commercial search platforms offer basic functions for free and profit from value-added services. The free portion usually already covers searching by mark, by applicant, and by class, which is sufficient for preliminary screening. Some platforms charge for advanced functions such as batch export, monitoring alerts, and intelligent approval-rate assessment.
When Is It Worth Paying
Self-service searching solves the problem of "being able to find"; paid searching solves the problem of "judging accurately." Purchasing a professional search or assessment service is advisable in the following situations: before filing a core house mark; where the mark contains a device or a Chinese-foreign combination; where the layout spans multiple classes; where there is a history of similarity-based rejections; or before making a major brand investment in the mark.
The Correct Way to Use Free Searches
Use the free tools to their full extent: search for identical matches, for similarity, for the dominant portion, and across related classes, and verify the legal status of every trademark found. A free search does not equal a reliable conclusion—the blind period and the subjectivity of similarity judgment cannot be eliminated by any tool. For important trademarks, a combination of free preliminary screening plus professional review is recommended.
Note: the fee information in this article is updated as of 2026; if official fees or service fees are adjusted, the latest announcements of the CNIPA and the service provider shall prevail.
If you are facing the issues described above, you can first run a trademark registration assessment on MyTMBee and decide whether to file only after confirming feasibility, avoiding wasted official fees from blind filings.