A practical comparison for European founders who need real trademark protection — not just a search tool.
BrandCat is a global trademark search engine. Sentin is an active EU monitoring service. If you want to know whether your name is taken, BrandCat is useful. If you want to be alerted the moment someone files a trademark that could conflict with yours — and track EUIPO opposition deadlines — Sentin is the better tool.
| Feature | Sentin | BrandCat |
|---|---|---|
| EUIPO trademark monitoring | Yes — daily scans | Search only |
| Benelux (BOIP) monitoring | No — no public API | No |
| Germany, France, Austria monitoring | Yes via TMview | No |
| Opposition deadline countdown | Yes — 3-month timer | No |
| Email alerts | Yes — instant | No |
| Weekly digest | Yes | No |
| Logo similarity detection | Yes | No |
| Dashboard with alert history | Yes | No |
| EUIPO autofill on trademark add | Yes | No |
| Free tier | Yes — 1 trademark | Yes |
| Starting paid price | €15/mo | Varies |
| Focused on EU market | Yes | Global, less EU depth |
BrandCat is a solid global trademark search engine. It covers a wide range of registries worldwide and lets you quickly check if a brand name is already taken. It is useful for initial due diligence before you file a trademark application.
If you are a solo founder doing a one-time search across many countries, BrandCat covers a lot of ground. It also has a clean UI and is easy to use for non-lawyers.
Sentin was built specifically for EU trademark holders who already own or are filing a trademark and need ongoing protection. The core difference is monitoring vs searching: Sentin watches EUIPO every day and alerts you when a new filing appears that could conflict with yours.
The opposition deadline feature is unique to Sentin. When EUIPO publishes a new trademark, you have exactly 3 months to oppose it. Sentin calculates and displays that deadline on every alert, so you never miss a window to protect your brand.
Sentin is best for European founders, small businesses, and brand owners who have already registered or are actively filing a trademark in the EU or Benelux. If protecting that trademark from new competing filings is important to your business, Sentin gives you daily visibility that no search tool can provide.