If you are searching for the best web hosting services to get your website up and running, you might feel overwhelmed by the search. There are many website hosting options out there to host your website, one of them is Namecheap.
The name Namecheap is a bit misleading. It might lead you to assume that the company only offers domain registration, but Namecheap also offers web hosting services.
However, Namecheap is the best option when it comes to new domain registrations, they offer domains from as low as $0.99 in the first year. A number of companies make a lot of their money on upsell, but, when it comes to Namecheap, that does not happen.
Namecheap like its name prides itself by not using the upsell tactic to make more money off of their customers. What they strive for is being an affordable webhosting provider, you can see this through their pricing plans.
When considering cheap web hosting, Namecheap offers competitive pricing, but it’s important to evaluate the overall value compared to other providers. Some companies may offer a better balance of price, customer service, and features.
In this Namecheap hosting review will take a closer look at what Namecheap hosting is all about. By the end of this Namecheap review I hope you will have full understanding of what they can offer you as a home for your website.
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What is Namecheap?
Namecheap is an ICANN-accredited domain name registrar providing domain name registration and web hosting based in Phoenix, Arizona, US.
They are best known as a domain name registrar but, that not what they are all bout, the company offers a full suite of web hosting features as well as SSL certificates and WhoisGuard privacy protection services.
Richard Kirkendall founded Namecheap to provide first-class web hosting and domain services at affordable prices in 2000.
The company is one of the fastest-growing ICANN-accredited registrars. Namecheap later expanded into other services and is now one of the fastest-growing hosting companies in the world. Today they host more than 2 million customers and over 13 million domains.
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About Namecheap
Namecheap is a renowned name in the web hosting industry, known for its affordable and reliable services. Founded in 2000, Namecheap has grown to become one of the largest web hosting providers globally, managing over 17 million domains.
The company offers a comprehensive range of web hosting services, including shared hosting, managed WordPress hosting, VPS hosting, and dedicated server hosting. With a focus on providing top-notch services at competitive prices, Namecheap has earned the trust of millions of users worldwide.
Overview of Namecheap’s web hosting services
Namecheap stands out as a leading web hosting provider, offering a diverse array of web hosting services tailored to meet the needs of individuals, small businesses, and large enterprises.
Their offerings include shared hosting, managed WordPress hosting, VPS hosting, and dedicated server hosting. Each service is designed to deliver fast and reliable performance, ensuring that your website runs smoothly.
Namecheap also provides free SSL certificates to enhance your website’s security and a free website builder to help you create a professional-looking site with ease. Whether you’re just starting or looking to scale your online presence, Namecheap’s web hosting services have you covered.
Brief history of Namecheap
Founded in 2000, Namecheap has steadily grown to become one of the most popular web hosting providers in the world. Initially starting as a domain registrar, Namecheap quickly expanded its services to include web hosting, security solutions, and WordPress management.
Today, with over 18 million domains under management, Namecheap is a trusted brand in the web hosting industry. The company’s commitment to providing affordable and reliable services has earned it a loyal customer base and a reputation for excellence.
Namecheap Compared to Other Webhosts
Namecheap provides millions of domain names at extremely low prices along with a plethora of additional website hosting and management services.
Every Namecheap domain registration comes with free privacy protection, domain name security, round the clock support, and full DNS access.
For your benefit, they have a detailed knowledge base for further clarification on how you can best make use of their service and manage your domain.
To protect your domain name and provide free customer service, Namecheap is your best choice for domain names and web hosting.
Namecheap’s web hosting services are at the top of their game and offer the speediest, most reliable, and affordable alternative to any other site hosting provider. Their service is unmatched.
Namecheap makes our list of the best web hoisting providers.
Who is Namecheap Best for?
If you’re looking for a number of domains, or just the best deal on your domain registration, Namecheap is best for you.
While Namecheap isn’t quite as well-known as some of its competitors, it has carved out a niche for itself as one of the most affordable domain registrars around. It boasts a full suite of top-tier features but at bottom-tier prices — and for that reason alone, it’s worth a look.
Namecheap offers competitive pricing on over 400 domain extensions, and you can use the Bulk Domain Search tool to find and register a number of domains at once.
They also offers fast, user-friendly services — its interface is one of the easiest to use and has some handy tools like WhoisGuard for free privacy protection.
Namecheap Features and Pricing
Now let’s explore all the different package options Namecheap offers. Now it’s time to begin your exploration of the Namecheap product pricing and features.
There are plenty to choose from ranging from very basic, personal use packages suitable for a small business web designer to packages intended for a large business that is intent on creating its own online marketing pages.
Namecheap hosting offers domains, shared hosting, VPS (Virtual Private Server), dedicated servers, and managed WordPress hosting (EasyWP). They extend their hosting service to VPN, security and SSL, private email hosting, premium DNS and website privacy protection.
Let’s have a look at what each package holds.
Domains
One thing that strikes me about Namecheap is that it has a remarkably large number of domains under its name. With over 10 million registered domains, it’s no wonder people are signing up for this service.
Namecheap domains are particularly affordable due to significant first-year discounts for new customers and value-added features like free domain privacy.
Some of the best domain name extensions available for everyone
If you are tech savvy or an online developer domains such as .TECH, .IO, .SITE, .AI, .SOFTWARE or .APP are available on Namecheap
If you are looking for some high-end, prestigious domains, expensive TLDs like .GAME, .INC, or .CEO.
If you are a business professional, domains like .COM, .CO, .LTD, .LLC, .STORE, .PARTNERS and .BIZ.
If you are a blogger they have TLDs that reflect your interest or topic to help your site stand out: Namecheap has got .TRAVEL, .REVIEWS, .COOL, .PICS, .RECIPES and many more to choose from.
Namecheap has a straightforward process for registering new domain names and transferring over existing ones. They offer affordable registration on many different types of TLDs (top-level domains), ranging from the well-known .com to the more obscure .vegas and .ninja. Here are some of their perks:
Over 400 awesome TLDs to choose from
Free WhoisGuard Privacy Protection – for life
Private Email free for 2 months
Positive SSL for $3.88/1st year with each domain registration
Free Basic DNS and DNSSEC
24/7 customer support
Namecheap Hosting
Hosting is required to publish your site online. Without it, a domain is just an empty address. A fast hosting service with guaranteed uptime is even better. Namecheap offers a wide range of robust hosting packages with 100% uptime guaranteed.
IF you are creating your first blog, or own a small online shop, Namecheap might just be what you are searching for in a host. Let’s have a look at some of their hosting services and the features they provide.
Namecheap Shared Hosting Review
If you are looking for a cheap hosting provider that is easy to use and offers all of the features you need, Namecheap is a good choice. Namecheap shared hosting plans come with everything you need, including a WordPress 1-click installer and premium DNS.
Shared hosting means that multiple websites share one physical server – this is the least expensive way to host your website or blog online.
Namecheap shared hosting is ideal for you if you are doing either of the following;
Creating your first blog
Using personal domains for email accounts, or to put CVs/portfolios online
You are inexperienced in creating websites and want a hassle-free tool
You want a cost-effective, but powerful hosting
There are three shared hosting plans available at Namecheap: Stellar, Stellar Plus, and Stellar business.
All plans come with these great features
50% off the 1st year
Domain registration with up to 100% off for 1 year
50 free PositiveSSL certificates for 1 year
Easy-to-install WordPress
Free Supersonic CDN
Unmetered Bandwidth
Free Website Builder for quick and stylish layouts
Free website transfer from another platform
100% uptime guarantee
24/7 Customer Support
All three plans offer unmetered bandwidth meaning that there is no limit on the amount of traffic your website can receive and unlimited storage space so you have plenty of room for all that content you are about to produce.
Namecheap Shared hosting pricing plans
Stellar is the lowest plan by Namecheap, but you get a lot. It includes 20 GB SSD, 3 websites, a free domain name (for the first year), and a free CDN. You get all this for $1.58/month, billed annually.
Stellar Plus comes with unlimited SSD, unlimited websites, auto-backup, free domain name, free CDN, and more. It goes for $2.68/month when billed annually.
Stellar Business is for those looking to start a small website for their business. With stellar business, you get 50 GB SSD, unlimited websites, auto-backup, cloud storage, free domain name, free CDN, and more. Pricing for stellar business starts at $4.80/month when billed annually.
Namecheap VPS and Dedicated Servers
Namecheap VPS Plans are the best solution for web agencies, webmasters, and resellers who need customizable settings on a reliable server. These vps hosting plans offer enhanced control and flexibility compared to shared hosting, making them ideal for users seeking better performance for their websites.
The plans start at $11.88 per month, however, you’ll have to pay extra for managed services. You get up to 20% off the 1st billing cycle.
The advantage of Namecheap VPS is that there are 3 management options to choose from self-managed, semi-managed, and fully managed. This way you can get only what you need and don’t have to pay extra for the features that you don’t use.
Besides, Namecheap offers free .website domain registration with a 1-year plan as well as a 99.9% uptime guarantee and 24/7 customer support on all levels of administration. In case your site is down or slow, they will refund the affected period of service in full!
Namecheap VPS is best suited for you if
You own a resource intensive website
You are a web agency, a webmaster or a hosting reseller
In need of customizable server settings
You need space for media storage
Or you have a large number of website you want to manage in one place
Because of its competitive pricing it ranks with the best VPS hosting providers in the world. They offer 2 pricing packages for VPS
Pulsar is a popular VPS hosting plan that gets you 2 CPU cores, 2 GB RAM, 40 GGB SSD RAID 10, and 1000 GB bandwidth. It goes for $7.88/month, when billed annually.
Quasar is a great value and gets you 4 CPU cores, 6 GB RAM, 120 GB SSD RAID 10, and 3000 GB bandwidth. The price for Quasar starts at $13.88/month, when billed annually.
Dedicated Hosting Pricing
If you need your own servers to have free control over how you use or customize your server, then a dedicated hosting plan is something that might interest you.
The different plans in the dedicated server plan offer some great options. This all depends on your specific needs for your business or website.
When you get to this level of hosting, it is a good idea to connect with a Namecheap agent and see if you can get more information before making the big move. The dedicated server plans range from over $600/month to over $1,100/month.
Namecheap Easy WP
EasyWP is the fastest and easiest way to use managed WordPress that takes a website to live in just a couple of minutes. It is the most affordable WordPress hosting package you can find, starting at $4.88/ month.
This is an instant setup type of product with no limits on traffic; it also has an SSL certificate and is hosted on Namecheap’s high-speed servers.
If you are looking for an easy-to-understand interface and great customer support, EasyWP may be exactly what you are looking for.
EasyWP is one cloud managed WordPress hosting solution you can look forward to using. Its best known for
Being one of the fastest WordPress hosting available
Installs in under 90 seconds
Hosted on Namecheap Cloud
Easy backup and restore tool
Free CDN & SSL E SFTP, Database Access & More
The platform installs in under 90 seconds and offers SFTP access and databases, as well as many other features that make it ideal for those who want to focus on using WordPress for their websites.
It’s fast, reliable, and very scalable; if you’re looking to launch your site quickly without all the technical mumbo jumbo this might just be the product you’ve been searching for.
You can launch your website in a matter of minutes, and not to forget the most affordable WordPress hosting around.
Easy WP pricing
If you’re planning to use WordPress, then EasyWP hosting plans are for you.
EasyWP Starter is great if you are just getting started with your first WordPress website. The EasyWP starter plan gives you 10 GB SSD to handle 50,000 visitors per month for $22.88/month, when billed annually.
EasyWP Turbo is for when you want to grow your WordPress website. You can try this turbo plan which gives you 50 GB SSD, more CPU, more RAM, free SSL, free CDN, and 200,00 monthly visitors for $34.44/month, when billed annually.
EasyWP Supersonic. Anything supersonic has to be blazing fast and that just what this EasyWP plan gives you. If you want to scale your website to its maximum performance, this plan might just be right for you. Namecheap gives you 100 GB SSD, a 99.99% uptime guarantee, free SSL, free CDN, and 500,000 monthly visitors for $49.88/month, billed annually.
Namecheap VPN
This is where a VPN can help. A Virtual Private Network (VPN) is a service that allows your audience to connect to the Internet securely by creating an encrypted connection for them to use.
Browsing, online banking, and shopping will all be secure, even on public Wi-Fi connections, meaning their data and identity will be protected.
Your audience should get a VPN if they:
Want to be protected from hackers while on public Wi-Fi
Care about hiding their IP address and masking their location
Need an easy way to stream their favorite shows with no interruptions
Want to unblock geo-restricted sites games and services
With the Namecheap VPN you can
Connect on all devices at once
75+ Locations and 1000+ Servers
Easy setup
Solid protection with Kill Switch feature
Unlimited bandwidth
DNS leak protection
No Traffic Logs
Protect your Wi-Fi router
Website security with Namecheap
SSL certification and validation are necessary pieces of web security for any business that collects information from its users. Also, websites without trusted SSL certificates get pushed to the bottom of the search results by big companies, like Google
If you’re looking to build a website, it’s important to make sure that the hosting provider you choose is up to speed when it comes to WordPress security.
Namecheap has been rated with an A+ rating from SSL Labs, so you know your WordPress site security is in good hands.
A secure website is essential for any company or organization that wishes to protect its reputation and that of its clients.
As well as ensuring the security of client data, an SSL certificate also helps your customers feel safe when submitting sensitive information online – like credit card numbers or private data.
NameCheap offers free SSL with their hosting solutions and sells certificates from Comodo, which are trusted by 99% of browsers (a figure which accounts for over 500 million users). The following certificates are available:
Free SSL certificates from Let’s Encrypt: Starting at just $5.88/yr (domain validated), this easy-to-activate solution offers:
Domain Validation
A static Site Seal as a mark of the secure website
The best compatibility with popular browsers
24/7 Customer Support
Namecheap offers PositiveSSL Comodo EssentialSSL certificate, the most popular SSL certificates on the market, and which a top pick for Namecheap customers. These are perfect if you run a blog, a personal page, and/or small to medium-sized online businesses.
Private Email
A private email service, Namecheap’s solution is ideal for business owners who want to organize their team’s communication. Also, if you’re an online-savvy entrepreneur looking for a private domain, it could be right for you, too.
This service is cloud-based, so you can log into your email account from anywhere and never have to worry about inbox storage limits or losing emails if your computer crashes.
If you prefer mobile apps over desktop ones (or vice versa), this service has that covered. You can simply download the app on Windows, Android, or IoS to access your emails on the go.
Plus, there are plenty of features like two-factor authentication and anti-spam protection that make this product fully functional for anyone interested in cleaning up their inbox.
Premium DNS
DNS is a system of servers that connect your domain to a website, or to email hosting. PremiumDNS ensures faster performance, maximum site availability, and better security.
NameCheap.com is the best place to get started when it comes to buying a domain and hosting.
The company offers free, 24/7 technical support, and a 30-day money-back guarantee, and is dedicated to providing low prices on its premium services, including DNS (domain name server) service. With NameCheap’s “Namecheap” DNS service, your website will be faster than ever.
Namecheap offers the best price in the market for premium DNS hosting, for any domain with any registrar, and you have a 100% guaranteed DNS
Privacy Protection and WhoIsGuard
Namecheap takes your privacy seriously as a company and host. This is reflected in their business model, which is designed to protect you as a customer and prevent someone else from hijacking or blocking access to your website.
The company’s privacy protection service is called WhoIsGuard, which protects the identity of the domain registrant by shielding it from unwanted prying eyes.
With WhoIsGuard enabled, visitors can only see Namecheap’s contact information when looking up a domain name online.
This protects your personal information when someone searches for the owner of a domain, which would otherwise be easy to find without this service enabled.
WhoIsGuard is free and recommended for anyone who wants to keep their personal details private on the web without paying extra for it.
Namecheap’s Ease of Use
User Dashboard and cPanel
Namecheap’s user dashboard is designed with simplicity and efficiency in mind, making it easy for users to manage their web hosting accounts, domains, and other services. The dashboard provides a centralized location where users can access all their account information and tools. Additionally, Namecheap utilizes the industry-standard cPanel control panel, which offers a comprehensive set of tools for managing web hosting accounts. With cPanel, users can effortlessly manage their files, databases, email accounts, and more. The user dashboard and cPanel are also optimized for mobile devices, allowing users to manage their web hosting accounts on-the-go, ensuring convenience and flexibility.
The advantage of using Namecheap
Namecheap is a trusted brand
Namecheap has been around for over 20 years and is a trusted brand when it comes to hosting. They currently host over 3 million hosting customers and over 13 million domains. You can trust that over the years, they have worked a way to perfect their product, they offer a reliable service.
100% uptime guaranteed
A 100% uptime SLA is a great feature for any business. That’s why Namecheap can offer this because they have a history of strong uptime. There have been some minor downtimes, but the average sits at 99.97%, which is incredible. Uptime is absolutely necessary for your website.
Free domain and Website Migration
In case you have your website hosted with another provider but aren’t happy with the services, Namecheap makes it cheap and easy to switch over to their plans. In fact, they do not charge you to migrate to them. You have to admit everyone loves a freebie especially, one that comes with great service.
Money-Back Guarantee
Namecheap offer a 30day money back guarantee if you decide within 30 days of starting your services that you don’t it.
This means you can take an entire month to test your Namecheap plan. If you’re not happy at the end of that run, you can either switch to another plan option or get your money back.
An Awesome Basic Plan
Anyone searching for web hosting plans knows that the basic options available from nearly any provider offer only the most basic features. With Namecheap, you get much more from your hosting than other hosting providers.
Namecheap’s minimum plan gives you unmetered bandwidth. This is rare, and you will enjoy as your site starts to grow. To top that off, you also get a free SSL certificate for the first year.
The basic plan also gives you free backups twice a week. Other providers offer only free backup once a week, so twice a week is a big bonus.
Website Backups are crucial because you don’t know when something may go wrong during an update. Sometimes updates could bring your entire site down and without backup you will need to build again from scratch.
Namecheap is fast
According to Google, a website should load in less than three seconds in this day and age. However, you should aim for less because speed is also a good ranking factor.
There is almost a 100% guarantee that those people will leave your website and head to another website if it’s slow. Their average page speed is 458 ms, which passes the test google speed test.
The Disadvantage of using Namecheap
Unreliable Customer Support
Namecheap has a great resource in their Knowledgebase and how to videos. you can go there if you have problems that you think maybe common and experienced by others using Namecheap. Chances are you will find an answer there.
However, it can get a bit tricky if you cannot find what you’re looking for in either Knowledgebase or the how-to videos.
Namecheap has live chats that are quick to respond at first, but the support does not stay strong when the questions start coming out. It can also take some time to get a response on a ticket.
Namecheap Alternatives
Besides Namecheap, there are a few other excellent hosting options ideal for WordPress and WooCommerce stores. Here are some of the best, based on customer reviews.
DreamHost is the best Namecheap alternative when it comes to the pricing, user-friendliness, and customer support. It offers multiple hosting plans for your websites including shared hosting, WordPress hosting, VPS hosting and dedicated server.
All of these plans are affordable and are equipped with free SSL certificates and domain names. You can also get a 97 days money back guarantee with Dreamhost if you don’t like the services. Checkout our Dreamhost review.
Kinsta is perfect if you want to host your WordPress website on Google Cloud Platform with a managed environment.
Like Dreamhost, Kinsta also offers multiple hosting plans for WordPress websites which include starter plan at $30 per month and enterprise plan at $900 per month.
Kinsta offers free SSL certificates, free migration services and 24/7 customer support. It also provides 30 days money back guarantee. Checkout our Kinsta Review.
Cloudways hosting is a bit different from other Namecheap alternatives because it doesn’t offer any direct hosting plans instead, it just acts as a middleman between you and some other cloud hosting providers like Google Cloud Platform and Amazon Web Services etc.
It means that you will have to buy a hosting plan from one of the partnered cloud hosting providers through Cloudways. Checkout our Cloudways Review
