Namecheap is an American domain registrar and web hosting provider based in Phoenix, Arizona. An entrepreneur named Richard Kirkendall founded Namecheap in 2000 and has led the company as CEO for more than two decades. Namecheap is one of the leading web hosting companies globally, serving 11 million registered users.
Namecheap supports over 1,500 Top Level Domains (TLDs), one of the highest of any domain registrar. It offers shared or dedicated cloud hosting services and complementary services such as SSL certificates, a content delivery network (CDN), and a VPN.
We tested the ins and outs of Namecheap to give you a detailed and unbiased review. We evaluate the web hosting platform based on specific criteria, including features, pricing, ease of use, customer support, etc.
Tabla de Contenidos
plans and prices
Namecheap domains have a wide price range because the company supports numerous TLDs. Generic TLDs like .COM, .ORG, and .NET cost between $10 and $15 per year, cheaper than on many rival platforms. On the other hand, rare premium TLDs like .IO and .AI cost between $30 and $80 a year.
Namecheap offers hosting plans for $4 to $81 per month. Shared hosting plans are cheaper, while dedicated hosting plans are relatively expensive. But, Namecheap’s most expensive plans are affordable in the grand scheme of things.
Namecheap charges between $10 and $200 a year for SSL certificates. You can select from over a dozen SSL plans. Namecheap charges between $15 and $70 a year for professional email services.
Characteristic
Namecheap allows users to register a wide range of domain names. The platform supports over 1,500 domain name extensions, a remarkable number for any domain registrar. You can search for any domain name on the platform and buy it right away if it’s available. Namecheap also allows you to do bulk domain name searches (up to 5000 at a time).
Namecheap provides free privacy protection for every domain name registered on its platform. Privacy protection helps prevent spammers from easily contacting you. Similarly, you can look up contact information for specific domain names in the WHOIS database through Namecheap. But you won’t find any information if the owner has enabled privacy protection.
Namecheap allows customers to manage their domains through the DNS naming system. You can get PremiumDNS, an advanced DNS manager, for just $5 a year.
Lastly, Namecheap allows you to transfer domain names registered elsewhere to their platform.
Accommodation
Namecheap offers a wide range of web hosting plans. It offers shared hosting, WordPress hosting, VPS hosting, reseller hosting, and dedicated servers. Shared hosting is the cheapest hosting option because you split your hosting and server maintenance costs with other users. On the other hand, dedicated hosting is the most expensive because it involves renting a single server just for your needs.
Reseller hosting involves buying Namecheap hosting space to sell to others at a profit. Namecheap allows you to create and resell up to 150 subaccounts. Namecheap also offers WordPress hosting through a separate platform called EasyWP. EasyWP plans cost between $5 and $14 per month.
Security
Namecheap offers several security tools, including SSL certificates, a virtual private network (VPN), and cyber insurance (for US-based customers only).
SSL certificates are digital certificates that authenticate the identity of a website and allow an encrypted connection. Every modern website needs one for both security and reputation reasons.
interface and in use
Namecheap has a pretty complicated user interface. It has a lot of features spread throughout the platform, so the interface can be quite difficult to understand.
We see considerable challenges when trying to activate an SSL certificate for our website. The process involved jumping through many nooks and crannies.
Customer Support
Namecheap offers customer support via email and live chat. There is no phone support option. You can speak directly to a customer service representative when you have a problem. Namecheap support representatives typically respond to email inquiries within 24 hours.
Namecheap also has an extensive online knowledge base for users to get familiar with the platform. This knowledge base offers a lot of help when facing complex problems. It guides users through all of Namecheap’s products step by step and is a good place to go for help before speaking to a support representative if you’re not satisfied.
the competition
Namecheap’s main competitors include GoDaddy, Google Domains, and Hover. Namecheap’s advantage over its competition is its relative affordability, but it falls behind in ease of use compared to these rivals.
final verdict
Namecheap is a good all-in-one web hosting platform. You can buy a domain, purchase an SSL certificate, create a website and host it online all at Namecheap. Namecheap services are relatively affordable, which is their main advantage. The platform has a rich set of features, which makes it attractive to potential customers.
Namecheap is not without its drawbacks. Its user interface is quite complicated. Their pricing structure can also be confusing at times due to having so many plans. Also, we noticed that Namecheap’s email communication to customers is quite excessive.