Namecheap is an American domain registrar and web hosting provider based in Phoenix, Arizona. An entrepreneur by the name of Richard Kirkendall started Namecheap in 2000 and led the company as CEO for over two decades. Namecheap is one of the world’s leading web hosting companies, 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 add-on services such as SSL certificates, Content Delivery Network (CDN), and VPN.
We have tested the ins and outs of Namecheap to give you a detailed and objective opinion. We rated the web hosting platform based on specific criteria including features, pricing, ease of use, customer support, and more.
Packages and prices
Namecheap domains have a wide price range as the company supports many TLDs. Generic TLDs like .COM, .ORG, and .NET cost between $10 and $15 per year, cheaper than on many competing platforms. On the other hand, rare and premium TLDs like .IO and .AI cost between $30 and $80 per year.
Namecheap offers hosting plans from $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 per year for SSL certificates. You can choose from over a dozen SSL plans. Namecheap charges between $15 and $70 per year for business email services.
Features
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 any domain name on the platform and buy it immediately if it is available. Namecheap also allows you to perform bulk domain name searches (up to 5,000 at a time).
Namecheap provides free privacy protection for every domain name registered on its platform. Privacy protection makes it easy to prevent spammers from 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 per year.
Finally, Namecheap allows you to transfer domain names registered elsewhere to its 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 share hosting and server maintenance costs with other users. On the other hand, dedicated hosting is the most expensive as it involves renting a single server just for your needs.
Reseller hosting involves buying hosting space from Namecheap to sell to others for a markup. Namecheap allows you to create and resell up to 150 sub-accounts. Namecheap also offers WordPress hosting through a standalone platform called EasyWP. EasyWP’s plans cost between $5 and $14 per month.
Security
Namecheap offers various security tools, including SSL certificates, virtual private network (VPN), and cyber insurance (only for US-based customers).
SSL certificates are digital certificates that authenticate a website’s identity and enable an encrypted connection. Every modern website needs it for both security and reputational reasons.
Interface and in use
Namecheap has quite a complicated user interface. It has many features scattered across the platform, so the interface can be quite difficult to grasp.
We observed considerable challenges when trying to activate an SSL certificate for our website. The process involved jumping through many nooks and crannies.
Customer service
Namecheap offers customer support via email and live chat. There is no phone support option. You can speak directly to a customer support representative when you encounter any issues. Namecheap support representatives typically respond to email inquiries within 24 hours.
Namecheap also has an extensive online knowledge base for users to familiarize themselves with the platform. This knowledge base offers a lot of help when you are faced with complex problems. It guides users through all Namecheap products step by step and is a good place to ask for help before speaking to a support representative if you are unhappy.
The competition
Namecheap’s main competitors are GoDaddy, Google Domains and Hover. The advantage of Namecheap over its competitors is its relatively affordable price, but its ease of use is lower than that of these competitors.
final verdict
Namecheap is a good all-in-one web hosting platform. You can buy a domain, buy an SSL certificate, create a website and host it online, all on Namecheap. Namecheap’s services are relatively affordable, which is its main advantage. The platform has a wide range of features, which makes it appealing to potential customers.
Namecheap is not without its drawbacks. Its user interface is quite complicated. Its pricing structure can also be confusing at times due to the multiplicity of packages. Likewise, we noticed that Namecheap’s email communication with customers is quite excessive.
Comments are closed.