NameCheap review
Starting a site and need a cheap domain name? Namecheap is the best option out there as far as affordable domain names go.
They start as low as $0.99 for a domain for your first year with plenty of helpful add-ons.
It goes beyond just domain names and provides reliable hosting for more than 1.5 million websites of all shapes and sizes. This includes big clients like Buffer, Figma, and Imgur.
In short, Namecheap is one of the top domain name registrars out there as an affordable and reliable domain and hosting option.
Who is Namecheap Best For?
Namecheap is best for you if you’re looking to get a hold of a number of domain names affordably or if you’re simply trying to find the best deal on your domain registration.
Keep in mind you’ll have to renew your domain registration periodically. This is true for any registrar you choose, and Namecheap has some of the best renewal rates in the industry.
If you want to buy a domain name and hosting all in one place at an affordable rate, Namecheap is excellent for that. It has plenty of hosting options to choose from.
Namecheap: The Pros and Cons
Pros
Easy to use: Namecheap has an easy user interface where you can purchase what you’re looking for relatively fast without confusing hoops to jump through. If tech isn’t your area of expertise, this is a great plus.
Free domain privacy: One of the best features of Namecheap is its forever free domain privacy. Other options like GoDaddy offer domain privacy for an extra fee and an add-on you have to continue to renew every so often if you want to keep it.
Free migration: Namecheap helps you move your WordPress website to its hosting services for free within 24 hours. All you have to do is fill in and submit a request with a few of your site’s details.
Affordable all around: Namecheap differentiates itself in price, which is great for beginner sites that want to get their start without burning through too much of their budget.
Great support: Namecheap offers live chat or a support ticket option if you run into site trouble and need someone to walk you through any troubleshooting you might need.
Easy domain transfer: Want to transfer your domain to Namecheap? You can easily do it by submitting a ticket with all the necessary details. It can take anywhere from 30 minutes to six business days.
Cons
Downtime issues: Namecheap provides site uptime monitoring that checks for problems every five minutes and then logs your site’s performance on your personal dashboard. However, some users have had problems with cases of downtime, despite other periods in the 99% uptime range.
Renewal rates: If you have experience with domain registrars, you’re probably familiar with the fact that most of them include higher renewal rates after your initial domain registration period is over. In this area, Namecheap is better than most, but it’s still something to be aware of.
Namecheap Pricing
Shared Hosting
- Stellar – $1.58 a month
- Stellar Plus – $2.68 a month
- Stellar Business – $4.80 a month
All shared hosting plans come with unmetered bandwidth, free website builder, domain name and privacy protection, free automatic SSL certification, and a 30-day money-back guarantee.
WordPress Hosting
- EasyWP Starter – $3.88
- EasyWP Turbo – $7.88
- EasyWP Supersonic – $11.88
All WordPress Hosting plans also come with handy features like 99.9 percent uptime, faster site load times, easy backups and restores, SFTP and database access, and easy WordPress installation.
VPS Hosting
- Pulsar – $9.88 a month
- Quasar – $15.88 a month
Namecheap Apps
What exactly are Namecheap apps? Namecheap apps are a relatively new feature that lets you buy applications to help make your site a success.
Many of the apps they offer are free, and you can start using others for relatively low monthly fees. Some of my favorites include its website builder at only $3.99 a month, its free logo maker, and its website uptime monitoring app, which is also free to use.
Conclusion
Affordable and easy with a side of security and privacy protection is the name of the game for Namecheap. It offers unbeatable domain name prices and even competitive renewal rates once your registration period is over.