Namecheap is well known for its domain registrations but it also offers web hosting and other services. There are some things, like security, Namecheap does very well. There aren’t many web hosting companies that can compete with its pricing. Namecheap offers some things other companies don’t, including free migration. That is something that puts it on the leaderboard of hosting providers.
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What are the pros and cons of Namecheap?
Namecheap has lots to offer but there are also some disadvantages to be aware of before you buy.
Pros:
- Some of the cheapest domain registration costs available
- Wide variety of TLDs and ccTLDs
- Strong in security and backup features
- Pick your data center and backup
- Also offers hosting, email, site builder and even a logo maker
Cons:
- Its uptime isn’t the best compared to other web hosting services.
- The load time is slower than competitors.
- Its money-back guarantee is only 14 days.
- Its shared hosting plans have restrictions.
Who is Namecheap best for?
Namecheap is the right choice for those who want to build their website but don’t have a lot of experience. It is good for those who want a super cheap site starting out or for those who want to migrate to another site without a lot of extra fees.
This web hosting service offers a lot of guidance for those who are inexperienced and has a lot of security for those who are worried about online hacking and breaches.
What are the top features?
Namecheap has many features included in its packages that customers find helpful. One of those regards domain names. After all, they are most known as a domain registrar.
So, they offer a free domain on the web hosting plans. Even better, they assist with migrating your site for free. This may be a good way to get out of a high-priced place to a less expensive one at Namecheap.
Namecheap puts some power behind its migration services in that it guarantees it will only take 24 hours to migrate your site and that you won’t have any more than 15 minutes of downtime. This allows you to plan. Namecheap will credit you to your first shared hosting purchase if they don’t meet the guarantee.
Beyond the domains, there are two types of features:
- Core hosting features
- Bonus hosting features
Core hosting features include domains with email accounts, although sometimes emails can be restricted. Databases, disk distance, and other features like a website builder and marketing are available features. This varies depending on the plan.
Bonus features include things like customized email. Customized email addresses add professionalism and Namecheap has options for three ad-free private email plans. Each includes anti-spam protection and two-factor authentication.
Pro and Ultimate plans have full mobile sync support, allowing you to be in touch with your business email while you are on the move.
Those who want to try out one of their paid private email hosting plans can use it free in a two-month trial.
Security is built into every plan. Shared website hosting options come with the CPU and 50 free Positive SSL certificates. They’re automatically installed and are good for one year. This ensures sites are secure and ready to use.
The WordPress plan supports 50,000 visitors monthly and has 10 GB of storage. If you go with the upper tier of this plan, there is 100 GB of storage and your website will be able to support up to 500,000 visitors monthly.
Reseller accounts come with more features, including customization tools. The white label marketing tools can even automatic your financial accounting to streamline support and billing.
With a reseller account, you have access to unlimited domains and subdomains with unmetered bandwidth.
VPS customers can choose their server management and pick your operating system as well as all the other features. You can install a cPanel and you have fast speeds with a solid-state drive. There are also hardware and software firewalls.
What hosting types can users expect?
Namecheap offers several hosting types including:
- Shared hosting
- WordPress hosting
- Reseller hosting
- VPS (Virtual Private Service) hosting
- Dedicated hosting
- Email hosting
Shared hosting
Shared hosting is going to always be the cheapest way to go no matter which service you use. in this plan, your site will share space on the server with other sites. Uptimes should still be good even with a shared plan, although the company doesn’t offer an uptime guarantee. Namecheap has three shared hosting plans in its product line.
WordPress hosting
WordPress hosting is what you will need to get a WordPress site running well and fast. The feature that makes Namecheap a good choice for this is its EasyWP. This allows you to bypass the cPanel. You can use a single dashboard to create a new site and manage all of your WordPress sites.
That is the perfect solution for someone managing multiple sites.
You may want to go this route for your WordPress site because of the speed Namecheap offers. Namecheap documented that its speeds for WordPress are triple the speed for others under traditional shared hosting plans.
Reseller hosting
Reseller hosting is a great choice for someone building their own web hosting business or owning multiple sites. There are three Namecheap hosting packages to pick from in this category.
VPS hosting
VPS hosting is the next best thing to a dedicated server, but at a cheaper cost. With one of two VPS plans offered by Namecheap, you share a server but have a separate disk partition and some resources that give you some clear, private space. Dedicated hosting is always the most expensive option.
Dedicated hosting
If you don’t want to share server space at all, you can upgrade to dedicated hosting. Your site is hosted on its own server, so it can be configured any way you want. It’s the most expensive option, but it’s also the most customizable.
Email hosting
Namecheap has email hosting too. Get your email address set up through this web hosting company to easily send and receive messages.
What’s the performance and reliability like for Namecheap?
Namecheap has great functionality, but it doesn’t have the fastest speeds; although the company has done things to increase its speed. You may not notice it if you have a small site without a lot of visitors. Larger sites with high traffic could experience some problems.
Two new technologies that Namecheap.com uses are Supermicro and Dell web servers. Servers have a minimum of 16 Intel Xeon control panels and 64 GB of RAM. Additionally, RAID protects SSD drives.
Namecheap states it goes lighter on computers to give websites more space during times of extreme use but no one wants to wait for downloads and a slow load could affect your customers using and returning to your site.
Uptime hovers around 99.875 percent which is slightly below the industry average. While that is still good, it isn’t as good as many of its competitors.
What kind of security is in place?
Namecheap has a lot of security which makes it one of the best choices for safety and security. One advantage is many of these are offered for free.
Some of the security features include two-factor authentication with TOTP, OneTouch, and U2F, all of which provide a maximum of security for customer data.
All domain registrations and transfers come with one year of the WhoisGuard privacy protection service. This is an incredibly valuable feature as it keeps your private information out of the Whois database. Keeping information out of the database results in fewer spam emails and phone calls.
Namecheap also offers an IP blocker tool, Leech Protect, and HotLink protection.
Some security features cost extra. Namecheap offers a free SSL certificate, like others do, for the first year with shared hosting accounts. After that, you can buy an SSL certificate for the low cost of $4.88 a year.
Namecheap also has a VPN option that keeps you secure on public Wifi and the PremiumDNS feature can be used with any domain. It can deliver fast performance primarily used for businesses. Part of the advantage of this service is that it closes security gaps.
What’s the cost of Namecheap?
The three shared hosting plans offered by Namecheap are reasonably priced and offer extra benefits the first year.
The Stellar Plan or basic plan will accommodate up to three websites and unmetered bandwidth. It is $2.88 a month for the first year and is $3.88 after that. Stellar Plus gives unmetered disk space and is $4.88 a month for the first year and rises to $6.97 upon renewal.
The Stellar Business plan offers an SSD disk distance of 50 GB, which can power 10 sites. It starts at $8.88 a month for the first year and is $11.96 as a renewal price.
All of the packages are fairly low prices in comparison to competing sites.
What can users expect in terms of customer support?
Namecheap has a customer support team, but unfortunately, there is no phone support. It has a huge knowledge base containing guides, videos, and blogs that can help you through the web host products.
It also has step-by-step instructions under each product so information is product-specific.
The Help Center is user-friendly and where you will see status updates on server maintenance and site performance.
Those who need help beyond what the Help Center offers can use Namecheap’s live chat to submit a support ticket. The live chat is available 24/7.
FAQs
How do you obtain Namecheap services?
You go to the Namecheap marketplace and pick a legal plan. Then you set up a subscription and will be charged for the subscription plus the state filing fees, depending on the state you choose. Pay for the charges with a credit card and you are ready to start using Namecheap.
What are the filing fees for Namecheap?
It depends on the state you are filing in, but filing fees can range from $25 to $350 per legal plan. The plans all have different elements and options, so be sure to look at all of them to be sure to get the one you need. The taxes in the state you are filing in will affect the final prices too.
Who owns Namecheap?
Namecheap is owned by Richard Kirkendall. It serves customers globally with its headquarters in Phoenix, Ariz. It has 11 million registered users and serves 10 million domains.
Does Namecheap offer anything for free?
There are both free and paid apps for site-building on Namecheap. These include apps to build logos, site speed optimization, and other apps that help you on the business end of website building, such as forming an LLC. There are more than 100 apps to choose from. The prices of the apps vary, so you will need to pay attention to the pricing of the ones you are interested in.
How reliable is Namecheap?
Namecheap is highly reliable with a 99.96 uptime. That means customers won’t face downtime, which can cause them to lose interest in your store. Namecheap also has unmetered bandwidth and offers a variety of hosting plans including shared, WordPress, VPS, and dedicated hosting.
Does Namecheap have any hidden fees?
No, Namecheap doesn’t have hidden fees. It is incredibly transparent with its pricing structure, so you will never have to worry about a surprise bill. You can get a domain for $5.98 a month with a free SSL and CDN included in the plan.
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