Namecheap is widely recognized as one of the largest domain registrars in the industry, but its appeal extends far beyond domain registration.
Namecheap hosting is an excellent choice for beginners who are looking to establish their online presence without breaking the bank.
The company offers a simple and intuitive interface, making the setup process straightforward and easy, even for those with little to no technical experience. Additionally, Namecheap provides the industry standard 24/7 customer support through live chat and email, ensuring that any issues are resolved promptly.
Namecheap’s hosting solutions are not only budget-friendly but also versatile. They offer a variety of hosting options, including Shared Hosting, WordPress Hosting, VPS Hosting, Reseller Hosting, and Dedicated Servers, catering to the needs of all types of users. As an ICANN-accredited registrar, Namecheap guarantees a smooth and reliable experience for domain registration and management.
Beyond hosting, Namecheap offers a range of services to enhance your website’s functionality and security. These include SSL certificates to protect your site, professional email services, and user-friendly website-building tools that eliminate the need for coding skills. How cool is that?
Their VPN service adds an extra layer of security, if you want to protect your IP.
Story of Namecheap
Namecheap was founded in 2000 by Richard Kirkendall, who remains the CEO, with a mission to offer affordable domain registration and exceptional services.
Over the years, Namecheap has expanded its offerings to include hosting, security, managed WordPress, and a range of other innovative tools. This growth has been intentional, focused on providing a comprehensive suite of services to meet all your online needs.
What began two decades ago with a simple idea of making quality services accessible has grown into a global operation. Today, Namecheap employs over 1,700 people, known as “Namecheapers,” spread across 18 countries. With over 10 million customers and 17 million domains under management, Namecheap has earned a solid reputation, reflected in an overall customer rating of 4.7 out of 5 stars from 2,705,617 reviews.
Hosting Infrastructure
The company’s hosting infrastructure is anchored by two data centers: one in Phoenix, Arizona, and the other near Nottingham. This setup is designed to enhance website performance, particularly for users in the US and UK regions.
How Namecheap Compares to Other Hosts?
While Namecheap offers a wide range of web hosting services, including Shared, VPS, Dedicated, WordPress, and even cloud hosting, not all web hosts can boast such variety.
For example, GoDaddy, one of the industry’s giants, offers a broad range of services but lacks in some areas. Unlike Namecheap, GoDaddy’s cloud hosting options are limited, and their pricing is often higher for similar services.
Namecheap not only provides these hosting solutions at more affordable rates, but it also includes essential features like SSL certificates and professional email services in its packages—extras that can quickly add up with other providers
Services and Offers
What sets Namecheap apart is its affordability, making it a competitive choice in a market crowded with premium options like Kinsta and HostGator.
Despite its budget-friendly pricing, Namecheap does not skimp on features. It offers a variety of services, including domain registration, shared hosting, VPS hosting, and dedicated servers.
Namecheap’s shared hosting plans start as low as $1.58 per month, and many of these plans come with valuable extras like free WhoisGuard privacy protection and free SSL certificates.
In contrast, premium services like Kinsta start at $35 per month for their basic managed WordPress hosting plan. While Kinsta provides top-notch service, the higher cost can be a barrier for small businesses or individuals.
Understanding Uptime and Loading Speed in Web Hosting
Uptime and loading speed are vital aspects of web hosting that play a significant role in your website’s performance. Let’s explore how uptime and loading speed work and how Namecheap helps maintain a reliable and smooth performance for your website.
What is Uptime?
Uptime is the amount of time that a server has stayed up and running properly, available for users to access. This is usually listed as a percentage, like “99.9% uptime”, meaning the website is available for the users to access 99% of the time. This is crucial because unavailable websites lose visitors, just like a closed shop loses customers.
For example, if a site gets 10,000 visitors per hour, even 10 minutes of downtime could mean losing over 1,600 potential visitors.
Namecheap’s Uptime Monitor is designed to ensure that your website remains accessible with an average uptime of 99.82%. It checks your website’s status every 5 minutes, logging performance data directly to your dashboard.
If the monitor detects that your website is down, it performs an additional check within the next 30 seconds to confirm the issue. This quick follow-up helps to identify and address any downtime as swiftly as possible, minimizing the risk of prolonged outages.
What is Loading Speed?
The term ‘loading speed’ refers to the amount of time it takes for a website to fully load on a user’s device. This includes all content and data on the page, such as animations, images, text, and videos.
Loading speed is crucial because research shows that 1 in 4 visitors will abandon a website if it takes more than 4 seconds to load. According to KissMetrics, 47% of consumers expect a website to load in 2 seconds or less, and 40% will leave if it takes more than 3 seconds. These statistics highlight the critical importance of optimizing loading speed for a successful website.
When it comes to loading speed, Namecheap competes well with top web hosting providers. In recent speed tests, Namecheap achieved an average page load time of around 2.00 seconds, demonstrating its commitment to maintaining fast and reliable performance.
Namecheap’s Hosting Plans
Namecheap offers a whole range of web hosting plans suitable for small to medium sized businesses. However, the company does not offer dedicated server hosting. But it is highly recommended that companies who need dedicated servers opt for top notch hosting providers.
Shared Hosting Plans
If you’re just starting out, running a small business, or managing a simple website, Namecheap’s shared hosting plans could be the perfect fit for you. Shared hosting means that your website shares server resources with other websites, which is a cost-effective solution for many users.
Stellar
This basic plan offers 20 GB of SSD storage, unlimited bandwidth, and supports up to 3 websites. You’ll also get 30 mailboxes, a Website Builder with AI tools for WordPress, templates, a writing assistant, and an image generator.
Plus, it includes a free domain for the first year and an SSL certificate. The monthly cost is $4.48, but if you choose annual billing, it drops to just $1.98 per month.
Stellar Plus
The popular Stellar Plus plan is designed for those who need more flexibility. It includes a domain name, supports unlimited websites, offers unmetered SSD storage, unlimited mailboxes, auto backup, and the same AI tools and Website Builder. This plan costs $6.48 per month, or $2.98 per month with annual billing.
Stellar Business
For those with larger needs, the Stellar Business plan provides a domain name, unlimited websites, 50GB of SSD storage, unlimited mailboxes, auto backup, cloud storage, and AI tools. The price is $9.48 per month, or $4.98 per month if you opt for annual billing.
Shared Hosting Features
Free SSL Certificate, 24/7 Live Support, WordPress and cPanel, and Personalized Email Service.
- WordPress Hosting
For those running WordPress sites, Namecheap offers hosting plans that are specifically optimized to deliver enhanced performance and ease of use.
EasyWP Starter
This basic plan is ideal if you’re just getting your WordPress site off the ground. It includes 10 GB of storage, can handle up to 50,000 visitors per month, and comes with a free CDN and SSL. You can use it with any domain name provider. The plan costs $6.88 per month, but if you go with annual billing, it’s just $2.91 per month.
EasyWP Turbo
Need more power? The EasyWP Turbo plan offers 50 GB of SSD storage, supports up to 200,000 visitors per month, and provides 1.5 times more CPU and RAM than the Starter plan. It also includes a free CDN, SSL, and the Brizy Site Builder. This plan is priced at $6.88 per month, or $4.91 per month when billed annually.
EasyWP Supersonic
For those who require the highest level of resources, the EasyWP Supersonic plan is the way to go. It comes with 100 GB of storage, can manage up to 500,000 visitors per month, and offers twice the CPU and RAM of the Starter plan.
It also guarantees 99.99% uptime and includes a free CDN, SSL, and Brizy Site Builder. The plan costs $19.88 per month, or $5.74 per month with annual billing.
Features
With Namecheap’s WordPress hosting, you can install WordPress in just one click, taking less than 90 seconds. The service promises 99% uptime, is 3 times faster than traditional hosting, and includes automatic updates and enhanced security features.
- VPS Hosting
Virtual Private Server (VPS) hosting offers more control and resources compared to shared hosting, making it an excellent choice for medium-sized websites and applications that need a bit more power and flexibility.
Pulsar
This popular plan comes with 2 GB RAM, 2 CPU cores, 40 GB SSD RAID 10, and 1000 GB bandwidth. It’s a solid option for basic VPS needs, providing a good balance of resources for smaller sites. The Pulsar plan is priced at $9.88 per month, or $6.88 per month when billed annually.
Quasar
Designed for growing sites, the Quasar plan offers 6 GB RAM, 4 CPU cores, 120 GB SSD RAID 10, and 3000 GB bandwidth. It provides more power and storage for websites that are expanding. The Quasar plan costs $15.88 per month, or $12.88 per month with annual billing.
Magnetar
The new Magnetar plan is ideal for larger sites and applications, featuring 12 GB RAM, 8 CPU cores, 240 GB SSD RAID 10, and 6000 GB bandwidth. It’s perfect for those who need top-tier performance and capacity. The Magnetar plan is available for $28.88 per month, or $24.88 per month when billed annually.
Features
VPS hosting with Namecheap provides full root access, allowing you to customize your server’s operating system and resources to fit your specific needs. It also includes enhanced security options and complete control over your hosting environment.
Additionally, Namecheap makes it easy to transfer existing websites or VPS from other providers, offering a seamless transition.
- Reseller Hosting
Reseller hosting allows users to resell hosting services under their own brand, making it an ideal solution for web designers, agencies, or entrepreneurs looking to start their own hosting business.
Nebula
The Nebula plan includes 30 GB SSD storage, unmetered bandwidth, and 25 cPanel accounts. It’s a great starting point for those new to reselling. This plan is priced at $19.88 per month, or $17.88 per month when billed annually.
Galaxy Expert
A popular choice, the Galaxy Expert plan offers 90 GB SSD storage, unmetered bandwidth, and 100 cPanel accounts. It’s perfect for growing businesses with more clients. The Galaxy Expert plan costs $39.88 per month, or $36.88 per month with annual billing.
Universe Pro
The Universe Pro plan comes with 150 GB SSD storage, unmetered bandwidth, and 150 cPanel accounts. It also includes premium support and additional resources for larger-scale operations. The Universe Pro plan is available for $58.88 per month, or $55.88 per month when billed annually.
Features
All reseller hosting plans come with unmetered bandwidth, ensuring you can handle your client’s needs without worrying about data limits. They also include free cPanel/WHM for easy account management and come with a 30-day money-back guarantee, giving you peace of mind as you build your hosting business.
