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Namecheap hosting is a fair pick for small sites if you can live without phone support. Shared plans (Stellar, Stellar Plus, Stellar Business) renew at $55.88, $85.44 and $128.88 a year after a May 2026 increase. You get a 30-day refund, four data center regions, and 24/7 help by chat or ticket only. Busy stores should look elsewhere.
Show me today’s Namecheap hosting price
What is Namecheap hosting?
Remember when GoDaddy got in trouble for their founder shooting elephants? Well, Namecheap took the moral high ground and helped shocked customers move over to their platform. They’re the go-to when you want a domain name, but what about their hosting?
As the name suggests, this site is known for its cheap domain names. But they’re being honey badgers and staking their claim in web hosting too. This company was founded in 2000 by a man named Richard Kirkendall, and Namecheap is ICANN-accredited. It started as a domain registrar and added hosting later, which explains a lot about how the hosting side feels.
Key takeaways
- Renewals went up on May 19, 2026. Stellar now renews at $55.88/yr, Stellar Plus at $85.44/yr and Stellar Business at $128.88/yr.
- No phone line. Namecheap confirms support is live chat and email/tickets, 24/7.
- 30-day money-back for first-time hosting accounts. Renewals are refundable only if you cancel within 48 hours.
- Four regions for shared hosting: US (Phoenix), UK (Farnborough), EU (Amsterdam) and Singapore.
- New owner. Private-equity firm CVC Capital Partners agreed to buy a majority stake in September 2025 at a $1.5 billion valuation. Spaceship came with it.
Verdict card
| Score | Not scored yet. WTH has not run a hands-on test for this update. |
| Best for | Bloggers, side projects and small business sites that already keep their domains at Namecheap |
| Not for | Online stores with real revenue, anyone who wants a phone number to call |
| Owner | Namecheap, Inc., majority owned by CVC Capital Partners since the 2025 deal |
| Refund window | 30 days, first-time shared hosting customers only |
My read: Namecheap sells hosting to people who came for a domain. That is fine. Just price it on the renewal, not the banner.
How good is Namecheap hosting?
The company has gotten a solid reputation as a domain registrar, and the web hosting services are okay, even if they are not quite as remarkable as other sites. Overall, the best thing about Namecheap is the price, but they do have pretty good customer service, and they do provide everything that you need to get your website up and running.
If you’re looking for something simple and straightforward, then Namecheap can be a decent option, assuming that you want to save money. If, however, you need something heavier or want to host multiple sites or do anything highly complex, then Namecheap can be extremely limiting.
As far as web hosting services go, Namecheap is certainly not in the top tier. However, for anyone looking for something cost-effective without any frills, this could be a good option. The pricing is the best thing about it, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it has great value.
How much does Namecheap hosting cost after year one?
The first-year promo changes often, sometimes weekly, so I have not printed it here. The renewal prices are the numbers that matter over three years.
| Plan | Websites | Storage | Renewal price (per year) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stellar | Up to 3 | 20 GB SSD | $55.88 |
| Stellar Plus | Unlimited | Unmetered SSD, AutoBackup | $85.44 |
| Stellar Business | Unlimited | 50 GB SSD (RAID10), AutoBackup | $128.88 |
Renewal prices from Namecheap’s shared hosting page and its May 2026 pricing notice, checked September 24, 2026. The new rates apply to renewal invoices issued on or after May 19, 2026.
Show me the first-year price on Stellar Plus
Watch the plan caps
Namecheap does put caps on what you can have on the cheapest plan. Obviously, the cheaper your package, the less you get. The thing about these caps is that they are not as straightforward as other sites. Because you are limited in more than one way, you could need to upgrade your package for one of multiple reasons. For example, you may have one site and domain, but if you need more than 20 GB of disk space, then you have to upgrade from Stellar. Other hosting services space things out so that you upgrade when you get bigger and add more features.
However, if you don’t see any problem with staying under those caps, then you will find that Namecheap is cost-effective. Just remember that lower prices do not mean better value. You could get far better features and functionality for just a little more money, and you won’t have to deal with any headaches further down the line.
What about EasyWP and VPS?
EasyWP is Namecheap’s managed WordPress product, sold as Starter, Turbo and Supersonic. Its pricing page blocked our check on September 24, and search copies of it disagree on the Starter price, so we are not printing numbers. Read the price and renewal line at checkout.
VPS comes in five sizes: Spark, Pulsar, Quasar, Magnetar and Hypernova. I could not confirm current VPS prices or renewal rates from a Namecheap page, so check the live number. For other options, see our cheap VPS hosting guide.
What we checked (and what we did not)
No test account and no speed tests for this update. What we did on September 24, 2026:
- Read Namecheap’s knowledgebase articles on plans, pricing, refunds, data centers, backups and support directly. The shared hosting, EasyWP and VPS sales pages blocked our tool, so we did not rely on them for numbers.
- Read the May 2026 renewal price notice and the January 2026 VPS price notice.
- Read the refund, data center and phone support articles.
- Checked ownership news on the CVC deal and the CEO change.
Pros and cons
Before we dive into the issues that come with Namecheap Hosting (unfortunately there are a few), let’s start off by looking at the things that they do well. Being in business for this long and having so many customers (so they say) means that they have to be doing a few things right, so we should highlight the positive aspects that come with getting a cheap domain and website from Namecheap.
Pros
- Cost-effective, and an experienced domain registrar.
- User-friendly interface: you don’t need a degree in computer science to navigate through the menu options.
- One dashboard for domains and hosting, which is handy if your domains already live at Namecheap.
- Four shared hosting regions, including Singapore and an EU option.
- Stellar Plus and Stellar Business include AutoBackup.
- Decent customer support, with chat any hour of the day.
Now that we’ve looked at the positive side of Namecheap, we should flip the coin and see what doesn’t work. If you need a cheap hosting site and don’t have a lot of extra requirements, then you might not have to worry about any of this stuff.
Cons
- Renewal prices rose in May 2026.
- No phone support at all.
- The refund applies to first-time hosting accounts only, and renewals only within 48 hours.
- Stellar caps you at three sites. The value plan is much more restricted.
- Limited features offered, and not ideal for large enterprises or hosting many sites.
Onboarding and website management
Whenever you sign up with a new hosting site, you have to get all of your information in and get everything up and running. Some sites can make this needlessly complicated, which means that if you’re not already familiar with the layout, it can be confusing and take more time than necessary. When I first reviewed it, Namecheap made the onboarding process exceedingly simple: you get a welcome email as soon as you sign up and you can log in immediately afterward.
Namecheap is best for anyone who doesn’t need a lot of features or functionality for their page. Most of the complaints we’ve seen were from users who wanted to integrate a lot of added applications and programs into their website, which is not ideal for this host. That being said, assuming that simplicity is your endgame, then Namecheap does make things easy for you. Shared plans use cPanel, which is an industry-standard system for managing your website, so the back end is very minimalist and user-friendly. Some might even say it’s too simple.
If you’re new to building a website, you can set up WordPress, Joomla or Drupal with one click using Softaculous. As far as installing third-party scripts and applications goes, Softaculous makes things super easy. These tools work for a simple blog or a small online store.
Performance: where will your site live?
When you order shared hosting you choose a region:
| Region | Location | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| US | Phoenix, Arizona | North American visitors |
| UK | Farnborough (Datum) | UK visitors |
| EU | Amsterdam | Europe |
| SG | Singapore | Asia-Pacific |
You can ask the Billing team to move an existing account to another region. All shared plans run on SSD storage.
Assuming that you want people to look at your website, you have to make sure that it won’t take a long time to load; otherwise, your visitors will bounce off before they’ve seen anything. Thus, you need to find a hosting service that can ensure that your site will appear quickly, no matter what device is being used. Pick the region closest to your audience. If you have a simple page without a lot of graphics or complex applications, you probably don’t have to worry much about the rest.
When you go to any hosting site, they will all claim that they guarantee over 99% reliability of uptime. Of course, sometimes things happen. One recent event matters if you pick the US region. On August 13, 2026 a storm knocked out cooling at the Phoenix data center Namecheap uses (RadiusDC). Namecheap took more than 5,000 servers offline and brought services back in stages over about 28 and a half hours, per Domain Name Wire and IncidentHub’s timeline. That is one incident, not a trend, but it is a reason to keep off-site backups. That is the extent of what I can say about speed without testing it. If performance matters more than price, compare our best cloud hosting picks.
Is there a phone number for Namecheap support?
No. Namecheap’s own knowledgebase says it does not provide phone support. You get 24/7 live chat plus email and tickets, and you can also go through the site’s knowledge base to find answers to common problems. One thing I would prefer is telephone support, but you can do live chat any hour.
When looking at customer reviews, there seems to be some discrepancy with the support system. On the one hand, some users will claim that they have been given the runaround, while on the other hand, different people say that customer support is the best thing about the site. For many small sites, that is enough. If you want someone on the phone when your site is down, read our list of hosts with standout support or look at Hosting.com (formerly A2 Hosting), which still answers the phone.
Security
Whenever you are managing a website, you have to make sure that you are backing up your material on a regular basis. Stellar Plus and Stellar Business include AutoBackup, which backs up site files, databases, email accounts and settings, so it does take a lot of this burden off of your shoulders. While I do recommend that you should do it on your own as well, this is a nice feature, so if you forget to do it, you aren’t screwed in the long run. On the entry Stellar plan, keep your own backups. Namecheap also sells SSL certificates, which have their own refund rules separate from the hosting guarantee.
The money-back guarantee
While it’s not always the best indicator of the strength of a company, one way to get a sense of how reliable a business will be is whether or not they offer a money-back guarantee. That means that the company stands behind its product, which gives customers a feeling of security and comfort. Most hosting sites that offer such a deal will do so for thirty days, and Namecheap now matches that for first-time hosting accounts. Renewals are another story: you have 48 hours.
Namecheap as a domain registrar
First and foremost, Namecheap started out as a registrar for domains, and as such, that is what the site does remarkably well. If you are looking to purchase a domain and have it hosted elsewhere, Namecheap makes it incredibly easy to do so. In fact, many sites use this service and then go through a different hosting site because it’s so cost-effective and easy to use. Overall, even if you don’t use Namecheap for website hosting, it can be a terrific option for purchasing domains.
Who owns Namecheap now, and what is Spaceship?
Namecheap was founded by Richard Kirkendall in 2000. In September 2025 private-equity firm CVC Capital Partners agreed to buy a majority stake, valuing the company at $1.5 billion including debt. Kirkendall kept a large stake but stepped down as CEO in December 2025. Longtime COO Hillan Klein took over.
Spaceship is a separate domain registrar and web services platform that Namecheap unveiled in August 2023. It was part of the CVC deal. You do not need it to buy Namecheap hosting, but you may see it pitched on cheaper domains. Our best domain registrars list compares both.
How does Namecheap compare with Hosting.com?
People shopping for Namecheap often have Hosting.com (the old A2 Hosting) on the same shortlist. Here is how the two differ on the points that tend to decide it, based on each company’s own pages.
| Namecheap | Hosting.com | |
|---|---|---|
| Phone support | No | Yes |
| Refund window | 30 days, first-time customers | 30 days on shared and WordPress hosting (servers excluded) |
| Shared hosting regions | US, UK, EU, Singapore | Arizona, Michigan, Amsterdam, Singapore |
| Owner | CVC Capital Partners (majority) | Hosting.com, an Oakley Capital portfolio company |
The short version. Namecheap wins if your domains already sit there and you only need chat. Hosting.com wins if a phone line matters more to you than the lowest bill. Neither verdict is based on speed, because we have not tested either one for this update. Our Hosting.com review has the full breakdown.
Who should pick an alternative?
- You run a store with real sales. A cheap shared plan is the wrong home. Look at our best ecommerce platforms.
- You need phone support. Namecheap does not offer it.
- Your site is outgrowing simple. If your site starts to have extra features or functionality, then you might be in for some trouble on a shared plan.
Bottom line
Namecheap started out as an excellent domain registrar and then decided to try its hand at web hosting. Because that was not the original purpose, the site does not specialize in hosting services. If you want to rely on this company for holding your domain, then I highly recommend doing so, as that is what it does best.
That being said, if you are the type of person who is far more concerned with price than with performance, you can give Namecheap a chance for a small site. My old bottom line was to buy your domain here but host it elsewhere. For a busy site or a store, that still holds.
Show me Namecheap’s EasyWP WordPress plans
Methodology
This is a document review, not a hands-on test. On September 24, 2026 we read Namecheap’s plan pages, knowledgebase articles on pricing, refunds, data centers and support, its Spaceship announcement, and trade press on the CVC deal. Every number maps to an entry in this page’s sources block. We will add a score once we run our own account.
FAQ
If you are still on the fence about Namecheap or are thinking about signing up with them, then here are some common questions that people have about the service. If you cannot find what you’re looking for here, then I suggest contacting the website directly. They should be able to answer any questions you have, although you should keep in mind that they will be trying to sell you a package, so it might sound better than it actually is.
Does Namecheap have phone support?
No. The primary method of contacting the support team is through a ticket system or by opening a live chat, 24/7. They do not have any phone service at this time, and Namecheap’s knowledgebase confirms it.
How much does Namecheap hosting renew at?
After the May 19, 2026 increase, Stellar renews at $55.88 a year, Stellar Plus at $85.44 and Stellar Business at $128.88.
Does Namecheap offer a money-back guarantee on hosting?
Yes, it is valid for thirty days for first-time hosting accounts. Namecheap’s money-back article says SSL certificates and third-party software licenses (such as cPanel or Softaculous) are not refundable, and a renewal is refundable only if you cancel within 48 hours.
Where are Namecheap’s hosting servers?
Shared hosting runs from the US (Phoenix, Arizona), the UK, the EU and Singapore. You pick one at checkout.
Can you host multiple websites through Namecheap?
Yes, you can, although you are limited in the number on Stellar (three sites). One thing to keep in mind, however, is that you are capped on disk space on Stellar and Stellar Business, meaning that even if you host only two sites, you may need to upgrade to a higher level to allow for more data storage.
Does Namecheap have its own control panel system?
No, shared hosting uses cPanel, which is an industry-standard system for managing your website.
Can I host my email through Namecheap if I don’t have a website?
Yes, the site does offer dedicated email hosting services, sold separately from the hosting plans.
Is Namecheap owned by GoDaddy?
No. Namecheap is not part of GoDaddy. Private-equity firm CVC Capital Partners agreed to buy a majority stake in Namecheap in September 2025, and founder Richard Kirkendall kept a large stake. GoDaddy is a separate public company, listed on the New York Stock Exchange as GDDY.
Is Namecheap owned by a bigger company?
Private-equity firm CVC Capital Partners agreed to buy a majority stake in September 2025. The founder kept a large stake. Spaceship belongs to the same group.
Sources
Full source list with retrieved dates is in this page’s sources block.
Update log
- : Rewrote and fact-checked the page: the first full update since 2023. Kept Joe’s original writing where it still holds.
- : Prices and facts checked against the cited sources, read September 24, 2026 to October 30, 2026.
