Namecheap

Namecheap Review 2026: Hosting Pricing, Features, WordPress, Pros and Cons

Namecheap is one of the better-known domain registration companies, but its product portfolio now extends well beyond domain names.

The company offers shared web hosting, managed WordPress hosting through EasyWP, VPS hosting, dedicated servers, reseller hosting, business email, SSL certificates, website security and other online services.

Founded in 2000, Namecheap currently manages more than 24 million domains and operates as both a domain registrar and hosting provider.

For hosting buyers, Namecheap is particularly attractive because of its low introductory pricing, cPanel-based shared hosting, included email, free migration and relatively broad upgrade path.

The main consideration is renewal pricing. The introductory shared-hosting prices are considerably lower than the normal renewal rates, so buyers should compare the multi-year cost rather than choosing a plan based only on the promotional monthly number.

Namecheap Shared Hosting Pricing in 2026

Namecheap currently offers three primary Shared Hosting plans: Stellar, Stellar Plus and Stellar Business.

All three plans currently include unmetered bandwidth, cPanel, automatic SSL installation, free website migration, Imunify360 security and access to more than 100 applications through one-click installation.

Namecheap Stellar

Stellar is the entry-level shared hosting plan.

It currently supports:

• 3 websites
• 20 GB SSD storage
• 30 email mailboxes
• unmetered bandwidth
• free or discounted domain for the first year
• automatic SSL installation
• cPanel
• WordPress installation
• AI website-building tools
• Imunify360 security
• free website migration

Stellar currently costs $1.91 per month when billed annually, with $22.92 due for the first year.

It renews at $55.88 per year.

Namecheap Stellar Plus

Stellar Plus is better suited to users running several websites.

It includes:

• unlimited websites
• unmetered SSD storage
• unlimited mailboxes
• unmetered bandwidth
• free domain for the first year
• cPanel
• automatic SSL
• free migration
• AI website builder
• WordPress tools
• AutoBackup

AutoBackup adds access to automated daily, weekly and monthly backups.

Stellar Plus currently starts at $2.51 per month annually and renews at $85.44 per year.

Namecheap Stellar Business

Stellar Business is the higher-end Shared Hosting plan.

It currently includes:

• unlimited websites
• 50 GB Cloud Storage
• unlimited mailboxes
• unmetered bandwidth
• higher file limits
• AutoBackup
• Imunify360
• cPanel
• SSL
• free migration
• domain offer for the first year

The current promotional rate is $4.81 per month annually, while renewal is $128.88 per year.

cPanel Hosting

Unlike providers that have moved entirely to proprietary hosting dashboards, Namecheap continues to use cPanel for its Shared Hosting products.

Through cPanel, users can manage:

• website files
• FTP accounts
• email
• databases
• domains
• SSL certificates
• DNS
• backups
• PHP
• applications

WordPress can be installed using Softaculous.

This makes Namecheap particularly familiar for users migrating from another conventional cPanel host.

Free Website Migration

Namecheap currently offers free migration for new hosting plans.

The company states that its migration specialists can transfer an existing hosting account, and its current hosting page promotes transfers within approximately 24 hours with an aim of avoiding downtime.

Migration availability and complexity can depend on the source hosting environment, so owners of complex websites should confirm the exact migration scope before purchase.

SSL and Security

Current Shared Hosting includes automatic SSL installation and Imunify360 protection.

Security-related functionality includes:

• SSL certificates
• Imunify360
• two-factor authentication for cPanel
• virus scanning
• IP blocking
• hotlink protection
• spam protection for hosted email

Stellar Plus and Stellar Business additionally include the AutoBackup system.

Namecheap should therefore not be evaluated only as low-cost hosting. A meaningful set of basic security and recovery tools is included in the current plans.

Website Backups

Backup functionality differs by plan.

Stellar accounts receive internal backups that Namecheap says are ideally performed twice weekly, although those backups are not guaranteed.

Stellar Plus and Stellar Business additionally receive AutoBackup, which provides access to daily, weekly and monthly recovery points.

For an important business or ecommerce website, we still recommend maintaining an independent offsite backup rather than depending exclusively on the hosting provider.

Namecheap Server Locations

Namecheap currently offers hosting infrastructure in four broad locations:

• Phoenix, United States
• Farnborough, United Kingdom
• Amsterdam, Netherlands
• Singapore

The supported location depends on the hosting product.

For Shared Hosting, customers can select among several locations, allowing websites to be hosted closer to their main audience.

Server location should be considered alongside CDN usage rather than treated as the only website-performance factor.

Namecheap EasyWP Managed WordPress Hosting

Namecheap also operates EasyWP, its managed WordPress hosting product.

EasyWP uses a separate hosting environment and dashboard instead of conventional cPanel Shared Hosting.

Current EasyWP plans include Starter, Turbo and Supersonic.

The current annual EasyWP Starter promotion starts around $2.57 per month, with $30.88 due for the first year and renewal at $68.88 per year.

EasyWP currently includes:

• NVMe storage
• unlimited bandwidth
• free SSL
• free CDN
• WordPress automatic updates
• managed WordPress dashboard
• backup functionality
• SFTP access

EasyWP is therefore a better option to compare when the website runs exclusively on WordPress and the owner does not need the wider flexibility of cPanel hosting.

EasyWP Dashboard

EasyWP uses its own dashboard.

The current interface provides sections for:

• WordPress
• statistics
• backups
• files and databases
• security
• add-ons
• notifications

It also provides direct access to the WordPress admin area.

This gives EasyWP a significantly different workflow from Namecheap Shared Hosting.

Namecheap VPS Hosting

Businesses that need more server resources and control can move to Namecheap VPS.

The current lineup includes Spark, Pulsar, Quasar, Magnetar and Hypernova.

For example, current VPS specifications include:

Pulsar

• 2 CPU cores
• 2 GB RAM
• 40 GB SSD RAID 10
• 1,000 GB bandwidth

Quasar

• 4 CPU cores
• 6 GB RAM
• 120 GB SSD RAID 10
• 3,000 GB bandwidth

Magnetar

• 8 CPU cores
• 12 GB RAM
• 240 GB SSD RAID 10
• 6,000 GB bandwidth

VPS plans support root access and configurable Linux operating systems, while control panels such as cPanel may carry additional licensing charges.

This is important because the cheapest VPS headline price does not necessarily represent the complete managed-server cost.

Developer Features

Namecheap Shared Hosting provides a broader development environment than many simple website-builder products.

Current support includes technologies and tools such as:

• PHP
• Node.js
• Python
• Ruby
• MariaDB
• MySQL
• PostgreSQL on applicable plans
• SSH
• FTP
• cron jobs
• Git-related workflows
• cPanel

That makes it suitable for users who need more control than a no-code hosting environment provides.

Email Hosting

Shared Hosting includes domain-based email.

Stellar currently supports 30 mailboxes, while Stellar Plus and Stellar Business currently support unlimited mailboxes under their hosting limits and acceptable-use requirements.

Namecheap also offers Private Email as a separate product for businesses wanting a dedicated business-email service.

Uptime

Namecheap currently publishes a 100% uptime guarantee for Shared Hosting on its product page.

Its legal uptime documentation describes specific remedies and conditions depending on hosting product.

HowToBuySaaS has not independently monitored Namecheap for a sufficiently long period to publish our own uptime percentage, so the published guarantee should not be interpreted as an independent HTBS performance measurement.

Who Should Use Namecheap?

Beginners

The combination of cPanel, application installation, free migration, email and low initial pricing makes Namecheap approachable for first websites.

Small Businesses

Businesses can keep domains, hosting, SSL, email and website tools within one provider.

WordPress Users

Users can choose between standard cPanel hosting and the more specialized EasyWP managed WordPress environment.

Developers

Shared Hosting supports several development technologies, while VPS provides greater server control.

Domain-Heavy Businesses

Namecheap’s domain registrar business is a meaningful advantage for organizations managing multiple domains alongside hosting.

Agencies and Website Owners

Stellar Plus and Stellar Business support unlimited websites, subject to applicable usage policies, which can make them useful for multi-site environments.

Namecheap Pros

• Very low introductory Shared Hosting prices
• cPanel included with Shared Hosting
• Free website migration
• Unmetered bandwidth
• Free SSL
• Email hosting included
• Free or discounted domain offer on eligible plans
• AutoBackup on Stellar Plus and Stellar Business
• Several international hosting locations
• EasyWP managed WordPress option
• VPS and dedicated hosting upgrade path
• 24/7 support
• 30-day money-back guarantee for eligible first-time hosting accounts

Namecheap Cons

• Renewal pricing is significantly higher than introductory pricing
• Stellar has only 20 GB storage and 3 websites
• Stronger automated backup functionality requires Stellar Plus or Business
• EasyWP and Shared Hosting use different management environments
• Some VPS management and cPanel functionality costs extra
• Shared Hosting resource limits still apply even where storage or websites are described as unlimited or unmetered

Namecheap vs Hostinger

Namecheap and Hostinger both target price-sensitive hosting buyers, but they take different approaches.

Namecheap’s Shared Hosting uses cPanel and is particularly attractive to users who also manage domains through Namecheap.

Hostinger uses its proprietary hPanel and has built a more tightly integrated managed-hosting and AI website ecosystem.

Users already comfortable with cPanel may prefer Namecheap’s traditional hosting workflow.

Users wanting a more guided proprietary interface may prefer Hostinger.

Namecheap vs IONOS

Both providers compete aggressively on introductory pricing.

IONOS has a broader enterprise infrastructure and cloud portfolio, while Namecheap combines hosting particularly closely with its domain registrar business.

Namecheap also provides conventional cPanel Shared Hosting, which may be preferable for users migrating from another cPanel provider.

The better option depends on whether the buyer prioritizes domain management, cPanel familiarity, hosting infrastructure, or longer-term pricing.

Is Namecheap Worth It in 2026?

Namecheap remains a compelling choice for budget-focused website owners who want cPanel hosting, domain management, email and website services from one provider.

The Stellar plan is inexpensive for a small website, while Stellar Plus offers a more practical multi-site configuration with AutoBackup.

EasyWP provides a separate option for WordPress-only users, and the VPS and dedicated-server products create an upgrade path for more demanding applications.

The main caution is the same one buyers should apply to most discounted hosting providers: compare renewal cost with introductory cost.

Namecheap’s entry pricing is attractive, but the long-term cost should be calculated before committing to a hosting plan.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does Namecheap hosting cost?

Namecheap Shared Hosting currently starts at $1.91 per month for Stellar when billed annually. The first year costs $22.92 and currently renews at $55.88 per year.

Does Namecheap offer free hosting?

Namecheap does not provide a permanent free hosting plan, but its Shared Hosting page currently offers a 30-day free trial.

Does Namecheap use cPanel?

Yes. Namecheap Shared Hosting uses cPanel for website, email, database, SSL and hosting management.

Is Namecheap good for WordPress?

Yes. WordPress can run on Namecheap Shared Hosting through Softaculous. Namecheap also offers EasyWP as a separate managed WordPress hosting platform.

Does Namecheap offer free website migration?

Yes. Namecheap currently offers free migration for new hosting plans.

Does Namecheap include SSL?

Yes. Current Shared Hosting includes automatic SSL installation. Namecheap states that Shared Hosting plans receive multiple free Standard SSL certificates for the first year.

Does Namecheap include email hosting?

Yes. Shared Hosting includes domain-based email mailboxes. Namecheap also sells Private Email separately.

Where are Namecheap hosting servers located?

Current hosting locations include the United States, United Kingdom, Amsterdam in Europe and Singapore in Asia, with availability depending on hosting product.

Does Namecheap offer VPS hosting?

Yes. Namecheap currently offers several VPS tiers ranging from entry-level Spark and Pulsar plans to larger Quasar, Magnetar and Hypernova configurations.

Does Namecheap offer a money-back guarantee?

Eligible first-time Shared, Reseller and VPS hosting customers can request a refund within 30 days under Namecheap’s current refund policy.