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Namecheap

Domain registrar's cPanel shared hosting, billed monthly or yearly

Free trial · from $5.88/moWeb HostingChecked Oct 17, 2026
Visit namecheap.comFree guide

Namecheap report card

2.2GPA

Fair · out of 4.0 · graded Oct 17, 2026

Best for cheap cPanel hosting beside your domains

Namecheap's Stellar hosting is cheap even at full price: we could only read the renewal rates, and two years still come to $102.88. It's cPanel with Softaculous, so it'll feel familiar to plenty of people. The catches are on the entry plan: 3 websites, 20 GB, and backups you make yourself.

Who Namecheap is for

  • Great if your domains already live at Namecheap
  • Handy when you want to pay month to month at a low rate
  • Good for people who already know their way around cPanel

Who Namecheap is not for

  • Tight if you need more than 3 sites or automatic backups, which start on Stellar Plus
  • Pricey if you keep the free SSL past year one, as it's a paid renewal after that
  • Skip it if you want to try it without committing, as the trial turns into a paid year

Why Namecheap gets a 2.2

Five grades, each with its reason. The GPA is their average: an A is 4 points, an F is none.

  • AValue for moneyOnly renewal rates could be read, and Stellar on a 2-year term is still $102.88, about $4.29 a month over two years, under the $5.97 an A needs. Any first-term discount would only bring that down. Monthly is $5.88.
  • DFree plan and trialA 30-day trial on yearly Stellar packages, which turns into a paid first year at the after-trial price when it ends. That makes it a trial you sign up to pay for, not a free plan.
  • CFeaturescPanel with Softaculous for 200+ apps, AI site builders, malware scanning and 2FA. The gaps are on Stellar: manual backups only, 3 websites and 30 mailboxes, and the free SSL lasts a year per domain.
  • CEase of useNo app store rating to go on. cPanel and Softaculous are familiar to many, but there's a fair bit to learn if you're new to them.
  • CPlatforms and integrationsA web dashboard only. The named integrations are installers and builders, WordPress, Softaculous, Sitejet and Extendify, with no API on record.

What these grades rest on. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Namecheap's own pages on 17 October 2026. Only its renewal rates were readable. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. How we review and grade.

Make Namecheap? Put this grade on your site
Namecheap: 2.2 GPA on ToolGPA

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<a href="https://toolgpa.com/tools/namecheap#review"><img src="https://toolgpa.com/badge/namecheap.svg" alt="Namecheap: 2.2 GPA on ToolGPA" width="196" height="56"></a>

Where Namecheap stands among web hosts

Namecheap's GPA of 2.2 is higher than 15 of the 21 other web hosts we grade, and level with 6.

It stands best on value for money (A, above 16 of 21) and worst on free plan and trial (D, above 19).

Its paid plans start at $4.29 a month, against a middle price of $10.99 for the category: 7 of the 16 others that charge start lower.

On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.0 out of 4. 5 tools score higher and cost less.

Each grade against the category

Every bar is all 22 web hosts we grade, cut by the letter each got. Namecheap’s own letter is outlined.

  • AValue for moneyAbove 16 of 21, level with 5
  • DFree plan and trialAbove 19 of 21, level with 2
  • CFeaturesAbove 0 of 21, level with 10
  • CEase of useAbove 0 of 21, level with 21
  • CPlatforms and integrationsAbove 0 of 21, level with 11

Price against what you get

Each dot is one of 17 web hosts. Further left costs less, and higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Point at a dot to see which tool it is.

Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged

C2.0B3.0A4.0$1$2$5$10$20$50More for lessCosts more, scores moreCosts less, scores lessCosts more, scores lessNamecheap

What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →

  • The best score at each price
  • Has a free plan
  • No free plan
The full chart, and the best web hosts at every price

Keep Namecheap, or make your own?

Keep it

To replace Namecheap you would be making an engine that recognises new malware as it appears. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.

It is one of the better ones too: its GPA of 2.2 is higher than 15 of the 21 other web hosts we grade. It costs $51.44 a year.

What you could not

  • An engine that recognises new malware as it appears.
  • Servers kept running, patched and backed up for you.
  • AI features, unless you pay a model provider for each request yourself.

What this rests on. Namecheap’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.

What is Namecheap?

Namecheap is best known as a domain registrar and also sells cPanel shared hosting in three Stellar plans, alongside managed WordPress, reseller, VPS and dedicated hosting. Shared plans can be paid monthly, yearly or every two years, and include a free SSL for each domain's first year, malware scanning and AI site-building tools.

Namecheap is a paid product with a free trial, starting at $5.88 per month (Stellar), or $102.88 every 2 years, at renewal rates. See every plan

Good for

  • People who already keep their domains at Namecheap
  • Small sites that want to pay month to month at a low rate
  • Owners who prefer cPanel and Softaculous to a custom dashboard

Worth knowing

  • Only the renewal rates could be read: the shared hosting page, which shows first-term discounts and trial terms, answered our readers with a bot check.
  • The free SSL lasts one year per domain; keeping it after that is a paid renewal.
  • Stellar stops at 3 websites, 30 mailboxes and 20 GB; unlimited sites and automatic backups need Stellar Plus or Business.
  • The 30-day money-back guarantee covers first-time hosting accounts only, and cPanel or Softaculous licenses are not refunded.

Key features

cPanel with Softaculous
Plans are run from cPanel, with the Softaculous installer for WordPress and more than 200 other scripts, plus email, file, database and DNS tools.
AI site builders
Sitejet in cPanel can generate a one-page site from a few business details, and Extendify adds AI site setup and writing help to new WordPress installs.
Free SSL for the first year
Each domain or subdomain on a shared account gets a single-domain SSL certificate free for a year, issued and installed automatically, up to 50 per account.
Malware scanning and 2FA
cPanel includes ImunifyAV or Imunify360 malware scanning, ModSecurity and two-factor authentication.
AutoBackup
Stellar Plus and Stellar Business restore from automatic backups, with unlimited backup storage on Business. Stellar has manual backups only.

Namecheap pricing

Starts at
$5.88 per month (Stellar), or $102.88 every 2 years, at renewal rates
Free plan
None
Free trial
30-day trial of yearly Stellar packages, after which the first year is charged at the after-trial price
Stellar, 1 month$5.88per month, the renewal rate3 websites, 20 GB SSD and 30 mailboxes. The renewal rate since May 19, 2026; first-term discounts were not readable.
Stellar, 1 year$55.88per year, the renewal rateThe same Stellar plan billed yearly. A 30-day trial is offered on yearly packages.
Stellar, 2 years$102.88every 2 years, the renewal rateThe same Stellar plan billed every two years, the lowest rate for it.
Stellar Plus, 2 years$146.44every 2 years, the renewal rateUnlimited websites and mailboxes, unmetered SSD storage and AutoBackup. Also $7.88 a month or $85.44 a year.
Stellar Business, 2 years$251.88every 2 years, the renewal rate50 GB SSD, fewer users per server, a choice of US, UK, EU or Singapore servers. Also $11.88 a month or $128.88 a year.

Read from namecheap.com on Oct 17, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Namecheap before you buy.

Pricing in detail

Works with

Namecheap alternatives

All Namecheap alternatives comparedAll web hosts

Common questions

Is Namecheap free?

No, Namecheap is a paid product, but you can try it first. 30-day trial of yearly Stellar packages, after which the first year is charged at the after-trial price.

How much does Namecheap cost?

Namecheap lists 5 plans. Stellar, 1 month: $5.88 per month, the renewal rate. Stellar, 1 year: $55.88 per year, the renewal rate. Stellar, 2 years: $102.88 every 2 years, the renewal rate. Stellar Plus, 2 years: $146.44 every 2 years, the renewal rate. Stellar Business, 2 years: $251.88 every 2 years, the renewal rate. Prices were read from namecheap.com on Oct 17, 2026.

What platforms does Namecheap work on?

Namecheap is available on Web.

Does Namecheap have an Android app?

No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 17, 2026. Namecheap is listed for Web.

Does Namecheap have an iPhone app?

No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 17, 2026. Namecheap is listed for Web.

Is Namecheap open source?

Namecheap is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Oct 17, 2026.

What does Namecheap integrate with?

Namecheap's listing names WordPress, Softaculous, Sitejet and Extendify. A listing names up to eight integrations, so it may connect to more.

Who makes Namecheap?

Namecheap is made by Namecheap, Inc. It dates from 2001.

What are the alternatives to Namecheap?

The closest alternatives to Namecheap in our directory are Hostinger, Bluehost, HostGator, DreamHost and IONOS. Each one has a side-by-side comparison with Namecheap.

How does Namecheap compare with other web hosts?

Namecheap's GPA of 2.2 is higher than 15 of the 21 other web hosts we grade, and level with 6. It stands best on value for money (A, above 16 of 21) and worst on free plan and trial (D, above 19).

Is Namecheap good value for money?

ToolGPA grades Namecheap A for value for money. Its paid plans start at $4.29 a month, against a middle price of $10.99 for the category: 7 of the 16 others that charge start lower. On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.0 out of 4. 5 tools score higher and cost less.

Could I make my own version of Namecheap?

To replace Namecheap you would be making an engine that recognises new malware as it appears. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one. It is one of the better ones too: its GPA of 2.2 is higher than 15 of the 21 other web hosts we grade. It costs $51.44 a year. What you could not make: An engine that recognises new malware as it appears. Servers kept running, patched and backed up for you. AI features, unless you pay a model provider for each request yourself. This is a judgement from its listing. We have not built one.

Sources for this page

The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Oct 17, 2026.