Choosing the best cheap web hosting services can be hard especially if you do not know which one to go with. Lucky you, our Namecheap hosting review is exactly what you need.
For those who are familiar with domain name registration and management, Namecheap – DONE – RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES is one of the companies that provide such a service. But other than that, they also provide web hosting solutions.
Before choosing any web host, make sure that you read our guide explaining the seven different types of web hosting.
Namecheap Hosting Review – 4 Pros And Cons To Be Aware Of
Launched back in 2000, Namecheap started by providing value-priced domains and great customer services. Nowadays, they have more than 3 million customers and handle more than 7 million domain names.
Other than domain names and cheap web hosting services packages, Namecheap also sells SSL certificates, privacy protection solutions, and many more.
According to Namecheap, they believe that an online presence for all is a requirement. Thus, the reason why they also offer cheap web hosting services in order for their customers to run a website.
Namecheap hosting plans provide quick, dependable service with a 100% uptime guarantee. If your main goal is to create a new website from scratch, you will be able to do this easily by using Namecheap hosting and website building plans. In a case where you already have your own website, Namecheap will allow you to move it at no extra cost.
The best part about Namecheap is their 24/7 customer chat service that will help you whenever you need assistance. All you have to do is submit a ticket for inspection and you can expect a consultation soon after.
Now, let’s take a look at some of the Pros & Cons of Namecheap Hosting:
Pros of Namecheap Hosting
Namecheap is popular for its free domain, easy-to-use migrations, and additional plan features like copies. Read more for complete details.
1. Free Domain Name and Migration
When it comes to domain names, Namecheap is an excellent choice. They are primarily known for being a leading domain registrar, after all.
Therefore, it only makes sense that they will happily throw you in if you register for their web hosting plan. If you currently have a website set up somewhere else, they will also help you migrate your website for free of charge. Don’t you think that sounds like a good deal?
2. Pricing
When comparing different cheap web hosting services, Namecheap hosting takes pride in its pricing. It is shockingly inexpensive. However, just because a service is cheap, does not mean it comes with great worth. This is why it is very important for you to observe how a hosting service is priced and organized.
As you might already know, all web hosting companies are basically selling the same thing. They sell a house for your website. Of course, they have different strategies with different bonuses, various caps, and distinct renewal rates; but if you look closely, you will notice the difference between one service provider with another.
This difference will help you determine which cheap web hosting services will work the best for you and your interest.
Let’s break things down to Core hosting features and Bonus hosting features.
The Core hosting features will consist of the 3D which stands for domains, databases, and disc space. The Core goal of a hosting server would be to function site files when somebody types in your domain.
- Domains are the number of domains that you will be able to point to your hosting accounts. If you would like to have many websites, you are going to want to have several domain names enabled. You will also have to appear at email addresses on each domain — sometimes these can also be restricted.
- Databases are the number of parts of web site software that is possible to run on your own hosting server.
- Disk distance is how many documents you can put in your own server. These include pictures, text, PDFs, etc..
- Other attributes could consist of anything from site builder applications to marketing credits to backend software, etc..
3. Strong Backup and Security Features
It’s easy to forget about backing up your website and keeping it stable. It is always a great idea to conduct your personal copies no matter what the situation might be. However, with all the things that are needed to construct a site, it’s easy to overlook backing up your website. That is why it’s good to have Namecheap’s copies as a backup.
Regardless of which Namecheap hosting package you select, the backups run two times every week. Normally, this can be an add-on provider, or the copies are rather limited. However, Namecheap’s copies are astoundingly in-depth.
Now, what about maintaining your website security?
You can find Namecheap offering:
- IP blocker tool
- HotLink protection
- Leech Protect
- SSL Certificate
However, the SSL certificates are not available any of Namecheap hosting packages as part of the deals. It is something that you will need to buy separately. But in certain cases, you might find Namecheap running a special deal where they offer free SSL certificate when you register for an account.
4. Backups & Datacenter Choices
Namecheap also offers a few Bonus features as well.
At sign up, they provide a choice involving their US data center or UK information center. This makes them a fantastic pick for non-US customers that are serving web traffic nearer to this UK compared to the United States.
Namecheap hosting additionally does two times weekly copies of your hosting accounts. It is very beneficial that you use Namecheap’s copies service as it is a fantastic safety net to get. The best part is that copies are also included for free with Namecheap hosting packages.
Normally, copies are considered limited bonus feature at other web hosting services like Internet Hosting Hub, Dreamhost, or even HostGator.
Cons of Namecheap Hosting
When it comes to cheap web hosting services, there are three main categories that we need to consider:
- Uptime
- Speed
- Service
Unfortunately, based on our experience, Namecheap does not deliver very well in all three categories. Read to learn more.
1. Namecheap hosting has a poor uptime at 99.87percent
Generally, Namecheap would be able to deliver a leading 100% uptime. But on various occasions, you are looking at the possibility of Namecheap generating an uptime of just 99.875%. That has hovered below the industry average,
2. Namecheap hosting has a slow load time
The next main criteria after the bandwidth is the rate.
The main reason it is so important is that rate has been directly connected with customer happiness. Google recently discovered that the likelihood of somebody rebounding increases over 100% if your pages take around six minutes to load.
So yes, you still want your website to remain live at all times.
3. Namecheap hosting and its money back guarantee
Most cheap web hosting services will offer a money back guarantee. Namecheap does offer it too. However, the timeframe is remarkably brief.
The warranty on Namecheap only permits you 14 days to check the support before the refund policy is considered invalid. Most web hosting providers that offer similar services provide a minimum of 30 days, and some even offer up to 90 days.
4. Restricted shared hosting
The basic Namecheap shared hosting plans are fairly restricted, particularly compared to other hosts that offer similar services.
Based on the plan you select there will be caps throughout your disk area, a few databases, domains, and accounts email addresses. There is also a chance you could hit from the caps fairly rapidly.
By way of instance, if your website is extremely media-rich, then you might have to improve your plan fairly early on in your website’s life. There are numerous caps positioned on each grade of hosting you can hit for various uses.
Similar To Namecheap
Namecheap Pricing
Here’s a summary of the hosting plans provided by Namecheap:
- Stellar: The first package provides you unmetered bandwidth for as much as three sites for $2.88/month in the year.
- Stellar Plus: The next package rises disk space to Unmetered, for $4.88/month in the year.
- Business SSD: Namecheap’s largest plan has SSD disk distance of 50GB, which will be great enough for 10 sites and all of that only for $8.88/month.
- Free domain name? Yes, the very first year is free of charge.
- Benefits of Signup: Easy signup procedure.
- Payment Methods: Credit cards, PayPal, Dwolla, and Bitcoin.
Can We Still Recommend Namecheap Hosting?
Yes. Namecheap is a fine for cheap web hosting services. It is not without its own flaws. We personally think it is still worth checking out. If you are worried more about the cost than what the packages come with, we highly recommend Namecheap hosting. It is difficult to beat the pricing on the newcomer packages. The focus on safety and contained backups are also good.
The newly added managed WordPress alternative caters well to WordPress users that need a controlled environment without the frequently steep associated prices.
Even though the functionality and storage and data caps may be restricted to your users, those constructions outside one or two standard websites will find NameCheap greater than sufficient.
