Namecheap web hosting review | IT PRO

Namecheap affords a number of the finest web hosting options for these on a decent funds. It supplies very competitively priced shared hosting, superior devoted servers, and every thing in between. 

Namecheap review: Snapshot

You shouldn’t anticipate too many superior options in the event you resolve to make use of Namecheap. It does include a neat web site builder, the Softaculous one-click installer, a built-in CDN, and computerized backups, however there’s little else value noting. 

Competitors resembling Hostinger, which affords similarly-priced hosting, and GoDaddy—a bit costlier—include a a lot higher vary of instruments. For instance, Hostinger is thought for its glorious security measures, which is one thing that Namecheap doesn’t actually concentrate on. 

As our Namecheap review exhibits, although, it’s a strong hosting supplier that pulls folks due to its low costs. Really, you’ll be doing nicely to seek out comparable hosting options for a cheaper price. 

Score: 4/5

Read on for our full and detailed Namecheap review.

Namecheap’s rivals

How does Namecheap evaluate to its major rivals? 

Namecheap: Key options

Unfortunately, Namecheap is way from probably the most superior web hosting supplier we’ve used. It lacks sure instruments and administration options. There are nonetheless just a few issues value outlining, although.

For one, Namecheap affords the Softaculous one-click installer, which allows you to set up a spread of scripts with minimal effort. These embrace WordPress, Drupal, Joomla, and numerous different standard apps. 

Users will even profit from the enticing computerized backup software. This is offered with all plans besides the most affordable shared hosting possibility, and it allows you to schedule computerized backups to your web site and all of its information and recordsdata.

There’s a free web site builder included with all shared hosting plans. This is a bit fundamental, nevertheless it includes a drag-and-drop editor, greater than 200 intuitive templates, and the power to import your current web site for enhancing. You may also add ecommerce fee gateways and multi-lingual help, amongst different issues. 

The Supersonic CDN is one other neat function. This is designed that can assist you ship your content material as quick as attainable by loading it from a close-by CDN server relatively than your hosting server. All shared plans include free entry to the Supersonic CDN, which incorporates fundamental DDoS safety and as much as 50GB of visitors a month. Premium plans are additionally out there for these with extra visitors.

Namecheap: What’s new in 2022? 

Namecheap supplies fundamental details about product and software program updates through its native weblog. Here, you will see that a spread of several types of content material, together with the aforementioned updates, informational articles, and crowd pleasing information from throughout the web.

On the entire, Namecheap is a good and widely-used hosting supplier that we anticipate to stay on the forefront of the hosting {industry} going forwards. It doesn’t supply a lot in the best way of superior instruments or options, nevertheless it stays an awesome possibility for individuals who need bare-bones hosting with out all the bells and whistles.

Namecheap: Pricing

Namecheap affords a spread of area registration and web hosting companies, together with shared, reseller, VPS, WordPress, and devoted server hosting. There are three shared hosting subscription options, with costs starting from £1.21 to £4.06 a month for an annual plan (£3.65 to £7.73 with month-to-month funds). 

Reseller plans begin from £17.02 a month, WordPress hosting ranges from £3.98 to £11.32 a month (with month-to-month funds), and VPS solutions start at £8.05 a month. Or, you might prefer to go for a high-end dedicated server, with costs right here beginning at £40.08 a month. 

It’s additionally value noting that first-time Namecheap customers will profit from a 30-day money-back assure on chosen plans.

Namecheap’s pricing plans

Shared hosting

WordPress hosting

VPS hosting

Reseller hosting

*This worth solely applies to the primary 12 months of your subscription, and renewal costs will probably be considerably larger.

Testing Namecheap

In order to comprehensively evaluate Namecheap to the competitors, we analysed a collection of its options and instruments to see the way it carried out. This included making a WordPress web site with its built-in web site builder, checking its server response instances, and seeing how easy it was to arrange an SSL certificates.

How do you create a WordPress web site with Namecheap?

After signing up for a brand new Namecheap subscription, it is possible for you to to start out creating a brand new web site. However, this is usually a little complicated, particularly in the event you don’t have a variety of web growth expertise. 

There aren’t any computerized web site creation processes or prompts, and you will want to go to your cPanel management panel to get began. WordPress or one other CMS might be put in via the Softaculous one-click installer. 

Here, you’ll have entry to a variety of configuration choices. You can set your web site’s identify, description, and admin login particulars. Add a theme, if you want, and hit the “Install” button. Installation took no various seconds for us, and we have been then capable of begin constructing our new web site via the WordPress.org CMS. 

Of course, you might use among the best web site builders or an alternate CMS if WordPress doesn’t fit your wants. Popular choices resembling Joomla and Drupal can be found, together with numerous area of interest and lesser-known selections.

How does Namecheap carry out?

To check the efficiency of Namecheap’s fundamental shared hosting plans, we used Uptime.com to watch a check web site for every week. This delivered an uptime determine of 100%, which is great. However, the typical server response instances have been regarding. 

For our Namecheap web site, these ranged from a excessive 625ms to a really excessive 1.55s, with a median of 718ms. This is roughly double what we’d contemplate aggressive, as most shared hosts sit within the 200ms to 400ms vary. 

We additionally examined the pace of our easy web site constructed on Namecheap’s shared hosting. According to Dotcom-Tools’ Website Speed Test, the typical web page load pace was 1.9s, which is horrible. 

However, Namecheap should be quick sufficient for individuals who are in search of a funds hosting supplier. You will battle to seek out anybody cheaper, and the efficiency metrics will probably be acceptable for some.

How straightforward is it to arrange an SSL certificates?

The native Namecheap SSL software can be utilized to put in a brand new SSL certificates in your area. This might be accessed through your cPanel management panel, and is intuitive and beginner-friendly. 

However, the Namecheap SSL software can solely be used so as to add an SSL certificates that’s been bought through Namecheap. Third-party certificates aren’t supported, which might make issues a bit troublesome if you wish to add one. 

To use a third-party certificates, you will want to put in it manually. This isn’t a straightforward course of, however at the very least Namecheap affords respectable documentation that can assist you out.

Alternatives to Namecheap

Namecheap affords a number of the most cost-effective shared hosting options on this planet, however don’t anticipate something too fancy in the event you resolve to make use of it. It does include a cPanel management panel, which has turn into the {industry} customary, together with a free area and a collection of streamlined one-click installations. 

Prices for a Namecheap hosting plan begin from an industry-leading £3.65 a month. And 24/7 stay chat and on-line ticket help can be found for these with points. 

Hostinger affords equally priced hosting options, with its most cost-effective shared plan coming in at simply £1.99 a month. However, this worth is just out there with a four-year subscription, and it’ll improve considerably for shorter subscription phrases and on renewal. 

On prime of this, Hostinger boasts an intuitive, beginner-friendly hPanel management panel, which is arguably higher than the favored cPanel. Both stay chat and on-line ticketing can be found whenever you want technical help, and one-click installations can be utilized for greater than 100 completely different functions.

Meanwhile, GoDaddy is barely costlier, nevertheless it affords an awesome choice of completely different hosting choices. Its most cost-effective shared hosting is available in at £3.99 a month, however its higher-end choices are fairly competitively-priced. 

Like Namecheap, GoDaddy affords a cPanel management panel and a free area. Take benefit of the Installatron one-click installer, and attain out to the help crew through stay chat or cellphone whenever you need assistance.

Namecheap’s options in comparison with the competitors

Namecheap: The verdict

At the top of the day, the primary factor that Namecheap is thought for is its rock-bottom costs. If funds is your major concern, it sits alongside Hostinger as among the best hosting suppliers on this planet. 

For lower than a few {dollars} per thirty days, you’ll have entry to a fundamental web site builder, computerized backups, a built-in CDN, and the Softaculous one-click installer. Unfortunately, although, many superior options are missing or fully absent. 

On prime of this, Namecheap’s efficiency is a priority. The 100% uptime determine was glorious, however the sluggish web page load speeds and lengthy server response instances will probably be deal-breakers for many individuals. 

Installing a brand new SSL certificates can be fairly troublesome in the event you don’t buy a premium possibility from Namecheap itself. Starting a brand new WordPress web site was fairly straightforward, although, which was good to see. And when you have hassle, the 24/7 stay chat and on-line ticketing help is greater than ample. 

If you’re on a decent funds and worth is your precedence, Namecheap must be proper up there together with your prime selections. For many, although, the corporate’s poor efficiency and restricted options will merely be an excessive amount of to miss.