With over 10 million domains under management, Namecheap has cemented itself as one of the largest and most reputable domain registrars. First entering the industry in 2000, Namecheap built their company around two key promises – making domain names easy and affordable. Their commitment to attractive pricing, approachable support, and continual innovation around domains helps explain their rise to prominence in a crowded registrar marketplace.
In our in-depth review, we extensively analyze Namecheap’s offerings to see if they deliver on those core promises that have fueled their impressive growth. We scrutinize their domain pricing, selection, and bundled features versus major competitors.
We also assess the user experience of managing domains through their platform alongside the quality of their customer service. Ultimately our goal is to provide readers with authoritative guidance on how Namecheap stacks up for securing your online identity across a spectrum of needs – from hobbyists buying their first domain to web developers managing expansive portfolios.
Table of Contents
NameCheap Domain Registering-
Since 2000, when NameCheap were established, they have become one of the leading sites for domain registering. In the 18 years they have existed, they have over 2 million customers and over 5 million registered domains. Ever year in response to more internet laws, NameCheap, have a Move Your Domain Day. This is in a type of protest to newer internet laws as they strive for net neutrality. This day, customers can move their domain for a reduced rate.
One great features of NameCheap’s website is their ‘how to get started’. Here NameCheap give five important ideas on how to get started with a domain. They will be outlined below.
1. Domain and Brand. Do you already have a company with a working brand. If so this brand should be where you start when thinking about your domain name . If the main types of domains such as .com or .co.uk are taking you may need to think of other ways to manipulate your brand name for the domain. A perfect example of this would be our site ‘profiletree.com’. If this domain was taken you could maybe have ‘treeprofile.com’ or ‘profiletreedma.com’ The dma for digital marketing agency.
2. Domain Anatomy. If you have your domain name, you need to think is it easy to spell, pronounce and remember. Symbols such as hyphens should always be left out of a domain name as they can be hard to remember. If the spelling is difficult I would highly recommend to change the domain name up a bit to something more memorable. I believe that our domain ‘Profiletree.com’ is an excellent example of Domain Anatomy. If our domain was ‘profile-tree.com’ or ‘profilestree.com’, it would be that bit harder to remember especially with that extra s in the second example.
3. Another great idea to have for your domain is to keep it short and sweet. Shorter names are easier to remember, so always try to keep it to one or two words if you can. Just imagine if our domain was ‘profiletreedigitalmarketingagency.com’, I don’t think I would be seeing you back here anytime soon if you had to type that in to your search bar.
4. Check social media availability. If your domain name doesn’t appear on most social medias, you should be ready to rock on with your domain name. There are a few good examples out there on the web that didn’t go by this rule. Us at ProfileTree have the name ProfileTree for all of our social media’s. If you cant do this you may want to reconsider your domain name.
5. Last but not least, is more important than you think. Make sure any domain name you are using is not trademarked or copyrighted. If it is then you can not use that name. If you use this domain and it is trademarked, you may have to change your name in the future and face backlash.
Pricing;
One of the biggest annoyances when it comes to buying a domain is the price. Most registrars chance the price for different domains and NameCheap is no exception. Many domains such as .com and .co.uk are usually around the same price and are reasonably cheap, but some can even reach into the hundreds. Below is a table I have made to your benefit. Every domain NameCheap offer is in the table below beside the price of it. The table is in order price and the prices that have a number behind a dashed line is the actual price of the domain, except they are on a deal. That means the price of the renewal will be the number in the dash.
| Price | Domains |
| £3.45 | .com.de |
| £4.86 | .de, .work, .casa |
| £5.36 | .co.uk, .uk, .org.uk, .me.uk |
| £5.57 | .in.net |
| £0.62 £5.57 | .pw, .space |
| £0.62 £5.99 | .us |
| £4.15 £6.27 | .link, .click |
| £6.27 | .ws, .jp.net, .one |
| £6.39 | .fr(only 1 Year) |
| £6.98 | .com.se, .gb.net, .cc, .cam |
| £2.04 £6.98 | .mobi |
| £2.74 £6.98 | .pictures |
| £7.06 | .in, .eu |
| £7.05 | .ess, .com.es, .org.es, .nom.es |
| £2.74 £7.41 | .futbol, .rocks |
| £2.04 £7.69 | .top |
| £7.69 | .observer, .tel, .art |
| £7.76 | .com |
| £0.70 £7.69 | .xyz, .club |
| £8.39 | .gdn, .yokohama, .tokyo, .ryukyu, .okinawa, .nagoya |
| £1.41 £8.39 | .info |
| £8.47 | .ca |
| £9.10 | .shiksha, .onl, .mex.com, .uno, .xn--6frz82g, .wales, .vip, .cymru |
| £9.17 | .net, .org, |
| £1.33 £9.10 | .pro |
| £2.04 £9.10 | .kim, .red, .pink, .blue |
| £3.45 £9.10 | .asia |
| £6.27 £9.10 | .biz |
| £10.59 | .li, .ch(only 1 year) |
| £2.74 £10.51 | .ninja |
| £4.86 £10.51 | .restaurant |
| £10.51 | .gr.com |
| £10.58 | .com.au, .net.au, .org.au (Only 2 Years) |
| £11.22 | .desi, .business |
| £2.74 £11.22 | .network, .city |
| £4.86 £11.22 | .gratis |
| £6.98 £11.22 | .schule |
| £11.93 | .education, .management, .gallery, .graphics, .equipment, .lighting, .supply, .supplies, .soccer |
| £2.74 £11.93 | .email, .exposed, .institute, .international, .today, .solutions, .center, .systems, .photography, .run, .reisen, .fyi |
| £4.76 £11.93 | .tips, .support, .photos, .technology, .directory, .report |
| 12.63 | .eu.com, .de.com, .foorball |
| £2.74 £12.63 | .agency, .ltd |
| £13.34 | .cn.com |
| £2.74 £13.34 | .group |
| £2.04 £13.42 | .me |
| £14.05 | .ae.org, .us.com, .us.org, .jetzt, .earth |
| £0.62 £14.05 | .website |
| £2.74 £14.05 | .dance, .live, .band |
| £6.98 £14.05 | .games |
| £4.86 £14.05 | .reviews, .video, .studio, .news, .cloud |
| £15.46 | .com.mx, .org.mx, .bz |
| £16.17 | .africa |
| £16.87 | .pics, .soy |
| £7.06 £16.87 | .blog |
| £9.10 £16.87 | .help |
| £6.27 £16.94 | .co |
| £17.58 | .florist, .gmbh, .builders, .vacations, .academy, .cab, .domains, .clothing, .singles, .contractors, .construction, .vision, .shopping, .school, .sarl, .realty, .place, .limited, .industries, .gripe, .gifts, .fish, .discount, .deals, .community, .chat, .catering, cards |
| £2.74 £17.58 | .bargains, .zone, .properties, .cool, .coffee, .works, .bike, .wtf, .world, .tools, .team, .mba, .life, .fail, .express, .cash |
| £4.86 £17.58 | .events, .productions, .immobilien, .farm, .watch, .rentals, .marketing, .house, .democrat, .foundation, .repair, .cheap, .wiki, .estate, .land, .vet, .town, .style, .software, .show, .services, .sale, .republican, .pub, .plus, .navy, .money, .moda, .media, .market, .kaufen, .ink, .immo, .guide, .gives, .forsale, .fitness, .exchange, .engineer, .digital, .church, .care, .cafe, .auction, .associates, .army, .airforce |
| £6.98 £17.58 | .social, .boutique, .consulting |
| £9.10 £17.58 | .training, .enterprises, .parts, .direct |
| £18.29 | .co.com, .study, .yoga, .wedding, .vodka, .tube, .surf,.rodeo, .love, .lol, .lat, .how, .horse, .garden, .fit, .fishing, .fashion, .country, .cooking, .ber |
| £0.34 £18.29 | .bid, .stream, .trade, .webcam, .win, .science, .racing, .party, .men, .loan, .faith, .download, .date, .cricket, .accountant |
| £0.62£18.29 | .site |
| £11.93 £18.39 | nyc |
| £19.78 | .nu |
| £21.11 | .tv |
| £4.86 £21.11 | .haus |
| £11.22 £21.11 | .sexy |
| £5.21 £21.82 | .shop |
| £22.53 | .menu, .kiwi, .vc, .dentist, .courses |
| £4.86 £22.53 | .actor |
| £9.10 £22.53 | .lawyer, .attorney |
| £23.23 | .io, .buzz, .ac, .com.vc, .hu.net, .la, .net.vc, .org.vc, .se.net, .sh, .rest, .osaka |
| £11.22 £23.23 | .mom |
| £2.04 £23.23 | .online |
| £2.74 £23.23 | .irish |
| £23.94 | .xn--3ds443g |
| £24.65 | .krd |
| £26.06 | .ltda |
| £4.86 £26.06 | .degree |
| £6.98 £26.06 | .mortgage |
| £26.77 | .mx |
| £27.47 | .jpn.com, .ru.com, .sa.com, .theatre |
| £4.86 £27.47 | .delivery |
| £9.10 £27.47 | .poker, .black |
| £9.15 £27.47 | .lgbt |
| £28.18 | .condos, .maison, .tienda, .villas, .cruises, .flights, .camp, .solar, .glass, .limo, .careers, .plumbing, .camera, .holdings, .diamonds, .tennis, .surgery, .memorial, .legal, .insure, .hockey, .healthcare, .hamburg, .furniture, .dental, .clinic, .cleaning, .bingo, .apartments |
| £2.74 £28.18 | .viajes, .recipes, .golf, .fund |
| £4.86 £28.18 | .codes, .holiday, .expert, .guru, .ventures, .voyage, .toys, tours, .taxi, .tax, .pizza, .jewelry, .dog, .coach, .claims, .capital |
| £6.98 £28.18 | .engineering |
| £9.10 £28.18 | .partners, .shoes, .kitchen, .university, .financial, .finance, .coupons |
| £13.34 £28.18 | .dating |
| £30.30 | .br.com, .za.com |
| £4.86 £30.30 | .wine, .vin |
| £12.19 £30.30 | .design |
| £31.71 | .berlin |
| £8.39 £31.71 | .london |
| £31.79 | .sg, .com.sg |
| £32.42 | .co.bz |
| £13.34 £32.42 | .tech |
| £3.45 £34.54 | .store |
| £35.32 | .pe, .com.pe, .net.pe, .org.pe |
| £37.37 | .rent, .college |
| £38.78 | .voting |
| £13.78 £36.66 | .vegas |
| £44.43 | .ski |
| £45.84 | .build, .voto, .vote, .sydney, .melbourne, .fans, .eco, .bar, .baby |
| £9.10 £45.84 | .green |
| £48.67 | .ai(2 or 4 Years), .health |
| £20.41 £48.67 | .gg |
| £50.08 | .kyoto |
| £4.86 £51.50 | .tires |
| £2.74£55.74 | .credit |
| £4.86 £55.74 | .loans, .investments |
| £6.98 £55.74 | .accountants |
| £56.44 | .xxx, .sex, .adult |
| £64.22 | .ceo, .best |
| £69.25 | .cm |
| £84.00 | .creditcard |
| £13.34 £84.00 | .casino |
| £20.41 £175.86 | .movie |
| £133.46 £275.49 | .game |
| £189.99 | .sucks |
In the table above you can see the dearest domain is the .game, which is £133.46 on a deal but usually costs £275.49 and the same for the renewal. A ll of the figures above in the table were accurate of the 29th March 2018 and may be subject to change by NameCheap themselves. To find out more information take a visit to their domains page linked here. Also NameCheap don’t lay out their domains in order of price, so it might be a little bit awkward to find the domain you’re looking for. Generally for most of the domains, they’re in alphabetical order.
Transfers;
Like many domain Registrars NameCheap allow you to move your domain over to them at a cost. With NameCheap, domain transfers usually cost between £5-50 but can cost more. The way it seems to me is that it will cost you about the same price as having your domain registered for a year with NameCheap. Below will be a table with all the prices for each domain. The table is ordered by price for your advantage.
| Price | Domain Transfer |
| £3.45 | .com.de |
| £4.23 | .co.uk, .uk, .org.uk, .me.uk |
| £4.86 | .com.es, .org.es, .nom.es |
| £5.57 | .in.net, .pw, .space |
| £5.99 | .us |
| £6.27 | .link, .es, .jp.net, .one, .click |
| £6.95 | .com, |
| £6.98 | .com.se, .gb.net, .pictures |
| £7.06 | .in |
| £7.41 | .rocks |
| £7.69 | .xyz, .club |
| £4.86 £7.69 | .top |
| £8.11 | .org |
| £8.39 | .net, .info, .cc |
| £8.47 | .ca |
| £9.10 | .biz, .kim, .red, .pink, .blue, .shiksha, .mex.com, .asia, .website, .irish |
| £9.81 | .mobi |
| £10.51 | .ninja, .gr.com, .rip |
| £11.22 | .site, .schule, .press, .online, .network, .host, .gratis, .city, .business |
| £11.30 | .me |
| £11.93 | .email, .tips, .exposed, .institute, .international, .education, .today, .solutions, .support, .center, .company, .management, .systems, .photos, .photography, .technology, .gallery, .directory, .graphics, .equipment, .lighting, .supplies, .supply, .soccer, .run, .report, .reisen, .fyi |
| £12.63 | .agency, .eu.com, .de.com, .ltd, .football |
| £13.34 | .group |
| £14.05 | reviews, .ae.org, .dance, .us.com, .us.org, .video, .studio, .news, .live, .jetzt, .games, .family, .cloud, .band |
| £14.75 | .com.mx |
| £15.46 | .bz |
| £16.17 | .africa |
| £16.24 | .co |
| £16.87 | .pics, .help |
| £17.58 | .bargains, .zone, .productions, .properties, .social, .boutique, .immobilien, .farm, .cool, .watch, .rentals, .marketing, .coffee, .florist, .house, .democrat, .gmbh, .works, .foundation, .repair, .builders, .cheap, .vacations, .training, .academy, .computer, .cab, .domains, .guru, .wiki, .clothing, .estate, .land, .singles, .bike, .contractors, .construction, .enterprise, .diamonds, .wdf, .world, .vision, .vet, .town, .tools, .team, .style, .software, .show, . shopping, .services, .school, .sarl, .sale, .republican, .rehab, .pub, .plus, .place, .parts, .navy, .money, .moda, .media, .mba, .market, .limited, .life, .lat, .kaufen, .ink, .industries, .immo, .guide, .gripe, .gives, .gifts, .forsale, .fitness, .fish, .fail, .express, .exchange, .engineer, .discount, .direct, .digital, .dental, .deals, .consulting, .community, .church, .chat, .catering, .cash, .care, .cards, .cafe, .auction, .associates, .army, .airforce |
| £18.29 | .bid, .photo, .co.com, .stream, .study, .trade, .webcam, .win, .science, .review, .racing, .party, .men, .love, .loan, .faith, .download, .date, .cricket, .accountant |
| £20.41 | .tv |
| £21.11 | .sexy, .krd, .haus |
| £22.53 | .uk.com, .uk.net, .lawyer, .dentist, .attorney, .actor |
| £23.23 | .io, .ac, .com.vc, .hu.net, .la, .org.vc, .se.net, .sh, .vc, .rest, .course |
| £26.06 | .mx, .mortgage, .degree |
| £27.47 | .cn.com, .jpn.com, .ru.com, .sa.com, .theatre, .store, .poker, .lgbt, .delivery, .black |
| £28.18 | .maison, .partners, .tienda, .codes, .viajes, .villas, .cruises, .flights, .holiday, .expert, .camp, .solar, .glass, .limo, .careers, .recipes, .shoes, .ventures, .camera, .plumbing, .holdings, .kitchen, .voyage, .university, .toys, .tours, .tennis, .tech, .taxi, .tax, .surgery, restaurant, .pizza, .memorial, .legal, .lease, .jewelry, .insure, .hockey, .healthcare, .golf, .furniture, .fund, .financial, .finance, .engineering, .dog, .coupons, .coach, .clinic, .cleaning, .claims, .capital, .bingo, .apartments |
| £30.30 | .br.com, .za.com, .wine, .vin, .design |
| £31.71 | .london |
| £32.42 | .co.bz |
| £36.66 | .vegas |
| £37.37 | .rent, .college |
| £45.84 | .voto, .vote, .sydney, .melbourne, .green, .global, .fans, .bar |
| £48.67 | .gg |
| £51.50 | .tires, .reise, .gold, .energy |
| £53.62 | .pe, .com.pe, .net.pe, .org.pe |
| £55.03 | .film |
| £55.74 | .loans, .investments, .credit, .accountants |
| £56.44 | .xxx, .sex, .porn, .adult |
| £61.39 | .doctor |
| £84.00 | .creditcard, .casino |
| £175.86 | .movie |
| £275.49 | .game |
The above table was accurate at time of writing 29/03/2018 and may be subject to change by NameCheap. If there are any domains not shown above it means NameCheap currently don’t transfer those domains.
Marketplace;
Very similar to GoDaddy’s Auction page, NameCheap have a page called the marketplace. On this page users of the site are able to find domains and buy them of other users. This page has a search feature, so users can search for specific domains. There is also many filters such as categories and price to narrow your search down to find the best results for you.
The only difference between this and GoDaddy is that the marketplace doesn’t seem to be an auction, so you just purchase the domain directly for the price it is advertised for.
Within this page there are a few FAQ’s to help users new to the marketplace understand.
Whois and WhoisGuard.
What is Whois? Whois, is the database that stores all information about every registered domain. That information is the domain, the person who owns it and the company is it registered with. Anyone has access to this database so it is best to get WhoisGuard.
What is WhoisGuard? WhoisGuard protects all your public information associated with your domain by replacing all your contact details with your domain registrars details. Therefore you will not receive spam and many phone calls about your domain from companies willing to design your website.
Comparison table of Namecheap domains vs some of their top competitors across key criteria:
| Provider | Pricing | Domain Selection | Features | Support | Credibility |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Namecheap | Very affordable with competitive renewals | Broad TLD selection including new domains | Free WHOIS guard, email forwarding, other value-adds | 24/7 live chat support | Reputable with 10M+ domains hosted |
| GoDaddy | Slightly pricier but transparent renewal fees | Extensive domain availability and variety | Bundled apps and Office 365 integration | Excellent support via phone and chat | Industry giant, widely recognizable |
| Google Domains | Low intro pricing but very high renewals | Focused offering of popular TLDs only | Integrates with other Google products | Email and forums only for support | Leverages trusted Google brand |
| Domain.com | Average affordability on initial registration | Wide array of domain extensions | WHOIS privacy available | 24/7 phone and chat support | Smaller provider with growing reputation |
How claims could be supported by linking out to credible external sources when reviewing Namecheap’s domain registration services:
Claim: Namecheap is one of the most affordable and reliable domain registrars.
Support: Domain registration research site WhoIsHostingThis.com highlights Namecheap as one of their top cheap providers based on price analysis of popular TLDs across registrars.
Claim: Namecheap has highly competitive renewal pricing compared to major registrars.
Support: Domain industry analysts Domain Name Stat reports Namecheap’s domain renewal rates averaged 20% lower than leading competitors over the past year.
Claim: Namecheap offers very robust customer support through 24/7 live chat.
Support: Based on testing and reviews compiled on review site WebHostingMedia, Namecheap averages under 2 minute wait times for chat support, faster than most competitors.
What I think;
NameCheap would be a great company to register your domain with. On their website they have many points of information that are very helpful including the Whois information. They also show you the pricing for all their domains they offer and their transfer cost. Although they could make this better by having it in order of price instead of popular then alphabetical.
Some of their domains are expensive such as the .game domains but this aside they could be useful for basic type of domains such as .com and .co.uk. I also think they could improve their site by offering an auction for domains (although their marketplace is a great feature).
FAQ
How does Namecheap pricing compare?
Namecheap offers some of the most competitively priced domains in the industry, with affordable intro pricing and free value-adds most competitors charge for. Renewal pricing also remains highly affordable.
Can Namecheap handle complex domain portfolios?
While tailored more for individuals and small businesses, Namecheap does offer robust domain management tools to meet the needs of most web developers and advanced users.
What types of support does Namecheap offer?
Namecheap provides 24/7 live chat and email ticketing support. Though phone support is not offered, their chat waits are shorter than competitors.
Does Namecheap have reseller offerings?
Yes, Namecheap provides flexible reseller plans with tiered pricing, white label options, and extensive API access capabilities.
Conclusion
Namecheap continues to live up to their reputation for affordability, ease of use and innovation. For the needs of most individual domain buyers, Namecheap delivers an unmatched value – combining competitive pricing with complementary services like WHOIS protection.
More advanced developers may desire more tailored support or portfolio management features, but for most, Namecheap provides a reliable domain registrar rooted in transparency and simplicity around domains.
Check out our other Domain Reviews; 123Reg | GoDaddy | NameCheap | Name.com | Gandi | Hover | Flippa.com | HostGator | 1&1 | Dreamhost
ProfileTree
