Nayan Dhumal
Namecheap is one of the most popular places to register a domain name, and it also sells shared hosting for blogs and small sites. This review looks at what its domains really cost after the first year, what free WHOIS privacy covers, what you get on each shared hosting plan and who should choose something else.
Most new bloggers buy two things before they write a single post: a domain name and a hosting plan. Namecheap sells both, and its prices for the first year are among the lowest you will find. That is why so many beginners start there.
As with every budget provider, the first-year price is only half of the story. Domain and hosting renewals at Namecheap cost noticeably more, and in May 2026 Namecheap raised its shared hosting renewal prices. None of this is a reason to avoid it. It is something to understand before you pay.
A note on how I wrote this. I have not run my own speed or uptime tests on Namecheap’s hosting, so you will not find benchmark numbers here. Every price and plan detail below comes from Namecheap’s own pages, checked on 13 October 2026. Where something is my opinion, I say so.
Disclosure
This post contains affiliate links. If you buy through them, I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. It does not change what I recommend.
Key takeaways
- A .com domain was listed at $10.98 for the first year and $18.48 a year at renewal.
- Free domain privacy is included for life with every eligible domain registration or transfer.
- Shared hosting starts with a 30-day free trial, then $2.28 a month for the Stellar plan.
- Renewal prices for shared hosting rose from 19 May 2026. Stellar now renews at $55.88 a year.
- Hosting includes cPanel, a one-click WordPress installer and free SSL certificates.
- Namecheap is a strong choice for domains. For hosting, it suits small and new sites on a budget.
Namecheap at a glance
| Detail | Namecheap in October 2026 |
|---|---|
| Best for | Buying domains, and simple hosting for new or small sites |
| .com price | $10.98 first year, $18.48 renewal |
| Domain privacy | Free for life on eligible domains |
| Entry hosting plan | Stellar: 30 days free, then $2.28 per month |
| Stellar renewal | $55.88 for 1 year, $102.88 for 2 years |
| Websites on entry plan | 3 |
| Control panel | cPanel |
| WordPress install | Softaculous one-click installer |
| Money-back guarantee | 30 days on shared hosting, for first-time customers who did not start with the trial |
| Support | 24/7 live chat |
Prices are in US dollars. Namecheap adds ICANN’s fee of $0.20 a year to some domains at checkout.
What is Namecheap?
Namecheap is a domain registrar and web hosting company. Its domain business is the part most people know: you search for a name, add it to your cart and manage it from a simple dashboard. Around that, it sells shared hosting, managed WordPress hosting called EasyWP, business email, SSL certificates, a VPN and a set of marketing tools.
For a blogger, two products matter. The first is the domain name, which you will keep for as long as the blog exists. The second is shared hosting, where your blog lives on a server alongside other websites. Shared hosting is what keeps the price low, and it is perfectly adequate for a new blog. If you are not sure which type of hosting you need, my guide to the best hosting for a new blog explains the differences.
You do not have to use both from Namecheap. Many bloggers register their domain at Namecheap and host somewhere else. That is a perfectly sensible setup, and I will come back to it below.
Domain registration and pricing
These are the prices Namecheap listed for common extensions on 13 October 2026.
| Extension | First year | Renewal per year |
|---|---|---|
| .com | $10.98 | $18.48 |
| .net | $12.48 | $18.58 |
| .org | $8.48 | $18.98 |
| .co | $7.98 | $45.48 |
| .io | $34.98 | $75.98 |
| .in | $9.98 | $11.98 |
| .co.uk | $6.98 | $9.98 |
The first-year figures are sale prices. At the time of writing, Namecheap was running a birthday promotion with discounts on .com and .co, so the first-year price may change by the time you read this. The renewal price is the figure to plan around, because you pay it every year after the first.
Watch the cheap extensions
Namecheap’s domain list includes extensions with very low first-year prices, such as .store, .online and .shop at $0.98. They renew at $44.48, $35.68 and $48.98 a year. A cheap first year is not a bargain if you plan to keep the name. For a blog, I would choose a .com or your country’s extension unless you have a good reason not to.
Watch out
Always compare the first-year price with the renewal price before you register a domain. Some extensions renew at many times their sale price. Also note that Namecheap’s refund policy treats domain registrations as generally non-refundable, apart from a discretionary five-day window, so check the spelling before you pay.
Free WHOIS privacy
When you register a domain, your contact details go into a public record called WHOIS. Namecheap includes a domain privacy subscription free with every eligible domain registration or transfer, and describes it as free for life. The service is provided by Withheld for Privacy, which hides your personal details from the public record.
There is one exception. Namecheap says privacy is not available for a handful of extensions because of registry restrictions. If privacy matters to you, check this before you choose an unusual extension.
Free privacy is one of the main reasons I like Namecheap for domains. Some registrars still charge for it every year, which quietly adds to the renewal cost.
Shared hosting plans and pricing
Namecheap’s shared hosting has three plans, all called Stellar. These are the prices and features listed on 13 October 2026.
| Plan | Listed price | Renewal: 1 year | Renewal: 2 years | Websites | Storage | Backups |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stellar | 30 days free, then $2.28 per month | $55.88 | $102.88 | 3 | 20 GB SSD | Twice a week |
| Stellar Plus | 30 days free, then $2.98 per month | $85.44 | $146.44 | Unlimited | Unmetered SSD | Twice a week plus AutoBackup |
| Stellar Business | 30 days free, then $4.98 per month | $128.88 | $251.88 | Unlimited | 50 GB SSD plus 50 GB cloud storage | Twice a week plus AutoBackup |
How the pricing really works
The plan cards show a 30-day free trial followed by a monthly figure, but the page does not say which billing term that figure belongs to. Namecheap also says its advertised discount only applies to yearly and two-yearly plans, and does not apply to renewals.
The renewal prices in the table come from a Namecheap knowledge base article. It says shared hosting renewal prices increased for invoices issued on or after 19 May 2026. For yearly trial packages, the first yearly payment after the trial uses the “After Trial” price, and later renewals use the new renewal prices.
My advice is simple: add the plan to your cart, choose the term and look at the total before you pay. Then write down the renewal price so it does not surprise you a year later.
Key features
cPanel and WordPress setup
Namecheap uses cPanel, the control panel many hosts use. If you have used another host before, it will feel familiar. WordPress is installed with the Softaculous one-click installer. If you want to see the process step by step, read my guide on how to install WordPress.
Storage, websites and email
Stellar hosts three websites with 20 GB of SSD storage and 30 mailboxes, which is plenty for a first blog. Stellar Plus removes the website and mailbox limits and offers unmetered SSD storage, which Namecheap says is intended only for your website. All three plans list unmetered bandwidth.
Backups
This is the feature I would look at most closely. On Stellar, Namecheap says backups run ideally twice a week and are not guaranteed. Stellar Plus and Stellar Business add AutoBackup, which provides daily, weekly and monthly backups. Whichever plan you choose, I would still add your own backup plugin that stores copies somewhere else. My list of essential WordPress plugins for bloggers includes options.
SSL, CDN and data centres
Namecheap says its shared plans include 50 free Standard SSL certificates for the first year. Its Supersonic CDN is only available for domains that use Namecheap’s shared hosting nameservers. You can choose a data centre in the US, Europe or Singapore, so pick the one closest to most of your readers.
Free domain with hosting
Hosting plans include a free domain for the first year, as long as it is not a premium name. Only one free domain is allowed per hosting plan, and you pay the normal renewal fee from year two.
Support and refunds
Namecheap offers 24/7 live chat support. Shared hosting has a 30-day money-back guarantee, with two important conditions. It applies only to first-time shared hosting customers who start without the 30-day trial. And you are not eligible if you opened a second Namecheap account, or cancelled an account and signed up again.
In practice, that means you choose between the free trial and the money-back guarantee. The trial is the simpler way to test the service, because you can cancel before paying.
Namecheap pros and cons
Pros
- Low first-year prices on popular domain extensions
- Free domain privacy for life on eligible domains
- Simple, beginner-friendly domain dashboard
- 30-day free trial on shared hosting
- Familiar cPanel with a one-click WordPress installer
- Free SSL certificates and a free domain for the first year with hosting
Cons
- Domain renewals cost noticeably more than the first year
- Shared hosting renewal prices rose in May 2026
- Backups on the entry plan are twice a week and not guaranteed
- The hosting page does not say which term the headline price belongs to
- Money-back guarantee excludes customers who used the free trial
Who should use Namecheap?
Namecheap is a good fit if:
- You want a straightforward place to register and manage domains.
- You want free domain privacy without paying extra every year.
- You are starting a small blog and want cheap hosting with cPanel.
- You like the idea of a free trial before paying for hosting.
It is a weaker fit if:
- Your site already gets heavy traffic or runs a busy shop. Managed cloud hosting, like the service in my Cloudways review, is a better match.
- You want daily backups on the cheapest plan.
- You want clear renewal prices shown next to every plan on the hosting page.
My setup suggestion
If you are unsure about Namecheap’s hosting, you can still use it for your domain. Register the domain at Namecheap for the free privacy and simple dashboard, then point it to any host you like. If you ever change hosts, your domain stays where it is.
How to get started with Namecheap
- Search for your domain. Check both the first-year and renewal price before you add it to the cart.
- Confirm privacy is on. It is free on eligible extensions.
- Choose a hosting plan if you need one. Stellar for a first blog, Stellar Plus if you want AutoBackup and unlimited sites.
- Decide between trial and guarantee. The 30-day trial and the money-back guarantee do not combine.
- Pick your data centre. Choose the one closest to your readers.
- Install WordPress. Use the Softaculous installer in cPanel, then switch on SSL.
For everything that comes after hosting, follow my complete guide on how to start a blog. If you are thinking of buying during the sales season, my Namecheap Black Friday guide shows what Namecheap offered last year.
Verdict: is Namecheap worth it in 2026?
For domains, yes. Namecheap is easy to use, its first-year prices are low and free domain privacy for life is a real saving over time. Just look at the renewal price before you register, especially on unusual extensions.
For hosting, it is a reasonable budget option for a new or small blog. cPanel, the one-click installer and the free trial make it easy to start. The weaker points are the twice-weekly backups on the entry plan and renewal prices that rose in 2026. If you choose Namecheap hosting, I would pick Stellar Plus for AutoBackup, and keep your own backup plugin as well.
See Namecheap’s prices for yourself
Prices change often, especially during promotions, so check the current first-year and renewal prices on Namecheap’s own site.
Sources I checked
The facts in this review come from these pages, checked on 13 October 2026:
- Namecheap domains page for first-year and renewal prices, free domain privacy and the ICANN fee.
- Namecheap domain registration page for .com, .net, .org and .co prices and the current birthday promotion.
- Namecheap shared hosting page for plans, features, backups, SSL, data centres, trial terms and the money-back guarantee.
- Namecheap knowledge base: shared hosting pricing changes, May 2026 for renewal prices.
- Namecheap refund policy for refund rules on domains and hosting.
Frequently asked questions
Is Namecheap good for beginners?
Yes, especially for domains. The dashboard is simple, domain privacy is free on eligible extensions, and the shared hosting uses cPanel with a one-click WordPress installer.
How much does a .com domain cost at Namecheap?
On 13 October 2026, a .com was listed at $10.98 for the first year and $18.48 a year at renewal. ICANN’s $0.20 yearly fee may be added at checkout. Check the current price on Namecheap’s site.
Is WHOIS privacy really free at Namecheap?
Yes. Namecheap includes a domain privacy subscription free with every eligible domain registration or transfer, provided by Withheld for Privacy. A handful of extensions cannot have privacy because of registry rules.
How much does Namecheap hosting cost?
Stellar starts with a 30-day free trial, then $2.28 a month. Renewal prices from 19 May 2026 are $55.88 a year or $102.88 for two years for Stellar, and higher for Stellar Plus and Stellar Business.
Can I get a refund from Namecheap?
Shared hosting has a 30-day money-back guarantee for first-time customers who did not start with the free trial. Domain registrations are generally non-refundable, apart from a discretionary five-day window.
Should I keep my domain and hosting at the same company?
It is not required. Keeping them together is slightly simpler, but registering your domain separately means you can change hosts without moving the domain.