The Best Ways To Utilize Namecheap Hosting

I bet you’ve been thinking about starting a web project. Finally launching that personal website, blog, eCommerce store, or even hosting your work portfolio.

But you are stuck — thinking too hard about it.

Well, if we have to spell it out for you, there has never been a great time to get started.

Here’s what you’ll need at the beginning; 1) A reliable domain registrar and 2) a web hosting platform.

If you can register your domain for cheap as well as hosting your website, that’s fantastic. Even better if you can register your domain and host your website with the same company.

Not to stop you in your tracks so quickly, but you should know this before you set sail.

I discovered that finding a company that offers reliable, cost-effective domain registration and hosting is like finding a magic lamp. You’ll be wise to hold onto it.

And yes, there are a ton of domain registration and hosting options out there.

While there are certainly the big players such as Bluehost, DreamHost, GoDaddy, etc, that offer great web hosting and domain registration services, they’ll require you to spend quite a bit of money.

Luckily, you can still launch your project at any budget you’ve projected.

We’ve done all the work for you.

In this article, I’ll let you in on one of the biggest secrets to registering and hosting several websites for pennies.

And even more, I’ll help you decide if this service is for you.

Let’s dive in.

Namecheap Reviews

Namecheap was founded by Richard Kirkendall in 2000. It is one of the fastest-growing domain providers and hosting services out there today.

Namecheap focuses on customer satisfaction.

The web hosting service is known for providing unparalleled levels of service, security, and support.

In the best 20 years of operation, Namecheap has registered over 10 million domains and is currently servicing over 11 million customers.

This is not surprising as the company states that its mission is to help its customers get their projects out in the fastest time possible.

What’s more.

Namecheap provides lots of features for launching your project.

Initially started as a domain name registration service, the company has pivoted its business to include other web services such as web hosting, email hosting, WordPress hosting, and web building services, etc.

I am certain Namecheap offers great domain services. However, I wasn’t too sure about their hosting services. So I decided to find out.

I registered a domain and when ahead to host my website. I did this to test-drive Namecheap’s hosting service.

Even more interesting is that Namecheap offers its web hosting starter pack at $1.33 a month.

How good can the service be?!

I’ll let you know.

Here, I’ll give you a breakdown of what I discovered on this test-drive. Namecheap’s hosting performance; uptime and speed, customer support, ease of use, and the pros and cons of using this service.

First, here are the services your get from Namecheap;

Read on.

Namecheap Shared Hosting: Key Features.

Namecheap offers several features. However, I’ll briefly go through its key features.

Domain name registration:

This is pretty straightforward. At the time of writing this Namecheap review, I am pretty sure of Namecheap domain services. Namecheap offers a robust domain cheap registration with top-notch TLDs to choose from.

With different TLDs offered, most times at a discount price. You can also get free email addresses as well as a free whois guard for your privacy protection.

Also, you get easy domain management and easy-to-set domains for different types of websites; eCommerce, blogs, and other web projects.

Web hosting:

Namecheap uses the latest server technology from brands like Dell and HP to deliver great hosting. With its server located in the US and the UK, you get maximum performance and service.

Namecheap also offers a wide array of hosting options such as shared hosting, reseller hosting, email hosting, VPS hosting, dedicated hosting. With easyWP you can set up your WordPress site in no time, with a click of a button, actually, several buttons. But it’s easy to setup.

Free Site Migration

Namecheap also offers easy migration from other web servers free of charge.

I’ll go in-depth to analyze its hosting services in the sections below.

Apps:

Softaculous installer enables you to use WordPress or other apps with just a few clicks. You can update and maintain your applications with great ease.

You have access to supersonic CDN, EasyWP, Namecheap VPN, Logo maker, site builder, Canvas as well as a host of other Namecheap apps for getting your project off the ground.

WhosiGuard:

Namecheap is strong on security as you get 2 great security protection channels. WhoisGuard protects your website from identity threats.

While SSL certificate is provided by Namecheap to safeguard your website against fraudulent activities.

Free Email:

You get over 30 Namecheap email accounts for any Namecheap hosting plan you choose.

cPanel:

Namecheap uses the most common control panel in the world to give you great control over your website and allow for easy management.

In a nutshell, these are the key features of Namecheap.

Now, Let’s take a closer look at its performance, support services, and other services.

The pros of using Hosting Namecheap

Namecheap offers a wide array of services to make your life easier. They also offer a tonne of free services and discounts with Namecheap promo code, free domain name, apps, and other services that we found interesting.

Here, I’ll take a look at the advantages of Namecheap hosting.

Free Domain and Migration.

Namecheap offers an excellent domain name registration service. A .com domain cost $7.47/year.They also offer free domain registration for particular TLDs such as: .fun, .host, .online, .site, .press, .store, .space, .pw, .tech, .website.

It also allows you a free and surprisingly seamless domain transfer and hosting migration — if you are already set up someplace else and you like to migrate.

This great as it allows you to get started right away without having to shell out more money.

30-day Money-Back Guarantee.

Namecheap offers a 30-day moneyback guarantee. This allows you to try out its services to decide if it's the best option for setting up your website. You have a lot of time here to get a sense of Namecheap performance as it relates to your business needs.

Fully-Loaded Value Plan.

Here’s the thing. Considering Namecheap isn’t one of the major players in the web hosting business, I was a bit skeptical about its claims.

But after test-driving its services, I was were a bit surprised and delighted by its offerings.

For its shared hosting, which I started with only a $1.33 monthly payment, I got 20GB storage and 30 email account — which isn’t bad for a small web project.

I also got unmetered bandwidth, a free domain name that comes with privacy protection, a free website builder, easyWP for WordPress installation, 24/7 support via live chat, and a 30-day money-back guarantee.

I got a standard cPanel for managing our website.

In my humble opinion, this is great value for your money. If you are only starting with your web project, Namecheap easily gets you started with minimum fuzz.

Great Domain Registration Options.

I’ve probably mentioned this lots of times, But it’s worth mentioning one last time. Namecheap provides you with excellent domain registration.

The question of whether it is the best is up to you. However, with thousands of great customer reviews regarding its domain registration, you are in able hands.

Decent Load Time.

For performance, this is one criterion you’ll be looking out for. And since Google has shown that visitors will likely click off your website as your website delays. So load time is critical to your website.

Namecheap has recorded an average page speed of 687ms over the past 24 months. When compared to other services out there, we can say that Namecheap boats a decent load time.

Robust user area.

Namecheap offers a standard cPanel for managing your domains. However, I commend its user dashboard. It's simple, clean, and offers a tonne of control options at a glance.

You get to see all your domains and email domains all from a single, simple interface.

What’s more — Namecheap is pretty transparent with its offers. You get what you pay for — no upsells, hidden pricing, or deceptive marketing strategies.

Multiple Payments options.

Whether it gives you anonymity, or easier to execute, or it’s simply more comfortable for you, in this day and age, it’s comforting to know you can make your domain and hosting payments using bitcoin.

I think it's great that Namecheap offers different payment options. Other payment options include Credit and debit cards, PayPal, Dwolla, Bitcoin.

24/7 customer support via chat.

When I experienced a tiny hiccup, the reasonable thing to do was to chat up support.

And I can say that while I was transferred to different customer support to help — which took a bit of time, Namecheap customer support proved helpful in my case.

However, based on our research, I’ve found that there are multiple complaints about Namecheap’s support. Maybe, it’s simply a case of timing. I’ll let you be the judge.

It’s worth mentioning that Namecheap doesn’t offer phone support, only live chat.

The cons of using The Host Namecheap

Poor Uptime

While load time is reasonably great with Namecheap, I found that Namecheap has a fluctuating uptime. It’s not bad but it’s not great either.

For beginners, you want to make sure your website doesn’t experience downtime — especially if you’re in a business such as an eCommerce store where a single downtime can mean loss of potential customers and sales.

At an uptime average of 99.87%, Namecheap can certainly do better.

Poor shared hosting performance.

At the time of our Namecheap test-drive, I experienced some issues with uptime as well as minor load time issues. I also think that the storage space of 20GB, especially for the cheapest plan is limited.

Generally, Namecheap shared hosting is the best when compared to some of its competitors.

Limited Data Center.

With its 2 data centers located in the US and UK( by the way, UK hosting will cost you $1 monthly) it isn’t exactly a great hosting experience for many users located in different parts of the world other than in the US or Europe.

With a little over average web performance, it won’t be a viable option for a lot of users located in different parts of the world.

Now, let’s take a look at Namecheap performance

For this, I’ll discuss

• Uptime, Load time, and support.

Based on test-drive, I’ve arrived at these conclusions;

Namecheap boosts a great load time, so you don’t have to worry too much about the speed of your website. However, its uptime could do with a little improvement.

It would be great to not have to worry about, even the faintest downtime. And while the response time of its support is not the best, it proves to be helpful at resolving issues.

Namecheap Review: Pricings Plans.

Stellar

$1.33

Stellar — For $1.33 a month, you can host up to three websites on 20GB of space on SSD-accelerated servers. Namecheap allows 30 email accounts in total and 50 MySQL databases. You also get bi-weekly backups.

Stellar Plus.

$2.25

Stellar Plus — For $2.25 a month, you get unlimited sites on unlimited space, along with unmetered bandwidth and unlimited emails. However, note that the servers are not pure SSD.

Stellar Business.

$4.04

Stellar Business — For $4.04 a month you enjoy unlimited sites with unmetered bandwidth, daily and weekly backups, and pure SSD space. Which is a pretty sweet deal. However, your storage space is limited to 50GB.

Hosting On Namecheap Conclusion

Namecheap offers stellar domain registration, average hosting service, and provides lots of features to get you started with your web project. If you are looking for a user-friendly, and cost-effective service — hosting on Namecheap may be your answer.

I tested the cheapest plan Namecheap has to offer, however, I believe that on the more expensive plans, you get better service, and perhaps, even better performance.

Nevertheless, for more experienced users or you run a flourishing business with a high-performance need or looking for an upgrade to current hosting service, you might consider shelling out the big bucks for the big players — Godaddy, Hostgator, Dreamhost, etc.

Finally, for its price and services, Namecheap is an average hosting service but a competent one.

I’ll definitely recommend you use its services.