An opinion about Namecheap’s shared cPanel hosting
I have been using Namecheap for many years as a domain registrar, but they also offer several services besides domain registration. One of those is shared cPanel hosting.
This is my opinion about the hosting service, what I like and what I don’t like about it.
The Positives
1. Low Cost
One of the main reasons I chose Namecheap’s shared hosting is its affordability. I’m using the Stellar plan, which cost me $22.88 for the first year, then $48.88 per year for renewal.
Compared to what other cPanel hosts charge for renewal, Namecheap is one of the cheapest I have found.
Here’s a breakdown of their shared hosting pricing per plan:
- Stellar — First year: $22.88, Renewal: $48.88
- Stellar Plus — First year: $34.88, Renewal: $74.88
- Stellar Business — First year: $58.88, Renewal: $112.88
2. Decent Performance
My website has been running smoothly with minimal downtime. I haven’t noticed any performance issues or major server errors, except for occasional connection timeouts that usually last a few minutes. This commonly happens with other hosts I use, so it’s normal and acceptable.
3. Free Email
I don’t like paying extra for email when I’m already paying for web hosting, and luckily Namecheap includes free email accounts with any of their shared hosting plans.
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With the Stellar plan I’m using, I get up to 30 mailboxes for free, which is more than I need for my small website.
4. Good for Multiple Websites
They allow you to host 3 websites in the Stellar plan and unlimited websites in the Stellar Plus and Business plans. These are very generous limits for the price.
5. Quick Support
Whenever I face any technical problems with my hosting account or server, live chat support is the quickest way to get help, and they usually reply within minutes.
Some complex issues may take longer to resolve after being escalated to a senior technician, but all in all, I’m quite happy with the level of tech support I received from Namecheap.
The Negatives
1. Lack of Malware Protection
My plan (Stellar) has basic security features, like firewall and DDoS protection, but it doesn’t include malware protection.
Only the Stellar Business plan comes with malware protection via Imunify360, but this plan is a bit costly and it’s more than I need for one small website.
2. No Free SSL Certificates
This is my biggest gripe with Namecheap’s shared hosting: They only offer premium PositiveSSL certificates but not free ones like Let’s Encrypt.
Although you do get up to 50 PositiveSSL certificates for free for the first year, each certificate costs $13.20 per year for renewal. I just wish they offered free SSL certificates like all other hosts I’ve used.
3. Renewal Price Hikes
Namecheap is known for hiking up their renewal prices from time to time, and this happened with their shared hosting plans. I think the price is still reasonable compared to other competitors, but no one likes sudden price hikes.
Overall, I’ve had a very satisfactory experience with Namecheap’s shared cPanel hosting and I would recommend it to beginners and small businesses, especially those on a limited budget.
If you’d like to read more opinions about Namecheap and other cPanel web hosting providers, I suggest checking out Reddit discussions.
