Namecheap vs GoDaddy: which one is better for you?
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Namecheap and GoDaddy are popular domain registrars and web hosting companies. Deciding between the two can be challenging because each offers a distinct set of features.
While comparing Namecheap vs GoDaddy, I evaluated their performance, pricing, customer support, and security. In this article, I share my insights by comparing their key differences and similarities.
Namecheap vs GoDaddy: overview
Namecheap outshines GoDaddy in most tests I did, making it a better overall choice. Namecheap is more affordable, starting at $1.58/month, while GoDaddy pricing begins at $6.99/month. Namecheap includes essential security features even in its entry-level plans, whereas GoDaddy’s security is more limited. That said, both providers are easy to use and deliver solid performance, but Namecheap stands out for its affordability and all-in-one features.
Here's a quick comparison of the key features these two providers offer:
| Namecheap | GoDaddy | |
| ⭐ Rating: | ||
| 💵 Price: | From $1.58/month | From $6.99/month |
| 📑 Uptime guarantee: | 100% | 99.9% |
| 🔥 Coupons: | Namecheap coupon 70% OFF | GoDaddy coupon 30% OFF |
| 💽 Storage space (from): | 20GB | 10GB |
| ✂️ Free domain (first year): | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| 🔒 Free SSL certificate: | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes (only 1 year with Economy plan) |
| ➡️ Site migration: | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| 💾 Automated backups: | ✅ Yes, twice a week | ✅ Yes |
| 📧 Email accounts: | ✅ Yes (unlimited with Stellar Plus plan) | ✅ Yes |
| 👨💻 24/7 support: | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| 💰 Money-back guarantee | 30-day | 30-day |
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Pricing comparison: Namecheap offers more resources for a better price
When it comes to pricing, Namecheap is cheaper than GoDaddy, with plans starting at $1.58/month compared to GoDaddy’s $6.99/month. Namecheap also offers more affordable pricing for almost all plans, except reseller hosting. Below, you can see a more detailed breakdown of the types of hosting both providers offer and their starting prices:
| Namecheap | GoDaddy | |
| Shared hosting | ✅ Yes, from $1.58/month | ✅ Yes, from $6.99/month |
| Reseller hosting | ✅ Yes, from $19.88/month | ✅ Yes, from $4.49/month |
| WordPress hosting | ✅ Yes, from $6.88/month | ✅ Yes, from $7.99/month |
| Email hosting | ✅ Yes, from $0.99/month | ✅ Yes, from $1.99/month |
| VPS hosting | ✅ Yes, from $6.88/month | ✅ Yes, from $8.99/month |
| Dedicated servers | ✅ Yes, from $45.88/month | ❌ No |
Namecheap is the more affordable option across most hosting types. Its shared hosting starts at just $1.58/month, offering a free domain, 3 websites, 20GB SSD storage, 30 email accounts, a free SSL certificate, CDN, migration, and a website builder. In contrast, GoDaddy’s plan starts at $6.99/month for just 1 website, 25GB storage, 1 email, and a free domain and SSL for one year. CND and automated migrations are only included in higher-tier plans.
Let's compare VPS plans, as they’re very popular for medium-sized websites. Namecheap VPS plans start at $6.88/month. At this price, you get 2 CPU cores, 2GB RAM, and 40GB SSD storage. In contrast, the cheapest VPS plan GoDaddy offers starts at $8.99/month and includes just 1 CPU core, the same RAM, and storage. Again, Namecheap offers more resources at a cheaper price point.
As for WordPress hosting, the difference isn’t so significant. Namecheap starts at $6.88/month with 10GB SSD, CDN, SSL, auto-updates, and malware protection, plus a 30-day free trial. GoDaddy costs $7.99/month with similar resources but adds a free trial of the digital marketing suite and the Airo site optimizer.
Namecheap vs GoDaddy performance
When comparing their performance, Namecheap and GoDaddy demonstrated impressive speed and reliability. Namecheap excelled at website loading speeds, but GoDaddy outperformed when handling increased traffic.
Website speed
I created two similar websites and ran them through various tests to compare the performance of each provider. For speed testing, I focused on three key metrics:
- Time to first byte (TTFB). Measures the time it takes for a browser to receive the first byte of data from the server.
- Largest contentful paint (LCP). Indicates how quickly the largest visible content on the website loads.
- Speed index. Reflects how long it takes for the website to appear usable to the user.
The results for the website hosted by Namecheap were as follows: the TTFB was 0.373s, the LCP was 1.254s, and the speed index was 0.879s.
GoDaddy’s performance was underwhelming, with a TTFB result of 0.689s and LCP at 1.446s. The speed index was 1.141s, making it significantly slower than Namecheap.
To ensure the test results were valid, we replicated the same test using a different tool and got a similar result. On gtmetrix.com, Namecheap’s TTFP was 181ms, while the LCP was 685ms. The website fully loaded in 0.686s.
GoDaddy’s TTFB was 262ms, the LCP was 975ms, and the website fully loaded in 1.3s. This result is considerably slower compared to Namecheap.
This test shows that Namecheap outperforms GoDaddy in speed tests, proving you can get solid performance even at a lower price tag.
Stress testing
To evaluate how well both providers handle increased website traffic, with the help of the research team, I conducted a stress test by sending 50 virtual users (VUs) over a period of 5 minutes.
Namecheap managed the traffic impressively, with no HTTP failures and stable performance under load. It achieved a peak request rate of 42 requests per second and a 95th percentile (P95) response time of 188ms, handling 95% of requests within this time. Overall, Namecheap demonstrated consistent performance without issues.
That said, GoDaddy’s results were underwhelming. The test with 50 VUs failed. We repeated the test with fewer users each time. The test finally passed with only 20 VUs and 1800 requests in total. That said, the performance was still unstable, with a P95 response time of 1606ms. This shows that GoDaddy struggles with even moderate traffic spikes.
Overall, Namecheap showed much better server stability than GoDaddy. GoDaddy failed to handle even moderate traffic spikes, while Namecheap handled the traffic spike with no slowdowns or failures.
Hosting management: ease of use
In terms of user experience, both providers use cPanel, which offers a similar layout. Their account management dashboards are user-friendly, though GoDaddy's has a more minimalistic and modern design.
Account management dashboard
When it comes to account management panels, Namecheap’s dashboard is slightly more basic but still easy to use.
GoDaddy's interface is more modern-looking. While I didn't find either difficult to navigate, first-time users might initially find it challenging to get familiar with both providers' features.
Overall, I preferred the setup process with Namecheap. It seemed more straightforward than with GoDaddy, and I received clear guidance.
Control panel comparison
Both providers use the industry standard cPanel, which features a straightforward and user-friendly interface. While cPanel is easy to navigate, its feature-rich nature might be overwhelming for inexperienced users. Personally, I enjoy working with cPanel because it’s widely used by many hosting providers. Once you spend a bit of time learning all its controls, it becomes very easy to navigate.
Namecheap offers additional exclusive cPanel features, including Softaculous Apps Installer, Website Builder, Jellyfish Spam Protection, Namecheap Knowledgebase, and ImunifyAV.
On the other hand, GoDaddy offers Installatron for installing apps. A website builder is also available with all plans. That said, I found that GoDaddy offers fewer security applications and tools.
Namecheap vs GoDaddy website builder
Building a website on Namecheap starts with picking a template. There are over 200, though many feel outdated. Alternatively, you can use AI to generate a site. Either way, you can make further customizations in the editor. The customization options are pretty decent. You can change fonts, move elements around, embed maps, add forms, and link social media accounts. I liked that Namecheap includes helpful tools like an AI text generator and an AI assistant. I enjoyed using the editor, which worked smoothly and was easy to navigate.
The process of creating a website on GoDaddy was similar. After answering a few questions about my site, GoDaddy generated a custom site using AI. Then, I customized it further in the editor. I found the editor very user-friendly, and all customization options were easy to locate. You can add various elements like audio, video, forms, and social media links. One unique feature GoDaddy offers is Airo, which can help you write content, improve SEO, and even generate a logo.
Overall, I think both website builders are quite similar in terms of features. Both offer AI-powered website creation, smooth editors, and extra tools to speed up the process.
Website security
Both providers offer robust security features, including free SSL certificates for the first year and automatic backups. Here are some unique features that each provider offers:
| Namecheap | GoDaddy |
| Free automatic SSL installation for the first year | Some plans include free AutoSSL |
| Domain name and privacy protection | Network security monitoring and DDoS protection |
| Some plans include automatic backups and cloud storage | Automatic daily backups |
| Server monitoring for security updates |
Customer support
Namecheap and GoDaddy excel in customer support, offering multiple contact channels and 24/7 assistance. They each maintain extensive knowledge bases to address common issues and frequently asked questions.
| Namecheap | GoDaddy | |
| Phone line | ❌ No | ✅ Yes, in 36 countries |
| Live chat | ✅ Yes, 24/7 | ✅ Yes, 24/7 |
| Knowledge base | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| ✅ Yes | ❌ No |
Namecheap provides 24/7 support through live chat and email. From my experience, its live chat service is both responsive and efficient, quickly resolving issues with timely responses.
GoDaddy, however, distinguishes itself with a wider range of communication options. GoDaddy offers phone support in 36 countries, which can be particularly useful for resolving more complex issues. While the live chat support is also helpful, it often involves longer wait times and additional follow-up questions before resolving the main issue.
Namecheap vs GoDaddy: final verdict
Overall, both providers are decent options. They provide similar features, are easy to use, and have comparable website builders. That said, when comparing these two, I found that Namecheap performed better in most scenarios.
| Feature | Namecheap | GoDaddy | Verdict |
| Price | Namecheap is a much more affordable option, with pricing starting at $1.58/month, compared to GoDaddy’s $6.99/month. Also, Namecheap offers affordable pricing for various hosting types. | ||
| Performance | During our tests, Namecheap showed better website speeds than GoDaddy. Plus, GoDaddy failed our speed tests, while Namecheap showed excellent performance even under increased load. | ||
| Ease of use | Both Namecheap and GoDaddy are very easy to use. Both use cPanel for hosting management and are beginner-friendly. | ||
| Security | Namecheap offers better security features at a lower price point compared to GoDaddy. | ||
| Website builder | Both providers offer easy-to-use website builders with AI features. That said, these builders are rather basic. | ||
| Support | Namecheap and GoDaddy offer 24/7 live chat support and a knowledge base, but GoDaddy also includes phone support. |
With cheaper pricing, better security features and performance, Namecheap takes the overall win. It’s a perfect choice for beginners, looking for a cost-effective yet high-quality hosting provider.
That said, GoDaddy is still a good choice for any site that can afford a bit more investment and someone who has experience in website management.
Namecheap vs GoDaddy FAQs
Is Namecheap owned by GoDaddy?
No, Namecheap is not owned by GoDaddy. They are independent companies and direct competitors in the domain registration and web hosting industry. Each has its own corporate structure, pricing models, and customer base, with Namecheap focusing on affordability and privacy, while GoDaddy offers a broader range of services.
Is Namecheap better than Domain.com?
Yes, Namecheap is better than Domain.com. It offers better response times and overall uptime, and outshines Domain.com in pricing and customer support. While Domain.com is ideal for beginners due to its simplicity and ease of use, Namecheap provides more advanced features for experienced users.
Why is Namecheap so cheap?
Namecheap keeps its prices low by leveraging a large customer base and strong partnerships with major web hosting companies. These relationships allow them to negotiate better deals, which they pass on to customers, making their services more affordable without compromising on quality.
Which company is best for a domain name?
GoDaddy is a top choice for buying a domain name, widely recognized and trusted in the industry. It manages over 84 million domain names, making it one of the most popular and reliable providers for securing and managing your online presence.
