Namecheap vs Godaddy: Which Is the Best Host for Your Needs in 2022?

Namecheap and GoDaddy have some things in common. Both companies are in business for more than 20 years. GoDaddy was founded in 1997 and Namecheap — in 2000. Both have headquarters in the USA.

These two companies are widely known for their domain name registration services. GoDaddy is the world’s biggest player in this market, managing 75+ million domains for more than 20 million customers globally. Namecheap handles 10 million domains for 2 million customers.

Both Namecheap and GoDaddy also offer relatively inexpensive web hosting services. But which company should you choose as your host? No need to dig up loads of information on their sites! There is an easier way — read this article.

We’ve analyzed the main features of those two providers — price, performance, security, and support — to help you make a decision.

If you got stuck pitting Namecheap vs GoDaddy or would like to know more about them, have a look at our comparison and conclusions. In the end, we will recommend which provider to choose under different circumstances.

GoDaddy vs Namecheap: Comparing the features

The companies have quite similar web hosting plans, but there are some differences. Namecheap’s 20GB in the cheapest Stellar plan might be enough for most tasks.

Nonetheless, if this aspect is crucial for you, pay attention that GoDaddy offers five times more disk space in its basic Economy package. Besides, you can get a free domain.

In other respects, in the GoDaddy vs Namecheap competition, the latter gains the upper hand. Namecheap’s clients get free SSL certificates no matter what plan they choose.

Taking into account that SSL certificates are obligatory in most applications, it’s good to have them as a part of the hosting package.

Auto backups, offered by Namecheap, are also nice to have as you are better protected against the outcomes of unsuccessful experiments or some other accidents. Free site migration is another bonus, encouraging to give this provider a try.

Namecheap or GoDaddy: Pricing

Price is one of the most critical factors in choosing a web host. Both providers have a wide range of plans with different discounts. But Namecheap offers more affordable prices for almost all types of hosting. Its cheapest shared hosting plan starts at $1.44 a month in comparison to $5.99 for GoDaddy.

Namecheap offers monthly, yearly, and 2-year plans. It is convenient if you are not sure how long you will need web hosting or stay with this provider. To get the best price, you should sign a 2-year contract. Using UK servers will cost you an extra $1 a month. This option may be interesting for customers with audiences in Europe.

At the same time, you’ll need to pay for at least three months if you decide to choose GoDaddy’s shared hosting. The lowest prices come with the longest, 36-month contracts. And you’ll have to pay extra for SSL certificates, automatic backups, and malware scans.

GoDaddy’s renewal prices for shared hosting plans come with a 25%-50% increase. A renewed Namecheap’s contract might cost up to 80% more than the first offer! However, this provider’s monthly plans are renewed at the same rate, which is quite convenient.

GoDaddy has a cheap basic VPS hosting plan, starting at $4.99/mo. However, GoDaddy offers you 1 CPU core, 1 GB RAM, and 20 GB of storage for that price. At the same time, Namecheap’s least expensive VPS plan ($7.88/mo) provides you with 2 CPU cores, 2 GB RAM, and 40 GB of storage.

GoDaddy vs Namecheap: Performance

Namecheap guarantees that its Shared, business and Dedicated server accounts will have 100% monthly uptime. Reseller and VPS accounts are promised 99.9% uptime, which also seems quite reasonable. GoDaddy offers a similar 99.9%-guarantee.

But what about real uptime? According to industry standards, both Namecheap and GoDaddy have mediocre results. Both providers tend to score above 99.9% in recent months. That seems to be in line with their guarantees.

However, Namecheap had several months with uptime below 99.0% during the last year. If that doesn’t seem like a big deal, note that it means 10+ hours of downtime a month. GoDaddy’s uptime didn’t fall below 99.95%. Thus, the latter provider seems to be more reliable.

Another performance indicator is site response time. The tests show that GoDaddy’s sites respond in around 530ms. Namecheap seems to be “slower” with its 680ms. Actually, both results aren’t close to the industry’s top benchmarks. For instance, A2 Hosting has a response time of slightly more than 300 ms.

Namecheap vs GoDaddy: Security

Namecheap fully protects your website. Recovering passwords is accompanied by security notifications. A domain lock feature protects your site against hackers. The host also provides a 2-factor authentication and DDOS protection with HTTPS-support. HTTPS sites are more secure in comparison to HTTP and have better Google ranking.

GoDaddy also has some security features in every package. It can monitor Google blacklist for your web-pages and helps to whitelist them. The number of pages for monitoring is unlimited. If your site is hacked, you can use a hack repair feature. You can also have a brand reputation monitoring with a trusted seal. The security features work smoothly with most apps.

The notable distinction between the two providers is that GoDaddy is more likely to charge you for security features. For example, Namecheap offers free SSL certificates for the first year. They are installed automatically and are secured for up to 50 websites. GoDaddy offers to add an SSL certificate for $6.67/mo (Economy Hosting Plan).

Another paid security option from GoDaddy is scanning for malware. Your site is checked every day for malicious software. If anything threatening is found, the clean up removes it.

GoDaddy vs Namecheap: Support

Good customer service is a must for any successful web hosting provider. Both companies offer support via live chat. However, you can’t reach Namecheap’s support over the phone. GoDaddy has this channel cowered, but, unlike its competitor, it doesn’t offer ticket support.

Namecheap offers Priority Support options in its Stellar Business plan. It provides customers with faster processing of their requests. The knowledge base with guides and tutorials is always available for the users of both hosts.

Many providers claim to offer 24/7 support. Neither GoDaddy nor Namecheap is an exception. Nevertheless, GoDaddy’s chat support is available Monday through Friday.

You can reach the company 24/7 over the phone in many countries, including the US. But users in some countries can call only during specific hours. For example, in Italy it is 9:00 – 19:00. Besides, in many countries, 24/7 phone support is provided only in English.

But which company has more efficient customer support — Namecheap or GoDaddy? Different users might have different opinions. However, customer reviews suggest that, on average, Namecheap is rated higher than GoDaddy in this respect.

The excellent customer service is often highlighted in positive reviews of Namecheap.

Namecheap vs GoDaddy in All Categories

The companies are comparable in terms of web hosting services. The most notable difference is pricing — Namecheap’s plans cost significantly less. Besides, the company offers several important options, like SSL certificates and auto-backups, for free.

At the same time, GoDaddy has better uptime test results and average loading speeds. Have a look at the advantages of each provider across different categories:

GoDaddy vs Namecheap: Which Hosting Provider Should you Choose?

The choice of the provider depends largely on your needs. Both companies offer a wide variety of plans for different types of hosting, so you will almost surely find a suitable offer. However, each of them has its pros and cons. Here are our suggestions based on the analysis above.

Who Should Choose GoDaddy?

GoDaddy might be a better choice for small businesses, valuing uptime and the loading speed of their sites. Google blacklist monitoring will also help to keep the website ranking high. Businesses can use the advantage of more disk space to load more media on their sites.

Besides, such customers can try a cheap basic VPS instead of shared hosting if they don’t plan to build something sophisticated.

Who Should Choose Namecheap?

Namecheap will suit better for clients with tight budgets and basic requirements (for example, students). You’ll get all you need without buying extra add-ons. Monthly plans with stable renewal prices are a good option if you are not sure how long you will need web hosting services.

Final thoughts

No matter which provider you choose, Namecheap or GoDaddy, you will get quite reliable hosting with diverse options. Both providers offer packages for various types of hosting. Most plans include unlimited disk space and bandwidth. cPanel control panel provides easy web hosting configuration. A 30-day money-back guarantee motivates customers to give these providers a try.

However, there are some differences. Namecheap offers lower prices for almost all types of hosting than GoDaddy. Besides, its packages include some important features, like free SSL certificates and auto-backups. And its support team often earns gratitude from users.

GoDaddy has a cheap basic VPS plan and offers a free domain. The tests show that it has less downtime and higher loading speeds than Namecheap. Its phone support is available 24/7 in many countries.

We hope our information will help you to make the right decision. Consider your budget, goals, and priorities — and pick the best provider for your site!