GoDaddy vs Namecheap
The two domain giants compared as hosts. Marketing muscle against honest pricing.
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GoDaddy
The domain giant, hosting included.
Namecheap
The domain giant with surprisingly cheap hosting.
Prices last checked on
| Feature | GoDaddy | Namecheap |
|---|---|---|
| Our score | 3.7 / 5 | 4.2 / 5 |
| Price | From $5.99/mo | From $1.98/mo |
| Renews at | $11.99/mo | $5.88/mo |
| Free plan | No | No |
| Best for | Domain-first convenience | Tight budgets |
| Category | Starter hosting | Starter hosting |
| Provider | GoDaddy Inc. | Namecheap Inc. |
| Visit GoDaddy | Visit Namecheap |
Our verdict
Both built their names on domains, but as hosts they could not be more different. Namecheap keeps its promise of fair pricing into hosting, with cheap promos, renewals that stay cheap, and a clean checkout. GoDaddy pairs higher prices with aggressive upsells and unremarkable performance. Namecheap wins comfortably.
It is the better deal at every point in the customer journey.
“The biggest name in domains will happily host your site too, and for a simple site it works. But the renewal prices, the upsells, and the cluttered dashboard make better-value rivals easy to recommend.”Editorial team, on GoDaddy
“Better known for domains, but the Stellar hosting is genuinely cheap to get started. Not the fastest servers in this lineup. For a simple site, few rivals come close on the intro price.”Editorial team, on Namecheap
Frequently asked questions
Is Namecheap better than GoDaddy for hosting?
Yes, comfortably. Namecheap carries its fair-pricing promise into hosting, with a cheap first year, a renewal that stays under six dollars, and a clean checkout, scoring 4.2 against 3.7. GoDaddy pairs higher prices with aggressive upsells and unremarkable performance. The main reason to pick GoDaddy is that your domain already lives there.
Which is cheaper, GoDaddy or Namecheap?
Namecheap, at both stages. Stellar's first year is $1.98 a month ($23.76 a year) against $5.99 for GoDaddy Economy ($71.88 a year), and it renews at $5.88 a month against $11.99. Prices checked August 2026. Namecheap Stellar also holds three websites where the GoDaddy Economy plan holds one.
Do both include a free domain?
Both do, with a detail worth knowing. GoDaddy Economy includes a free domain for the first year, while Namecheap Stellar includes a free .website domain rather than a .com. If you want the .com, expect to buy it separately at Namecheap. GoDaddy adds daily backups on Economy, which Namecheap does not list on Stellar.
How bad are the GoDaddy upsells?
They turn up at every step of checkout and again inside the dashboard, and they are part of why we score GoDaddy 3.7 against Namecheap's 4.2. The hosting itself works for a simple site, with one-click WordPress and daily backups, but you have to keep saying no and then absorb a renewal at $11.99.