Domains · head to head

Hover vs Namecheap

What each costs, whether there's a free plan, and what each is best for, from prices checked on their own sites.

Hover and Namecheap at a glance
Fact	Hover	Namecheap
.com first year	$18.99	$11.2825% off, regular $14.98
.com renewal	$18.99/yr	$18.48/yr
Transfer	$18.99	$11.48
ICANN fee	Not stated	Added on top
Privacy	Free on supported domains	Free on eligible domains
Checked	Oct 18, 2026	Oct 18, 2026
Website	Visit	Visit

The difference in short

Namecheap is cheaper for the first year: $11.28 against $18.99. Namecheap's first-year price: 25% off, regular $14.98.
Namecheap renews for less: $18.48 a year against $18.99. Renewal is what you pay every year after the first.
Free with a domain at Hover: free WHOIS privacy on supported domains. At Namecheap: free lifetime domain privacy, free DNS and DNSSEC.
Hover is best for domains and email with human support; Namecheap for the lowest renewal, and a free trial first.

What's good, and what to watch for

Hover

Same $18.99 to register, renew and transfer .com
Free WHOIS privacy and two-factor authentication
Human support by phone, email or live chat ('No bots')

One of the highest .com prices here at $18.99/year
No hosting or website builder: connect the domain to another service

Namecheap

Stellar allows 3 websites with 20 GB SSD storage and 30 mailboxes
Free automatic SSL, unmetered bandwidth and free website migration
Imunify360 security included on all plans

Stellar has no AutoBackup; it comes with Stellar Plus and Stellar Business
The 30-day money-back guarantee applies only to accounts that did not start with the free trial
.com renews at $18.48/year after the $11.28 first year (25% off $14.98)

Other domains options

Cheapest first where the prices compare.

Compare all

FAQ

Which is cheaper, Hover or Namecheap?

Namecheap is cheaper for the first year: $11.28 against $18.99. Namecheap's first-year price: 25% off, regular $14.98. Prices checked Oct 18, 2026 on each company's own site.

Which renews for less, Hover or Namecheap?

Namecheap renews for less: $18.48 a year against $18.99. Renewal is what you pay every year after the first.

What comes free with a domain at Hover and Namecheap?

Free with a domain at Hover: free WHOIS privacy on supported domains. At Namecheap: free lifetime domain privacy, free DNS and DNSSEC.

What else should I compare with Hover and Namecheap?

Other domains options we've checked: Spaceship ($9.98/yr (.com renewal)), Cloudflare Registrar ($10.46/yr (.com renewal)), Dynadot ($10.88/yr (.com renewal)), Porkbun ($11.08/yr (.com renewal)).

Keep comparing

Built from the prices and facts we checked on each company's own site. We haven't tested either hands-on.How we work