Namecheap is the cheaper place to keep a .com domain: it renews at $18.48 a year, against $22.99 at GoDaddy, and it becomes cheaper overall from year four.
GoDaddy suits someone testing a name, with a $2.99 one-year .com for new customers or $0.01 on a three-year purchase.
Namecheap suits anyone keeping domains for years, and it also sells cheaper entry hosting.
This comparison uses each company’s official domain, pricing, help, and legal pages, checked on September 25, 2026.
The quick answer: GoDaddy or Namecheap
Namecheap fits domains you plan to keep, while GoDaddy fits a short-term name bought on a first-year promotion.
Keep your domains at Namecheap if you plan to hold them for years. Lower renewals add up, especially across several domains.
Take GoDaddy’s first-year deal if you’re testing an idea you may drop. Just note that renewals then run at $22.99 a year.
Keep your domain and your hosting separate if you can. The reasons to keep your registrar and web host separate apply to both companies.
GoDaddy vs Namecheap at a glance
| GoDaddy | Namecheap | |
|---|---|---|
| .com first year | $0.01 with a 3-year purchase, or $2.99 for 1 year with a new-customer code | $11.28 on sale, or $6.79 with a new-customer code |
| .com renewal | $22.99 a year | $18.48 a year |
| .com transfer | Not listed for non-members ($9.79 for club members) | $11.48 on sale |
| Domain privacy | Free on eligible domains | Free on eligible domains |
| Expired .com restore | Redemption fee not stated | $88.48, including renewal |
| New-domain refund window | 5 days | 5 days, with a valid reason |
| Entry hosting | Economy: $5.99/mo for 36 months, then $11.99/mo | Stellar: $21.96 for year one, then $55.88 a year |
| Current plans and prices | See GoDaddy plans | See Namecheap plans |
GoDaddy vs Namecheap .com prices: first year vs renewal
GoDaddy wins the first year with a $0.01 .com on a three-year purchase, while Namecheap wins every renewal at $18.48 a year against GoDaddy’s $22.99.
Domain prices work like hosting prices: a low first year, then a higher renewal. The renewal is what you’ll pay for as long as you own the name.
| .com pricing | GoDaddy | Namecheap |
|---|---|---|
| First year | $0.01 with a 3-year purchase, or $2.99 for 1 year with code GDWELCOME (new customers) | $11.28 on sale ($14.98 regular), or $6.79 with a new-customer promo code |
| Renewal | $22.99 a year | $18.48 a year |
| ICANN fee | $0.20 a year | $0.20 a year |
Prices change often, so check GoDaddy’s current prices and Namecheap’s current prices before you buy.
GoDaddy’s $0.01 offer comes from its .com domain page. The $2.99 new-customer code appears on its domains page.
GoDaddy’s domain cost article, dated June 11, 2026, confirms the $22.99 renewal and $0.20 ICANN fee. Namecheap’s prices come from its .com pricing page.
ICANN is the nonprofit that coordinates domain names. It charges a small yearly fee for each registration, which both registrars pass on.
What a .com costs over time at GoDaddy vs Namecheap
Over ten years, one .com costs $177.60 at Namecheap and $206.92 at GoDaddy, with Namecheap pulling ahead from year four.
| Years kept | GoDaddy ($0.01 first year, 3-year purchase) | Namecheap ($11.28 first year) |
|---|---|---|
| 3 years | $45.99 | $48.24 |
| 4 years | $68.98 | $66.72 |
| 5 years | $91.97 | $85.20 |
| 10 years | $206.92 | $177.60 |
Prices confirmed on September 25, 2026.
How we did the math: GoDaddy’s figure is $0.01 for year one plus $22.99 for every later year. Namecheap’s is $11.28 for year one plus $18.48 for every later year.
Both totals leave out the ICANN fee, and GoDaddy’s offer means paying $45.99 upfront for three years. Namecheap’s $6.79 new-customer code would lower its totals by a further $4.49.
Over ten years, Namecheap saves about $29 per domain. If you own ten domains, that’s roughly $290 over a decade.
GoDaddy’s Discount Domain Club vs Namecheap’s standard renewals
GoDaddy’s Discount Domain Club costs $119.88 a year and cuts .com renewals to $14.99, but it only beats Namecheap’s $18.48 renewal at about 35 .com domains.
Its club page shows the saving: $8 per .com renewal against GoDaddy’s standard price. Inside GoDaddy, the Basic membership pays for itself at about 15 .com domains.
Against Namecheap, members save only $3.49 per .com. For most small businesses, the club doesn’t pay off. Its Premium and Domain Pro tiers cost more and need even larger portfolios.
Domain privacy at GoDaddy vs Namecheap
GoDaddy and Namecheap both include free domain privacy on eligible domains, so neither charges extra to hide your contact details.
When you register a domain, your name and contact details go into a public directory called WHOIS. Privacy protection replaces them with a stand-in.
Namecheap: Free Domain Privacy comes with every registration, renewal, and transfer of an eligible domain, according to its privacy help article.
GoDaddy: Its domains page lists free domain privacy. The privacy help article says eligible domains get their contact details replaced automatically through its partner, Domains By Proxy.
Both exclude some country-code domains because of registry rules. GoDaddy’s ineligible list includes .de, .ca, .us, .eu, and .au, among others.
It helps to know what domain privacy hides and what it leaves visible.
Winner: tie.
Expired domains: GoDaddy vs Namecheap fees
Namecheap publishes an $88.48 price to restore an expired .com from redemption, while GoDaddy charges a redemption fee its expiration timeline doesn’t state.
GoDaddy: You can renew at the standard price for 12 days after expiry, according to its expiration timeline. From day 5, though, the domain is parked and connected services stop.
From day 18 to day 41, the domain is in redemption, and an extra fee applies.
Namecheap: Its redemption pricing page lists $88.48 to restore an expired .com. That total includes the renewal.
Turning on auto-renew at either registrar avoids most of this. If it’s already too late, our steps to recover an expired domain walk through the options.
Winner: Namecheap, for publishing the restore price upfront.
Transfers and refunds: GoDaddy vs Namecheap
Namecheap lists .com transfers at $11.48 on sale, while GoDaddy shows a $9.79 transfer price only for Discount Domain Club members; both refund new registrations within 5 days.
GoDaddy’s domain pages don’t show a standard transfer price for non-members. Check the current price at checkout, since both registrars change it with promotions.
GoDaddy’s refund policy gives 5 days (120 hours) for new registrations. Namecheap’s refund policy also gives 5 days, if you cancel for a valid reason.
Winner: tie on refunds. Namecheap is clearer on transfer pricing.
If you need hosting too: GoDaddy vs Namecheap entry plans
Namecheap Stellar costs $21.96 for the first year and renews at $55.88 a year, while GoDaddy Economy costs $5.99 a month for 36 months and then $11.99 a month.
The billing terms differ, so compare renewals too. Stellar’s renewal works out to about $4.66 a month, against GoDaddy’s $11.99 regular price.
| Feature | GoDaddy Economy | Namecheap Stellar |
|---|---|---|
| First term | $5.99/mo for 36 months ($215.64) | $1.83/mo billed yearly ($21.96) |
| After the first term | $11.99/mo regular price | $55.88 a year |
| Websites | 1 | 3 |
| Storage | 25 GB NVMe | 20 GB SSD |
| Backups | Automatic daily | Twice a week advertised, not guaranteed |
| Included (duration not stated) | 30 mailboxes | |
| Free domain | Included (terms not detailed) | First year |
| SSL | Free for 1 year | Included |
| Uptime guarantee | 99.9% | 100% |
| Support | 24/7 phone and chat | 24/7 live chat |
| Hosting refund | 30 days (48 hours on monthly plans) | 30 days for first-time accounts |
Prices confirmed on September 25, 2026.
Details come from GoDaddy’s web hosting page and Namecheap’s shared hosting page.
Namecheap’s backup article describes shared backups as running every 3 to 7 days, for accounts under 25 GB. Its AutoBackup tool starts on Stellar Plus.
Winner: Namecheap on price and sites, GoDaddy on backups and phone support.
GoDaddy vs Namecheap winners by category
Namecheap wins on renewals, long-term cost, expired-domain transparency, and hosting price, while GoDaddy wins on first-year .com price and entry-hosting backups and support.
| Category | Winner | Why |
|---|---|---|
| First-year .com price | GoDaddy | $0.01 with a 3-year purchase |
| .com renewal price | Namecheap | $18.48 vs $22.99 a year |
| Cost over 4+ years | Namecheap | $66.72 vs $68.98 by year four |
| Privacy protection | Tie | Free on eligible domains at both |
| Expired domain costs | Namecheap | Publishes its $88.48 restore price |
| New-domain refunds | Tie | 5 days at both |
| Hosting price | Namecheap | $55.88/yr vs $11.99/mo after the first term |
| Entry hosting backups and support | GoDaddy | Daily backups and 24/7 phone help |
Our pick: Namecheap for domains you plan to keep. GoDaddy wins for a first-year deal on a name you may drop, or for daily backups on entry-level hosting.
Which fits your situation: GoDaddy or Namecheap?
Namecheap fits long-term owners and budget hosting buyers, while GoDaddy fits short-term tests and very large portfolios on its club pricing.
You’re registering your business name and will keep it for years: Namecheap, for lower renewals.
You’re buying several domains to test ideas: GoDaddy’s first-year deals cost less upfront. Set reminders to drop the ones you don’t use before they renew.
You own 35 or more .com domains: GoDaddy’s Discount Domain Club can beat Namecheap’s standard renewals, so run the numbers for your portfolio.
You need a domain and cheap hosting in one place: Namecheap Stellar. Keep your own backups too, since server backups aren’t daily.
The Hostinger vs Namecheap comparison looks at buying both from one company in more depth.
The GoDaddy review and the Namecheap review cover each company’s hosting in more depth. More domain basics sit in our domains section.
Ready to check prices? Visit GoDaddy or visit Namecheap to see today’s plans before you buy.
Frequently asked questions
Is Namecheap cheaper than GoDaddy?
Yes, for renewals. A .com renews at $18.48 a year at Namecheap versus $22.99 at GoDaddy, though GoDaddy’s promotions can cost less in year one.
Do GoDaddy and Namecheap both include free domain privacy?
Yes, on eligible domains. Some country-code extensions are excluded at both because of registry rules.
What does an expired domain cost at GoDaddy vs Namecheap?
Namecheap charges $88.48 to restore a .com from redemption. GoDaddy allows standard-price renewal for 12 days, then adds an unpublished redemption fee.
Is GoDaddy’s Discount Domain Club cheaper than Namecheap?
Only for large portfolios. The $119.88 GoDaddy membership needs about 35 .com domains before its $14.99 renewals beat Namecheap’s $18.48.
Which is cheaper for hosting, GoDaddy or Namecheap?
Namecheap. Stellar renews at $55.88 a year for three sites, while GoDaddy Economy’s regular price is $11.99 a month for one site.
Can I get a refund on a new domain at GoDaddy or Namecheap?
Yes, within 5 days at both. Namecheap also asks for a valid reason.
How we compared GoDaddy and Namecheap
This comparison uses official sources only. For GoDaddy: its .com page, domains page, domain cost article, club page, privacy and expiration help articles, refund policy, and hosting page.
For Namecheap: its .com pricing page, privacy help article, redemption pricing page, refund policy, shared hosting page, and backup article.
All prices and terms were checked on September 25, 2026.
Our Methodology and Editorial Guidelines explain how we research hosts and correct errors.
