HostGator vs Namecheap
HostGator and Namecheap compared on measured uptime, response time, pricing and features from our own tests. HostGator scores higher overall.
By Jennifer T. · Updated
We may earn a commission when you buy through our links. Rankings come from the published methodology and sourced data, not from commissions. Disclosure.
Verdict
HostGatorWins overall
Newfold's Texas-born cPanel host: four shared tiers on a 36-month term with a free domain, Cloudflare CDN and staging
The Phoenix registrar's cPanel hosting: three sites for $5.88 at renewal, a 30-day free trial and four data centers
HostGator wins 4 of the six sub-scores and comes out ahead overall (7.4 vs 6.9).
How do the scores compare?
HostGator leads on 4 sub-scores, Namecheap on 1. Higher is better.
Which one is faster and more reliable?
Which one costs less?
On renewal, Namecheap is cheaper ($5.88/mo vs $10.99/mo). Intro prices need the listed term.
What does each include?
| HostGator | Namecheap | |
|---|---|---|
| Free domain | First year on every plan; $22.99 is deducted from a refund if you cancel within the year | No |
| Free SSL | Let's Encrypt, auto-renewed | 50 standard certificates for one year on every plan, installed automatically |
| Backups | Weekly courtesy backups, restorable with one click; the terms call them a courtesy, so keep your own | Twice a week on Stellar (restored by ticket); Stellar Plus and Business add AutoBackup with 6 daily, 3 weekly and 5 monthly copies |
| Free migration | A free site migration tool is listed on the plan cards; the comparison table on the same page says paid migration is available | cPanel-to-cPanel transfers free; manual migration case by case |
| Free CDN | Cloudflare with Argo routing on every plan | Supersonic CDN with DDoS protection, for domains on Namecheap's hosting nameservers |
| Caching | Static content caching and object caching on every plan; the feature list names an NGINX caching layer | No |
| Staging | WordPress staging site on every plan | No |
| SSH and languages | SSH, WP-CLI, cron, PHP 8.2, Ruby on Rails, Perl, Python, unlimited MySQL and SFTP users | Jailshell SSH, PHP, Perl, Python, Node.js and Ruby scripts |
| Resource limits | No | Not stated |
| Data center choice | No | Phoenix, Amsterdam, Singapore or Farnborough at checkout; moving an account later is a billing request |
| Uptime guarantee | The plan page says 99 percent; the terms we read contain no uptime clause or credit schedule | 100% monthly on shared plans; one day of service added per hour of unscheduled downtime, up to one month, claimed by ticket within 10 days |
| Security | Malware scanning, AI-powered detection and removal from Baby up, web application firewall, DDoS protection, DDoS scrub center | Imunify360 (malware scanning, intrusion prevention, machine-learning firewall), KernelCare patching, account isolation, cPanel two-factor login |
| Unlimited POP3 and IMAP mailboxes with SpamAssassin; Pro Email is a paid product after a free trial | Not stated | |
| Phone support | Baby, Business and Pro; Hatchling is chat only | No |
| Windows hosting | No | No |
| Website builder | Not stated | Sitejet AI website builder and an AI assistant for WordPress on every plan |
| Dedicated IP | Not stated | $4.00 a month add-on |