Should You Host with EasyWP? Review of Features, Pricing & Performance

Are you looking for an easy way to host and manage your WordPress website, but aren’t sure where to get all of that from one easy-to-use service provider? Then Namecheap’s WordPress hosting might be an excellent option for you. Find out more in this 2024 EasyWP review.

If you’ve done some digging around (which you should always do before making a final decision), you may have come across Namecheap.

Known best for being an independent domain name registrar founded in 2000, Namecheap is the proud manager of over 10 million domain names.

But more than that, Namecheap’s EasyWP claims to be one of the easiest to use and cheapest managed WordPress hosting providers in the world (we’ll see about that in my EasyWP review below).

Wanting to provide website owners with the latest in high-quality domain and hosting products at super competitive prices, Namecheap strives to provide stellar service, security, and support.

But the question remains: is Namecheap the type of hosting provider you want managing your WordPress website?

After all, just because they offer reliable domain name services doesn’t mean they match up when it comes to web hosting and managed WordPress hosting.

Let’s take a look.

Plans & Pricing

Namecheap offers a variety of hosting plans to meet the needs of all website owners, no matter the industry or size.

Each plan comes with powerful tools to help you achieve your goals, as well as rock-solid security to protect your data and the data of your site visitors.

Here’s a rundown of Namecheap’s multiple hosting plans, starting with what feels is the best: managed WordPress hosting.

With Namecheap’s managed WordPress hosting, you can get web hosting for your WordPress website in seconds. Called EasyWP, this hosting service gives you almost everything you need to build and maintain your WordPress website.

That way you can focus on more important things like marketing your brand, building a bigger following, and securing more sales.

Check out what you get when you use EasyWP:

• 99% uptime guarantee
• Instant WordPress installation
• Powered by Namecheap Cloud
• SFTP and database access
• Temporary EasyWP free domain (to use until you get your own registered domain)
• Built-in maintenance mode capability
• Easy backup and restore options
• Support for Namecheap domains
• 24/7 Namecheap support
• SSL certificates
• Proprietary dashboard

There are currently three managed WordPress hosting plans:

1. EasyWP Starter: this plan comes with 10 GB SSD storage, 50K visitors/month, and starts at $2.91/month.
2. EasyWP Turbo: this plan comes with 50 GB SSD storage, 200K visitors/month, 1.5x more CPU, 1.5x more RAM, and starts at $4.91/month.
3. EasyWP Supersonic: this plan comes with 100 GB SSD storage, 500K visitors/month, 2x more CPU, 2x more RAM, and starts at $5.74/month.

There’s no doubt those are good prices. Although there’s also no way to tell how long this sale price will last, as just the other day the prices on all hosting plans were different.

Features (The Good)

Namecheap has been widely used for its domain name services for nearly two decades. But does that mean the hosting services provided offer anything of value?

EasyWP is not only one of the cheapest WordPress hosting providers around but also one of the fastest:

Here’s a look at some of the best reasons to consider using Namecheap web hosting.

1. Great Value For Money

It can be tough to stay on budget when launching a new website, even when it comes to web hosting. And while there are some really great hosting providers out there, some are very expensive to use.

With Namecheap, you get all the basics that should come with a hosting provider and for a very low price.

There aren’t many managed WordPress hosts out there willing to provide things like routine backups, free SSL certificates, and 24/7 support for as low as Namecheap does.

And to top it off, the renewal price for Namecheap web hosting is still really cheap. The cheap price is, without a doubt, the best thing about EasyWP!

2. Easy to Use Dashboard

Many people might not like the fact that Namecheap’s managed hosting plans come with a proprietary dashboard as opposed to the standard cPanel.

But the fact is, the EasyWP dashboard has a simple setup that’s easy to use.

That said, if you decide to use any other Namecheap hosting plan, you’ll have access to the popular cPanel for managing your website, which is always welcome among those used to using that standard management panel.

Getting started with EasyWP couldn’t be easier.

3. Instant WordPress Setup

The fact that Namecheap installs WordPress on your site right away (with one simple click) is great.

This easy process prevents novice site owners from making mistakes, speeds up the site-building process, and sets a good foundation from the start.

4. Easy Backups and Security Updates

Having a backup of your site on hand at all times reduces downtime should something happen. It also makes restoring all your hard work easy and your life less stressful (which everyone can benefit from!).

Whether you want to rely on Namecheap’s routine backups, or manually perform them yourself, Namecheap makes backing up your site simple to do on either the cPanel or EasyWP dashboard (depending on which hosting plan you use).

5. Built-in Caching Solution

Sites that load slowly aren’t likely to perform well. A study from Google found that a one-second delay in mobile page load times can impact conversion rates by up to 20%.

Namecheap wants to make sure your website’s speed and performance is the best it can be. That’s why all managed WordPress hosting plans come with the pre-installed EasyWP plugin.

The built-in caching solution handles page, object, and database caching so you don’t have to.

6. Free CDN Services

A CDN is extremely helpful for delivering instant site content to visitors that arrive on your site. Using a network of servers located around the world, when someone clicks on your website, the server located closest geographically delivers the content.

With EasyWP’s free CDN service, the process of scaling and accelerating your website has never been more straightforward or intuitive. You can add CDN to your domain in less than five minutes. EasyWP’s Supersonic CDN includes

• Real-time analytics.
• Next-generation HTTP/2 support.
• 45 high-performance server locations.
• Global website performance monitoring.
• Web app firewalls for advance attack protection.
• Free Dedicated SSL for paid plans.

7. 30-Day Money Back Guarantee

There’s always some reassurance when the hosting provider you choose to go with has a money-back guarantee.

After all, if a company is confident enough that you’ll love the hosting plan you choose, there should be a refund if for any reason you’re not happy.

Namecheap offers a 30-day money back guarantee on all managed WordPress plans.

 

Get started with Namecheap’s EasyWP WordPress hosting

 

By clicking this link, you can host your website for only $1 for the first month (get 1x WordPress website installed and ready to go).

Features (The Not-So-Good)

Though Namecheap seems to have everything you might be looking for in a web host, let’s take a look at some of the downsides:

1. Unclear Uptime Guarantees

When you hear the Namecheap’s shared hosting plans have a 100% uptime guarantee, or even the managed WordPress hosting plans have a 99.9% uptime guarantee, you expect that the uptimes will match the guarantees.

EasyWP’s uptime is decent but isn’t perfect. Namecheap promises 100% uptime, but this applies to the uptime of their servers, not your site having a 100% uptime. Namecheap promises its servers will be up and running 100% of the time – not your website, like many people believe.

This same concept can be applied to any web hosting plan you use, whether it be shared, VPS, or even managed WordPress hosting.

I have created a test site hosted on EasyWP.com to monitor uptime and server response time:

The above screenshot only shows the past 30 days, you can view historical uptime data and server response time at this uptime monitor page.

2. Blocked Plugins

Since the EasyWP plugin is auto-installed on all EasyWP WordPress websites, and it handles three levels of advanced caching, Namecheap has created a list of plugins you aren’t allowed to use.

This list of banned plugins is thought to negatively affect the speed and performance of your site and includes many popular WordPress caching plugins like WP Rocket and W3 Total Cache.

This blocked plugin list also includes other popular plugins:

• Easy Social Share Buttons
• EWWW Image Optimizer
• Similar Posts
• WP Rocket
• WP Super Cache

You can see a full list of banned plugins and the reasons they’re not allowed here.

Just remember, if you use Namecheap EasyWP hosting, you will not be able to use any of the banned plugins, no matter how much you like them.

3. Website Limits

As of now, those wanting to use Namecheap’s managed WordPress hosting are limited to 1 WordPress install. If you want to host more than one WordPress website with Namecheap, you’ll have to purchase additional EasyWP subscriptions.

Every new website addon will set you back $29.99, which can quickly turn cheap WordPress hosting into expensive WordPress hosting if you have multiple sites needing hosting services.

This isn’t really a bad thing but be warned if your intent is to host multiple WordPress sites with EasyWP then you need to pay for every website addon.

4. Lack of Phone Support

Though it might not matter to some people, it’s worth noting that Namecheap does not offer customers phone support.

This means that when there’s an issue, you can’t talk to someone about it, and are at the mercy of help desk tickets and live chat hours.

Adding to this, I am not impressed with the live chat support either. I asked a simple question: Do I get the Website Builder with EasyWP Managed WP hosting or is that only for shared hosting plans?

Immediately, the response was please give me 3-5 minutes to look through your request. In comparison to other live chat support systems I have interacted with, this is not a good sign.

No one should have to wait that long for an answer to a simple question, especially when so many competitors out there have answers to everything right away.

During my conversation, I followed up with another simple question regarding the EasyWP temporary domain that comes with managed WordPress hosting.

Again, I was “put on hold” (a whole two minutes after asking the question) which to me means the person I was chatting with has no idea how to answer my questions. This can get frustrating quickly if you have a lot of questions.

Namecheap Products

Namecheap is a multi-faceted company that offers its customers a ton of different tools and services.

Other Namecheap Hosting Plans

Namecheap also has other hosting plans for those that have different needs. Let’s take a quick look.

Shared Hosting

With a 100% uptime guarantee, an updated cPanel, and a new Website Builder, creating a standout website from the ground up and managing it has never been easier. You can also expect features such as a free SSL certificate, routine site backups, and over 100 built-in apps with one-click installation.

Keep in mind, the Website Builder is considered a content management system, not a built-in tool. This means you cannot use the Website Builder on a WordPress site, as was explained to me during a live chat session. This is not clear on the website and can cause some confusion.

Shared hosting plans start at $2.91/month

Reseller Hosting

Host multiple websites of your own or become a reseller and market your own brand with the Namecheap reseller hosting plan. Enjoy features such as unmetered D+GB bandwidth, free cPanel and WHM, reseller tools (WHMCS billing platform, SSL reseller program, white-label marketing tools), and anonymous nameservers so your customers never learn about the hosting services you’re using to host their sites.

There are three reseller hosting plans: Nebula ($16.88/month), Galaxy Expert ($26.88/month), and Universe Pro ($36.88/month).

VPS Hosting

VPS hosting with Namecheap gives you the ability to scale your site with ease without disrupting the user experience, using up too many resources, or causing your site to crash. Here are some of the best features you get with VPS hosting: SSD storage, full root access, 99.9% uptime guarantee, easy up and downgrade capability, and routine backups.

Choose between two VPS hosting plans – Pulsar ($14.88/month) or Quasar (24.88/month) – and kick your growing website into high gear.

Dedicated Hosting

For large-scale websites that need dedicated servers, you can get top-notch features like a dedicated data center holding all servers, powerful Intel processors, and stable networks for superior connectivity and the ability to quickly troubleshoot issues

When you use a Namecheap dedicated server, you also have access to server management services for things like advice from customer support reps, server failure restores, core software changes and server failure fixes.

Pricing for Namecheap dedicated servers is competitive, ranging from $39.44/month – $188.88/month depending on your individual needs.

Domain Name Services

Namecheap has everything you need when it comes to your website’s domain name:

• Register: find the perfect domain name using Namecheap’s domain name search function and register it right away.
• Transfer: save on renewals by transferring your domain to Namecheap and get an extra year of registration free of charge.
• Marketplace: browse available domains, buy a new one, or sell one you own in Namecheap’s Domains Marketplace.
• Personal Domains: create a personal domain using your very own name followed by .com or .me and brand yourself in this competitive internet landscape.

Namecheap also offers FreeDNS services to everyone, even those using other hosting or registrars for their domain names. This free service comes with an intuitive management console and 24/7 tech support.

The best thing about Namecheap domain names is the forever free WhoisGuard, this will keep your Whois details invisible from the very moment you purchase your domains from Namecheap.

Online Security

Protecting your presence on the internet, and the personal information of your online customers is crucial to your reputation as a brand and your overall success. Luckily, Namecheap understands this and takes it upon themselves to offer three distinct ways to protect yourself:

WhoisGuard Privacy Protection: keep your contact information (such as name, email, address, and phone number) out of the public Whois database so spammers, marketing firms, and online fraudsters can’t find you. This free service also prevents domain name hijacking, which happens when someone uses your personal information to transfer your domain to another registrar.

SSL Certificate: protect the data of your customers with an SSL certificate. This will help instill trust in your brand and establish yourself as a reliable company people want to do business with.

Premium DNS: if you’re worried about DNS uptime, take advantage of Namecheap’s secure, globally available DNS service. It also comes with a 100% service level agreement so you never have to worry about DNS downtime again.

VPN Service: Namecheap just recently launched a new VPN service that offers fast, secure, unlimited and reliable VPN solutions. Their VPN network operates in over 40 countries. Their VPN product is a new one on the market and can’t really, not yet at least, compete with the likes of NordVPN and ExpressVPN.

More on SSLs

Namecheap takes SSL certificates very seriously. That’s why we’re going to take a closer look at everything you get with a Namecheap SSL certificate that’s installed on your website:

• Official SSL site seal
• Top notch support that’s available 24/7
• Cross-browser compatibility
• 256-bit or 128-bit encryption

Private Email Hosting

Namecheap has a private, secure, and reliable cloud solution for all your web-based email needs. All Private Email plans come with a lightweight webmail interface that makes managing email, contacts, and your calendar a cinch.

You also get notable features such as:

• POP/IMAP/Webmail
• Plenty of GB email and file storage
• Anti-spam protection
• Mobile support
• Unified email account management
• Collaboration tools for setting user roles, quick viewing, and sharing data

Website Builder

Building your website has never been easier thanks to Namecheap’s built-in Website Builder. It comes with a drag and drop interface. And if you need a little inspiration, you can choose from over 200 pre-designed templates to get you started, no matter what industry you’re in.

This intuitive website builder also comes with:

• Multi-language support (45 languages)
• Social media, payment options, and video content support
• Responsive design
• SEO optimization
• Landing page and grid layout options

Remember, this is a content management system, not a tool that can be used on WordPress websites.

Additional Built-in Tools

Namecheap comes with free and premium apps that integrate seamlessly with your newly created website and make building, managing, and maintaining your site easy.

Some of the best apps you can access include Google Workspace, Weebly, Namecheap Uptime Monitoring, and Canvas.

Our Verdict ⭐

Namecheap is pretty great. They have a solid reputation for being great in the domain name industry and claim to know what they’re doing in the web hosting industry.

If you want a super cheap managed WordPress hosting solution that makes it extremely easy to set up WordPress; then EasyWP is a great choice.

Who should choose Namecheap’s WordPress hosting? It is perfect for those prioritizing ease of setup, cost-effectiveness, and basic functionality over advanced customization or high-end performance. This hosting is particularly well-suited for bloggers, small online shops, and personal websites that don’t require extensive resources or complex technical configurations.

I hope you found this expert editorial EasyWP review helpful!

Recent Improvements & Updates

Namecheap constantly improves its hosting services with faster speeds, better security, a user-friendly interface, enhanced customer support, and eco-friendly initiatives. Here are just some of the recent improvements (last checked November 2024):

• High-Quality Components: EasyWP has prioritized top-notch server hardware and a unique 3-tier cache system designed for faster page-loading times.
• Modern, Advanced Architecture: Each EasyWP website runs in an isolated docker container, ensuring consistent performance and resource allocation. Kubernetes orchestration prevents resource hogging by ‘noisy neighbors’, ensuring stable performance.
• PHP 8.0 Upgrade: An upgrade to PHP 8.0 is planned to enhance WordPress hosting and support.
• Cloud Hosting Benefits: Namecheap’s EasyWP Cloud Hosting promises reliability, avoiding issues due to faulty network infrastructure.
• Updated EasyWP Dashboard: The latest version of the EasyWP dashboard introduces new features and enhancements.
• Fast WordPress Setup: EasyWP is recognized for its quick setup times and superior performance metrics like Fully Loaded Time and Time to First Byte.
• Domain Name Support: EasyWP now supports any domain name, regardless of where it’s registered, enhancing flexibility for users.

Reviewing EasyWP: Our Methodology

When we review web hosts, our evaluation is based on these criteria:

1. Value for Money: What types of web hosting plans are on offer, and are they good value for money?
2. User Friendliness: How user-friendly is the signup process, the onboarding, the dashboard? and so on.
3. Customer Support: When we need help, how quickly can we get it, and is the support effective and helpful?
4. Hosting Features: What unique features does the web host provide, and how do they stack up against competitors?
5. Security: Are essential security measures like SSL certificates, DDoS protection, backup services, and malware/virus scans included?
6. Speed and Uptime: Is the hosting service fast and reliable? What types of servers do they use, and how do they perform in tests?

For more details on our review process, click here.

Submit Review

References

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Namecheap
• https://www.reddit.com/r/NameCheap/
• https://www.trustpilot.com/review/www.namecheap.com
• https://www.namecheap.com/support/knowledgebase/category/2239/easywp/