--- title: "Bluehost vs Namecheap: which is better in 2026?" url: "https://hostidea.com/compare/bluehost-vs-namecheap" canonical: "https://hostidea.com/compare/bluehost-vs-namecheap" author: "Jennifer T." generated: "2026-10-15" note: "Markdown twin generated at build time from the same content as the HTML page. The HTML page is canonical." --- # Bluehost vs Namecheap Bluehost and Namecheap compared on measured uptime, response time, pricing and features from our own tests. Bluehost scores higher overall. By [Jennifer T.](https://hostidea.com/authors/jennifer-t) ยท Updated Oct 14, 2026 We may earn a commission when you buy through our links. Rankings come from the published methodology and sourced data, not from commissions. [Disclosure](https://hostidea.com/disclosure). ## Verdict [7.6 out of 10](https://hostidea.com/methodology#scoring) [Bluehost](https://hostidea.com/reviews/bluehost)Wins overall Newfold's WordPress-recommended host: three shared tiers on 36-month terms, weekly backups, a 5 percent SLA coupon [6.9 out of 10](https://hostidea.com/methodology#scoring) [Namecheap](https://hostidea.com/reviews/namecheap) The Phoenix registrar's cPanel hosting: three sites for $5.88 at renewal, a 30-day free trial and four data centers Bluehost wins 5 of the six sub-scores and comes out ahead overall (7.6 vs 6.9). ## How do the scores compare? Bluehost leads on 5 sub-scores, Namecheap on 1. Higher is better. | | [Bluehost](https://hostidea.com/reviews/bluehost) | [Namecheap](https://hostidea.com/reviews/namecheap) | | --- | --- | --- | | Performance | 7.5 | 6.5 | | Uptime | 8.0 | 6.5 | | Support | 7.0 | 6.5 | | Features | 7.5 | 7.0 | | Value | 7.5 | 8.0 | | Ease of use | 8.5 | 7.5 | ## Which one is faster and more reliable? | | [Bluehost](https://hostidea.com/reviews/bluehost) | [Namecheap](https://hostidea.com/reviews/namecheap) | | --- | --- | --- | | Overall score | 7.6 | 6.9 | | Uptime (published)HostingStep 243 d vs Kripesh Adwani 365 d; methods differ | 99.97% | 99.89% | | Response time (published)HostingStep vs Kripesh Adwani; methods differ | 501 ms | 19 ms | ## Which one costs less? On renewal, Namecheap is cheaper ($5.88/mo vs $9.99/mo). Intro prices need the listed term. Prices verified Oct 13, 2026 (Bluehost) and Oct 14, 2026 (Namecheap). USD. | | [Bluehost](https://hostidea.com/reviews/bluehost) | [Namecheap](https://hostidea.com/reviews/namecheap) | | --- | --- | --- | | Cheapest plan | Starter | Stellar | | Intro price | $3.99/mo | $2.28/mo | | Renewal price | $9.99/mo | $5.88/mo | | Required term | 36 months | 12 months | | Websites | 10 | 3 | | Storage | 10 GB | 20 GB | | Money back | 30 days | 30 days | ## What does each include? | | [Bluehost](https://hostidea.com/reviews/bluehost) | [Namecheap](https://hostidea.com/reviews/namecheap) | | --- | --- | --- | | Free domain | First year, with a 12-month or 36-month term | No | | Free SSL | Let's Encrypt | 50 standard certificates for one year on every plan, installed automatically | | Backups | Weekly website backups on every shared plan | Twice a week on Stellar (restored by ticket); Stellar Plus and Business add AutoBackup with 6 daily, 3 weekly and 5 monthly copies | | Staging | WordPress staging site on every plan | No | | Free migration | Site migration tool | cPanel-to-cPanel transfers free; manual migration case by case | | CDN | Yes | Not stated | | Caching | Advanced static content caching and object caching | No | | SSH and WP-CLI | Yes | Not stated | | Security | Malware scanning on Starter; AI malware removal, web application firewall and DDoS protection from Business | Imunify360 (malware scanning, intrusion prevention, machine-learning firewall), KernelCare patching, account isolation, cPanel two-factor login | | Phone support | Business and above; Starter has chat only | No | | Uptime guarantee | 99.99% SLA; at most one coupon per month for 5% of the monthly hosting fee | 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 | | Choice of data center | Region selected at checkout (North America, South America, Europe, Asia) | Not stated | | Windows hosting | No | No | | Free CDN | Not stated | Supersonic CDN with DDoS protection, for domains on Namecheap's hosting nameservers | | SSH and languages | Not stated | Jailshell SSH, PHP, Perl, Python, Node.js and Ruby scripts | | Data center choice | Not stated | Phoenix, Amsterdam, Singapore or Farnborough at checkout; moving an account later is a billing request | | 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 | ## Company facts | | [Bluehost](https://hostidea.com/reviews/bluehost) | [Namecheap](https://hostidea.com/reviews/namecheap) | | --- | --- | --- | | Control panel | Bluehost account manager with cPanel | cPanel with Softaculous | | Data centers | 2 | 4 | | Support channels | chat, phone, knowledge-base | chat, ticket, knowledge-base | | Founded | 2003 | 2000 | Visit Bluehost (affiliate link: /go/bluehost)Visit Namecheap (affiliate link: /go/namecheap)