Hostinger and Namecheap sell cheap shared hosting with free SSL, free migration and a 30-day refund. They ask you to pay in opposite ways: Hostinger's lowest price needs a 48-month prepayment and renews at $10.99 a month, while Namecheap's first year is $26.88 on its entry plan and renews at a lower $5.88 a month. Which is cheaper depends entirely on how long you keep the site.
This comparison puts the plans side by side, works out the cost over one, three and four years, and covers backups, limits, support and refunds. For the wider market see our comparison of 11 shared hosts, and for the pure cost view our four-year guide.
The short version: Hostinger is cheaper if you will keep the site for more than about two and a half years and are happy to prepay $143.52. Namecheap is cheaper for a first year or two and renews lower, but includes fewer sites and less frequent backups on its entry plan. Hostinger also has a published 2026 speed test; Namecheap does not.
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☑️ See Hostinger plans ☑️ See Namecheap plans
🏆 Quick comparison: Hostinger vs Namecheap
| What matters | Hostinger Premium | Namecheap Stellar | Edge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entry price | $2.99/mo on 48 months ($143.52) | $2.28/mo on a yearly term ($26.88) | Namecheap up front |
| Renewal | $10.99/mo | $5.88/mo | Namecheap |
| Cost over 48 months | $143.52 | $238.56 | Hostinger |
| Websites | 3 | 3 | Tie |
| Storage | 20GB SSD | 20GB SSD | Tie |
| Backups | Free weekly | Twice a week (AutoBackup on higher plans) | Roughly even |
| Free domain | First year | First year, non-premium domains | Tie |
| Trial or refund | 30-day money-back | 30-day free trial, then a 30-day guarantee | Namecheap |
| Panel | hPanel | cPanel with Softaculous | Depends on preference |
| Published speed test | Yes (July 2026, WPBeginner) | None found | Hostinger |
The Stellar renewal and trial details are from Namecheap's shared hosting page (October 12, 2026). Backup details for Namecheap are the page's "twice a week" on Stellar and AutoBackup on Stellar Plus and Business.
💰 Plans and prices side by side
| Plan | Introductory price | Renews at | Sites | Storage | Backups |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hostinger Premium | $2.99/mo (48 months) | $10.99/mo | 3 | 20GB SSD | Weekly |
| Hostinger Unlimited | $3.99/mo (48 months) | $16.99/mo | Unlimited | 50GB NVMe | Daily, with restore |
| Hostinger Cloud Startup | $7.99/mo (48 months) | $25.99/mo | Unlimited | 100GB NVMe | Daily and on demand |
| Namecheap Stellar | $2.28/mo (yearly) | $5.88/mo | 3 | 20GB SSD | Twice a week |
| Namecheap Stellar Plus | $2.98/mo | $7.88/mo | Unlimited | Unmetered SSD | AutoBackup |
| Namecheap Stellar Business | $4.98/mo | $11.88/mo | Unlimited | 50GB cloud storage | AutoBackup |
Hostinger prices are 48-month totals divided by 48 ($143.52, $191.52 and $383.52); all Hostinger plans are paid upfront. Namecheap lists its introductory prices on yearly terms.
🧮 What each costs over one, three and four years
| Period | Hostinger Premium | Namecheap Stellar | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| First year | $143.52 (you must prepay 48 months) | $26.88 | Namecheap $116.64 less up front |
| Three years | $143.52 (already covers the period) | $168.00 | Hostinger $24.48 less |
| Four years | $143.52 | $238.56 | Hostinger $95.04 less |
| Fifth year | $131.88 (12 x $10.99) | $70.56 (12 x $5.88) | Namecheap $61.32 less |
Arithmetic: Namecheap $26.88 + 2 x $70.56 = $168.00 over three years and $26.88 + 3 x $70.56 = $238.56 over four. The two cost the same at about 2.6 years of use if you counted Hostinger's prepayment as spent. Tax and add-ons are extra.
⚙️ Limits, backups and support
Hostinger
- Premium: 1 core, 2GB RAM, 400,000 inodes, 40 PHP workers, 10 databases and free weekly backups; Unlimited: 2 cores, 3GB RAM, 600,000 inodes, 60 PHP workers and daily backups with restore (Hostinger's limits page).
- Support is 24/7 chat and email, with no phone line.
- WPBeginner's July 2026 test recorded a 659 ms LCP, a 227 ms average response across six regions (the best of 15 hosts), 21 ms at the 95th percentile with 50 virtual users and 100% uptime over 30 days.
Namecheap
- Stellar: 3 websites, 20GB SSD, 30 mailboxes and 300,000 inodes; Stellar Plus: unlimited websites, unmetered SSD; Stellar Business: 600,000 inodes and 50GB cloud storage.
- Backups run twice a week on Stellar and as AutoBackup on Plus and Business; the page lists Imunify360, KernelCare, 50 free Standard SSL certificates for the first year, free migration and cPanel with Softaculous.
- Support is 24/7 live chat. Data centers are in the US, the EU, the UK and Singapore.
- We found no current independent test with a stated method for Namecheap, so we make no speed claim.
↩️ Refunds and trial
| Hostinger | Namecheap | |
|---|---|---|
| Money-back window | 30 days from the transaction, renewals included; crypto payments are not refunded | 30 days |
| Free trial | None listed | 30 days free on Stellar, then $2.28 a month |
| Domain exclusions | New domains refundable within 96 hours; renewals and privacy protection are not | Check the policy for domains |
🎯 Which should you choose?
Choose Hostinger if
- You will keep the site for three years or more
- You want a published speed test behind the host
- You want daily backups on the Unlimited plan
- You are happy to prepay four years
Choose Namecheap if
- You want a low first-year bill or a free 30-day trial
- You prefer cPanel
- You care about a low renewal ($5.88 a month)
- You may move after a year or two
Hostinger wins on four-year cost and evidence; Namecheap wins on flexibility and renewal. Hostinger Premium costs $143.52 for 48 months against $238.56 for Namecheap Stellar, but Namecheap asks only $26.88 for year one and renews at $5.88 a month. Pick by how long you will keep the site.
❓ Hostinger vs Namecheap FAQ
❓ Which is cheaper: Hostinger or Namecheap?
❓ Which renews cheaper?
❓ Which has the better refund policy?
❓ Which is faster?
❓ Which has better backups?
❓ Do both include a free domain?
❓ Which control panel is easier?
❓ Can I pay month to month?
Which one are you using? Tell us your renewal price in the comments.
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