Namecheap vs GoDaddy

After 3 years of testing, let’s compare Namecheap vs GoDaddy and find out how they’ve performed so far…

Test #1: Speed

The GTmetrix Speed Test checks how long it takes for a website to fully load using a desktop internet browser. This test is then repeated every hour throughout the week (1,340 times).

• From the time they were added in Jan 2017, Namecheap’s speed has consistently been in the bottom half of our hosts. 
• GoDaddy’s Speed was the fastest throughout 2016. They maintained similar speeds in 2017, but other hosts started to outperform them. And now the most recent results for GoDaddy in H2 2018 have plummeted to the slowest of all active hosts.
• GoDaddy is currently sitting in 5th place, with Namecheap in 8th in our Speed Rankings.

H2 2018 Results

H1 2018 Results

H2 2017 Results

H1 2017 Results

Test #2: Uptime

The Pingdom Uptime Test confirms that the website is actually accessible to visitors. This test is then repeated every minute throughout the week (80,640 times).

• While Namecheap tend to experience downtime each week, the duration was usually short in 2017. This resulted in a 4th place ranking at the end of 2017. Unfortunately, the results have dropped away in H1 & H2 2018, with Namecheap recording 614 minutes of downtime.
• GoDaddy have performed brilliantly when it comes to Uptime over the last 3 years. Unfortunately, there was 2 blemishes on their record, during Week 73 they incurred 96 minutes of downtime and Week 130 they had 47 minutes of downtime. To put this into perspective, across the other 138 weeks of testing, they have only had 107 minutes of downtime. Even with these poor weeks, they are still one of the better performers.
• GoDaddy is currently ranked 3rd, while Namecheap is 7th in our Uptime Rankings.

Namecheap vs GoDaddy – Overall Test Results

The Overall Ranking accumulates the results from the speed & uptime tests to determine the #1 Host.

• The early signs for Namecheap indicated they were below average when it came to speed and above average with uptime. But 2018 has not been kind to Namecheap, with the the below average speed continuing, and the  uptime results falling into the bottom 2 active hosts. 
• GoDaddy’s performance has was excellent across the board in 2016, however, across 2017 & H1 2018 there have been a couple of hosts that have overtaken them in both the speed and uptime departments. The biggest disappointment has been their H2 2018 speed, which has seen them fall well behind our top 2 hosts.
• GoDaddy is currently 3rd, while Namecheap is in 8th in our Overall Rankings.