Namecheap vs Porkbun
A detailed comparison to help you choose between Namecheap and Porkbun.
Quick Verdict
3.8/5
Namecheap
0 reviews
4.5/5
Porkbun
0 reviews
Porkbun is rated higher (4.5 vs 3.8). About 23M gTLD domains under management (IANA #1068, October 2026) Porkbun is a budget-friendly registrar known for low prices on many TLDs, free WHOIS privacy, free SSL certificates, and a clean modern interface. Popular with developers for its API.
Namecheap Affordable domains with free WhoisGuard privacy | Porkbun Low-cost domains with free privacy and SSL | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Rating | 3.8 (0 reviews) | 4.5 (0 reviews)✓ |
| Pricing model | paid | paid |
| Starting price | From $11.18/mo | From $11.08/mo✓ |
| Best for | Small businesses, freelancers, and developers wanting a mainstream registrar with privacy bundled, decent support, and room to add hosting or email later from one account. | Budget-conscious developers and small businesses holding domains long-term who want the lowest honest renewal prices with free privacy and SSL |
| Tags | ||
| Tags | api accessbrowser extension | api access |
| Visit Namecheap → | Visit Porkbun → | |
Namecheap
Pros
- + Free WhoisGuard privacy for life on every eligible registration, renewal, and transfer
- + Large, stable registrar: ~23M gTLD domains under management, operating since 2000
- + Free DNS with Dynamic DNS (FreeDNS), DNSSEC controls for supported TLDs, 100 email forwards per domain
- + Good developer tooling: API plus official Terraform provider, bulk search/transfer/update
- + No fee to leave — just release the registrar lock and request the auth code, and strong public record on registrant rights
Cons
- - .com renewal of $18.68 and a $70.00 restore fee put long-term cost above at-cost registrars
- - Steep new-gTLD renewal cliffs (.design $69.18, .live $47.68) behind cheap first years
- - Checkout upsells and a dashboard that has grown dense over the years
- - API access gated behind 20 domains or $50 of balance/spend
- - Majority owned by CVC Capital Partners since September 2025 — the independent era is over
Porkbun
Pros
- + Flat .com pricing — $11.08 to register, renew, and transfer, ICANN fee included
- + Published wholesale cost breakdown is rare transparency in this market
- + Free WHOIS privacy, wildcard SSL, Cloudflare DNS, DNSSEC, and email forwarding on every domain
- + Passkeys, WebAuthn security keys, and 2FA on accounts
- + Phone and chat support daily, answered by domain-knowledgeable staff
Cons
- - Smaller company than the industry giants; no 24/7 phone support
- - First-year sale TLDs renew significantly higher
- - No documented registry-lock product for brand portfolios
- - Registry fee increases pass through to renewal prices
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