Thinking about leaving Namecheap?
Namecheap is a genuinely well-run registrar — free WHOIS privacy, a clean checkout, no dark-pattern upsells. The reason people leave isn’t a scandal, it’s the renewal bill: the price that hooked you in year one usually isn’t the price you pay in year two. Here’s the honest math, and a plain-English guide to moving out if you decide to.
The renewal-price gap
Namecheap’s domain search page headlines a low, real promo price — something like $11.28 for a first-year .com. That price is genuine, not a bait-and-switch. But it renews at Namecheap’s standard rate, commonly around $20.88/yr from year two onward — a 50–90% jump depending on the ending. It’s disclosed in their terms and at checkout, just not on the page where you first see the number.
Auto-renew is on by default too, so that higher rate gets charged to your card automatically unless you turn it off in account settings.
Side by side
| Namecheap | Modusdom | |
|---|---|---|
| .com first year | ~$11.28 promo | $18.99 |
| .com renewal (year 2+) | ~$20.88/yr standard | $18.99/yr, every year |
| Auto-renew | On by default | Off by default — you choose |
| WHOIS privacy | Free (they pioneered it — real credit) | Free, same policy |
| Transfer out later | $0 fee, self-serve EPP code | $0 fee, one-click unlock + EPP code |
Namecheap figures are public US list prices; ours are our published flat rates. See the full breakdown on our Modusdom vs. Namecheap comparison and the Renewal-Price Index. Spot a number that’s out of date? Tell us and we’ll fix it.
When you should stay at Namecheap
- You want the lowest possible first-year price and don’t mind managing the renewal date yourself.
- You’re comfortable setting up your own DNS and email — their dashboard is genuinely good for this.
- You want 24/7 live chat support — we do email + scheduled calls, not round-the-clock chat.
If none of those apply and you’d rather a flat price you don’t have to track, plus email set up for you — moving is straightforward.
How to transfer your domain out — step by step
- Check eligibility. The domain must be more than 60 days old and not transferred in the last 60 days (an ICANN rule).
- Unlock the domain and turn off Privacy Protection temporarily if prompted, in your Namecheap dashboard (Domain List → Manage).
- Get your authorization (EPP) code from the same Manage screen — Namecheap emails it to you.
- Start the transfer at Modusdom. Paste the domain + EPP code on our transfer page. You pay one year’s renewal ($18.99 for .com) and ICANN adds that year onto your current expiry.
- Approve it. Confirm the email we (and Namecheap) send. It auto-completes in about 5–7 days.
Want it handled for you? We’ll walk you through it on a call, or do the move and re-point your email for you. Just ask.
Stop tracking a renewal date.
Flat renewal that never jumps, WHOIS privacy included, and a real person who configures your email to land in the inbox. Transfer in keeps the year you already paid for.
No upsells at checkout · Free WHOIS privacy · Same price every year · Transfer out free, anytime
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