Namecheap VPN Review
Namecheap VPN is one of the most affordable VPNs on the market, but is it any good?
Introduction
Overview
Namecheap VPN offers a basic and beginner-friendly VPN at a very affordable price.
Namecheap was reviewed between 3 September 2020 and 2 November 2020, with 25 speed and 6 torrent tests.
Our reviews are refreshed with new test data each month, to keep the results up to date and relevant.
Is Namecheap a good VPN? Is it worth getting?
Privacy & Anonymity Summary
The speeds provided are average; sometimes excellent, sometimes slower, but consistent enough and fairly good compared to other VPNs at this price range. But in some countries, the network latency is high, and subsequent speeds slower, due to a fewer number of available servers.
Speed & Performance Summary
They have a pretty solid no-logging policy, and there have been no data leaks, privacy concerns, or major controversies involving Namecheap VPN.
Functionality & Application Summary
The user interfaces for the Windows, Mac, and Android clients are very basic, with only limited functionality. This no-frills interface may appeal to some, in particular elderly people and beginners will find it very easy to use.
Reputation & Support Summary
Namecheap provides 24/7 customer support, and the response time has been great. They have maintained a fairly good reputation around privacy despite being in business for many years, had a strong anti-SOPA stand, and are supporters of Net Neutrality.
Price & Value Summary
At a current price of $12 for the first year, they may be worth a try for those of you who are budget conscious.
Proof
Some review sites just send you to the VPN that pays the highest commission. I actually buy and try out the VPN with my own money.
Here are screenshots of me actually using the Namecheap VPN service.
The Mac desktop client interface with Namecheap VPN connected to a local server.
Using Namecheap VPN from my Android phone.
How Was Namecheap Rated?
Review Criteria
I've rated Namecheap VPN on multiple elements across five categories, and analysed the results to give you a good understanding of the service.
Privacy & Anonymity
Does Namecheap VPN leak any data while in use? Do they collect or store logs? Do they allow you to anonymously purchase the service? Do they employ a variety of security protocols to keep you anonymous online?
Speed & Performance
Does Namecheap VPN offer fast speeds (on par with browsing without a VPN connection)? Are these speeds consistent? Or do they drop off or fluctuate too much?
Functionality & Application
Does Namecheap VPN work well? Is it easy to install and use? Does it unblock geo-restricted content? Can it unblock Netflix and BBC iPlayer?
Reputation & Support
Is Namecheap VPN a reputable seller with a strong track record of happy customers and good reviews? Does it provide outstanding customer and tech support? Does Namecheap VPN and their parent company have a track record of honesty, transparency, and its customers' best interests at heart?
Price & Value
Does the price of the service match (or exceed) the quality of experience? Does Namecheap VPN represent value for money?
Privacy & Anonymity
Does Namecheap hide your IP address? Does it pass the IP Leak Test?
Yes.
I was able to hide my real IP address using Namecheap while testing from ipleak.net.
Does Namecheap pass the WebRTC Test?
Yes.
Using browserleaks.com my real IP address was not leaked.
Does Namecheap pass the DNS Leak Test?
Yes.
Using dnsleaktest.com my Namecheap VPN’s IP address was shown, not my own.
Does NameCheap VPN have a logging policy?
Namecheap VPN collects connection and bandwidth data, but they don’t track or store your data or browsing history.
Does NameCheap VPN have a kill switch?
The Windows client has a kill switch, but the Android and Mac versions don’t.
Namecheap VPN’s killswitch option on the Windows client.
What security protocols does NameCheap VPN use?
Namecheap VPN’s Windows program uses IKEv2 and OpenVPN. Only UDP and TCP are supported on Android devices. On the Mac client, only IKEv2 is supported. Namecheap VPN currently does not support newer protocols like WireGuard.
The Windows client has a lot more options than the Mac one.
Speed & Performance
Is Namecheap VPN fast?
Namecheap VPN provides perfectly average speeds for local connections. Some countries only have a few servers, resulting in extreme load and high latency.
Does Namecheap VPN provide consistent speeds?
The servers that don’t have too many connections are fairly consistent. However, when doing speed tests during peak times on some of these busier servers, I noticed the connection would sometimes randomly disconnect and/or the latency was just too high to browse comfortably.
See how Namecheap compared against all the other VPNs in the speed tests.
Network Bandwidth Tests
Namecheap was 18.04% slower than my usual connection, which was an average result.
No VPN Network Bandwidth Speed Tests
As a benchmark I did 25 tests through speedtest.net and openspeedtest.com with no VPN connected. Here are the average results.
IKEv2 Network Bandwidth Speed Tests
Here are the results of 25 tests with Namecheap's IKEv2 protocol.
Note: Ivacy only has one protocol (IKEv2) option on the Mac client. In future tests I will use the Windows client with additional protocol options.
File Download Tests
Namecheap download speed was 15.12% slower downloading a 100mb file than my connection without a VPN conected, which was an average score.
The average time to download the file was 21.15% slower.
For the file download tests I downloaded a blank 100MB file 25 times from a private server I created using Amazon Web Services.
Torrent Download Test Results
Namecheap torrenting speeds were very good 7.86% slower than my usual connection without a VPN. These speeds were above average from all VPNs tested.
To test P2P torrenting speeds I chose to download 3 .torrent files using my torrent client qBittorent.
- A small torrent: downloading the art application 'GIMP' at 163.4MB.
- A medium torrent: downloading the 4K version of the animated film 'Big Buck Bunny' at 642MB.
- A large torrent: downloading the operating system 'Ubuntu 20' at 2.52GB.
Functionality & Application
Is Namecheap VPN easy to use?
On Windows, the installation was very easy. I just had to tick the license agreement and click on the install button. The app was ready in less than 30 seconds.
Upon signing in, I was re-assured that Namecheap won’t track any personal, identifiable information.
The Windows client is pretty basic and there are no great functionalities. The interface is intuitive and easy to use, but choosing the location was a bit difficult. The location settings screen didn’t allow scrolling, so I had to use my keyboard. However, that problem was only with the locations screen. Other settings were easy to find and configure.
On Mac, the setup wasn’t so seamless. While the app is conveniently available for download in the Mac App Store, and fairly easy to install, with a few security prompts, I had trouble connecting at first. After an annoying restart though, I was able to use the VPN successfully.
The Mac client is quite bare-bones and doesn’t have as many features as the Windows one.
The Android client is also very basic, with only other locations to connect to from the menu.
The Windows client sign in screen.
Namecheap’s privacy notice the first time you login.
Selecting a location from the Windows client.
Namecheap VPN’s Mac Store prompt.
Instructions for finding Namecheap VPN from the menu bar on a Mac.
I couldn’t connect initially.
After a restart, I could connect successfully.
A very basic user interface.
Change locations screen on the Android app.
Does NameCheap support split tunneling?
No, NameCheap VPN does not support split tunneling.
Is NameCheap VPN good for torrenting? Do they approve of using P2P technology?
Yes, NamecheapVPN approves of using P2P technology. Although I recommend using a local connection as staying connected to foreign servers was not always reliable.
Is Namecheap good for Netflix?
Namecheap was able to successfully unblocked geo-restricted Netflix content in 2 out of 13 countries. I could watch Netflix content exclusive to Japan and USA.
Watching ‘Dark Knight’ on Japanese Netflix using Namecheap VPN.
I had a lot of trouble even connecting to some of the foreign servers. The connection would often drop out during the test.
I kept getting disconnected mid test with these error messages while trying to maintain a connection to a UK server.
I tried all four options without success.
Is Namecheap VPN good for BBC iPlayer?
No.
BBC iPlayer was able to recognise that I was using a VPN and restricted access.
My unsuccessful attempt at watching BBC content using NameCheapVPN.
Is Namecheap VPN good for streaming?
For streaming locally, yes. But for geo-blocking content from other countries, no, the connections are just too inconsistent.
What are some good features of NameCheap VPN?
- No traffic logs
- Can be used in unlimited devices
- Good customer support
Reputation & Support
Is NameCheap VPN trustworthy?
I contacted their customer support twice through their live chat functionality. The first response came in just a little over one minute. However, your level of support and service will depend on the customer support agent.
Before you sign in their policy screen reads:
Your privacy is our top priority. We are transparent about the data we collect and we can assure you that we only collect the minimum amount possible to provide with you with a smooth and stable VPN experience:
- Email Address: for sign-in purposes and to allow you to retrieve your password and receive service updates.
- Aggregated anonymous app usage data, including your device and OS version so we can troubleshoot and improve our app.
That’s it! No logs. No tracking of your personal identifiable information.
However, because Namecheap is US-based, if you have concerns over US government surveillance and interference, it would be better to choose a VPN based in another jurisdiction.
Does VyprVPN have live chat support? Are they responsive?
Where are they based? What jurisdiction are they under?
Namecheap is a US-based company. Their headquarters is located in Phoenix, Arizona.
Who is the parent company?
The parent company of Namecheap VPN is Namecheap, Inc, a company better known for offering domain name registrations, hosting, and SSL certificates. Their VPN service was launched in 2018.
Have Namecheap or their parent company been involved in any controversies or scandals?
Namecheap as a company has maintained a fairly strong reputation. There have been no data leaks, privacy concerns, or any major controversies regarding their VPN service.
However, according to The Next Web, Namecheap’s VPN is actually a white label VPN (a service provided by another company, but using the Namecheap brand name) provided by Stack Path, the company behind major VPNs such as encrypt.me, StrongVPN, and IPVanish.
Namecheap has a good privacy record. They held a strong anti-SOPA stand and are supporters of Net Neutrality. According to a press release, they have donated over $300,000 to the Electronic Frontier Foundation and Fight for the Future.
What do most customers say they like about the service?
The VPN service is cheap and offers a fairly good speed for the price.
What do customers most dislike about the service?
The number of servers is limited in some countries, reducing the speed and forcing customers to choose a distant server (source: G2) at times.
Price & Value
How much does Namecheap VPN cost per month?
The monthly plan costs $5.88/month, but the first month is free. The yearly plan costs $12 for the first year, which is very cheap but is rebilled at $34.56 for subsequent years. They also offer a 3-year plan which costs $67.68, which averages out at a very affordable $1.88 a month.
Namecheap’s VPN is a $1/month for the first year.
Is NameCheap VPN worth the money?
Namecheap VPN is well worth the money, considering the speed, customer support, if you want a very basic VPN, and you primarily connect to a server nearby.
What payment forms do they accept?
Namecheap accepts American Express, Discover, MasterCard, and Visa credit cards, PayPal, and Bitcoin. No other cryptocurrencies or payment gateways are accepted.
Do they have a trial or a money-back guarantee? What is their refund policy?
Namecheap offers a 30-day money-back guarantee for long term plans.
Conclusion
Who is NameCheap VPN good for?
Namecheap VPN is good for those who are looking for a cheap VPN. It is beginner-friendly and does not have any complicated settings.
Who is it not suitable for?
If you’re willing to pay more, there are better VPNs with better speeds, more servers, and more options. Namecheap is US-based, so if “five eyes” surveillance worries you, you’d be better off with another VPN. It’s not for technically proficient users since the clients don’t have much regarding functionality or options that power users will be looking for.
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