Is Namecheap's Stellar Plus the best deal?

Shared Hosting · $2.99/mo

Better deals exist

Namecheap Stellar Plus looks cheap at $2.99/mo, but renewal jumps to $6.88/mo and you're locked into shared hosting. Several VPS alternatives offer better specs (more RAM, NVMe storage, root access) at similar or lower intro prices, with more transparent renewal pricing or no renewal shock.

Cloud VPS (Linux) XS

$2/mosave 33%

1GB RAM, 1 vCPU, 10GB NVMe, and root access for $2/mo intro - better specs than shared hosting at lower price, with published renewal rates (2-6x higher, but still transparent).

Caveat: Renewal pricing after promo period is 2-6x higher; outbound data beyond 2TB pooled allowance is metered at $0.036/GB.

VPS Hosting NVMe 2

$2.09/mosave 30%

2GB RAM, 1 vCPU, 50GB NVMe SSD, unmetered bandwidth, and root SSH access for $2.09/mo - significantly more power than shared hosting.

Caveat: Renewal jumps to $9.99-$15.99/mo; requires 36-month term for lowest intro price; free domain only year one.

Machines Shared CPU 1x 256MB

$2.02/mosave 32%

Per-second billing ($0.00000078/s) means you pay only for what you use; no renewal trap; ideal if you need flexible, low-commitment infrastructure.

Caveat: Only 256MB RAM (entry-level); extra RAM costs $5/GB/month; stopped machines still incur storage charges; no published platform SLA.

Shared Hosting Starter

$2.99/mo

Same intro price as Namecheap but 15GB NVMe (vs unmetered but shared), 5 mailboxes, and unlimited databases; renewal is $11.99/mo (vs $6.88/mo for Stellar Plus).

Caveat: Renewal is 4x the intro price; requires 12/24/36-month prepay for lowest rate; free domain only year one.

Droplets Basic 512MB

$4/mo

No renewal trap - pricing is stable month-to-month; 512MB RAM, 1 vCPU, 10GB SSD, 500GB transfer; transparent $0.01/GB overage rate.

Caveat: Higher sticker price ($4/mo vs $2.99/mo); lower specs than some VPS alternatives; best for users who value price predictability over lowest intro cost.

Before you switch

Namecheap Stellar Plus renewal jumps from $2.99 to $6.88/mo - factor this into 2-3 year TCO calculations.
Most shared hosting competitors (Bluehost, HostGator, InMotion, A2) also have 2-4x renewal increases; compare renewal rates, not just intro prices.
VPS alternatives (IONOS, Bluehost VPS, DigitalOcean) offer root access and better resource isolation, but require more technical management than shared hosting.
Fly.io per-second billing is cheapest if you run low-traffic or bursty workloads, but can surprise you if you leave machines running 24/7.
Verify whether you need unmetered bandwidth (Namecheap, Bluehost shared) or if metered/pooled allowances (IONOS, DigitalOcean) fit your traffic profile.

This comparison is generated from publicly listed pricing and may contain errors or omissions. It is not financial or professional advice, and CloudHosting.io is not responsible for decisions made based on it. Pricing, promotions, and specs change frequently and may not reflect current terms, regional availability, taxes, or contract length. Always verify current pricing and terms directly on the provider's site before purchasing or switching.

Comparable plans across providers

Provider	Plan	Price	Specs
Scaleway	Virtual Instances · STARDUST1-S	$0.43/mo	1 GB RAM, 1 vCPU	Visit
IONOS	IONOS CLOUD vCPU Servers · vCPU RAM - per GB	$1.58/mo	Price per GB RAM per hour (building block)	Visit
IONOS	Cloud VPS (Linux) · Cloud VPS XS	$2/mo	1 GB RAM, 1 vCPU, 10 GB NVMe	Visit
Fly.io	Machines (Shared CPU) · shared-cpu-1x - 256MB	$2.02/mo	256 MB RAM, 1 vCPU	Visit
Bluehost	VPS Hosting · NVMe 2	$2.09/mo	2 GB RAM, 1 vCPU, 50 GB NVMe SSD	Visit
Hosting.com (formerly A2 Hosting)	Shared Hosting · Starter	$2.99/mo	15 GB NVMe SSD	Visit
InMotion Hosting	Shared Hosting · Core	$2.99/mo	512 MB RAM, 100 GB SSD	Visit
Vultr	Cloud Compute · Regular 1vCPU/0.5GB	$3.5/mo	512 MB RAM, 1 vCPU, 10 GB NVMe SSD	Visit
AWS Lightsail	Virtual Servers · GP 0.5GB (Linux, IPv6)	$3.5/mo	512 MB RAM, 2 vCPU, 20 GB SSD	Visit
UpCloud	Cloud Servers - Starter · STARTER-1xCPU-1GB	$3.5/mo	1 GB RAM, 1 vCPU, 10 GB Standard SSD	Visit
HostGator	Shared Hosting · Hatchling	$3.75/mo	10 GB SSD	Visit
Microsoft Azure	Virtual Machines · B1ls	$3.8/mo	512 MB RAM, 1 vCPU	Visit
Bluehost	Shared Hosting · Starter	$3.99/mo	10 GB NVMe SSD	Visit
DigitalOcean	Droplets · Basic 512MB	$4/mo	512 MB RAM, 1 vCPU, 10 GB SSD	Visit
Kamatera	Cloud VMs · Type A base (Availability, 1 vCPU/1GB)	$4/mo	1 GB RAM, 1 vCPU, 20 GB NVMe SSD	Visit

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Comparing prices across every provider we track...