Namecheap's entry plan, Stellar, runs $5.88/mo on the monthly toggle, with no numeric renewal price disclosed anywhere on its pricing page. Bluehost's entry plan, Starter, runs $4.99/mo on a 12-month term and renews at $11.99/mo -- or $3.99/mo on a 36-month term, renewing at $9.99/mo. Bluehost is cheaper at the entry tier and tells you exactly what year two costs; Namecheap costs more up front on the monthly toggle and won't name a renewal figure at all. That trade-off, not the headline price, is what this comparison is actually about.
Both hosts carry a live HostingDive affiliate relationship, so the recommendation below is driven by pricing structure and specs, not by which link generates a commission.
Disclosure: HostingDive may earn a commission if you buy through the Namecheap or Bluehost links on this page, at no extra cost to you.
Quick Comparison
| Criterion | Namecheap (Stellar) | Bluehost (Starter) |
|---|---|---|
| Entry price | $5.88/mo (monthly toggle) | $4.99/mo (12-month term) or $3.99/mo (36-month term) |
| Lowest available rate | $1.88/mo (bi-yearly toggle, 68% off) | $3.99/mo (36-month term) |
| Renewal price | Not disclosed as a number -- discount "does not apply to renewals," no figure named | $11.99/mo (12-month term) or $9.99/mo (36-month term) |
| Websites | 3 | 10 |
| Storage | 20GB SSD | 10GB NVMe |
| Uptime guarantee | 100% uptime guarantee stated | Not part of this capture for Starter |
| Rail on this page | CLOAK -- HostingDive affiliate link | CLOAK -- HostingDive affiliate link |
| Verdict | Best for buyers who want a documented feature list and a short-term commitment option | Best for buyers who want more sites/storage per dollar and a stated renewal number |
Namecheap: Full Spec Breakdown
Namecheap sells two distinct shared hosting tiers -- Stellar and Stellar Plus -- and a Namecheap price is only meaningful when paired with which of the two it belongs to.
Stellar (base plan): 30-day free trial, then $5.88/mo monthly, $2.28/mo yearly (61% off), or $1.88/mo bi-yearly (68% off). Includes 3 websites, 20GB SSD storage, 30 mailboxes, unmetered bandwidth, a 100% uptime guarantee, free SSL (50 certificates, 1 year), free migration, a free domain for the first year (non-premium only), backups twice a week, a 30-day money-back guarantee, and cPanel.
Stellar Plus (the next tier up -- not the same plan as Stellar): also a 30-day free trial, then $7.88/mo monthly, $2.98/mo yearly, or $2.28/mo bi-yearly. This capture did not include separate site-count or storage figures for Stellar Plus, so treat the price step above as the certified difference from Stellar rather than assuming proportionally larger specs.
No numeric renewal price is disclosed for either Namecheap plan. Namecheap's page states the promotional discount does not apply to renewals but names no dollar figure for what you'll pay after the trial and discount period end -- that's a real unknown, not an omission in this comparison.
Bluehost: Full Spec Breakdown
Bluehost's relevant tiers here are Starter and Business, and each has term-length variants that materially change the per-month price -- always name plan and term together.
Starter, 12-month term: $4.99/mo, renewing at $11.99/mo. 10 websites, 10GB NVMe storage, roughly 40,000 monthly visits included.
Starter, 36-month term: $3.99/mo, renewing at $9.99/mo -- the same plan and feature set as the 12-month term, priced lower per month for the longer commitment. Note: a $3.79/mo figure has circulated on other HostingDive pages for Bluehost; a prior live-page reconciliation this cohort ran confirmed that number matches neither Starter term and is a transcription error. It is not used here.
Business, 12-month term: $7.99/mo promotional rate, renewing at $15.99/mo. 50 websites, 50GB NVMe storage, roughly 200,000 monthly visits. No 36-month Business rate was captured this cohort -- if that figure matters to your decision, treat it as not independently verified rather than assumed.
A free WP Migration Tool and a staging environment are both listed as features across Bluehost's entire lineup, including Starter -- they are not gated to Business.
Head-to-Head: Pricing (Intro and Renewal)
At the entry tier, Bluehost's Starter beats Namecheap's Stellar on the monthly-toggle comparison: $4.99/mo (12-month term) or $3.99/mo (36-month term) against Stellar's $5.88/mo monthly rate. Namecheap only pulls ahead if you commit to its longer toggle states -- $2.28/mo yearly or $1.88/mo bi-yearly both undercut Bluehost's cheapest rate, but at shorter total commitment lengths (1 and 2 years respectively) than Bluehost's 36-month term.
The renewal comparison favors Bluehost on transparency even where it doesn't favor Bluehost on price. Bluehost states both figures plainly: Starter renews at $11.99/mo (12-month term, a 2.4x jump) or $9.99/mo (36-month term, a 2.5x jump). Namecheap discloses no renewal number at all for Stellar or Stellar Plus. A buyer trying to model year-two costs has a complete answer from Bluehost and an incomplete one from Namecheap.
At the next tier, Bluehost's Business plan ($7.99/mo promo, $15.99/mo renewal) buys 50 websites and 50GB storage. Namecheap's Stellar Plus ($7.88/mo monthly, $2.98/mo yearly, $2.28/mo bi-yearly) sits at a nearly identical monthly-toggle price point but without a matching site/storage figure captured for comparison.
Head-to-Head: Sites, Storage, and Included Features
Bluehost's Starter plan out-specs Namecheap's Stellar at a similar price: 10 websites and 10GB NVMe storage against Stellar's 3 websites and 20GB SSD storage. Namecheap wins the storage-per-site comparison at the entry tier -- more storage on far fewer sites -- while Bluehost wins on raw site count, which matters more for buyers managing several small sites on one plan.
Namecheap's Stellar plan lists more granular included features than Bluehost's Starter plan does on this captured page: 30 mailboxes, a stated 100% uptime guarantee, free SSL for up to 50 certificates, and backups twice a week are all named explicitly. Bluehost's captured Starter page did not state uptime guarantee figures, mailbox counts, or backup frequency -- its standout included features are the free WP Migration Tool and staging environment, both of which apply across the whole Bluehost lineup rather than being Starter-specific perks.
Neither host's captured entry-tier page named a backup frequency for the other side of this exact comparison in a directly matching format: Namecheap states "twice a week" explicitly, while Bluehost's Starter page did not surface a backup cadence figure at all in this capture. If backup frequency is a deciding factor for your site, that is a detail worth confirming directly with Bluehost before you buy, rather than assuming parity with Namecheap's stated schedule.
When to Choose Namecheap
- Buy if you want a documented feature list up front -- 30 mailboxes, twice-weekly backups, a stated 100% uptime guarantee -- attached to the plan you're paying for.
- Buy if you don't want to commit past 2 years to get a competitive rate (the bi-yearly toggle).
- Buy if your site needs more storage than sites -- 20GB on a 3-site cap suits a storage-heavy single site better than a many-site portfolio.
- Skip if an unresolved renewal price is a dealbreaker.
When to Choose Bluehost
- Buy if you're managing multiple small sites -- Starter's 10-site cap is more than triple Namecheap Stellar's 3-site limit at a comparable or lower price.
- Buy if you want the free WP Migration Tool and staging environment without upgrading plans.
- Buy if you want a stated renewal number so you can plan year-two costs precisely ($11.99/mo or $9.99/mo depending on term).
- Skip if you need more storage than 10GB without moving up to Business, or if a documented uptime guarantee figure is a requirement -- Bluehost's Starter capture doesn't state one.
The Fine Print
Namecheap's renewal price is the open question in this comparison -- confirm the actual figure directly with Namecheap before signing up, since it isn't published on the captured pricing page for either Stellar or Stellar Plus. Bluehost's renewal prices are explicit and must be quoted alongside any intro price: Starter renews at $11.99/mo (12-month term) or $9.99/mo (36-month term), and Business renews at $15.99/mo. Never cite $3.79/mo for Bluehost -- it matches no certified term and is a known transcription error from elsewhere on the site.
Both links on this page are live HostingDive affiliate cloaks: Namecheap at hostingdive.com/go/namecheap/ and Bluehost at hostingdive.com/go/bluehost/.
See the full review for Namecheap and Bluehost on HostingDive -- with intro vs renewal pricing and support response time data.
Want another Bluehost matchup? See our SiteGround vs Bluehost comparison for how Bluehost's plans compare against SiteGround.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is cheaper, Namecheap Stellar or Bluehost Starter?
On matched short-term commitments, Bluehost is cheaper: $4.99/mo (12-month term) or $3.99/mo (36-month term) against Namecheap Stellar's $5.88/mo monthly rate. Namecheap only undercuts Bluehost's cheapest rate if you take its yearly ($2.28/mo) or bi-yearly ($1.88/mo) toggle.
Does Namecheap disclose a renewal price?
No. Namecheap's pricing page states its discount does not apply to renewals but names no numeric renewal figure for Stellar or Stellar Plus. Confirm the actual rate directly with Namecheap before purchasing.
What is Bluehost Starter's renewal price?
It depends on the term. The 12-month term renews at $11.99/mo (from $4.99/mo). The 36-month term renews at $9.99/mo (from $3.99/mo).
How many websites does each plan allow?
Namecheap Stellar allows 3 websites. Bluehost Starter allows 10 websites. Stellar Plus's site limit was not part of this capture.
Is $3.79/mo a real Bluehost price?
No. That figure matches neither Bluehost Starter term -- 12-month intro is $4.99/mo, 36-month intro is $3.99/mo -- and has been confirmed as a transcription error found elsewhere on HostingDive. It should not be used for Bluehost.
Do both hosts pay HostingDive a commission?
Yes. Both Namecheap and Bluehost links on this page are live HostingDive affiliate cloaks.