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E-Commerce · head to head

Namecheap vs Razorpay

Namecheap logo

Namecheap

E-Commerce

ICANN-accredited domain registrar that also sells shared hosting, SSL certificates and email

From
$0.88/year
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Razorpay logo

Razorpay

E-Commerce

Indian payment gateway for domestic and international card, UPI and wallet acceptance

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Namecheap domains are advertised at a promotional first year price and renew at the standard registry rate, which for many extensions is several times higher, so the visible cost of a portfolio understates what it costs to keep.; Razorpay it requires an Indian legal entity and settles only to Indian bank accounts, so it is not an option for a business incorporated elsewhere no matter how many Indian customers it has.
  • They diverge on capability: Namecheap covers Domain registration, Razorpay covers Domestic payment methods.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Namecheap and Razorpay actually diverge.

Attributes where Namecheap and Razorpay differ
AttributeNamecheapRazorpay
Starting price$0.88/yearOn request
Pricing modelsubscriptiontransaction
Founded2000Unknown

Identical on both: free tier (No), platforms (Web), user rating (Not yet rated), category (E-Commerce).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Namecheap

  • Domain registration
  • Free WHOIS privacy
  • DNS management
  • Shared and VPS hosting
  • SSL certificates
  • Private email
  • Domain transfers

Only in Razorpay

  • Domestic payment methods
  • International cards
  • Payment links and pages
  • Route
  • RazorpayX
  • Subscriptions
  • Smart Collect
  • Dashboard and reporting

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Namecheap

  • Registering and holding the domain for a store hosted on a separate platformnot Razorpay
  • Consolidating a portfolio of defensive domain registrations under one accountnot Razorpay
  • Managing DNS for a site whose hosting and mail live with different providersnot Razorpay
  • Standing up a low traffic brochure site or landing page cheaply before a real buildnot Razorpay

Razorpay

  • An Indian D2C brand needing UPI acceptance alongside cards in a single checkoutnot Namecheap
  • An Indian SaaS business billing domestic customers on recurring mandatesnot Namecheap
  • A marketplace that must split each payment between the platform and its sellersnot Namecheap
  • A business that needs to take payment without building a website, using links and pagesnot Namecheap

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Namecheap

  • Domains are advertised at a promotional first year price and renew at the standard registry rate, which for many extensions is several times higher, so the visible cost of a portfolio understates what it costs to keep.
  • ICANN rules impose a sixty day transfer lock after registration and after registrant detail changes, so a domain registered in the wrong account or under the wrong entity cannot be moved for two months regardless of urgency.
  • Shared hosting is oversubscribed by design, so a storefront on it degrades under traffic spikes, which is precisely when a promotion or a press mention makes traffic spike.
  • Support runs through chat and tickets with no telephone escalation, so an outage affecting DNS or mail is resolved at the pace of a support queue rather than at the pace of your revenue loss.
  • It is a registrar and host rather than a commerce platform, so anyone comparing it against a store platform is comparing two different purchases and will still need to buy the platform separately.

Razorpay

  • It requires an Indian legal entity and settles only to Indian bank accounts, so it is not an option for a business incorporated elsewhere no matter how many Indian customers it has.
  • The transaction percentage applies to the full order value including shipping and tax rather than to the product price, so low margin categories with heavy shipping give up more of their margin than the quoted rate suggests.
  • Payment aggregator authorisation sits with the Reserve Bank of India and has been withheld from aggregators before while applications were reviewed, so a dependency exists that no commercial contract term protects you from.
  • Default settlement runs on a delayed cycle with faster settlement sold as a paid add-on, so a business that buys stock from its takings either waits for cash or pays extra for it, and that cost belongs in the effective rate.
  • International card acceptance is priced higher and requires separate approval rather than being a configuration change, so cross-border revenue takes longer to switch on and earns less per order than a domestic sale.

Pricing, plan by plan

Namecheap

$0.88/year
  • Standard Domains$0.88/year
    • Domain registration
    • Free WhoisGuard
    • Dynamic DNS
  • Web Hosting$2.88/month
    • Unlimited bandwidth
    • Free SSL
    • Easy WordPress install

Razorpay

On request
  • Domestic Payments$undefined/mo
    • 2% platform fee per successful transaction across all payment instruments
    • GST: 18% applies on the platform fee
    • No setup fees, annual maintenance charges, or refund fees
  • Corporate Cards$undefined/mo
    • 2.15% platform fee per transaction
  • International Payments - Cards$undefined/mo
    • Up to 3% per successful transaction
  • International Payments - Bank Transfers$undefined/mo
    • 1% per transaction with zero forex markup

Which should you pick?

Choose Namecheap if

  • You need domain registration.
  • You also want free whois privacy.
Namecheap review

Choose Razorpay if

  • You need domestic payment methods.
  • You also want international cards.
Razorpay review

Questions people ask

Is Namecheap or Razorpay better?
Neither clearly leads. Namecheap starts at $0.88/year and Razorpay at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Namecheap or Razorpay?
Namecheap starts at $0.88/year and Razorpay at On request.
Does Namecheap or Razorpay run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
What is Namecheap best used for?
Namecheap is most often used for registering and holding the domain for a store hosted on a separate platform, consolidating a portfolio of defensive domain registrations under one account, managing dns for a site whose hosting and mail live with different providers, standing up a low traffic brochure site or landing page cheaply before a real build. Of those, registering and holding the domain for a store hosted on a separate platform and consolidating a portfolio of defensive domain registrations under one account are not what Razorpay is typically brought in for.
What can Namecheap do that Razorpay cannot?
Namecheap covers Domain registration, Free WHOIS privacy, DNS management, Shared and VPS hosting. Razorpay covers Domestic payment methods, International cards, Payment links and pages, Route.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Namecheap: Can I run an online store on Namecheap?

You can host store software there, but shared hosting is not a sensible home for a transacting storefront. Use it for the domain and DNS and put the store on a platform built for it.

Razorpay: Can I use Razorpay if my company is not in India?

No. It requires an Indian entity and an Indian bank account for settlement. Overseas businesses selling into India need a different arrangement.

Namecheap: Why is renewal more expensive than registration?

The first year is promotional. Renewal reflects the registry's standard wholesale price plus margin. Check the renewal rate, not the headline, before registering an extension.

Razorpay: What is the real effective rate?

The domestic percentage on the full order value including shipping and tax, plus higher international rates, plus any charge for faster settlement and dispute handling. Compute it from a month of settlement reports, not the pricing page.

Namecheap: Can I move my domain away if I change my mind?

Yes, but not immediately. ICANN enforces a sixty day lock after registration or after changing registrant details, and the domain must be unlocked with an authorisation code to transfer.

Razorpay: How quickly do I get paid?

On a delayed settlement cycle by default, with faster settlement available as a paid feature. Plan working capital around the default, not the add-on.

Namecheap: Is WHOIS privacy extra?

Namecheap includes it rather than billing for it annually, which is a real difference from several larger registrars where it is a recurring line item per domain.

Razorpay: What is the main structural risk?

Regulatory. Indian payment aggregators operate under RBI authorisation and have previously been barred from onboarding new merchants. Keep a second processor integrated if payments are business-critical.

Razorpay: Does it support recurring billing?

Yes, built on India's mandate and e-mandate framework, which has its own rules on authentication and notification that differ from card-on-file recurring elsewhere.

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