Namecheap

As checked in October 2026, its website lists domain registration and transfers, hosting, managed WordPress, business email, SSL certificates, and other security services. The company reports over 24 million managed domains and more than 2,600 employees across 18 countries.⁠[2]

A transaction summary published by Morocco’s competition authority in 2025 identifies Namecheap Inc. as a Delaware corporation, registration number 4077265, with its headquarters in Phoenix, Arizona.⁠[3]

On December 22, 2011, Namecheap opposed the proposed Stop Online Piracy Act. While supporting intellectual-property protection, it argued that the bill’s remedies were overly broad and threatened Internet freedom and user expression.⁠[4]

Tucows’ SEC filing records that about 2.65 million domains moved to Namecheap’s registrar credentials by January 16, 2018, following a preliminary injunction. A September 6 settlement covered another approximately 600,000 domains; 240,000 moved that quarter. The case was dismissed, and Namecheap paid an administrative fee for transfer services.⁠[5]

On November 12, 2021, Namecheap announced the public opening of its new domain marketplace, offering fixed-price purchases and in-house auctions for entrepreneurs and domain investors. This extended its services into trading existing domains.⁠[6]

In February 2022, Namecheap acquired Namebase, a marketplace for Handshake domains. Domain Name Wire described Handshake as an alternative naming system whose domains generally required browser plugins at the time, rather than conventional DNS top-level domains.⁠[7]

After Russia invaded Ukraine, Namecheap said many support staff were in Ukraine and relocation affected response times. On March 11, 2022, it stated that it had stopped selling products and services to Russian residents, with exceptions for anti-regime and protest websites.⁠[8][9]

On March 15, 2022, Meta, Namecheap, and Whoisguard announced a mediated settlement. Namecheap agreed to transfer the disputed domains to Meta and improve reporting processes for domain and trademark abuse; the privacy-service parties would treat Meta as a trusted notifier. The statement described a settlement, not a merits judgment.⁠[10]

Namecheap challenged ICANN’s removal of price controls from certain 2019 registry renewals. A December 2022 independent-review decision found procedural and transparency failures concerning .info and .org, but did not establish discriminatory treatment; the .biz claims also failed. The panel did not order price caps restored.⁠[11]

On August 16, 2023, Namecheap announced SpaceshipSpaceshipSpaceship is an ICANN-accredited domain registration and web services platform founded by Richard Kirkendall.Open the full entry’s public beta. Starting with domains, it used tools including Unbox and Launchpad to simplify connecting and managing products. The early beta had already attracted over 100,000 domains.⁠[12]

On November 10, 2024, ICANN’s board retained the .info and .org agreements without price caps after considering economic analysis, Namecheap’s objections, and public comments. ICANN’s status chart records that Namecheap voluntarily terminated a subsequent review, filed in September 2024, on November 20, 2025.⁠[13][14]

In October 2025, Morocco’s competition authority disclosed a proposal for CVC-funded Domain Bidco to acquire sole control of Namecheap. In December, Kirkendall confirmed the sale to CVC partners and his departure as CEO. He recommended longtime COO Hillan Klein as successor and shifted toward strategy and innovation.⁠[3][15]

As checked in October 2026, Namecheap’s team page lists Hillan Klein as CEO and Richard Kirkendall as founder. In his transition statement, Kirkendall said he retained shares and remained involved in products and strategy.⁠[2][15]

An April 2026 announcement dated Private Email’s launch to 2011. Its headline reported over 470,000 customers, 1.4 million mailboxes, and 1.9 million daily emails. These figures were company disclosures.⁠[16]

According to Namecheap’s knowledge base, newly activated SSL certificates moved to SSL.com from July 11, 2026. Existing certificates continued to function, and reissuance retained their original certificate authority; this was not an immediate replacement of every active certificate.⁠[17]

Namecheap announced restrictions affecting Handshake domains in June 2026. Its September 14 update said Namebase Registry had discontinued EPP services, preventing registrar-based management. Namecheap was winding down support and directed customers to claim their domains through Namebase.⁠[18]

On October 5, 2026, Kirkendall announced that .si would reach Namecheap and Spaceship the following day. Namecheap confirmed availability on October 6, with registration offered on its product page. Despite its “Super Intelligence” marketing, .si remains Slovenia’s country-code top-level domain.⁠[19][20][21]

Namecheap: Official website: https://www.namecheap.com/ (opens in a new window). Public accounts include X: https://x.com/namecheap (opens in a new window); LinkedInLinkedInLinkedIn is a social networking platform for professionals. It was founded in 2002 by Reid Hoffman and others, launched in 2003, and listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 2011; after Microsoft acquired it for approximately $26.2 billion in 2016, it became a wholly owned Microsoft subsidiary. Its revenue comes from membership subscriptions, advertising, and recruitment solutions.Open the full entry: https://www.linkedin.com/company/namecheap-inc (opens in a new window); and YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is Google’s video-sharing and creator platform, founded in 2005 by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim and acquired by Google in 2006. Built around video uploading, viewing, and creator earnings, the platform has developed Shorts, YouTube Music, Premium, YouTube TV, and products for children, and is headquartered in San Bruno, California, United States.Open the full entry: https://www.youtube.com/@namecheap (opens in a new window). These publish service information, company updates, and website-building content.⁠[2][22][23][24]