Namecheap vs Porkbun
They are level on Privacy. Namecheap has the higher Safety grade, 6.1 against 5.1.
Namecheap
Large US registrar that takes Bitcoin top-ups, but its terms let it demand government ID
Privacy
1.5/ 10
Poor
Safety
6.1/ 10
Fair
ID on risk flag KYC 3 Docs reviewed Full review →
Porkbun
US registrar with free WHOIS privacy that takes USDC through Coinbase, but may ask for government ID
Privacy
1.5/ 10
Poor
Safety
5.1/ 10
Caution
ID on risk flag KYC 3 Docs reviewed Full review →
Side by side
| Namecheap | Porkbun | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Domains | Domains |
| KYC policy | ID on risk flag | ID on risk flag |
| Custody | N/A | N/A |
| Sign-up | Email required | Email required |
| Open source | No | No |
| Tor onion address | No | No |
| Coins | BTC, BCH, ETH | USDC |
| Pay with | Crypto, Card, PayPal | Crypto, Card, PayPal, Bank transfer |
| Fees | Not published | No extra fee for crypto payments, per its crypto page |
| Limits | Crypto account deposits from $1 to $100,000; BitPay requires ID at $3,000 or more | Not published |
| Founded | 2000 | Not published |
| Jurisdiction | United States | United States |
| Not available in | Iran, Cuba, North Korea, and the Crimea, Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions (sanctions) | Not published |
| Incidents on record | 0 | 0 |
| Published tests (180 days) | 0 | 0 |
Only Namecheap
5+ years operating
Both
Legal entity disclosedRequires emailRequires phone numberMay request IDRuns an affiliate programme
Only Porkbun
Nothing distinct
Where they sit among domains
Questions
Is Namecheap or Porkbun safer?
Namecheap has the higher Safety grade: Namecheap 6.1, Porkbun 5.1, out of 10.
Does Namecheap or Porkbun require KYC?
Namecheap is KYC level 3 (ID on risk flag). Porkbun is KYC level 3 (ID on risk flag).
Which has more incidents on record?
Namecheap has 0 and Porkbun has 0 documented incidents in the registry.