Spaceship Review 2026: The Budget Registrar That Actually Delivers

When Namecheap quietly launched Spaceship in 2023, most people dismissed it as another me-too registrar. Two years later, it's managing 5.1+ million domains, ranks among the top 15 registrars globally, and has become the go-to recommendation in Reddit threads and domain investor forums. We've been using it for over a year across 100+ domains. Here's what we actually think.

What Is Spaceship, Really?

Spaceship is a domain registrar built and owned by Namecheap—the world's second-largest registrar with 25+ years in the game. Think of it as Namecheap's attempt to build what they'd create if starting from scratch today: modern interface, aggressive pricing, zero legacy cruft.

The relationship matters for two reasons:

First, your domains are backed by a company managing 26+ million domains total, not some fly-by-night operation. When you transfer a domain to Spaceship, it's sitting on the same infrastructure that powers one of the industry's most established players.

Second, Spaceship can undercut even Namecheap's pricing because they don't have the overhead of maintaining legacy systems, sprawling support teams, or decades of feature bloat. It's lean by design.

The team behind Spaceship includes over 1,000 employees, with significant operations based in Ukraine. Their WHOIS privacy service runs through Iceland—a jurisdiction with strong privacy laws and no data-sharing agreements with major surveillance alliances.

Spaceship Pricing: The Real Numbers

Let's cut through the promotional noise and look at what you'll actually pay:

The key insight: Spaceship's .com renewal at $10.18 is actually below Verisign's wholesale price once you factor in ICANN fees. They're essentially breaking even or losing money on .com renewals to build market share. That's not sustainable forever, but right now it's a genuine deal.

Note: ICANN charges a mandatory $0.20 fee on every domain transaction. Spaceship includes this in their displayed prices—some registrars don't, which makes comparison shopping annoying.

5-Year Total Cost Calculator

First-year promos are meaningless if renewals crush you. Here's what a .com actually costs over 5 years:

Features Deep Dive

Free WHOIS Privacy (Actually Free)

Every eligible domain gets free WHOIS privacy through Withheld for Privacy, based in Iceland. This isn't a first-year-free bait—it's free forever. GoDaddy charges $9.99/year for equivalent protection. Over a 10-domain portfolio, that's $100/year you're not paying.

Spacemail: Business Email Under $1/Month

Spaceship offers professional email hosting starting at incredibly low rates. The Pro plan gives you a 5GB mailbox with 10 aliases. If you're paying $6/month for Google Workspace just to have a professional email address, this is worth considering.

Transfer a domain to Spaceship and you get one year of Spacemail Pro free. That's a genuine value-add, not a gimmick.

SellerHub for Domain Investors

Spaceship integrates with Sedo's MLS (Multiple Listing Service), meaning you can list domains for sale across Sedo's marketplace directly from your Spaceship dashboard. They also support "Fast Transfer" for instant domain push between Spaceship accounts—critical for domain investors who need to close deals quickly.

Security Features

Two-factor authentication, passkeys, and registrar-lock controls are all available. Nothing groundbreaking, but the basics are covered properly. The Iceland-based WHOIS privacy is a nice touch for the privacy-conscious.

Pros and Cons

Who Should Use Spaceship?

Spaceship is ideal for:

• Budget-conscious users who want the lowest possible long-term costs
• Domain investors managing portfolios (Sedo integration, fast push)
• People fleeing GoDaddy's renewal pricing
• Anyone who values simplicity over feature overload
• Privacy-focused users (Iceland WHOIS)

Spaceship might not be right for:

• Users who need phone support
• Enterprises requiring SLAs and dedicated account managers
• Those who want advanced DNS features (DNSSEC, complex routing)
• People uncomfortable with newer companies

Final Verdict: 8.7/10

Spaceship delivers exactly what it promises: genuinely low pricing backed by serious infrastructure. The free WHOIS privacy alone makes it worth considering—that's $10/year per domain you're saving versus GoDaddy.

The Namecheap backing provides peace of mind that this isn't some fly-by-night operation that'll disappear with your domains. And the clean interface is refreshing after dealing with the upsell gauntlets at larger registrars.

If you're managing a domain portfolio or just want the best value without sacrificing reliability, Spaceship deserves serious consideration. The lack of phone support and limited TLD selection are real drawbacks, but for most users, the price savings more than compensate.