Disclosure: This page contains affiliate links. We may earn a commission if you purchase through our links at no extra cost to you. Read our full disclosure.
By Alex Morgan | Last Updated: May 2026
Alex has been building and managing WordPress sites for UK businesses since 2018, testing hosting providers across 40+ client projects.
Key Takeaway: Namecheap WhoisGuard is free for life on eligible domains. It replaces your personal name, address, and phone number in public WHOIS lookups with Namecheap’s contact details. GoDaddy charges £7.99/year for the same service. Activating WhoisGuard takes 30 seconds.
What Is WhoisGuard?
When you register a domain, your name, address, phone number, and email address are added to the public WHOIS database — a searchable record of who owns every domain on the internet. WHOIS lookups are public. Anyone can enter your domain into a WHOIS tool and see your personal contact details.
WhoisGuard (also called domain privacy or WHOIS protection) replaces your personal details in the WHOIS database with the privacy service contact details — in Namecheap case, a Namecheap proxy address. Legitimate contact requests are forwarded. Spam and marketing are filtered. Your home address does not appear in a public database.
How Much Does WhoisGuard Cost at Namecheap?
Nothing. WhoisGuard is free at Namecheap — for the lifetime of the domain registration. There is no annual fee, no renewal charge, and no paid tier required. It is included with every eligible domain registration and renewal.
Compare this to competitors:
| Registrar | Domain privacy cost | Annual cost on .com |
| Namecheap | Free (WhoisGuard) | £0 |
| GoDaddy | Paid add-on | £7.99/year |
| 123-Reg | Paid add-on | £4.99/year |
| Fasthosts | Paid add-on | £2.99/year |
| Google Domains (Squarespace) | Free | £0 |
| Cloudflare Registrar | Free | £0 |
Over a 10-year domain registration at GoDaddy with privacy, you pay £79.90 just in privacy fees — before the domain itself. At Namecheap, that same 10 years of privacy costs nothing.
Get Namecheap — Free WhoisGuard Included →
Which Domains Include Free WhoisGuard?
WhoisGuard is included free on the most common TLDs: .com, .net, .org, .co, .info, .biz, .me, and many others. Some country-code TLDs (ccTLDs) such as .uk, .co.uk, .io, and .eu may not include WhoisGuard, either because the registry does not permit third-party WHOIS privacy for that extension, or because GDPR regulations in the UK and EU already suppress personal data from WHOIS by default.
Important note on UK domains: For .uk and .co.uk domains, ICANN and Nominet (the UK domain registry) already apply data protection rules that limit public WHOIS data. Your personal details are partially protected by default without needing WhoisGuard.
How to Activate WhoisGuard on Namecheap
- Log into your Namecheap account
- Go to Domain List
- Click Manage next to your domain
- In the Domain tab, find the WhoisGuard section
- Toggle WhoisGuard to Enabled
- Click Save Changes
WhoisGuard takes effect within a few hours as WHOIS databases update. Once enabled, WHOIS lookups for your domain show Namecheap privacy proxy details rather than your personal information.
What WhoisGuard Does and Does Not Protect
| Protected by WhoisGuard | Not protected by WhoisGuard |
| Your name in WHOIS | Your domain registrar (still shows Namecheap) |
| Your home or business address | Your domain name itself (still searchable) |
| Your phone number | Historical WHOIS records (archive sites) |
| Your email address in WHOIS | SSL certificate transparency logs |
| Spam to WHOIS email | Legal requests via court order |
Will WhoisGuard Affect My Domain or Website?
No. WhoisGuard is a WHOIS database-level service only. It does not affect your DNS records, your website, your email, or anything that runs on your domain. Enabling or disabling WhoisGuard has no effect on how your domain functions technically.
Legitimate legal requests — for example, from law enforcement or trademark holders via proper legal process — can still result in Namecheap disclosing your actual details, as Namecheap is legally required to cooperate with valid legal orders. WhoisGuard protects your privacy from the public and from spam — it does not make you anonymous in a legal context.
For more domain guidance, see our complete Namecheap domain guide, our guide to transferring a domain to Namecheap, and our full Namecheap review. Also check our Namecheap promo codes before registering.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Namecheap WhoisGuard really free?
Yes. WhoisGuard is included free for the lifetime of your domain registration at Namecheap on eligible TLDs. There is no annual fee, no subscription, and no paid tier required.
Does WhoisGuard work on .co.uk domains?
WhoisGuard availability on .co.uk and .uk domains varies. UK domain registries and GDPR regulations already limit public WHOIS data for UK residents, providing partial protection by default. Check your specific domain in Namecheap account to confirm WhoisGuard availability.
Will enabling WhoisGuard break my website or email?
No. WhoisGuard only changes what appears in the public WHOIS database. It has no effect on DNS records, website functionality, or email delivery.
Can WhoisGuard be bypassed by spam marketers?
WhoisGuard significantly reduces spam by hiding your email address from public WHOIS. Domain marketers and spammers who harvest WHOIS data will reach the Namecheap proxy address rather than your real email. Legitimate contact is still forwarded to you.
How does GoDaddy privacy compare to Namecheap WhoisGuard?
Both services offer equivalent functionality — replacing your WHOIS details with proxy contact information. The difference is cost: GoDaddy charges £7.99/year for this service. Namecheap includes it free. There is no technical reason to pay for domain privacy when Namecheap provides it at no cost.
Ready to Get Started with Namecheap?
Start with Namecheap Today →
No contract. Cancel anytime. Free WhoisGuard on eligible domains.
