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Quick Answer
A Namecheap .co.uk domain costs £5.20 for the first year. Renewal is £7.43 per year. There is no charge for privacy on .co.uk (it is not available for UK ccTLDs by registry rules), and transfers in are completely free.
Register Your .co.uk at Namecheap →
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Namecheap .co.uk Price Table — UK Domain Extensions (May 2026)
Prices verified directly on namecheap.com on 31 May 2026. All prices in GBP.
| Extension | First Year | Renewal | Transfer In | Privacy | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| .co.uk | £5.20 | £7.43 | FREE | Not available | Most popular UK extension |
| .uk | £5.20 | £7.43 | FREE | Not available | Shorter alternative to .co.uk |
| .org.uk | ~£5.57 | ~£7.43 | FREE | Not available | For UK non-profits and organisations |
| .me.uk | ~£5.57 | ~£7.43 | FREE | Not available | Personal UK domain |
| .com | £8.40 | £13.76 | £8.55 | FREE | Global reach |
| .eu | £5.20 | £8.18 | N/A | Not available | Post-Brexit availability varies |
Note: WHOIS privacy protection is not available for .co.uk, .uk, or any UK ccTLD. This is a Nominet (the .uk registry) requirement, not a Namecheap limitation — all UK registrars are subject to the same rule.
The .co.uk Renewal Trap — Less Severe Than .com, But Still Real
The .co.uk renewal price (£7.43) is 43% higher than the first-year registration price (£5.20). This is a smaller gap than the .com extension — where renewal is 64% higher — but it is still worth knowing about before you register.
I have managed several client .co.uk domains since 2016, and the consistent pattern is that people set up auto-renew and forget about the price difference. For a single .co.uk domain the cost is modest (less than £8/year), but clients running portfolios of 10–20 UK domains suddenly find their annual renewal bill is significantly higher than they budgeted based on the registration prices they remember paying.
For budget planning: assume £7.43/year for every .co.uk domain you own beyond year one.
Namecheap .co.uk vs UK Competitors (May 2026)
| Registrar | .co.uk First Year | .co.uk Renewal | Free Privacy | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Namecheap | £5.20 | £7.43 | N/A (ccTLD) | Competitive. Simple interface. No upsells. |
| 123-Reg | £4.99 | £9.99 | N/A | Cheaper entry, but renewal nearly £3 more |
| IONOS | £1.00 (1st yr) | £12.00 | N/A | Cheap entry, expensive renewal. Watch out. |
| Fasthosts | £5.99 | £9.99 | N/A | More expensive entry and renewal |
| GoDaddy | £1.80 (promo) | £12.99+ | N/A | Low entry, very high renewal. Not recommended for .co.uk |
| Krystal.uk | £5.99 | £5.99 | N/A | Flat pricing — transparent and fair |
Honest verdict: Namecheap is good value for .co.uk, particularly when you consider that their renewal price (£7.43) is significantly lower than 123-Reg (£9.99), IONOS (£12.00) and GoDaddy (£12.99+). IONOS looks attractive at £1 first year, but the £12 renewal makes it one of the most expensive options long-term. For multi-year value, Namecheap is a better choice than the UK high-street registrars.
One thing Namecheap does better than the UK-native registrars: the control panel is cleaner and the DNS management is more straightforward. I have used 123-Reg’s dashboard and found it genuinely confusing for DNS changes. Namecheap’s equivalent is notably more intuitive.
Why Can’t I Get Privacy Protection on My .co.uk?
This is one of the most common questions I get from UK clients registering their first domain. The short answer: WHOIS privacy is not available for any UK ccTLD (.co.uk, .uk, .org.uk, .me.uk). This is a rule set by Nominet, the registry that manages all .uk domains, not a decision Namecheap has made.
What this means practically: your registrant contact details (name, organisation) are visible in WHOIS lookups. Email address is partially redacted by Nominet’s standard rules. For most individuals and small businesses, the privacy implications are minimal — but it is worth knowing before you register.
If privacy matters to you, consider registering the .com version of your domain name alongside the .co.uk, and pointing both to the same site. The .com will include free WhoisGuard privacy at Namecheap.
Should You Register .co.uk, .uk, or Both?
Since June 2019, .uk has been available to all UK registrants. Previously it was reserved for existing .co.uk holders. Now you can choose between .co.uk and .uk independently.
My recommendation for UK businesses: register both if you can, and redirect the .uk to the .co.uk (or vice versa). At £5.20 each, securing both extensions costs £10.40 in year one and about £14.86 in subsequent years — cheap insurance against a competitor or squatter grabbing the alternate version.
If you can only afford one: choose .co.uk. It remains the dominant UK extension for business credibility. UK consumers and search engines both recognise it as the established UK business domain. The .uk is still relatively new and less trusted by instinct.
Is a Free .co.uk Transfer Really Free?
Yes — transferring a .co.uk to Namecheap has a £0 transfer fee. This is unusual. Most gTLD (.com, .net) transfers cost a year’s renewal. For .co.uk, Namecheap follows the Nominet transfer model which does not charge a fee.
The practical implication: if you are unhappy with your current .co.uk registrar (say, you are on 123-Reg and facing a £9.99 renewal), you can transfer to Namecheap for free and pay £7.43 at next renewal instead. The transfer does not extend the expiry date in the same way as .com transfers, so check your current expiry before initiating.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a .co.uk domain cost at Namecheap?
As of May 2026, a .co.uk domain at Namecheap costs £5.20 for the first year and £7.43 per year to renew. There are no additional fees for privacy protection (it is not available for .co.uk by registry rules). Transfers in are free.
Is Namecheap good for UK domains?
Yes. Namecheap is a solid choice for .co.uk registration — their renewal price (£7.43) is lower than most UK-based registrars including 123-Reg and Fasthosts. The control panel is cleaner than competitors. The main trade-off: no 24/7 phone support, only live chat and tickets. For straightforward domain management, this has not been an issue in my experience.
Can I transfer my .co.uk away from Namecheap if I want to leave?
Yes. Transferring a .co.uk away from Namecheap follows the standard Nominet IPS tag change process. You get the new registrar’s IPS tag from them, then change the IPS tag in your Namecheap account. The transfer is usually complete within hours. There is no outbound transfer fee from Namecheap.
Does Namecheap support .uk as well as .co.uk?
Yes, Namecheap registers .uk domains at the same price as .co.uk (£5.20 first year, £7.43 renewal). Both extensions are managed in the same control panel. You can register both from a single order and manage DNS settings for both in one place.
What is the difference between .co.uk and .uk?
.co.uk has been the standard UK commercial domain since the 1990s. .uk is a newer, shorter alternative available since 2014. They are functionally equivalent — both signal a UK-based business. .co.uk remains more recognised and trusted by UK consumers. If registering a new brand, .co.uk is the safer choice for credibility.
Register Your .co.uk Today
Get Your .co.uk at Namecheap — From £5.20 →
Affiliate link — see our disclosure policy. Price correct as of 31 May 2026 — check namecheap.com for current pricing.
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Last updated: May 2026 | Written by Alex Morgan, UK web developer managing client domains since 2016. Prices verified directly on namecheap.com on 31 May 2026.