# Withheld for Privacy alternative > Withheld for Privacy alternative: Namecheap's free Icelandic mask vs a Panamanian registrant of record, .com $12.99. Checked 19 Oct 2026. No KYC. - URL: https://nomineename.com/alternatives/namecheap/ - Last updated: 2026-10-19 - Publisher: NomineeName (https://nomineename.com) Withheld for Privacy ehf is the Icelandic name Namecheap shows in WHOIS. It is free, and it hides you from the public. Your details still sit at Namecheap. This page compares that set-up with a domain held in our company's name. **Quick answer — What is an alternative to Namecheap's Withheld for Privacy?** A Withheld for Privacy alternative changes who holds the domain, not just what WHOIS shows. With Namecheap, Withheld for Privacy ehf (Iceland) masks you while Namecheap keeps your details. With **NomineeName**, DomaineGoat LLC is the registrant of record and keeps one email. A .com is $12.99 to register and renew, as of 19 October 2026. ## Facts at a glance, 19 October 2026 | Attribute | Value | | --- | --- | | Withheld for Privacy ehf | Namecheap's privacy service, Kalkofnsvegur 2, Reykjavik, Iceland | | Since | 17 March 2021, when it replaced WhoisGuard, Inc., per Namecheap's blog | | Who keeps your details | Namecheap: Withheld for Privacy does not receive them, per Namecheap's blog | | Price of the privacy | Free at Namecheap | | Namecheap .com | $6.48 first year with the new-customer code NEWCOM648, then $18.48 to renew, or $14.78 with the code COUPONFCNC (domainoffer.net, 19 October 2026) | | NomineeName .com | $12.99/year to register and renew, registration in our name included | ## Namecheap + Withheld for Privacy vs NomineeName Facts as of October 2026, from each provider's pages or the sources at the bottom. A dash means nothing was found in the sources we read. | | Namecheap + Withheld for Privacy | NomineeName | | --- | --- | --- | | Name in public WHOIS / RDAP | Withheld for Privacy ehf | DomaineGoat LLC | | Legal holder | You | DomaineGoat LLC; you are the beneficial owner | | Your details kept by | Namecheap | One verified email, kept by NomineeName | | Details sent to the registry | Depends on the extension | The company's, never yours | | ID check | Terms allow a government ID and a selfie (Veriff) in a dispute or abuse case | None: no ID, no KYC | | Crypto | BTC via BTCPay or BitPay, as a balance top-up; BitPay asks for ID above $3,000 | BTC, USDT, USDC, ETH, SOL, LTC | | .com first year | $6.48 (new-customer code NEWCOM648) | $12.99 | | .com renewal | $18.48 ($14.78 with code COUPONFCNC) | $12.99 | | .xyz first year / renewal | $2.20 / $21.68 | $13.99 / $13.99 | | .io first year / renewal | $32.18 / $60.98 | $54.99 / $54.99 | | Published disclosure rule | Not published on the page we read | Only when Panamanian law requires it (a Panamanian court or prosecutor's order), or in a UDRP case | *Facts checked on October 19, 2026; each competitor price carries its own date.* Namecheap prices from domainoffer.net: .com read on 19 October 2026, before the $0.20 ICANN fee added at checkout; .xyz and .io read on 8 October 2026, fee included. The .com first-year price needs a code for new customers. NomineeName charges the same to register, renew and transfer. ## What is Withheld for Privacy ehf? Withheld for Privacy ehf is the Icelandic company whose name Namecheap puts in WHOIS and RDAP for its privacy customers. It sits at Kalkofnsvegur 2 in Reykjavik. Namecheap moved to it on 17 March 2021, per its blog. Before that, the name in Namecheap records was WhoisGuard, Inc., per the same blog. Namecheap says Withheld for Privacy does not receive customer data. Your name, address and phone stay at Namecheap. So the Icelandic address tells you little about where your details are. See all such names in our [registrant-of-record index](https://nomineename.com/registrant-of-record-index/). ## Why look beyond Namecheap's free privacy? Because a mask and a holder answer different risks. - **Your details are on file.** Namecheap keeps them. Its terms allow it to ask for a government ID and a selfie through Veriff in a dispute or abuse case. - **The registry may get them.** On .de, .uk or .nl, the registry asks for a holder's name and postal address. With a mask, those are yours. - **No published release rule.** The Namecheap page we read does not say when data is released. NomineeName is a nominee domain registration service from Panama: every domain is registered in the name of DomaineGoat LLC by default, so the registration record and WHOIS show the company, never you — no ID, no KYC, paid in crypto. ## Where does Namecheap do better? Often, if price is what counts. Namecheap's first .com year is $6.48 with a new-customer code (19 October 2026), and its .xyz starts at $2.20 (8 October 2026). Its privacy costs nothing. If you only want the public WHOIS page clean, and you are fine being the legal holder, Namecheap does the job for less. NomineeName costs less from the second year on a .com: $12.99 against $18.48 ($14.78 with a renewal code). Our price stays the same every year, so there is no jump at renewal. ## How do I move a domain from Namecheap? Turn off the domain lock at Namecheap and request the transfer (EPP) code. Top up your NomineeName balance in crypto. Send the exact amount on the exact network; it is matched by its exact amount and credited once the network confirms it. Start the transfer from your account. When it completes, the registry shows DomaineGoat LLC as holder. Full steps: [move a domain into our name](https://nomineename.com/guides/move-a-domain-into-our-name/). ## Withheld for Privacy alternative: FAQ ### What is Withheld for Privacy ehf? It is Namecheap's privacy service, an Icelandic company at Kalkofnsvegur 2, Reykjavik. Since 17 March 2021 its name replaces the holder's details in WHOIS for Namecheap privacy customers. Namecheap says it does not receive customer data, which stays at Namecheap. Seeing it means the domain is at Namecheap with privacy on. ### Is Withheld for Privacy the same as WhoisGuard? It replaced it. WhoisGuard, Inc. was the privacy service that Namecheap used before. Namecheap switched to Withheld for Privacy ehf, in Iceland, on 17 March 2021, per its own blog. Older records and archives may still show the WhoisGuard name. ### Is NomineeName more expensive than Namecheap? In the first year of a .com, yes: Namecheap's $6.48 needs a new-customer code, and ours is $12.99. At renewal, Namecheap lists $18.48 ($14.78 with a renewal code) and NomineeName $12.99, as of 19 October 2026. The NomineeName price includes registration in the company's name, which Namecheap does not offer. ### Can I pay NomineeName in Bitcoin like at Namecheap? Yes. NomineeName accepts BTC, USDT, USDC, ETH, SOL, LTC, from a prepaid balance with a minimum top-up of $25. Namecheap also takes Bitcoin as a balance top-up, through BTCPay or BitPay; BitPay asks for ID above $3,000. See [pay with crypto](https://nomineename.com/pay-with-crypto/) for our networks and confirmations. ### Does NomineeName ask for an ID like Namecheap can? No. No ID, no KYC — only a verified email, kept private. We do not ask for an ID document, a selfie or an ID number. ICANN rules require a working contact, so we verify one email per domain. It is never published and never sent to the registry. ### Who owns the domain at NomineeName? DomaineGoat LLC is the registrant of record; you are the beneficial owner under a written agreement in our [terms](https://nomineename.com/legal/terms/). You control DNS, nameservers, renewals and transfers. Putting the domain in your own name is free, on request to support from your verified email address. This works where the registry accepts you as holder. See [beneficial ownership](https://nomineename.com/beneficial-ownership/). ## Sources 1. [Domain privacy is changing at Namecheap](https://www.namecheap.com/blog/domain-privacy-is-changing-at-namecheap/) — Namecheap (checked 2026-10-19) 2. [WHOIS records showing Withheld for Privacy ehf (secondary)](https://www.whoxy.com/valleyguardonline.com) — Whoxy (checked 2026-10-19) 3. [Identity and payment verification (Veriff)](https://namecheap.com/support/knowledgebase/article.aspx/10520/45/identity-and-payment-verification) — Namecheap (checked 2026-10-08) 4. [Bitcoin payments (BTCPay and BitPay)](https://www.namecheap.com/support/payment/bitcoin/) — Namecheap (checked 2026-10-08) 5. [.com prices by registrar](https://domainoffer.net/tld/com) — domainoffer.net (prices read 8 and 19 October 2026) **Same price every year, in our company's name** A .com is $12.99/year to register and renew, registration in our name included. Crypto only, from $25. No ID, no KYC. [Search a domain](https://nomineename.com/app/domains/?lang=en) · [Price list](https://nomineename.com/pricing/) --- NomineeName: NomineeName is a nominee domain registration service from Panama: every domain is registered in the name of DomaineGoat LLC by default, so the registration record and WHOIS show the company, never you — no ID, no KYC, paid in crypto.