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names.co.uk

★★★★★ 2.0 · 61 Reviews

What is names.co.uk?

names.co.uk (formerly known as Namesco) is a leading British internet services provider that offers online solutions for SMEs and individuals. It specialises in domain name registration, web hosting, email hosting, website builders, ecommerce applications and dedicated servers. Recent additions to its product range include an online booking tool, as well as a digital compliance and accessibility solution. It is notable for offering free .co.uk and .uk domains, as well as a UK-based support team. Since 2019 names.co.uk has been the principal UK brand of team.blue, a European group of technology companies that helps entrepreneurs and established businesses achieve their online ambitions. Collectively, the group operates across 22 countries, manages over 5 million domains and has more than 3 million customers. Products and services Domain names: As a British domain registrar, names.co.uk specialises in UK-specific domain extensions, such as .co.uk, .uk and .org.uk. These are often available to register for one year free of charge on their website. It can also register any other type of domain extension, including .com, with many of them being available on multi-year billing terms. Email hosting: names.co.uk offers a number of choices for email hosting, ranging from a single mailbox for a small business, through to multi-user packages for large corporations. All of them offer unlimited email addresses and the ability to view emails either via a mail client or an online Webmail interface. Web hosting: A range of options are available for those looking to host their own website. These include WordPress (both Managed and Unmanaged), WooCommerce and WePanel, as well as options for resellers. Dedicated servers: For larger businesses or more high-end use cases, names.co.,uk also offers dedicated and VPS servers. These are all hosted in the company’s 50,000 square foot datacentre in the heart of the Thames Valley. AI website builder: Aimed primarily at sole traders and small businesses, the company’s website builder software allows the simple creation of a basic website. An AI wizard can automatically choose a suitable pre-created template based on the needs of the user. Automatic generation of written content is also available from a few simple prompts. Online booking: In 2025 names.co.uk partnered with SimplyBook.me, another team.blue brand, to offer their online booking tool. This allows service providers to easily add appointment scheduling functionality to their existing website or social channels. It also comes with a smartphone app that can be used to manage bookings, as well as receive them. Compliance & accessibility: Another recent addition, from fellow team.blue brands Iubenda and AccessiWay, includes a complete digital compliance tool. This can generate various legal policies for website owners. As well as cookie and privacy policies, it also offers an accessibility tool for disabled users, helping business owners meet their responsibilities under the European Accessibility Act.

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names.co.uk Reviews (61)

2.0
★★★★★
61 reviews
  • ★★★★★13
  • ★★★★★2
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  • ★★★★★2
  • ★★★★★42

Review Summary

Generated using AI from real user reviews

Names.co.uk receives overwhelmingly negative reviews, with serious issues around customer service, billing practices, and service reliability dominating complaints.

Users consistently report unresponsive support, with wait times exceeding an hour on phone lines and support tickets going unanswered for days or closing without resolution. Multiple reviewers describe being charged unexpectedly for auto-renewals they disabled, domain renewals on expired cards, and renewal fees that spike dramatically after initial registration. Several users highlight unfair transfer and admin fees (£10–£12 to move domains away), with complaints that these charges are not transparent upfront. Email and hosting outages appear regularly across reviews, with some users reporting service down for 12+ hours, directly costing them business.

A small cluster of five-star reviews praise individual staff members by name—particularly an account manager called Jordan—and note good long-term relationships with the company. These positive reviews stand in stark contrast to the volume of criticism and suggest experience varies sharply depending on who handles an account.

Beyond service failures, reviewers report unclear billing, mysterious charges, confiscation of contact details sold to third parties, and an outdated control panel that makes self-service difficult. The company's acquisition of legacy services (UKServers, Freeparking, Demon email) appears to have introduced fresh complaints about lost functionality and forced migrations. Several users describe the company as deliberately predatory or fraudulent.

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