Those are both excellent choices.
Tip:
Namecheap's
web-hosting.com site is about $1 cheaper. So use that, not
namecheap.com. It's the same company, same hosting. No idea why the hosting-only site is lower priced than the all-in-one site (domains, SSL certs, hosting, etc), but not really something I worry about.
I've not experienced or read about any
Namecheap downtimes, slowness or limits. In fact, Namecheap is very generous with resources when it comes to their shared servers. I've use them for a year now, with zero issues. In fact, Namecheap is only one of two hosts trusted to run this very site. We have servers at
EuroVPS and Namecheap.
Namecheap plans work well for many shared needs, including CMS like WordPress.
Arvixe is an excellent shared host -- especially for WordPress and Windows. This is a host I've used for 2+ years now. The only issue that I've noticed is that the datacenter (and thus the server) sometimes doesn't connect well over the ocean. We've logged many micro-downtimes to Europe over the past year. So Arvixe isn't the best option to host sites that are popular in Europe. Also worth noting: their idea of "WordPress hosting" is just standard shared hosting.
As far as which host has faster/better techs, Arvixe usually wins that contest, but not always. Last month Namecheap won that round. Both hosts have excellent ownership, and an excellent presence online. We currently rank Arvixe better, and that's because it's a slightly better host.
Yes, unlike shady EIG hosts, Arvixe and Namecheap renew at the same price. If you use Arvixe, use the exclusive coupon code
digitalfaq to get 10% off monthly plans, and 20% off annual plans.
What appeals to you more about Namecheap?