[Review · Domain Registrars]

Gandi

Once-beloved indie, gutted by 2023 price hikes

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[01] Verdict

Gandi was the textbook "no bullshit" French registrar for two decades — fair prices, includes mailbox per domain, ethical stance. Then in 2023, new owners (Total Webhosting Solutions, a Dutch holding company) announced sweeping price hikes: .com renewal jumped from ~€15 to ~€28 (~$30), free email mailboxes were killed.

The backlash was massive. r/sysadmin and HN threads filled with screenshots of customers transferring out en masse. Gandi never reversed the changes.

The product itself is still technically good: clean UI, real customer support, all the standard registrar features, free WHOIS. But at ~$30/year renewal, you're paying triple Cloudflare for nothing better. The brand equity is now negative for any customer who remembers the old Gandi.

[02]

What works, what doesn't.

8 findings
+ Pros
  • ✓Clean, mature UI and admin
  • ✓Free WHOIS privacy
  • ✓Wide TLD selection including niche ccTLDs
  • ✓Real human support (when you can reach it)
– Cons
  • ✗2023 price hikes nearly tripled renewals
  • ✗Free per-domain email killed
  • ✗Brand trust collapsed post-acquisition
  • ✗Parent (Total Webhosting Solutions) is opaque holding co
[03]

Pricing receipts.

Published rate
Monthly
$1.00/ mo
$2.50 / mo on renewal
Yearly
$30/ yr
intro $12
Renewal is 2.5× the intro price — most reviews bury this number.
[04]

What's being said.

5 mentions · May 17
Community sentiment
mixed
Reddit, Hacker News, Trustpilot. Not used to score the provider — see methodology.
Redditpositive
Domain Registrars That Are Actually Worth Using? : r/webdev - Reddit

"Gandi also supports a bunch of Free/Open Source Software projects, including Debian, the EFF, the Software Freedom Conservancy, and Creative"

Read source
Blogmixed
gandi.net Reviews 2026: Details, Pricing, & Features - G2

"Many appreciate the focus on user privacy with features like WHOIS protection, making it a reliable choice for domain registration. However, some users note"

Read source
Redditnegative
Gandi.net auto renewal : r/Domains - Reddit

"Anyway Gandi is expensive compared to Porkbun or Namesilo. Sometimes I transfer it to Namecheap too when there is transfer promo to save some"

Read source
Redditnegative
Is Gandi's email hosting worth it after the price hike? - Reddit

"It works, but is not worth it. It's a shame they decided to start charging for it, and 4€/month is quite steep. Couple that with their"

Read source
Redditnegative
Has Gandi become the BS company that they started off positioning ...

"My webapp's domain is hosted by Gandi. These guys have increased prices by 60% in the last year alone and my renewal is coming up. I'd rather not pay them $38"

Read source
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[04]

Closest alternatives.

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Cloudflare Registrar9.5
At-cost domains, zero markup, no marketing
Read review →vs Gandi →
Porkbun9.1
Indie registrar with honest pricing
Read review →vs Gandi →
NameSilo8.4
Cheap renewals are the actual feature
Read review →vs Gandi →