Gandi

Gandi used to be the go-to for folks who wanted a solid, no-nonsense domain registrar straight outta France. They had fair prices, a mailbox with every domain, and a good reputation for standing by their principles. But 2023 hit like a wrecking ball when Total Webhosting Solutions took over and jacked up the prices. Renewals for a .com went from around €15 to almost €28, and they axed those free email mailboxes too.

The community backlash was huge. People on r/sysadmin and Hacker News weren't shy about showing their receipts of moving their domains elsewhere. Gandi didn't backtrack on any of the changes, so what you got now is a service that's technically solid but feels overpriced. You still get the clean UI, decent support, and free WHOIS, but at $30 a year for renewals, it ain't the bargain it used to be. Cloudflare's way cheaper for the same basic deal.

For anyone who loved the old Gandi, this ain't it. The brand took a hit, and those who remember the good ol' days might feel like they're getting fleeced under the new management.