Gandi vs GoDaddy
No upselling, no dark patterns — just straightforward domain registration with free WHOIS privacy, DNS and email forwarding. Gandi's motto since 2000: 'No Bullshit.' A French registrar that treats customers with respect.
Why Switch from GoDaddy to Gandi?
GoDaddy is the world’s largest domain registrar, but its business model is built on aggressive upselling and deceptive pricing. The checkout process is an obstacle course of add-ons — WHOIS privacy, email hosting, SSL certificates, website builders, and security services are pushed at every step. First-year promotional prices look attractive until renewal, when costs often triple. WHOIS privacy, which protects your personal data from public exposure, is a paid add-on at GoDaddy but should be a basic right.
Gandi, registered in 1999 and launched in Paris in March 2000, operates under the motto “No Bullshit.” This is a business philosophy, not just marketing. Gandi includes WHOIS privacy for free with every domain, along with DNS and email forwarding, and does not push add-ons at checkout. Note that mailboxes became a paid add-on in 2023 and renewals cost more than the first year. Since February 2023 Gandi has been owned by the Dutch group Total Webhosting Solutions (now Your.Online), so it remains European-owned. As a French company, Gandi operates under EU data protection law and does not engage in the data-harvesting practices common among US registrars.
For anyone who has been burned by GoDaddy’s surprise renewal pricing, aggressive upsells, or difficult cancellation processes, Gandi is a straightforward alternative that respects both your wallet and your data.
GoDaddy has also faced multiple security breaches, including a 2021 incident affecting 1.2 million WordPress customers and a 2023 breach involving source code theft. Gandi’s smaller, more focused infrastructure and European regulatory oversight provide a more secure and transparent operating environment.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Gandi | GoDaddy |
|---|---|---|
| WHOIS privacy | ✅ Free with every domain | ❌ Paid add-on (~€9.99/year) |
| ⚠️ Forwarding/aliases free; mailboxes from €4.99/month | ❌ Paid add-on | |
| SSL certificate | ✅ Free with hosting plans | ⚠️ Basic free, advanced paid |
| Renewal pricing | ⚠️ .com €11.00 first year → €31.98/year | ❌ Heavy promo-to-renewal increase |
| DNS management | ✅ LiveDNS with API | ✅ Standard DNS |
| REST API | ✅ Comprehensive v5 API | ✅ API available |
| Terraform provider | ✅ Official Terraform provider | ⚠️ Community provider |
| Website builder | ⚠️ Basic hosting only | ✅ Full website builder |
| Upselling / dark patterns | ✅ None | ❌ Aggressive throughout |
| Data location | France / EU 🇪🇺 | United States 🇺🇸 |
| GDPR compliant | ✅ Full (French entity) | ⚠️ Partial (US entity) |
Pricing
Gandi’s prices as of October 2026 (excl. VAT, gandi.net):
- Gandi .com domain: €11.00 first year, renews at €31.98/year (€28.78/year for multi-year renewals) — includes WHOIS privacy, DNS and email forwarding
- Gandi .eu domain: €3.99 first year (promotion; regular €13.29), renews at €30.00/year — same inclusions
- Gandi mailboxes: from €4.99/month (Standard, 10 GB)
- Gandi web hosting: from €2.00/month (Essential plan) — PHP, Node.js, Python with free SSL
- GoDaddy .com domain: From €2.17/year (first year promo) — renews at €19.17/year
- GoDaddy WHOIS privacy: €9.99/year extra
- GoDaddy Professional Email: From €2.39/month extra
Since Gandi’s 2023 price changes, it is no longer automatically cheaper than GoDaddy over several years: its renewals are well above the first-year price and mailboxes are paid. Gandi’s case rests on free WHOIS privacy, a checkout without upselling, and EU jurisdiction — compare renewal prices for your own TLDs.
Who Should Switch?
Gandi is ideal for:
- Developers and agencies who manage multiple domains and appreciate a clean API and Terraform integration
- Privacy-conscious individuals who want WHOIS protection included without paying extra
- EU businesses that need GDPR-compliant domain registration and hosting
- Anyone frustrated with GoDaddy’s upselling, surprise renewal prices, and dark patterns
- Professionals who want a checkout without upselling and clearly listed renewal prices
The European Advantage
Gandi’s position as a French-headquartered, ICANN-accredited domain registrar provides structural privacy and compliance advantages that US registrars cannot match. Your domain registration data, DNS records, and email are processed and stored within the EU under French data protection law and GDPR.
GoDaddy processes data on US servers under US jurisdiction, which means your personal registration information and domain management data are subject to the CLOUD Act and other US legal instruments. WHOIS privacy at GoDaddy is a paid add-on that merely hides your data from public lookup — it does not change the jurisdictional reality of where your data is processed and stored.
Gandi has deep roots in the European internet community, having been involved in internet governance discussions and digital rights advocacy since its founding. The company supports organizations like La Quadrature du Net, a French digital rights advocacy group, and has consistently championed transparent, ethical domain services. Choosing Gandi means supporting a European registrar that has fought for your rights online since before GDPR existed.
Looking for more European domain registrars? See also: EuroDNS vs GoDaddy and Infomaniak vs GoDaddy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will I lose my domain if I transfer from GoDaddy to Gandi?
No. A domain transfer moves your registration from one registrar to another without any downtime. Your domain, DNS settings, and website continue working throughout the transfer. Gandi provides clear instructions, and the process typically takes 5-7 days to complete.
How do Gandi's and GoDaddy's prices compare over time?
GoDaddy uses loss-leader promotional pricing to attract new customers, then charges much higher renewal rates. Gandi also renews above its first-year price: a .com costs €11.00 the first year and €31.98/year at renewal (€28.78/year for multi-year renewals), excl. VAT, as of October 2026. Gandi still includes WHOIS privacy, DNS and email forwarding at no charge, but mailboxes are now paid — so compare the renewal prices for your TLDs before assuming either is cheaper.
Does Gandi support all domain extensions?
Gandi supports over 750 domain extensions, covering all major TLDs including .com, .net, .org, .eu, country codes, and hundreds of new gTLDs. While GoDaddy may offer a few more niche extensions, Gandi's selection covers virtually all practical needs.
Can I use Gandi just for domains and host elsewhere?
Absolutely. Gandi's DNS management is excellent, with a full-featured LiveDNS service. You can point your Gandi domain to any hosting provider — AWS, Netlify, Vercel, Hetzner, or any other host — while benefiting from Gandi's free WHOIS privacy and email forwarding.
Is Gandi's email still included with domains?
Not any more. Gandi ended its free mailboxes (GandiMail) in 2023, after its takeover by Total Webhosting Solutions. Email forwarding and aliases are still included with the domain, but mailboxes are paid: Standard €4.99/month (10 GB), Premium €7.99/month (50 GB) or Business €9.99/month (100 GB), as of October 2026.
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