Gandi vs Name.com
A detailed comparison to help you choose between Gandi and Name.com.
Quick Verdict
3.2/5
Gandi
0 reviews
3.6/5
Name.com
0 reviews
Name.com is rated higher (3.6 vs 3.2). Free WHOIS privacy and free Anycast DNS (LiveDNS with DNSSEC) on every domain; SSL free for the first year only; the formerly included free mailboxes were withdrawn in 2023 and email is now a paid subscription Owned by Identity Digital (formerly Donuts Inc.) since the 2017 Rightside acquisition; not part of Newfold Digital
Gandi French registrar — no bullshit policy since 1999 | Name.com Domain registrar with website builder bundle | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Rating | 3.2 (0 reviews) | 3.6 (0 reviews)✓ |
| Pricing model | paid | paid |
| Starting price | From $11/mo✓ | From $13.19/mo |
| Best for | EU and privacy-conscious buyers with a handful of names who want a principled, GDPR-native registrar with strong free DNS and are willing to pay above-market renewals | Developers and small platforms registering domains at scale who want a scriptable registrar with bundled privacy and published reseller pricing. |
| Tags | ||
| Tags | eu datacentergdpr compliantapi access | api access |
| Visit Gandi → | Visit Name.com → | |
Gandi
Pros
- + No checkout upsell carousel; transparent per-TLD price list with a public A-E volume discount grid (up to 50% off)
- + Free WHOIS privacy, free Anycast LiveDNS with DNSSEC and automatic DNS backups, unlimited aliases and forwarding with every domain
- + Long, mostly reliable track record: registered 1999, ICANN-accredited (IANA ID 81), GDPR-native French jurisdiction
- + Solid automation: public API across domains, DNS, email and billing, plus bulk portfolio actions
Cons
- - Renewals are among the highest in our comparison: .com renews at $38.38/yr, about 3.5x at-cost
- - Included mailboxes were removed in 2023, including for customers who had prepaid multi-year registrations
- - Volume discounts only start at $600 annual spend; small portfolios pay full price
- - Paid email and post-first-year SSL add-ons cost more than standalone specialists
Name.com
Pros
- + Free Domain Safe on eligible domains: WHOIS privacy, SSL certificate, and security locks included
- + Documented public REST API with pricing endpoints, plus published reseller tiers
- + Long operating history since 2003 with roughly 3.1 million gTLD domains under management
- + Full registrar toolkit: bulk tools, aftermarket, backorders, DNS management, URL forwarding
- + 24/7 live chat support with ticketing and a broad knowledge base
Cons
- - No DNSSEC support on Name.com's own nameservers — DS records only via third-party DNS
- - Renewal outliers: .info renews at $40.19 and .xyz at $21.19 after cheap first years
- - .com renewal of $20.19 is several dollars above near-wholesale registrars
- - Ownership has changed three times in a decade; current parent is a registry operator
- - Hosting and email bundles are standard fare — buy domains here, infrastructure elsewhere
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