Gandi vs Namecheap
A detailed comparison to help you choose between Gandi and Namecheap.
Quick Verdict
3.2/5
Gandi
0 reviews
3.8/5
Namecheap
0 reviews
Namecheap is rated higher (3.8 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DNS (LiveDNS with DNSSEC) on every domain; SSL free for the first year only; the formerly included free mailboxes were withdrawn in 2023 and email is now a paid subscription About 23M gTLD domains under management (IANA #1068, October 2026)
Gandi French registrar — no bullshit policy since 1999 | Namecheap Affordable domains with free WhoisGuard privacy | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Rating | 3.2 (0 reviews) | 3.8 (0 reviews)✓ |
| Pricing model | paid | paid |
| Starting price | From $11/mo✓ | From $11.18/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 | Small businesses, freelancers, and developers wanting a mainstream registrar with privacy bundled, decent support, and room to add hosting or email later from one account. |
| Tags | ||
| Tags | eu datacentergdpr compliantapi access | api accessbrowser extension |
| Visit Gandi → | Visit Namecheap → | |
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
Namecheap
Pros
- + Free WhoisGuard privacy for life on every eligible registration, renewal, and transfer
- + Large, stable registrar: ~23M gTLD domains under management, operating since 2000
- + Free DNS with Dynamic DNS (FreeDNS), DNSSEC controls for supported TLDs, 100 email forwards per domain
- + Good developer tooling: API plus official Terraform provider, bulk search/transfer/update
- + No fee to leave — just release the registrar lock and request the auth code, and strong public record on registrant rights
Cons
- - .com renewal of $18.68 and a $70.00 restore fee put long-term cost above at-cost registrars
- - Steep new-gTLD renewal cliffs (.design $69.18, .live $47.68) behind cheap first years
- - Checkout upsells and a dashboard that has grown dense over the years
- - API access gated behind 20 domains or $50 of balance/spend
- - Majority owned by CVC Capital Partners since September 2025 — the independent era is over
Stay in the loop
Get weekly updates on the best new hosting and infrastructure providers, deals, and comparisons.
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.