Gandi vs NameSilo
A detailed comparison to help you choose between Gandi and NameSilo.
Quick Verdict
3.2/5
Gandi
0 reviews
3.6/5
NameSilo
0 reviews
NameSilo 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DNS (LiveDNS with DNSSEC) on every domain; SSL free for the first year only; the formerly included free mailboxes were withdrawn in 2023 and email is now a paid subscription Budget-friendly domain registrar offering .com, .net, .org and 500+ TLDs. Includes free WHOIS privacy, DNS management, and basic email forwarding for all domains.
Gandi French registrar — no bullshit policy since 1999 | NameSilo Affordable domain registration with competitive renewal rates | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Rating | 3.2 (0 reviews) | 3.6 (0 reviews)✓ |
| Pricing model | paid | paid |
| Starting price | From $11/mo✓ | From $17.29/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 | Portfolio managers, domainers, and developers holding many domains who want flat, item-free billing, free privacy on everything, and an API for automation. |
| Tags | ||
| Tags | eu datacentergdpr compliantapi access | api access |
| Visit Gandi → | Visit NameSilo → | |
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
NameSilo
Pros
- + Flat registration-equals-renewal pricing on core extensions (.com $17.29 both ways)
- + Free WHOIS privacy for the life of every eligible domain, plus free DNS, email forwarding, and Domain Defender
- + No hidden fees: no privacy renewal charges, no charge for auth codes, transparent pricing page with regular prices marked
- + Free documented API and strong bulk tools for portfolio automation
- + Discount Program and volume tiers lower per-domain cost for large holdings
Cons
- - Ticket-based support only — no phone line and historically no live chat
- - Retail .com at $17.29 is above at-cost and several mid-market registrars
- - New-gTLD renewal cliffs apply here too (.shop $38.99, .store $58.99 after cheap first years)
- - Interface is dated and denser than newer competitors
- - Side products (hosting, SSL, email) are not reasons to choose this registrar
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