Gandi vs Porkbun
A detailed comparison to help you choose between Gandi and Porkbun.
Quick Verdict
3.2/5
Gandi
0 reviews
4.5/5
Porkbun
0 reviews
Porkbun is rated higher (4.5 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DNS (LiveDNS with DNSSEC) on every domain; SSL free for the first year only; the formerly included free mailboxes were withdrawn in 2023 and email is now a paid subscription Porkbun is a budget-friendly registrar known for low prices on many TLDs, free WHOIS privacy, free SSL certificates, and a clean modern interface. Popular with developers for its API.
Gandi French registrar — no bullshit policy since 1999 | Porkbun Low-cost domains with free privacy and SSL | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Rating | 3.2 (0 reviews) | 4.5 (0 reviews)✓ |
| Pricing model | paid | paid |
| Starting price | From $11/mo✓ | From $11.08/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 | Budget-conscious developers and small businesses holding domains long-term who want the lowest honest renewal prices with free privacy and SSL |
| Tags | ||
| Tags | eu datacentergdpr compliantapi access | api access |
| Visit Gandi → | Visit Porkbun → | |
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
Porkbun
Pros
- + Flat .com pricing — $11.08 to register, renew, and transfer, ICANN fee included
- + Published wholesale cost breakdown is rare transparency in this market
- + Free WHOIS privacy, wildcard SSL, Cloudflare DNS, DNSSEC, and email forwarding on every domain
- + Passkeys, WebAuthn security keys, and 2FA on accounts
- + Phone and chat support daily, answered by domain-knowledgeable staff
Cons
- - Smaller company than the industry giants; no 24/7 phone support
- - First-year sale TLDs renew significantly higher
- - No documented registry-lock product for brand portfolios
- - Registry fee increases pass through to renewal prices
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