Gandi Review
Gandi remains technically credible, with real multi-language hosting on EU soil, but the post-acquisition price hikes and the loss of bundled email stripped away much of what made it beloved. Solid, no longer special.
Review last updated 2026-08-20 · How we rate hosts
Scorecard
Pros
- Hosting in French and Luxembourg datacenters with a long pro-privacy track record
- Supports PHP, Python and Node.js with PostgreSQL as well as MySQL, rare at this price
- Free SSL, snapshots and Varnish caching on every plan
- One of the most respected domain registrars in Europe
Cons
- Steep price increases across domains and email since the 2023 acquisition
- Free mailboxes that used to come with every domain were discontinued, angering longtime users
- No phone support and no money-back guarantee on hosting
- Developer-oriented panel; beginners will find friendlier options elsewhere
Gandi plans & pricing
Promotional monthly rates as of August 20, 2026; most require the listed prepaid term and renew at the higher rate shown. Confirm on Gandi's site before buying.
| Plan | Intro price | Renews at | Storage | Sites | Bandwidth | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Web Hosting EssentialShared Hosting | $2.20/mo12 mo prepay | $2.20/mo | 20 GB SSD | 1 | unmetered | EUR 2 per month billed annually; includes one 10 GB mailbox |
| Web Hosting ProShared Hosting | $7.30/mo12 mo prepay | $7.30/mo | 100 GB SSD | 10 | unmetered | EUR 6.65 per month billed annually; up to 3 CPU / 2 GB RAM |
| Web Hosting BusinessShared Hosting | $8.80/mo12 mo prepay | $8.80/mo | 200 GB SSD | 15 | unmetered | EUR 7.98 per month billed annually; storage upgradeable to 1 TB |
| Gandi Mail StandardEmail Hosting | $1.10/mo | $1.10/mo | Approx EUR 0.99 per mailbox per month; mail pricing not verified on review date |
Our Gandi review
Gandi spent two decades as the conscience of the domain industry, a Paris registrar whose famous motto was a promise not to exploit its customers. Its hosting arm reflects that engineering culture: plans run PHP, Python or Node.js, offer PostgreSQL alongside MySQL, and include snapshots and Varnish caching, a genuinely more developer-literate stack than typical shared hosting.
The elephant in the room is what happened after 2023, when Gandi was acquired by the Dutch group now branded your.online. Domain renewal prices climbed sharply across the board, and the free mailboxes that had come with every domain for twenty years became a paid product. The backlash from longtime customers was loud, sustained and justified, and it is why Gandi's rating here sits well below its technical merit.
Taken on today's terms, the hosting itself is decent value. Two euros a month gets a 20 GB Essential instance with a free first-year domain, a 10 GB mailbox and SSL, and the Business tier scales to 200 GB, upgradeable to a full terabyte. Everything runs in Gandi's datacenters in France and Luxembourg, so GDPR data residency is native rather than bolted on.
Where Gandi wins against US hosts is exactly that combination: EU jurisdiction, a serious registrar, and a stack that treats Python and Node as first-class citizens. Where it loses is polish and predictability. The panel assumes technical comfort, there is no phone support, no money-back guarantee on hosting, and no certainty the next price letter will not sting.
Support runs 24/6 by chat and email and is competent, but slower and more formal than the live-chat culture of bigger hosts. Hosting prices above were confirmed on Gandi's pricing page; the standalone mail price is approximate and flagged, as mail packaging has changed repeatedly since the acquisition.
Recommend it to developers who value the registrar-plus-hosting combination and EU jurisdiction, with clear eyes about the new ownership's pricing instincts.
Notable facts
- One of Europe's oldest domain registrars, founded 1999
- Acquired in 2023 by the group now branded your.online
- Discontinued the free mailboxes long bundled with every domain
At a glance
| Founded | 1999 |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Paris, France |
| Data centers | France, Luxembourg |
| Hosting types | Shared Hosting, Email Hosting |
| Starting price | $1.10/mo |
| Support | email, chat |
| Free migration | No |
Frequently asked questions
Why did Gandi prices go up?
After its 2023 acquisition by the group now branded your.online, Gandi raised domain and email prices substantially and ended the free mailbox bundled with domains. Hosting plans remain moderately priced, but the ecosystem is dearer than before.
Where is Gandi hosting located?
Websites are hosted in Gandi's European datacenters in France and Luxembourg, keeping data under EU jurisdiction.
Bottom line
Gandi remains technically credible, with real multi-language hosting on EU soil, but the post-acquisition price hikes and the loss of bundled email stripped away much of what made it beloved. Solid, no longer special.
Check current Gandi pricing →
