Gandi

What Gandi does

Gandi SAS is a French-anchored, ICANN-accredited domain name registrar and web hosting provider founded in 1999 by internet pioneers Pierre Beyssac, Laurent Chemla, David Nahmias, and Valentin Lacambre. The company sells more than 800 top-level domains, custom email, TLS/SSL certificates, and two productized hosting layers: Simple Hosting (a managed PaaS with one-click WordPress, PrestaShop, and Nextcloud stacks) and GandiCloud VPS (an IaaS built on 100% OpenStack starting at $6/month). Core technical differentiators include the LiveDNS service with Anycast distribution, sub-250ms propagation, automated DNSSEC, and a paid Premium DNS tier that layers Cloudflare infrastructure for DDoS-sensitive domains. Operations are anchored in owned or contracted data centers in France and Luxembourg and are certified to ISO 27001 and ISO 22301, with CNIL designated as lead data protection authority under GDPR.

The business operates four go-to-market motions: a self-service product-led e-commerce storefront (shop.gandi.net); a product-led API surface (public REST API with V5 sandbox, OpenStack, and Terraform providers); an 8,000-reseller channel with white-label interface and referral economics; and Gandi Corporate Services, a direct enterprise field-sales motion serving 500+ large accounts with dedicated agents, trademark monitoring, and brand-defense services. Revenue is overwhelmingly subscription-recurring across domain registration (1-9 year cycles), hosting tiers, SSL, mailboxes, and premium DNS, supplemented by professional services revenue from Corporate Services and channel margin from resellers. Gandi is privately held by Dutch parent Total Webhosting Solutions B.V. (with Montefiore Investments as a major shareholder since 2019); in 2023, Gandi and TWS merged under the Your.Online platform with Arnaud Franquinet as CEO. The combined business serves 350,000+ active users, 8,000 resellers, and 500+ key corporate accounts across 192 countries from offices in Paris, Luxembourg, San Francisco, and Taipei, with 130-150 employees.

Name

Gandi

Legal name

GANDI SAS

Website

https://gandi.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Gandi SAS is a French ICANN-accredited domain registrar and web hosting provider offering 800+ TLDs, Simple Hosting PaaS, OpenStack-based GandiCloud VPS, SSL certificates, email, and LiveDNS to 350,000+ active users, 8,000 resellers, and 500+ corporate clients across 192 countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

City Of London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Domain Name Registration: Core revenue stream from registering domain names across 800+ extensions. Domain names registered for 1-9 years with renewal capability. ICANN accredited registrar.
2. Web Hosting Services: Simple Hosting PaaS for small and medium businesses, including WordPress, PrestaShop, and Nextcloud hosting. GandiCloud VPS IaaS for customers requiring full server control.
3. SSL/TLS Certificates: TLS/SSL certificate authority services. Free certificate for first year with domain registration, unlimited certificates with web hosting plans. Extended validation and multi-domain wildcard options available.
4. Email Services: Custom email addresses based on domain names. Two custom mailboxes included free with domain registration. Additional mailboxes available for purchase.
5. Premium DNS: Premium DNS service leveraging Cloudflare infrastructure in addition to Gandi's own infrastructure, for enhanced DDoS protection and performance on sensitive domains.
6. Corporate Services: Dedicated account management and trademark monitoring/defense services for large accounts and key clients. Portfolio management and digital strategy consulting.
7. Reseller Program: Partner program enabling resellers to offer Gandi services, including white-label interface and API integration for transparent service delivery under partner branding.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Gandi is an ICANN-accredited domain name registrar and cloud infrastructure provider selling domain registration across 800+ TLDs, web hosting (Simple Hosting PaaS and GandiCloud VPS IaaS), SSL/TLS certificates, custom email, DNS management, and enterprise brand-protection services. The platform is operated as a self-service online storefront with a public API and a separate corporate services track for large clients.

Product overview

Gandi is a French internet infrastructure company offering a broad portfolio of domain name registration, web hosting, cloud infrastructure, and security services. The core platform is built around domain registration (800+ TLDs), supplemented by Simple Hosting (PaaS web hosting with one-click WordPress, PrestaShop, and Nextcloud), GandiCloud VPS (OpenStack-based IaaS), SSL/TLS certificates, GandiMail for domain email, and LiveDNS/Premium DNS for DNS management. Enterprise offerings include Gandi Corporate Services (trademark monitoring and brand protection), a Reseller Program with white-label capabilities, and a Public REST API for programmatic management of all products. The company also provides a free WHOIS lookup service.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• GandiCloud VPS: Cloud VPS hosting service based on OpenStack, allowing users to install applications on 100% open cloud servers.
• Gandi Corporate Services
• LiveDNS
• Simple Hosting

Products and services

• Domain Names Domain name registration service offering over 800 domain extensions (TLDs). Each registration includes free LiveDNS with Anycast, DNSSEC, an SSL certificate (free first year), and two custom email mailboxes. Targets individuals, SMBs, enterprises, and resellers.
• Simple Hosting PaaS web hosting solution providing simple, secure, and scalable hosting for websites, blogs, and online stores. Includes one-click installation of open-source applications (WordPress, PrestaShop, Nextcloud), free SSL/TLS certificates, and team collaboration features with shared roles and permissions.
• GandiCloud VPS IaaS cloud hosting service based on 100% OpenStack, providing full control over virtual private servers. Supports OpenStack API, Terraform Infrastructure-as-Code, and starts at $6.00 per month.
• SSL/TLS Certificates
• LiveDNS (DNS Management)
• Premium DNS
• GandiMail (Email)
• GandiCloud Block Storage
• Gandi Corporate Services
• Gandi Reseller Program
• Gandi Public API

Quantifiable outcome

• DNS modifications propagated in under 250ms
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.

• Your.Online (Total Webhosting Solutions / TWS)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023In 2023, Gandi.net and Total Webhosting Solutions (TWS) joined forces to create Your.Online, a European online services platform. Arnaud Franquinet became CEO of Gandi. This partnership combines two major European domain and hosting providers.
• CloudflaresecondaryTechnology or IntegrationPremium DNS service leverages Cloudflare infrastructure in addition to Gandi's own infrastructure, providing enhanced DDoS protection and performance for sensitive domain names.
• OpenStackcoreTechnology or IntegrationGandiCloud VPS built on OpenStack architecture, providing 100% open cloud infrastructure. Allows customers to use standard OpenStack tools and Terraform for infrastructure management.
• Terraform (HashiCorp)secondaryTechnology or IntegrationInfrastructure-as-code support through Terraform, allowing customers to deploy and manage GandiCloud VPS servers using Terraform configurations.

Scale indicators15 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• OVHcloud: French domain registrar and cloud/hosting provider offering domains, VPS, and web hosting with European data residency — directly overlapping Gandi's product set and home market.
• Scaleway: French cloud and VPS provider serving developers with data-sovereign infrastructure, overlapping GandiCloud VPS and the IaC/OpenStack use case.

Direct peers

• Namecheap: ICANN-accredited registrar bundling domains, SSL, email, and hosting for individuals and SMBs, competing head-on with Gandi's core self-service offering.
• IONOS: European (German) domains, hosting, email, and cloud provider serving SMBs, closely mirroring Gandi's portfolio and geographic focus.
• Tucows (Hover / OpenSRS): Major wholesale and retail domain registrar with a large reseller network, directly comparable to Gandi's registrar plus 8,000-reseller model.

Broad incumbents

• GoDaddy: Global market-leading registrar and hosting provider with a far broader portfolio and scale, overlapping every core Gandi product line.
• Squarespace (Google Domains portfolio): Website-builder and domains provider serving individuals and SMBs building an online presence, overlapping Gandi's create-a-website and domain bundles.

Emerging players

• Hostinger: Fast-growing hosting and domains provider targeting SMBs and individuals with low-cost bundles, competing with Gandi's Simple Hosting and domain offerings.
• Porkbun: Niche low-cost registrar with wide TLD selection, free WHOIS privacy, and SSL — competing with Gandi's transparent, privacy-first domain positioning.

Others

• Cloudflare: Offers registrar, DNS, and DDoS/security services; a Gandi technology partner for Premium DNS but also an at-cost registrar competitor in DNS and domains.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/gandibar
• GitHubgithub.com/Gandi
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCZL0voSqmo-aGXpNA7kmMNA
• Facebookfacebook.com/GandiBar
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/gandi
• Instagraminstagram.com/gandi_net

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Gandi