Gandi vs Cloudflare Registrar
Gandi marks up its renewals; Cloudflare charges exactly what the registry charges, with no markup ever. That makes Cloudflare far cheaper — but it comes with one hard condition: you have to use Cloudflare's own nameservers.
Cloudflare wins on price by a wide margin — ~$10.44 at-cost vs Gandi's ~$38.38 renewal — if you're happy running Cloudflare DNS. You can't point external nameservers on Cloudflare, so if you need a specific DNS host or an EU-based registrar, look at OVHcloud or Porkbun instead.
Side by side
Gandi vs Cloudflare Registrar, compared
The price gap is large; the nameserver row is the condition that decides whether you can take advantage of it.
| Gandi | Cloudflare Registrar | |
|---|---|---|
| .com price | ~$38.38 renew (A rate) | ~$10.44 at registry cost |
| 5-year .com cost | ~$171.27 | ~$52.20 |
| Pricing model | Marked-up, high renewal | At cost, no markup ever |
| Point NS anywhere | ✓ Yes | ✗ Cloudflare DNS only |
| Free WHOIS privacy | ✓ | ✓ |
| Free SSL / DNSSEC | ✓ / ✓ | ✓ via Cloudflare / ✓ |
| Bundled email | ✗ paid (removed 2023) | Email routing only |
| API | REST API | Mature, large-scale API |
| EU-based | ✓ (TWS-owned) | US-based |
| Best for | Legacy / grandfathered users | All-Cloudflare stacks |
Prices compiled July 2026; Gandi renewal from its 2024 A-rate price list. Cloudflare charges the registry's wholesale rate, which varies by TLD. 5-year cost = year-1 + four renewals.
Official: Gandi · Cloudflare Registrar
The verdict
Which one should you pick?
Choose Cloudflare if…
- Your DNS, CDN and Workers already run on Cloudflare.
- You want the absolute lowest at-cost price with zero renewal markup.
- You need a mature API for managing domains at scale.
- You're fine using Cloudflare's nameservers exclusively.
Look elsewhere if…
- You need to point nameservers at Route 53, OVHcloud, a managed host or anywhere non-Cloudflare — Cloudflare won't allow it.
- You want an EU-based registrar — consider OVHcloud instead.
- You want free bundled email or forwarding — see OVHcloud or Porkbun.
- You just want cheap-and-flexible without lock-in — Porkbun or Spaceship.
A third option: manage the domain where you deploy
If the point of leaving Gandi is to stop juggling a registrar, a DNS host, a CI tool and hosting separately, there's a different shape: Buddy manages domains + DNS as code (YAML, API, CLI, Terraform) inside the same platform that builds, tests and deploys your app — and unlike Cloudflare it doesn't lock you to its own nameservers. It's not a rock-bottom consumer registrar, so for a bare cheap domain Cloudflare still wins on sticker.
Try Buddy freeCommon questions
Gandi vs Cloudflare — common questions
Is Cloudflare cheaper than Gandi?
Much cheaper. Cloudflare Registrar sells a .com at registry cost — about $10.44/yr with no markup on registration or renewal — versus Gandi's ~$38.38 renewal on the standard rate. Over five years that's roughly $52 at Cloudflare versus about $171 at Gandi. The trade-off is that Cloudflare requires you to use its own nameservers.
What is the catch with Cloudflare Registrar?
Cloudflare sells domains at cost with no markup, but you must use Cloudflare's DNS and cannot point the domain to external nameservers. It's also not meant for reselling, and you generally move or register domains into Cloudflare only when the zone is on Cloudflare. Gandi, by contrast, lets you point nameservers anywhere.
Should I move from Gandi to Cloudflare?
If your DNS, CDN or Workers already run on Cloudflare, moving the domain there gives you at-cost pricing and removes a hop — a clear win over Gandi's marked-up renewals. If you need to keep external nameservers, or want an EU-based registrar, look at OVHcloud or a flat registrar like Porkbun instead.