alwaysdata vs Gandi (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, alwaysdata grades higher than Gandi: 2.6 against 1.8 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
alwaysdata grades higher on the free plan and features. They get the same grade on value for money, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
alwaysdata
French managed hosting with unlimited sites, mailboxes and databases
Gandi
European web hosting plans with a domain and mailboxes included
Which one is for you
Pick alwaysdata if
- Fits if you want a personal site with email on your own domain
- Works for hobby projects in several languages
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you stay free: 1 GB of disk, 256 MB of RAM and 3 days of backups, for personal use only
- Watch out: prices are in euros and exclude VAT
- Skip it if you need 24/7 support, as that is part of Max; other plans get office hours
- Pricey if you outgrow Plus Large at €50, because Max servers start at €369 a month
Pick Gandi if
- Fits if you want a domain, a mailbox and a small site from one company
- Makes sense if you want your data kept in France or Luxembourg
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a free trial, as none is listed
- Tight if you host more than one site, because Essential and Starter allow one at up to 512 MB RAM
- Watch out: no renewal price is stated, and a banner offers 50% off a first site
- Watch out: support is email and chat only, and prices are in euros without tax
How we grade them
| 2.6GPAalwaysdataGood | 1.8GPAGandiWeak | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | BPlus Small is €5 a month ex. VAT, about the cheaper quarter of web hosting, and there is a free plan for personal use. | BEssential is €2 a month billed yearly, which is under the $5.28 cheaper-quarter line, but the renewal price is not stated and the plan has 512 MB of RAM. |
| Free plan and trial | BThe free plan gives 1 GB SSD, 256 MB RAM and email on your own domain, enough for a personal site. It is personal use only. | FNo free plan or trial is listed on the pages read. |
| Features | BSeveral languages per site, unlimited sites, mailboxes and databases, backups, SSL and scheduled tasks. Free backups last only 3 days. | CA domain, mailboxes, one-click installs, SSL, snapshots and PHP, Python or Node. Prestashop and Nextcloud start at Advanced. |
| Ease of use | CA hosting panel with setup for each site and language, and no store rating. | CNo store rating on record. A hosting control panel and DNS are yours to set up. |
| Platforms and integrations | CWeb panel only, with no integrations listed. | CWeb only, with WordPress, Prestashop and Nextcloud installs. |
| Best for | a small personal site with email | cheap hosting bundled with a domain and mailbox |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: alwaysdata and Gandi. How we grade
Price against what you get
alwaysdata starts at about $5.59 a month and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Gandi starts at about $2.23 a month and scores 2.0.
alwaysdata scores higher, and starts $3.36 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other web hosts on the chart, 2 score higher than alwaysdata for less, and 7 score higher than Gandi for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- alwaysdata also covers databases.
- Gandi also covers managed WordPress and page speed.
At a glance
| alwaysdata | Gandi | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Paid |
| Starts at | €5 per month, excl. VAT (Plus Small) | €2.00 per month, billed yearly; renewal price not stated |
| Free plan | Free plan for personal use: 1 GB SSD, 256 MB RAM, a quarter of a CPU and 3 days of backups, with email on your own domain and an alwaysdata.net address for sites. | None |
| Free trial | 30 days free on the Plus plans | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | ALWAYSDATA | Gandi |
| Price read from | alwaysdata.com | gandi.net |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
alwaysdata
- Prices are in euros and exclude VAT.
- The free plan is limited to personal use and carries 1 GB of disk, 256 MB of RAM and 3 days of backups.
- 24/7 support is part of the Max offer; other plans are answered during office hours.
- Max servers start at 369 euros a month, so there is a large step up from the 50 euro Plus Large plan.
Gandi
- Prices are in euros and exclude taxes. The page states no renewal price, and a homepage banner offers 50% off a first website on a yearly plan.
- Essential and Starter allow one website and up to 1 CPU and 512 MB of RAM.
- Prestashop and Nextcloud installs start at the Advanced plan.
- Support is by email and chat only, with no phone support listed.
Key features
alwaysdata
- Several languages per site
- PHP, Python, Java, Node.js and Ruby can be chosen for each site, along with the language version.
- Unlimited sites, mailboxes and databases
- Plus plans set no quota on the number of sites, email addresses or databases. MariaDB (MySQL) and PostgreSQL are offered.
- Email on your own domain
- Mailboxes and aliases include filtering rules, anti-spam, an autoresponder and webmail.
- Backups and SSL
- Backups of files, emails and databases can be restored from the control panel, and SSL certificates from Let's Encrypt or your own are handled automatically.
- Scheduled tasks and background services
- Programs can be run on demand, on a schedule or as a background daemon.
- Resizable plans
- Plus plans can change capacity instantly, and a Max offer moves a site to a dedicated private server.
Gandi
- Domain and mailboxes included
- Every plan includes a domain name from a list of over 80 extensions, plus one mailbox (Essential) or two (the other plans) with 10 GB each.
- One-click app installs
- WordPress, Matomo and GravCMS install automatically. Advanced and above add Prestashop and Nextcloud.
- Custom code in PHP, Python or Node
- All plans can host a custom application or website written in PHP, Python or Node, with PostgreSQL or MySQL databases.
- SSL, DNS and snapshots
- Plans include unlimited auto-renewed SSL certificates, Anycast DNS with DNSSEC and snapshots of a web instance that can be restored.
- Data hosted in France and Luxembourg
- The plan table lists France and Luxembourg as the data hosting locations. Support is by email and chat.
- Hosting Booster on higher plans
- Hosting Booster is listed as included on Pro and Business and not on the three cheaper plans.
Plans
alwaysdata
Free€0
Personal use only, no credit card to register: 1 GB SSD, 256 MB RAM, 1/4 CPU and 3 days of backups. The vendor says it may suspend a free account whose legitimacy is contested.
Plus Small€5
per month, excl. VAT
50 GB SSD, 1 GB RAM, 1 CPU and 7 days of backups, with unlimited sites, databases and email addresses and SSH access.
Plus Medium€20
per month, excl. VAT
100 GB SSD, 2 GB RAM, 2 CPUs and 20 days of backups, with the same unlimited sites, databases and mailboxes.
Plus Large€50
per month, excl. VAT
200 GB SSD, 4 GB RAM, 4 CPUs and 20 days of backups. An X-Large size with 500 GB SSD, 8 GB RAM and 8 CPUs sits above it.
Max€369
per month and up, excl. VAT
A private server configured to order, from 1 TB of disk, 16 GB RAM and 8 CPUs, with 24/7 support and 30 days of backups.
Gandi
Essential€2.00
per month, billed yearly; renewal price not stated
1 website, 20 GB storage, up to 1 CPU and 512 MB RAM, 1 mailbox. €24 a year, taxes excluded.
Starter€3.99
per month, billed yearly; renewal price not stated
1 website, 20 GB, up to 1 CPU and 512 MB RAM, 2 mailboxes. €47.88 a year, shown against a crossed-out €180.
Advanced€4.99
per month, billed yearly; renewal price not stated
5 websites recommended, 50 GB, up to 2 CPU and 1 GB RAM. €59.88 a year, shown against a crossed-out €240.
Pro€5.99
per month, billed yearly; renewal price not stated
10 websites recommended, 100 GB, up to 3 CPU and 2 GB RAM, with Hosting Booster. €71.88 a year; €300 crossed out.
Business€7.99
per month, billed yearly; renewal price not stated
15 or more websites, 200 GB (upgradable to 1 TB), up to 4 CPU and 4 GB RAM, with Hosting Booster. €95.88 a year; €360 crossed out.
Ways to pay less
alwaysdata
No public discounts listed.
Gandi
- Other savings
50% off a first website on a yearly plan
The homepage advertises 50% off the first website for a yearly subscription. The hosting page shows crossed-out yearly prices next to the lower ones.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, alwaysdata or Gandi?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Gandi is cheaper to start with: about $2.23 a month, against about $5.59 a month for alwaysdata. alwaysdata starts at €5 per month, excl. VAT (Plus Small), and Gandi starts at €2.00 per month, billed yearly; renewal price not stated.
Which has a free plan, alwaysdata or Gandi?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only alwaysdata has a free plan. Gandi does not.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.