Contabo vs Gandi.net: guide for 2024

Contabo vs Gandi.net: Final verdict

Comparing Contabo and Gandi.net, both provide strong hosting solutions but cater to slightly different audiences with distinct strengths and weaknesses.

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  Gandi.net (Overall grade: 7.9)
  
  is an excellent choice for users looking for simplicity, automatic installations, and automated setup processes for WordPress and other applications. It offers shared hosting, WordPress hosting, and ecommerce hosting, making it particularly suited for bloggers, small to medium-sized businesses, and non-technical users. Gandi.net also excels in offering unlimited SSL certificates, multilingual support, and an intuitive user interface. However, its limited scalability options and fewer global data centers compared to Contabo might not meet the needs of larger businesses or high-traffic websites.
• 
  Contabo (Overall grade: 7.6)
  
  impresses with its powerful VPS and dedicated hosting solutions, backed by AMD EPYC processors and various SSD storage options. It shines in performance, scalability, and extensive global presence with multiple data centers. Contabo’s services are suitable for high-traffic websites and multimedia content due to its high resources allocation and advanced infrastructure. However, it lags in customer support responsiveness and lacks shared and WordPress hosting options, which can be a downside for users seeking basic, straightforward setups. Overall, Contabo is ideal for users who need flexibility, high performance, and robust management features.

Hosting types offered

Both platforms provide a variety of hosting types, each designed to meet the different needs of users.

Although both offer a variety of hosting plans tailored to different needs, in certain cases, one platform may prove to be more suitable.

Detailed comparison

🏆 Winner Contabo: Offering superior uptime and extensive server performance, Contabo is a leader in reliable hosting.

Contabo boasts a 99.996% uptime guarantee, which exceeds many industry standards, ensuring minimal downtime. Their servers are powered by AMD EPYC 7282 processors and offer a range of storage options, making them fast and responsive. The 32TB of included traffic and high-speed connection further enhance their performance reliability. Contabo also has several data centers globally, ensuring widespread availability and 24/7 security.

Gandi.net also offers high reliability with a 99.95% uptime guarantee and perfect test results. They provide a compensation plan for exceeded downtime, which adds a level of user assurance. Data centers in diverse locations like France, Luxembourg, Taipei, and San Francisco facilitate global service. Their customer support is available round-the-clock, in multiple languages, catering to a broad audience.

🏆 Winner: Contabo: High-performance hosting with extensive global reach and comprehensive security features.

Contabo offers top-tier speed and performance with its AMD EPYC 7282 16-core processors, providing fast and efficient website performance. It features SSD and Gen 4 PCIe NVMe SSD storage options, leading to faster load times and better PageSpeed scores. It includes free DDoS protection and options for upgradeable connection speeds up to 10Gbit/s. Contabo has multiple data centers across the US, UK, Germany, and Singapore. Gandi.net, while offering reliable performance with dedicated Linux container resources and Varnish Cache, lags in comparison with fewer global data centers located only in France and Luxembourg. Gandi provides built-in caching methods, but lacks the advanced SSD storage found in Contabo.

Website speed

Contabo’s advanced SSD options and high-end processors ensure faster load times, enhancing overall website performance. With an impressive uptime guarantee of 99.996% and robust DDoS protection, websites remain consistently responsive. Gandi.net also offers reliable website speed through dedicated LXC resources and Varnish Cache, but it can’t match the speed enhancements provided by Contabo’s infrastructure. Contabo’s edge in connection speed options further solidifies its advantage.

Scalability

Contabo allows seamless VPS package upgrades without sacrificing availability or uptime, making it an easy choice for scaling. It also provides private networking and additional IP configurations for businesses needing robust scaling options. Gandi.net offers scalable plans, but exact details on the flexibility of upgrading aren’t specified. While Gandi.net offers Hosting Booster for peak traffic, it is limited to Pro and Business plans and its frequency is restricted to once every 30 days. The cost of scaling with Gandi.net is straightforward with plan-based pricing, but the scalability with Contabo shines due to more flexible and responsive options.

🏆 Winner Contabo: Offers extensive security measures and flexible infrastructure thus ensuring a highly secure hosting environment.

Both Contabo and Gandi.net have notable differences in their approaches to technical and operational security, as well as in their compliance with regulations.

Technical security measures:

Contabo provides always-on DDoS protection, scanning for malware with Imunify AV, and Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) for all accounts. It allows customization of PHP versions, which helps in maintaining security by using versions with the latest patches. Gandi.net offers free SSL certificates, PHP 8.2, and uses Anycast DNS with DNSSEC to provide robust DNS infrastructure protection. It also supports multiple types of SSL certificates to cater to different security needs. While both providers deliver robust security measures, Contabo’s DDoS protection and malware scanning tools give it an edge.

Operational security measures:

Both companies have measures in place to ensure the physical security of their data centers. Contabo uses 24/7 CCTV surveillance and magnetic card access to its facilities, along with roles-based access controls. Gandi.net follows strict GDPR guidelines by hosting data in European data centers and uses automatic snapshots for easy recovery. Additionally, both hosts offer Two-Factor Authentication to enhance account security. Given Contabo’s broader range of monitoring tools and controlled facility access, it provides more comprehensive operational security.

Compliance and certifications:

Contabo and Gandi.net both comply with GDPR regulations, ensuring data protection and privacy. Additionally, Contabo suggests it supports PCI compliance through industry-standard security measures. Gandi.net also hints at PCI compliance by offering professional and business SSL certificates. While both providers comply with GDPR, Contabo’s infrastructure aligns more broadly with various compliance standards, giving it a slight advantage.

🏆 Winner
Contabo: A hosting provider with robust performance and extensive control panel features.

Both Contabo and Gandi.net offer valuable features catering to different user needs. Contabo stands out with its high-performance hardware, including AMD EPYC 7282 processors and various SSD storage options. The provider also boasts an impressive uptime guarantee of 99.996% and free DDoS protection, making it a reliable option for users requiring performance and security. Users benefit from comprehensive control panel features that facilitate advanced server management, domain management, and automated processes. On the other hand, Gandi.net provides a simpler but effective hosting solution with unlimited aliases, forwarding, and free SSL certificates. Users who prioritize ease of use and straightforward setup for applications like WordPress may find Gandi.net more appealing. While Contabo’s offerings are on the higher end with extensive features, Gandi.net emphasizes simplicity and automated installations, appealing to non-technical users or those with basic hosting needs.

Gandi.net has its unique strong points, particularly with unlimited SSL certificates and Anycast DNS, bolstering site security and performance. The availability of automatic installations for popular applications like WordPress and Nextcloud also makes it user-friendly. However, it is more limited in terms of customization tools and scalability compared to Contabo. Gandi.net’s storage capacities and CPU/RAM offerings are good, but not as extensive, making it ideal for small to medium projects. In contrast, Contabo offers a more robust solution with additional customization options, multiple OS supports, and snapshots. While Gandi.net shines with free SSL certificates for all users, including those on starter plans, Contabo’s wide range of control panel features and high configurability suit users looking for growth and flexibility.

Both providers support a range of users from beginners to experts with user-friendly website builders and WordPress staging areas. However, in terms of developer tools, both Contabo and Gandi.net offer robust options including SSH access, support for multiple programming languages, and Git for version control, thus appealing to developers looking for advanced capabilities.

Email services:

Contabo offers email hosting services, allowing users to create, manage, and secure email accounts with their domain. Customers can also set up transactional emails essential for online form submissions and notifications. Gandi.net also provides email hosting with unlimited aliases and forwarding. However, it lacks the ability to run email campaigns directly from their service. Both providers do not appear to resell third-party services like Google Workspace or Zoho. Contabo may appeal to users needing more robust email management features, whereas Gandi.net suits those looking for simple and unlimited email forwarding options.

🏆 Winner Gandi.net: Gandi.net stands out with a superior blend of features and competitive pricing for hosting plans.

Evaluating the pricing of plans among various hosting providers can be complex due to their differing pricing and renewal strategies. Additionally, certain plans require annual commitments, which adds to the difficulty of making comparisons. The prices listed are based on monthly commitments; plans requiring annual commitments are indicated. Additionally, although some providers offer identical plans for WordPress and shared hosting, we have created separate tables for each to enhance clarity.

Contabo offers a variety of hosting plans including affordable Virtual Private Servers (VPS) with options for self-management or managed services, Virtual Dedicated Servers (VDS), and Dedicated Servers. The plans range from $3.99 to €301.97 per month with extensive features such as ample storage, high traffic capacities, and a wide selection of operating systems and control panels. Gandi.net, on the other hand, focuses on web hosting plans with clearly defined options from starter to business, including free domain names and automated installations. Priced from $10 to $25 per month, Gandi.net emphasizes user-friendly features suitable for various needs, from bloggers to businesses.

Enterprise plans

Gandi.net’s Business Hosting Plan offers generous resources such as up to 4 CPUs, 4GB RAM, and 200GB storage, upgradeable to 1TB. Contabo provides more varied options with their Cloud VPS and Dedicated Servers, tailored explicitly for resource-intensive applications like eCommerce stores. Businesses looking for dedicated hardware may benefit more from Contabo’s extensive offerings, while those preferring ease of scalability and inclusion of domain names might favor Gandi.net.

🏆 Winner
Gandi.net: A streamlined hosting provider offering automated website installation and a centralized interface.

When comparing the admin panels of Contabo and Gandi.net, Contabo provides a custom Control Panel that allows users to manage their VPS plans with ease. The Control Panel offers features such as server management, service upgrades, OS reinstalls, and add-on orders, all of which are accessible from a single interface. This makes it user-friendly for both technical and non-technical users, offering flexibility without overwhelming novices.

Gandi.net, on the other hand, offers a centralized interface where users can manage their domain names, hosting, and WordPress installations. This interface supports automatic installation processes for various platforms like WordPress and Prestashop. The simplicity of Gandi.net’s interface makes it particularly appealing to beginners, who can set up their websites with minimal steps. Overall, Gandi.net’s admin interface feels more streamlined and less intimidating for non-technical users compared to Contabo’s more feature-rich panel.

When it comes to migration tools, neither Contabo nor Gandi.net explicitly advertise automated migration solutions. However, Contabo provides managed services that offer expert help for server setup, installation, and management, which may include assisting with site migration at an additional cost. Gandi.net does not mention migration tools but offers comprehensive customer support that might include assistance with manual site migration via email, chat, or support tickets.

Evaluating the help center resources, Contabo offers a range of tutorials and a FAQ section to guide users through various tasks. Their support is available via tickets and phone, backed by detailed API documentation and a server status page. Gandi.net, offering explanations and step-by-step guides for their services, supports users through chat, email, and support tickets available in multiple languages. Both hosting providers offer well-rounded support systems, with Gandi.net slightly edging out due to its multilingual support and real-time chat options during support availability.

🏆 Winner: Gandi.net: A superior option for comprehensive user management features and flexibility.

When comparing Contabo and Gandi.net in terms of managing user roles, permissions, and accessibility, Gandi.net offers more extensive and flexible user management capabilities. Gandi.net includes tools to delegate permissions using user management tools or shared links. As the administrator, you maintain full control over the data, providing a more granular level of management. Contabo, though robust, focuses more on simplifying user management by allowing for the authorization of individuals to specific server permissions but lacks the detailed role flexibility seen with Gandi.net.

Contabo’s user interface in the Control Panel is user-friendly, providing a streamlined way to manage personal information, security settings, and server permissions. Features like upgrading VPS, moving to another region, and managing add-ons are easily accessible. Gandi.net, on the other hand, integrates the Nextcloud admin interface, allowing detailed role assignments through a familiar layout for those used to Nextcloud. This makes it effective for users who prioritize control and detailed user management within a self-hosted environment.

Access control is a critical component, and both providers show their strengths. Contabo enforces important security measures such as mandatory Two-Factor Authentication and free DDoS protection for all plans, which are significant for maintaining security across multiple users. Gandi.net doesn’t lag behind, offering unlimited aliases, forwarding options, and SSL certificates, along with Anycast DNS with DNSSEC. Its robust security protocols alongside user management tools make it capable of efficiently managing a growing number of users.

Gandi.net User Roles Table

Contabo User Roles Table

🏆 Winner Gandi.net: Gandi.net provides a range of support channels and availability that meet various customer needs efficiently.

Contabo and Gandi.net offer various customer support options, but their availability and comprehensiveness differ significantly. Contabo provides phone and email support, although its response time can vary, and it lacks live chat support. Contabo’s support hours are limited, and while they offer a support ticket system and FAQs, they don’t offer 24-hour support, which may be a drawback for users needing immediate assistance outside specified hours.

Meanwhile, Gandi.net excels in customer support by offering 24-hour availability five days a week, and 24/7 technical support for critical issues via email. Gandi.net also provides live chat support and a dedicated account manager upon request, making them highly accessible. This wider range of support options ensures that users can get help whenever they need it, affirming Gandi.net’s superior support services.

Contabo vs Gandi.net: User feedback

Contabo’s hosting services are highly appreciated for their affordability and powerful VPS plans, which can handle demanding software and complex tasks efficiently. Users find the setup process relatively easy and often compliment the cost-effectiveness and reliability of the service, despite occasional downtime reported by some. However, criticisms are directed towards their customer support, which has been described as slow and unresponsive at times, and their user interface could benefit from modern improvements. Frequent downtimes without notice and issues with specific regional servers have also been noted as areas needing improvement.

User feedback for this hosting provider is generally positive, with users appreciating the easy and straightforward domain registration process, a user-friendly interface, and competitive pricing on unique domain extensions. Customers value the company’s focus on privacy protection and steady performance without pushy upselling tactics. However, some users have experienced significant issues, such as paying for already-owned domains without receiving refunds, instances of confusing billing processes, and a lack of sufficient customer support. While some find the user interface to be intuitive, others criticize it for being cluttered and difficult to navigate, especially on mobile devices.

Contabo vs Gandi.net: FAQ