As one of the legacy DNS services, many users have asked us about the best NextDNS alternatives.
Some folks report frequent slowdowns while accessing several sites.
Others say it's hard to login to their dashboards with multiple error messages and failed login attempts.
Those looking for NextDNS alternatives and competitors undoubtedly want a reliable, stable DNS service that can block malware, ads, and gambling content without sacrificing speed.
👉 Our blog on NextDNS vs Control D breaks down the individual comparison points in further detail
6 NextDNS Competitors and Alternatives
Maybe you don't need a full VPN service but want to bypass geo-blocking, or a custom DNS service for adblocking or filtering.
You’ve Googled (or maybe duckduckgo’d if you’re already of the privacy inclination), pondered, and asked your friends: Which DNS service is best for you?
In this post, we'll list the top NextDNS alternatives so you can make an informed decision.
1. Control D
Obviously, I’m here to tell you it’s Control D, but fair’s fair: let’s see how we stack up against another DNS provider, NextDNS.
Control D Offers More on Free Plans
Blocking stuff using DNS is the bread-and-butter of a DNS service, and it’s pretty easy to understand on a technical level. As you probably know, a public IP address is just like a regular address - a unique identifier for where something is. They’re long and hard to remember, though, so for stuff on the web that we want to access, we give them domain names - convenient, human-readable URLs like www.controld.com. Then, we use the Domain Name System like a phonebook to look them up. Now, imagine looking a person dup in the phonebook and getting the number 000-000-0000 - if you called it, it wouldn’t go anywhere.
That’s how DNS blocking works - it reroutes any blocked addresses to a null one, meaning those pages can’t be loaded. This is offered not only by Control D’s paid plans (Some Control & Full Control) and NextDNS but also by our Control D's free DNS servers. If you’re just looking for an adblock DNS, you can use our free tier for as long as you want! But if you want something a little more customizable, sign up for a free trial and give us a shot.
Custom Blocking Rules and Configurations
For $2/month, Control D offers what NextDNS doesn’t - we don’t just give you a bunch of blocklists that you can choose from, but also the ability to block various services. With Control D’s Some Control plan, you can choose from a list of over 300 services and pick which ones to block and which ones to allow (don’t worry - we allow everything by default). With 10 configurations to make on this ultra-affordable plan, this means that if you want, you can choose to block TikTok on one device and Tinder on another, and even schedule the times that they’re blocked.
If you need even more granularity, Control D also offers - still at the $2/month price point! - Custom Rules, which you can think of as a whitelist and blacklist for your DNS queries. This is especially useful for those who love to fine-tune everything to the most granular details.
You can also use Custom Rules Folders to create your own pseudo-services. By logging your own activity privately using Control D’s activity log, you can find every domain that a particular web service like Disney+ uses and block 'em all. Of course, you wouldn’t need to do that with Disney+ - mainly because it’s offered as one of our Services already - but also because you need that sweet Mandalorian time. We see you, and your viewing habits are valid.
100+ Proxy Locations
It’s Control D’s proxy capabilities that really put us head and shoulders above the rest. As you’ve seen above, everything that NextDNS offers for $2/month, Control D offers for the same price but with even more features.
If you’re in it to bypass geo-blocking, though, Full Control is for you.
Everything you’ve read in this article is true for Full Control, with one important addition: it’s not just blocking that you can do. You can also proxy any of our Services through one of 100+ locations, making you appear to be in a location of your choice to that Service. As you can probably imagine, this is great for accessing foreign content. It also serves a vital role in protecting your privacy and ensuring your security online: with Full Control at $4/month, you can mask your IP address from prying eyes. You don’t even need to pick a location for this: simply sign up for Full Control, and select Auto as your Default Location. This proxies your traffic through the location that will be the fastest for you, masking your IP address with very minimal impact on your browsing speeds.
We’re not here to attack NextDNS and their service, nor try to convince you that they’re the next Evil Incarnate - but we are here to demonstrate why we’re better. The side-by-side comparisons are as unbiased as we can make, and it’s fair to say that you get more bang for your buck out of Control D.
If you want to learn more about Control D’s powers as a DNS service, head to our website. If there’s something you’d like to see from us before you sign up, you can submit feedback here.
Still on the fence? Here are 6 additional NextDNS alternatives that could be worth checking out.
👉 Cisco Umbrella
👉 Cloudflare
👉 DNS Filter
👉 Web Titan
👉 ScoutDNS
👉 WebRoot DNS Protection