Cisco Umbrella vs. Infoblox: What's the Better Choice?

When it comes to DNS security solutions, you’ll likely come across two names: Cisco Umbrella and Infoblox. Both enterprise giants promise to protect organizations from malware, phishing, and other threats at the DNS layer. But how do they really compare? And more importantly, is there a better alternative?

In this article, we’ll break down the pros and cons of Cisco Umbrella and Infoblox's Threat Defense to determine which solution best fits your needs, and explore a fresh alternative that offers flexibility, affordability, and ease of use without the enterprise bloat.

What are Cisco Umbrella and Infoblox Threat Defense?

Cisco Umbrella is a cloud-based DNS filtering and secure web gateway service. It blocks access to malicious domains, enforces security policies, and provides visibility into internet activity. Cisco is a major player in the market, targeting large enterprises and organizations.

Infoblox Threat Defense is another enterprise-grade DNS security solution. Built on Infoblox’s expertise in DNS, DHCP, and IP address management (DDI), it adds advanced threat intelligence and analytics.

Both solutions stop threats at the DNS layer, making it important to understand where each shines and where they fall short.

Cisco Umbrella: Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Scales well for large enterprises
• Easy integration with other Cisco tools
• Cisco Talos-powered threat intelligence

Cons:

• High cost that can quickly escalate, especially for larger organizations.
• Complex to set up and manage
• Inconsistent support
• Overkill for those who need a DNS-only security platform 
• Limited customization compared to newer DNS filtering services

Our Take on Cisco Umbrella

Cisco Umbrella is a strong DNS security solution, but it often feels like overkill for smaller organizations. If you’re already invested in Cisco infrastructure, it makes sense. But if you want flexibility, affordability, and customization, Cisco Umbrella may not be the best fit.

Infoblox Threat Defense: Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Built on Infoblox’s long-standing reputation in DDI (DNS, DHCP, IPAM).
• Strong analytics and integration
• Flexible deployment options with on-prem, hybrid, or cloud-native.

Cons:

• Complex deployment where setup and management can require significant expertise.
• Similar to Cisco, enterprise-level pricing can be steep.
• Many features go unused in SMB or mid-market environments.
• Best value comes when paired with other Infoblox products.

Our Take on Infoblox Threat Defense

Infoblox Threat Defense is a powerful tool for enterprises with hybrid networks and advanced security operations centers. However, much like Cisco, its cost and complexity put it out of reach for most mid-sized organizations, making it a less practical choice compared to modern DNS filtering solutions.

Cisco Umbrella vs. Infoblox

Plans & Pricing

Cisco Umbrella offers four subscription tiers: DNS Essentials, DNS Advantage, SIG Essentials, and SIG Advantage.

Pricing details aren’t published on their website, so you’ll need to contact the sales team for a quote. The final cost is influenced by factors such as the number of users and devices you want to cover, your contract length, and the plan you select.

According to customer feedback, the service can range anywhere from approximately $2.50 to $28/user/month. While these figures aren’t official, they provide a rough estimate of what businesses, especially larger enterprises, might expect to pay.

Similarly, Infoblox’s Threat Defense has four different plan options: Essentials, Business Cloud, Advanced (Cloud), and Advanced (On-Premises Grid).

When it comes to pricing, Infoblox doesn’t disclose its costs publicly either. Variables like user count, plan selection, and support needs shape the final figure, which you’ll need to contact their sales team about. However, reports online suggest that its pricing is equally expensive.

Since both platforms are coy about their pricing, we’ve ranked this category a tie.

Features

Both Cisco Umbrella and Infoblox have a similar feature set:

However, there are some key differences between the two:

While neither offers Traffic Redirection, Advanced Geo-Custom Rules, and Ad & Tracker blocking, Umbrella at least provides Geo-IP blocking and Remote Browser Isolation, which Infoblox does not. As such, Cisco Umbrella takes the win.

Analytics

Both platforms are evenly matched in this category, but Cisco Umbrella provides longer report and analytics retention compared to Infoblox.

Support

Infoblox’s support works differently from most DNS security providers out there. Alongside your subscription to its security plans mentioned above, you must also purchase a support package, which is sold as an add-on to the Threat Defense product line.

Infoblox offers support plans: Standard, Premium, and Elite. Since these support tiers are priced separately, depending on the plan you select, they can drastically increase the total cost of your already expensive package.

On the other hand, Cisco Umbrella offers community support, its documentation, and email support free of charge. However, similarly to Infoblox, numerous reviews describe Cisco Umbrella’s support as poor.

Having said that, Cisco Umbrella does not require you to purchase an add-on for access to its documentation or email support, and therefore, wins this category.

Meet Control D: A Simpler, Smarter Alternative

Both Cisco Umbrella and Infoblox Threat Defense deliver DNS security, but they also bring complexity, high costs, and enterprise bloat.

Control D was designed to give organizations enterprise-grade DNS filtering and security without the baggage. 

If Cisco Umbrella and Infoblox represent the legacy DNS security providers, then Control D is the modern alternative: lightweight, flexible, and built for today’s organizations that want complete control over their DNS configurations.

Let’s explore why Control D is the go-to choice for industry experts.

Easy Onboarding & Transparent Pricing

Control D keeps things simple with clear pricing and fast setup. Instead of paying for extra add-ons or worrying about hidden charges, you get access to every feature the moment you sign up. Pricing is straightforward:

• Enterprises – $2/Endpoint/month
• MSPs – $1/Endpoint/per month
• Schools & Non-Profits – further discounted rates available

Onboarding is just as smooth. Control D can be deployed to a few devices or rolled out across a large network in only a few minutes with your favorite RMM tool.

Best-in-Class Malware Protection

In independent testing, Control D ranked first for malware filter effectiveness, achieving a 99.98% block rate – beating out competitors such as Cloudflare, Quad9, and DNS4EU.

Additionally, Control D doesn’t rely on traditional blocklists. Instead, it pulls data from live threat feeds and combines it with machine learning to evaluate domains in real time.

This method doesn’t just catch well-known threats; it also identifies brand-new threats that haven’t been added to static lists yet. This means all suspicious domains are cut off immediately, keeping devices safe before a single connection is made.

Ad & Tracker Blocking

Control D goes beyond traditional browser extensions by blocking ads and trackers before they ever reach your device. Because filtering happens at the DNS level, unwanted content is stopped at the source. This means pages load faster, bandwidth isn’t wasted on junk requests, and your devices stay free from invasive tracking scripts that collect personal data.

There are three block modes to choose from – Relaxed, Balanced, and Strict – so you have the option of keeping things light to reduce disruption or setting it to strict for full-scale blocking.

Neither Infoblox nor Cisco Umbrella offers this capability.

Blockable Services

Control D gives you fine-grained control over which apps, platforms, and tools can be accessed on your network. Instead of relying solely on broad content categories with an all-or-nothing approach, you can block, bypass, or redirect over 1,000 individual Services with just a single toggle.

Services cover popular platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, Netflix, and Slack, along with countless others across productivity, messaging, entertainment, and more. 

This level of precision allows you to set rules that match the needs of different users or groups. For example, you can block distractions for employees, restrict access to certain sites for students, or open up access for trusted clients, all without the need for complicated manual blocklists.

For comparison, Cisco Umbrella has fewer than 100 Services, and Infoblox has fewer than 500, 112 of which are related to Amazon.

Traffic Redirection

Control D gives you full control over where your DNS traffic is routed with its Traffic Redirection feature. Instead of being locked into a single region, you can choose from 100+ proxy locations across more than 60 countries, letting you mask your IP address without a VPN.

You can set a default location for all traffic or create specific rules for Services and domains. For example, everyday browsing can stay local, while banking and financial apps can be directed through a specific country to meet compliance rules.

Cisco Umbrella and Infoblox do not offer this capability.

Geo-Custom Rules

Control D’s Geo-Custom Rules feature allows you to build detailed rules that act on both geographic and network data, including ASNs. You can use this feature to:

• Block queries resolving to IPs in a specific country or ASN
• Redirect queries that don't resolve to IPs in a specific country or ASN
• Bypass queries made from IPs in a specific country or ASN
• Block queries made from IPs not in a specific country or ASN
• Or any combination of the above

Some common use cases include blocking traffic from high-risk regions, ensuring banking or healthcare services only resolve through trusted locations, or keeping data flows aligned with compliance requirements. 

Because rules can be applied at both the country and ASN level, this feature delivers much finer control than the basic geo-IP blocking found in legacy providers, such as Cisco Umbrella.

In-Depth Analytics & Monitoring

Control D gives you clear insight into your DNS traffic with real-time and historical analytics. Every query – whether it’s allowed, blocked, or redirected – is logged, making it easier to spot unusual patterns, investigate suspicious activity, and understand how your network is being used.

For teams that need deeper integration, Control D allows you to stream live query data directly to a SIEM platform at no additional cost. This centralizes monitoring, making it possible to build alerts, correlate events, and respond quickly to potential threats.

If you prefer scheduled updates, Control D can automatically send reports on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis. These reports provide snapshots of overall activity, keeping you informed without requiring you to log into the dashboard each day.

Advanced Chatbot

Control D features an AI-powered assistant named Barry, designed to provide fast and stress-free support.  Barry is available 24/7 and is ready to answer questions on setup, policy changes, troubleshooting, and everything in between, all within a matter of seconds.

He’s powered by machine learning and a constantly updated knowledge base. This includes Control D’s technical documentation, team expertise, and feedback from real users. 

That means his answers stay relevant and accurate, even as new features are added or existing ones evolve, so you don’t have to scroll through long documentation or wait for ticket responses. Instead, you can get an answer to 99% of questions immediately.

Neither Cisco Umbrella nor Infoblox provides chat support.

Full Cross-Platform Support

Control D is built to work anywhere, no matter what devices or systems your organization uses. It supports all major operating systems, including Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, and Android, as well as routers and browsers to ensure complete DNS-level coverage across your entire network.

For businesses managing large or mixed environments, Control D integrates smoothly with enterprise tools. It connects with Active Directory, SIEM platforms, and RMM tools, as well as Single Sign-On with Okta and EntraID.

This allows for easy management of group policies, maintaining visibility across your entire network and device fleet, and onboarding. 

Dual Stack Ready & Modern Protocol Support

Control D is dual-stack ready, meaning it works seamlessly with both IPv4 and IPv6 networks. Additionally, Control D supports all major encrypted DNS protocols, including DNS-over-HTTPS (DoH), DNS-over-TLS (DoT), DoH3, and DNS-over-QUIC (DoQ).

For comparison, Infoblox only supports DoH and DoT.

Full API Access

Control D gives you full API access, meaning every function in the dashboard can also be managed programmatically. From the moment you sign up, the API is available for integration into your existing tools and workflows, with no limitations.

Enforce policies across thousands of endpoints, rotate authorized IPs, or create and update profiles without logging into the dashboard. The API is fully documented and built to support both small and large-scale deployments. 

Custom Data Storage Region

Control D lets you decide where your DNS logs and account data are stored. Instead of being forced into a single location, you can pick from three standard regions – North America, Europe, or Australia. 

For companies with stricter needs, Control D also offers custom storage regions. This option lets you define a storage location outside the defaults, ensuring compliance with specific regulations or internal security policies. By tailoring storage to your requirements, you maintain full control over data residency from the start.

Performance

📌 Note: Infoblox is not included in this list. As such, we’ll be comparing Control D against Cisco Umbrella only.

Control D beats Cisco Umbrella in query speed with 18.39 ms compared to 21.69 ms.

Control D outshines Cisco Umbrella in uptime performance results, with a server uptime score of 99.93% compared to Umbrella’s 97.97%.

Again, Control D scores far better in server quality with a score of 99.93% compared to 97.95%.