Cloudflare vs. SafeDNS: What's the Better Choice?

When it comes to DNS filtering and internet safety, choosing the right provider can significantly impact your network’s security, performance, and policy enforcement capabilities. 

Two widely known services in this space are Cloudflare Gateway and SafeDNS, which offer DNS-layer protection for individuals, organizations, and enterprises alike.

But how do they stack up in real-world use? 

This article will walk you through the strengths and weaknesses of each platform, as well as a direct comparison across pricing, features, analytics, support, and performance.

What are Cloudflare and SafeDNS?

Cloudflare is best known for its global CDN and DDoS mitigation services, but it also offers Cloudflare Gateway, a DNS-based web filtering solution. Built into Cloudflare’s larger Zero Trust ecosystem, Gateway focuses on secure DNS resolution with threat filtering and policy controls, targeted primarily at large businesses.

SafeDNS, on the other hand, is a dedicated web filtering company that offers DNS protection for schools, SMBs, and households. Unlike Cloudflare, SafeDNS is not part of a broader security stack. It positions itself more as an out-of-the-box, set-it-and-forget-it solution for managing internet access and blocking harmful content.

Both platforms aim to protect users from malware, phishing, and unwanted content, but take different approaches in their execution, flexibility, and ecosystem integration.

Cloudflare: Pros and Cons

Best for: Large organizations already using Cloudflare’s Zero Trust platform that need fast, integrated DNS security.

Key Features

• Global DNS server network
• Additional features such as Secure Web Gateway, Remote Browser Isolation, and Data Loss Prevention
• Integrates seamlessly into Cloudflare’s broader security suite

✅ Pros

• One of the fastest DNS resolvers globally
• Integrates tightly with Cloudflare's Zero Trust stack
• Allows filtering by category, domain, or user identity

❌ Cons

• Expensive – pricing starts at $7/user/month
• Complex setup for smaller teams or non-technical users
• Some key features are locked behind the highest tier plan
• Most effective only when used with other Cloudflare tools
• Poor support

Our Take on Cloudflare

Cloudflare Gateway is best suited for larger organizations already invested in the Cloudflare ecosystem or those pursuing a full Zero Trust architecture. Its performance is fast, but the usability and pricing model may not appeal to businesses looking for a simpler, more standalone DNS filtering solution.

SafeDNS: Pros and Cons

Best for: Schools, nonprofits, and small businesses looking for simple, affordable DNS filtering with minimal setup.

Key Features

• Easy website blocking by category
• Flexible rules for different users
• Affordable plans for small networks

✅ Pros

• Easy to deploy across networks and devices
• Responsive and reliable customer support
• Budget-friendly for small orgs and nonprofits

❌ Cons

• Few options for fine-grained control or advanced rules
• Slow DNS resolution speed
• Doesn't integrate into a larger security stack

Our Take on SafeDNS

SafeDNS is an appealing choice for small businesses, schools, and nonprofits that need effective content filtering without the complexity of enterprise-grade tools. However, for organizations seeking more customization, automation, or in-depth analytics, it may feel limiting over time.

Cloudflare vs. SafeDNS

Plans & Pricing

Cloudflare does offer a free tier, but it’s best suited for very small teams—under 50 users—and only stores activity logs for a single day. If your organization needs broader coverage or longer log history, you’ll need to look at one of their paid options:

• Pay-as-you-go: $7/user/month
• Enterprise agreements: Custom pricing available through their sales team

SafeDNS structures its pricing around feature tiers, with options that scale based on your needs:

• Basic: $1/user/month
• Pro: $1.80/user/month
• Pro+: $2.50/user/month

For educational institutions and nonprofits, there's a dedicated plan: 

• $400/year covers up to 100 users per campus, with any extra users billed at $4/month each (annually).

Overall, SafeDNS is a more cost-effective choice than Cloudflare, especially for budget-conscious organizations.

Features, Clients, and Integrations

In terms of features offered, there’s significant overlap between the two platforms:

However, there are also notable differences:

Cloudflare offers a broader feature set, particularly when it comes to enhancing your overall security posture, with features like Remote Browser Isolation, Data Loss Prevention, and Cloud Access Security Broker.

Cloudflare also offers geo-IP blocking and full modern DNS protocol support, both of which SafeDNS does not provide. As such, Cloudflare wins this category.

Analytics

One feature Cloudflare provides that SafeDNS does not is the ability to choose from two data storage regions – North America and Europe.

There are some key areas where SafeDNS sets itself apart:

• Longer query log, report, and analytics retention period
• Offering data exporting by default to all users
• Providing scheduled reports to users on the Pro plan or above

SafeDNS wins this category.

Support

At first glance, it may seem like Cloudflare wins this category due to its community support feature. However, Cloudflare is notorious for its subpar customer support.

On the flip side, SafeDNS has garnered a reputation for providing prompt support and comprehensive answers to all queries. As such, it wins this category.

Cloudflare vs. SafeDNS vs. Control D

While Cloudflare and SafeDNS both bring useful features to the table, they come with trade-offs. Cloudflare’s pricing and complexity can overwhelm smaller teams, while SafeDNS often lacks the flexibility and speed that modern networks demand. 

That’s where Control D comes in.

Control D delivers enterprise-grade filtering, deeper customization and flexibility, and a smoother DNS management experience, all at an affordable price point.

Easy Onboarding & Transparent Pricing

Control D makes it easy to go from signup to full deployment in as little as 5 minutes. The 30-day free trial (no credit card required) gives you full access, with no limits and no feature restrictions. If you like what you see, from there simply purchase a subscription. Pricing is flat and transparent:

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

Best-in-Class Malware Protection

Control D’s malware filter doesn’t rely on outdated blocklists. It uses AI machine learning and live threat intelligence to actively block known and emerging malware domains in real time.

An independent study found that Control D has a 99.98% malware block rate, beating out all competitors in the test, including Cloudflare, Google, and Quad9.

Ad & Tracker Blocking

Control D blocks ads and trackers before your device ever sees them. Since it operates at the DNS level, it works system-wide, which means on phones, TVs, tablets, laptops, and anything else on your network.

Filtering is flexible. Relaxed mode keeps things stable, while Strict mode shuts down every ad server it knows about. Balanced gives you the best of both worlds.

This isn’t just about fewer ads. It’s about faster load times, lower data usage, and stopping tracking scripts from invading your privacy.

Blockable Services

Control D gives you more than just content categories, it lets you control specific Services (apps, platforms, and tools) with a single toggle. You get access to over 1,000 Services, covering everything from social apps to enterprise tools.

The interface is simple, but the control is powerful. No scripts. No guesswork. Just precise access management.

Traffic Redirection

Control D gives you a powerful way to control where your DNS traffic goes with its Traffic Redirection feature.

With over 100 global proxy locations across more than 60 countries, you can route DNS queries through specific regions based on what works best for you.

Either set a default location for all traffic or make custom redirect rules for certain Services or domains. That means you can route things like YouTube or Netflix through Europe, while sending banking and business apps through North America. It’s as simple as flipping a switch in your dashboard.

This happens without the need for a VPN or additional software.

Geo-Custom Rules

With Geo-Custom Rules, Control D helps you control traffic based on geography or network origin. You can create rules that block, allow, or redirect DNS queries depending on where they come from or where they’re going, such as:

• 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

This is especially helpful for businesses that deal with sensitive data, follow rules about where data can be sent or received, or simply want to block traffic to and from high-risk regions. 

It gives you full control over your DNS behavior at a regional level, helping you stay secure and compliant.

In-Depth Analytics & Monitoring

Control D helps you understand exactly what’s happening across your network with its powerful analytics and reporting capabilities. 

Every DNS request is tracked in real time, giving you full visibility into which devices are making requests, what’s being blocked, and where DNS traffic is being redirected. The dashboard gives you graphs and summaries to help you spot patterns, spikes in traffic, or potentially harmful behavior.

If you need centralized monitoring, you can stream live DNS logs to your SIEM tool without paying extra. That way, your security team can watch DNS traffic alongside other alerts in one place.

For regular updates, you can schedule reports by email. Whether you want them daily, weekly, or monthly, these summaries provide the key highlights, so you’re always informed even when you’re not logged in.

Advanced Chatbot

Barry isn’t your typical chatbot. He’s a smart, AI-powered assistant trained specifically on Control D’s documentation and collective knowledge of all employees.

He’s available 24/7 and handles 99% of questions in seconds. Whether it’s onboarding, troubleshooting, or advanced configurations, Barry’s responses are fast, accurate, and easy to follow.

As more users interact with Barry, he keeps getting better. That means fewer support requests, faster resolutions, and a better experience for everyone.

Full Cross-Platform Support

Control D works on almost every device you use. Whether it’s Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, or Android, you can set it up in minutes and start managing DNS traffic right away.

This means full protection and filtering for every part of your network, no matter the operating system. You can also use browser-based setup or router-level configurations to cover all users at once.

For businesses, it goes even further. Control D integrates with Active Directory, SIEM tools, RMM/MDM platforms, and SSO providers, such as Okta.

Dual Stack Ready & Modern Protocol Support

Control D is dual-stack ready, supporting both IPv4 and IPv6 networks. It also supports the full suite of encrypted DNS protocols, including DoH, DoT, DoH3, and DoQ, giving you speed, privacy, and protection at the DNS level.

Still on older legacy DNS configurations? No problem. Control D is backward-compatible, making it easy to protect every part of your network, regardless of tech maturity.

Full API Access

Control D’s API gives you full control over your DNS setup without requiring you to navigate a dashboard. From deploying new devices to rotating IPs and syncing profiles, every function is available programmatically via the API.

You can use the API to automate changes, integrate DNS controls into your internal tools, or manage hundreds of endpoints at once with just a few lines of code. There’s no separate tier for API access; it’s included in your subscription by default.

Custom Data Storage Region

With Control D, you get to decide where your DNS logs and account data are stored. Pick from North America, Europe, or Australia as your default region to match your compliance and privacy goals.

For organizations with stricter requirements, Control D can set up a custom data region for you, for example, one that stores everything within your country’s borders. It’s a fast and flexible way to align with GDPR, data residency rules, or internal security policies.

Performance

Cloudflare leads the charge in query speed with 14.52 ms, but is followed closely behind by Control D with a speed of 16.09 ms. SafeDNS trails in with a speed of 22.42 ms.

SafeDNS and Control D are neck and neck in uptime results with a score of 99.93% and 99.91%, respectively. Out of the three, Cloudflare comes in last place with 99.81%.

Again, SafeDNS and Control D battle it out with scores of 99.92% and 99.91%, respectively, with Cloudflare coming in last place with 99.72%.