Many users have voiced frustration over NextDNS’s slow development of highly requested features and the lack of customer support, which are concerns that frequently appear on their community discussion board.
These are all areas where Control D shines, boasting a more feature-rich platform, advanced filtering capabilities, and better support options for businesses.
As such, this article takes a deep dive into both platforms, comparing their features side by side to help you determine which service best fits your needs. We’ll cover:
- Plans
- Pricing
- General Features
- Clients, Applications, and Integrations
- Analytics & Reporting
- Support
- Performance
Plans
NextDNS has a free plan, but it’s limited in use since it has a restriction of 300,000 queries per month. The next plan up is Pro, which is meant for personal and close family use – there are no limits to queries or devices, but you only have access to community support.
Therefore, organizations should look at the Business plan, which has unlimited queries, devices, and configurations, as well as email support. Finally, there’s the Education plan, which is identical to the Business plan except that it’s meant for schools and universities.
Similarly, Control D does not have plans. Instead, it bases its offering on organization type and use case, making a distinction between Enterprises (businesses), MSPs, and Schools/Non-Profits. Each organization type gets full access to Control D’s functionality without hidden costs or fees.
Note: Control D also offers a generous free plan, but it has limited customization capabilities, which is why businesses will want to opt for a paid subscription instead.
Pricing
NextDNS has three paid plans:
- Pro – $1.99/month
- Business – $19.90/month/50 users ($0.40/user/month)
- Education – $19.90/month/250 students ($0.08/user/month)
As mentioned earlier, Control D does not have plans but instead prices the service based on your organization type:
- Enterprise – $2/Endpoint/month
- MSPs – $1/Endpoint/month
- School/Non-Profit – qualify for a further discounted rate
On the surface, NextDNS seems like a better option due to it being cheaper than Control D. But, what if you factor in their functionality and performance – particularly for businesses who may require advanced features and configurations? How does NextDNS hold up then? Let’s take a look.
General Features
Active Product Development
Before we get into the nitty-gritty, it’s important to mention a sentiment shared on community platforms – such as Reddit, privacy forums, and the NextDNS community discussion board – regarding their product development.
There are numerous reports of NextDNS being an “abandoned” product, with many recent community discussion posts mentioning that they feel like the platform’s development is “non-existent.”
The counterargument is that NextDNS is a “stable product” and, therefore, doesn’t need much development. However, it doesn't paint a good picture when users request features and upgrades, but they don’t materialize.
Control D is the opposite. You can look to Control D’s changelog to see countless new important updates being released weekly. There’s also the active community on Discord, Reddit, and the Suggest a Feature discussion board, which shows developers interacting with users daily – something that’s missing with NextDNS.
AI-Powered Malware Filter
Control D offers an established AI machine-learning technology that spots and blocks malware threats before they can harm your network. This system doesn't just react to known threats – it actively predicts which domains might serve malware based on patterns and behaviors.
When independently tested against major providers like Google, Cloudflare, and Quad9, Control D's malware filter achieved a 99.97% block rate, putting it at the top of the industry for threat protection.
Why is Control D’s malware filter so good? It combines different types of threat intelligence. It blocks harmful domains from both domain-based and IP-based threat feeds. This means even if a dangerous website uses a new, innocent-looking domain name that points to a known bad IP address, Control D will still block it, whereas more basic filters won’t.
NextDNS offers a similar AI-powered malware detection system, though their feature is currently in beta testing.
Flexible Content Blocking
Control D and NextDNS offer different levels of protection through their blockable content categories.
NextDNS offers a limited selection of 7, whereas Control D provides you with 19. This means you can get much more specific with Control D about what types of content you want to allow or block on your network.
While both services let you create custom filtering rules beyond their categories, having more pre-configured categories saves you setup time and ensures broader coverage without needing to manually identify and block individual domains.
Note: Both platforms still offer third-party blocklists should you prefer a pre-existing list. However, Control D goes a step further by also allowing you to import your custom block/allow list.
Blockable Services
One of Control D’s standout features is its ability to block, bypass, or redirect over 1,000 individual apps, platforms, and websites with just a few clicks – called Services. This goes beyond traditional category-based filtering, giving you full control over specific apps or domains without relying on long blocklists or custom rules.
For example, suppose your organization wants to block Discord, Telegram, and Signal but keep access to Slack for business communications. With Control D, this is as simple as toggling those specific Services on or off in the dashboard – no need for complex filtering rules or manually maintained lists.
This is particularly useful when creating client, department, or team-specific policies, as you can quickly customize access for different segments.
NextDNS offers a similar feature but with a much smaller scope; it provides only 43 blockable Services.
Swappable Configurations
To piggyback on the previous point, Control D lets you create and manage multiple configurations, called Profiles, that are completely separate from your actual DNS resolvers (Endpoints). This means you can set up different Profiles and choose which Endpoints they apply to – whether that’s all of them, just a few, or none at all.
You can also stack Profiles (up to three layers depending on organization type) with the Multiple Enforced Profiles feature to create company-wide rules and then department/client-specific rules for tailored filtering.
NextDNS does not offer this feature, meaning any changes to your filtering settings apply universally.
👉 View our short guide on Multiple Enfored Profiles and their benefits
Traffic Redirection
A unique feature of Control D is Traffic Redirection, which allows you to route your internet traffic through proxy servers in over 100 locations across more than 60 countries - all without installing a VPN. This means you can make your internet traffic appear to come from almost anywhere in the world with just a few clicks.
You can choose to redirect all your traffic through one location or just send specific Services (apps, websites, etc.) through different countries. For example, you could keep most of your work traffic local but route your Google services through a server in another country.
NextDNS does not provide Traffic Redirection capabilities.
Geo-Custom Rules
Control D offers Advanced Geo-Custom Rules, giving you precise control over how DNS queries are handled based on their geographic origin or destination. With this feature, you can block, bypass, or redirect DNS queries based on the country or Autonomous System Number (ASN) associated with an IP address.
For example, if you want to prevent access to domains resolving to IPs in high-risk regions like China or Russia, you can do so with a simple rule. Alternatively, you might want to bypass filtering for trusted networks or redirect traffic associated with specific ASNs through a proxy location for added security and compliance.
NextDNS doesn't provide this level of geographic control, which means you’ll need to find workarounds or additional tools to implement location-based restrictions.
👉 Learn more about Geo-Custom Rules, its benefits, and how to enforce them
Powerful Custom Rules
NextDNS provides basic allow/deny lists and "Rewrites," but these features are split across different sections and offer limited flexibility. Control D, on the other hand, consolidates all custom rule management into a single, powerful interface with far more functionality.
With Control D’s Custom Rules, you can block, redirect (to an IP or proxy), or bypass any domain, but you can also create PTR records, organize rules into Folders, set default actions for Folders (such as making custom allow/deny lists), and even export or share rule sets.
Additionally, you can copy rules between Profiles, making it easy to apply changes across different configurations. And if you ever need to find a specific rule, a built-in search function makes it quick and easy.
Blocks Ads & Trackers
NextDNS blocks ads and trackers natively but also has a feature called Block Parked Domains. These are single-page websites that are stuffed with ads to generate revenue but do not provide any value to readers.
Control D also blocks ads and trackers with three block modes:
- Relaxed – blocks only very common ads and tracking domains
- Balanced – more aggressive version of Relaxed, but still allows for very common tracking domains to resolve (e.g., affiliate links)
- Strict – blocks all known ad and tracking domains
Currently, Control D does not offer the ability to block parked domains natively, but this is on the roadmap – scheduled for release in Summer 2025.
Google Safe Browsing
NextDNS allows you to enable Google Safe Browsing, which blocks malware and phishing domains using Google’s Safe Browsing technology. This is not natively available with Control D.
Still, a new feature is on the Control D roadmap that expands on Google’s Safe Browsing functionality for even better, more accurate threat protection – scheduled for release in Summer 2025.
Web3 Domain Registries
NextDNS offers a feature called Web3 that lets you access blockchain-based websites and decentralized services without installing special software. When you turn on this feature, you can visit websites with unusual domain endings like ".eth" which are part of the decentralized web.
Control D does not currently offer this functionality.
Clients, Applications, and Integrations
Single Sign-On
Control D offers Single Sign-On (SSO) capabilities that enable you to connect Control D to your existing identity provider (e.g., Okta) and allow team members to log in using their regular company credentials.
This integration eliminates the hassle of remembering separate passwords for your DNS management platform, meaning less time spent on account management, streamlined onboarding, better access control across teams, and better security.
NextDNS does not support Single Sign-On.
RMM Tool Integration
Control D seamlessly integrates with all major Remote Monitoring and Management (RMM) tools. This integration allows you to deploy, configure, and update DNS settings across your entire device fleet in seconds without manual configuration on each machine.
NextDNS does not offer this functionality.
👉 View Control D’s full list of integrations
Analytics and Reporting
Admin Action Logs
Control D provides Admin Action Logs, offering a record of all administrative actions within an organization. This feature acts as an audit trail, allowing you to track who made changes, what actions were performed, and where they occurred, which can help with compliance and security.
Logs can be filtered by organization, admin email, and action type. You can also search using metadata like device names or previous values, making it easy to pinpoint specific changes.
NextDNS does not offer this feature, meaning there’s no built-in way to review or track admin activity.
Query Log Retention
Both platforms offer full query logging but differ in the length of time these raw DNS query logs are stored.
Control D keeps query log data for up to 7 days, whereas NextDNS stores data for up to 2 years.
Report Retention & Scheduled Reporting
Control D generates, and stores reports for up to 30 days with hourly time series granularity or up to 1 year with daily time series granularity. You can also schedule daily, weekly, or monthly email reports summarizing your organization's activity.
These automated reports help you stay informed without manually checking the dashboard. For example, weekly reports to see which categories of websites are being blocked most often or what the top resolved domains are.
NextDNS does not offer any kind of reports.
Analytics Retention
Control D retains analytics data for up to 1 year, whereas NextDNS only stores it for up to 3 months.
SIEM Log Streaming
Control D offers SIEM log streaming, which sends your DNS logs directly to your Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) system. This connects your DNS data with your other security tools, giving you a complete picture of what's happening on your network, thus helping with response time to potential threats and understanding the full scope of security incidents.
If you already invest in security monitoring, this integration makes DNS data part of your existing security workflow instead of a separate system to check.
NextDNS doesn't offer direct SIEM integration.
Data Storage Regions
Control D gives you choices for where your DNS logs and account data are stored. You can pick from three standard regions: North America, Europe, or Australia. If those options don't meet your needs, you can also request a custom data storage region for an additional fee.
This flexibility helps you follow data storage rules that might apply to your business – e.g., data sovereignty laws and compliance requirements – without compromising on security or functionality.
NextDNS also offers three regions for data storage: North America, Europe, and Switzerland. While these options cover major regions, NextDNS does not provide options for custom data storage locations.
Support
Quality of Support Received
As we touched on earlier, there’s a stark difference in the quality of support users experience with NextDNS compared to Control D.
There are numerous complaints about NextDNS’s sub-par support, with some users not receiving responses at all.
On the other hand, Control D is frequently praised in this department, with reviews online suggesting they receive fast response times with detailed solutions to their query.
Documentation/Knowledge Base
Control D provides thorough documentation, covering everything from setup guides to advanced configurations to ensure you have the information you need.
While NextDNS has documentation, it’s limited in content and does not offer the same level of in-depth knowledge.
Chat Support
Control D offers real-time chat support powered by Barry, an AI chatbot built specifically to handle your queries. Barry isn't your average chatbot – he's trained on Control D's entire documentation and team’s expertise and can solve 99% of problems right away.
Having on-demand support can make a huge difference; you and your team can get quick answers to configuration questions, troubleshoot problems, and learn about advanced features without digging through documentation – although, as mentioned above, documentation is there should it be required.
To talk to Barry, simply open the chat window, explain your problem, and get troubleshooting steps immediately. If Barry can't solve your issue (which is rare), you can easily escalate your query to a human support agent without starting over.
Note: Control D’s chat support is provided in addition to email support and active community forums.
NextDNS does not offer chat support.
👉 Learn more about Barry and his capabilities
Performance
All data used in this section has been sourced from DNSPerf.
Latency
Image text: DNSPerf.com 20th February 2025
Control D ranks fifth in Performance with a DNS query speed of 16.02 ms, whereas NextDNS ranks seventh with a speed of 21.13 ms.
Uptime
Image text: DNSPerf.com 20th February 2025
Control D has a more consistent Uptime of 99.93% compared to NextDNS, which comes in eighth with a score of 99.59%
Quality
Image text: DNSPerf.com 20th February 2025
Control D outshines NextDNS in the Quality metric with a score of 99.93% compared to 99.59%.
Final Thoughts
While NextDNS provides basic DNS filtering with some unique elements like Web3 support, Control D delivers a more comprehensive solution with advanced features, including AI-powered threat detection, Traffic Redirection, and enterprise capabilities like SIEM log streaming and SSO and RMM integration.
Control D also addresses the pain points that NextDNS users have expressed for years, such as customization options, active development, and responsive support, making it better suited to business environments with complex and scalable needs.
