DNSFilter vs. NextDNS

The main difference between DNSFilter and NextDNS is that DNSFilter focuses on enterprise-level threat protection with AI-driven domain categorization, while NextDNS targets consumer control with customizable filtering, analytics, and privacy features. DNSFilter serves businesses, whereas NextDNS suits tech-savvy individuals and families.

DNSFilter and NextDNS are two popular tools that help protect your internet connection. They block bad websites, stop malware, and let you control what people can access online. Both are great options, but they work in different ways. 

In this article, we’ll break down their key differences in pricing, features, analytics, and support. If you’re looking for something more powerful and flexible, we’ll also explain why Control D might be the better choice.

What are DNSFilter and NextDNS?

DNSFilter is a cloud-based DNS filtering platform founded in 2015. It uses artificial intelligence (AI) to block dangerous sites in real time. It's known for being easy to set up, making it a good choice for businesses that want quick protection with little effort.

NextDNS is a slightly newer DNS filtering tool, founded in 2019. It’s popular with individuals and families, but also serves small teams and businesses. It focuses more on privacy, giving users full control over their internet traffic.

DNSFilter: Pros & Cons

Best for: Businesses looking for a fast and easy DNS filtering platform with AI-based threat detection.

Key Features

• AI-powered threat blocking
• Global Anycast network for fast DNS resolution
• Simple setup and management
• Integrations with tools like Active Directory, SIEM, and RMM platforms

Pros

• Fast DNS speeds
• Real-time threat detection using AI
• Easy to deploy and manage
• Clear pricing

Cons

• Extra charges for exporting data and SIEM integration
• Fewer advanced filtering tools
• Doesn’t support all modern DNS protocols, only DoT
• Sub-par uptime and server quality compared to other solutions

Our Take on DNSFilter

DNSFilter is a solid choice for small and medium businesses that want strong security without a complicated setup. It’s fast and integrates well with enterprise tools. But if you want more advanced features or full protocol support, it may fall short. Also, the extra charges for important features can add up fast.

NextDNS: Pros and Cons

Best for: Privacy-focused users who want full control over their DNS settings and deep customization.

Key Features:

• Support for DoH, DoT, and even DoH3
• Blocklists for ads, trackers, and malware
• Device-level configuration
• Custom filtering rules and allow/deny lists

Pros:

• Full modern DNS protocol support
• Strong privacy and encryption
• Flexible filtering settings
• Free plan available with generous limits

Cons:

• Not designed for large businesses
• No real-time AI threat detection
• Some features can be confusing for new users
• Limited third-party integrations

Our Take on NextDNS

NextDNS is great for tech-savvy users who care about privacy and customization, and lends itself more towards individuals or small teams. But it doesn’t offer enterprise-level features or easy integrations with tools, which limits its application to business environments.

DNSFilter vs. NextDNS

Plans & Pricing

DNSFilter offers three plans and openly advertises its pricing for each.

• Basic – $1.15/user/month
• Pro – $2.30/user/month
• Enterprise – $3.00/user/month

They have minimum requirements and/or different pricing for public Wi-Fi operators, educational institutions, and MSPs:

• MSP – minimum $150/month
• Education – $4/student/year
• Public Wi-Fi – $5/access point/month

NextDNS also has one free plan and three paid plans:

• Free – up to 300,000 queries/month
• Pro (Personal & Families) – $1.99/month for unlimited usage
• Business – $19.90/month/50 users
• Education –  $19.90/month/250 students

When looking at price alone, NextDNS is considerably cheaper than DNSFilter. 

Features, Clients, and Integrations

There is some overlap between the features, clients, and integrations offered by DNSFilter and NextDNS, such as the following:

However, there are also some key differences:

It’s also worth mentioning that there is a growing sentiment online that NextDNS is “abandoned”, and the platform’s development is “non-existent”.

Although NextDNS offers support for Linux devices and all modern DNS protocols, it cannot compete with DNSFilter’s larger blockable content categories, Services, and enterprise-level integration, such as RMM tool, SSO, and Zapier.

Factoring in NextDNS’s lack of product development in recent times, DNSFilter clearly wins this category.

Analytics

NextDNS offers longer query log retention at 2 years compared to DNSFilter’s 9 days and allows you to choose from three different data storage regions. This lends itself more towards those looking for privacy-focused features.

On the other hand, DNSFilter offers far greater functionality for businesses, such as SIEM Log Streaming, Scheduled Reporting, and Admin Action Logs. However, DNSFilter charges extra for SIEM Log Streaming, as well as for a basic feature such as exporting your data from the platform. 

As such, the winner in this category will depend on your priorities – more functionality or more privacy.

Support

DNSFilter and NextDNS both provide:

• Community Support: NextDNS Pro users only gain access to community support  
• Documentation: DNSFilter has extensive documentation, whereas NextDNS’s is quite barebones
• Email Support: Available to all DNSFilter users, but only available to NextDNS Business and Education users.

However, DNSFilter goes a step further by also offering prioritized case handling, which can be purchased as an add-on.

It should also be noted that NextDNS has been in the firing line from various users in its community forums and other review sites. They voice concern about NextDNS’s lack of customer support when addressing issues, with some saying that NextDNS “no longer has working support”.

As such, DNSFilter wins in this category.

DNSFilter vs. NextDNS vs. Control D

DNSFilter and NextDNS each have their strengths. DNSFilter is fast and AI-powered, but lacks advanced filtering and charges extra for many features. NextDNS is cheap, flexible, and privacy-friendly, but it isn’t ideal for larger teams or businesses due to limited functionality.

If you’re seeking a DNS filtering solution that provides advanced capabilities, unmatched customization, and privacy-focused features, all at an affordable price point without paying extra for things you should get by default, consider a third option: Control D.

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

Easy Onboarding & Transparent Pricing

Control D keeps things simple from the start. There are no confusing plans, no gated features, and no need to worry about missing out on upgrades or features in the future. You get the full set of features the moment you sign up, without needing to unlock anything later or pay for extra tools.

Pricing is transparent:

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

Getting started is fast, too. You can deploy Control D across your devices using your favorite RMM tool in just a few clicks. Whether you're managing five devices or five thousand, Control D makes onboarding easy.

Best-in-Class Malware Protection

Control D offers the most powerful malware filter available today. In an independent test, it stopped 99.97% of all malicious domains, putting it ahead of every other provider tested, including big players like Quad9, Google, and Cloudflare.

Instead of using outdated lists that only catch known threats, Control D uses machine learning to spot and block dangerous sites the moment they appear. This real-time filtering keeps your network safe, even when new threats pop up before anyone else knows they exist.

Ad & Tracker Blocking

Control D stops ads and trackers before they ever reach your devices. By blocking them at the DNS level, it helps pages load faster, reduces how much data you use, and keeps your browsing activity private.

You can choose between three blocking modes – Relaxed, Balanced, and Strict – to decide how aggressive you want your filter to be. 

Whether you’re trying to speed up your network or shut down every tracking script possible, Control D gives you the flexibility to set it how you want.

Blockable Services

Control D gives you more control than any other DNS service. With over 1,000 individual Services ready to block, bypass, or redirect, you’re not stuck with just broad content categories – we have 20 of them, too. 

You can target specific apps like TikTok, Zoom, Reddit, or Dropbox – all with a single toggle. This kind of precision means you can build custom filtering policies for departments, clients, or user groups without messing around with domain lists or manual filters.

For comparison, DNSFilter offers fewer than 200 Services, and NextDNS offers fewer than 50.

Traffic Redirection

Control D gives you full control over where your DNS traffic goes. With more than 100 proxy locations in over 60 countries, you can pick where your traffic gets routed for every request, or just for certain apps and domains.

You can set one default location for everything, or redirect rules for specific Services. This makes it easy to improve speed or follow compliance rules, all without using a VPN. DNSFilter and NextDNS don’t offer this kind of routing flexibility.

Geo-Custom Rules

Control D’s Geo-Custom Rules give you advanced control over DNS traffic based on country and network origin or destination. You can decide how DNS queries are handled depending on where they come from or where they’re going.

This means you can:

• 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
• A combination of the above

Whether you're managing compliance or protecting your network from high-risk regions, this feature allows you to do it seamlessly. DNSFilter and NextDNS do not offer such functionality.

In-Depth Analytics & Monitoring

Control D gives you full visibility into everything happening on your network with its powerful analytics. You can see every DNS request in real time – whether it was allowed, blocked, or redirected – and dig into historical logs to understand long-term trends.

You can also stream live query data to your SIEM tool at no extra cost, so your security team can monitor traffic in one place. For quick updates, you can set up daily, weekly, or monthly email reports that show key activity across your entire network.

Advanced Chatbot

Control D comes with Barry, a smart AI chatbot that’s available 24/7. He’s not just a simple chatbot, though. Barry can solve most issues in a matter of seconds, no matter how complex. 

Whether you're setting up your first device, fine-tuning rules, or putting together ctrld toml files, he can guide you through 99% of queries without having to wait.

Built on Control D’s full documentation and real user feedback, he’s always learning, so the more people use him, the better and faster he gets at giving helpful answers.

Full Cross-Platform Support

Control D works everywhere – across desktops, laptops, phones, and network hardware. It also supports routers and browser extensions for even more flexibility. So, whether your team uses Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, or Android, Control D can be set up in minutes. 

For businesses, Control D goes further with support for Active Directory, SIEM and RMM tools, and SSO platforms like Okta. This means you can control user access, monitor threats, and manage policies from one place, no matter what type of devices your business uses.

Dual Stack Ready & Modern Protocol Support

Control D works with both IPv4 and IPv6, so your network always stays smooth. It also supports all the latest encrypted DNS protocols, including DoH, DoT, DoH3, and DoQ. These give you faster performance and better privacy by making it harder for anyone to snoop on your DNS traffic.

If your network still uses older DNS setups requiring legacy DNS protocols, Control D handles that too, keeping everything secure without forcing you to upgrade right away.

Full API Access

Control D gives you full API access from day one – no paywalls, no waiting. You can manage profiles, update rules, sync endpoints, and handle IP lists without opening the dashboard. Everything can be automated and built into your own tools and workflows.

Whether you’re a developer, MSP, or IT team managing a large network, the API lets you scale your setup fast and keep everything running smoothly in the background.

Custom Data Storage Region

With Control D, you get to choose where your data is stored. You can pick from three default regions – North America, Europe, or Australia – to make sure your DNS logs and account data stay in the right place for your business.

If you need a different region, Control D can set up a custom storage location just for you (at a small additional cost). This helps you meet local rules about privacy and data protection while keeping full control over how your data is handled.

Performance

DNSFilter leads the charge in query speed with 14.84 ms, but is closely followed by Control D with 16.09 ms.

Control D outshines DNSFilter and NextDNS in Uptime results with a score of 99.91%, compared to 99.16% and 99.60%, respectively.

Control D has a far superior Quality score too with 99.91%.