WebTitan vs. Cisco Umbrella

Protecting your network at the DNS layer is a smart first line of defense. It’s crucial for blocking threats, enforcing content policies, and maintaining control over internet access. 

Among the most common names in this space are Cisco Umbrella and WebTitan, with each offering distinct approaches to DNS filtering.

In this guide, we’ll break down both platforms, compare key features, highlight the pros and cons, and help you decide which DNS solution makes the most sense for you. 

We’ll also introduce Control D, a modern alternative that gives you full control without the cost or complexity.

What Are Cisco Umbrella and WebTitan?

Cisco Umbrella is a cloud-based tool that helps protect your network. It blocks dangerous websites and online threats before they reach your devices and works at the DNS level, which means it can stop threats early, even before a connection is made. 

Cisco first launched Umbrella after buying a company called OpenDNS in 2015. Since then, it has become a popular choice for large businesses.

WebTitan is another cloud-based DNS filtering service that keeps users safe by blocking harmful websites, phishing attempts, and unwanted content. 

It’s made by a company called TitanHQ, which has been building security products since the 1990s. WebTitan is often used by small to mid-sized businesses and Managed Service Providers (MSPs) because it’s easy to set up, customize, and manage.

While they share some similarities, their target customers, pricing models, and flexibility are very different. Let’s take a closer look at each.

Cisco Umbrella

Best For: Large enterprises with existing Cisco infrastructure

Key Features

• Enterprise-grade threat detection and malware blocking
• Secure Web Gateway (SWG) and Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB) features
• 24x7 software support (add-on)

✅ Pros

• Threat intelligence powered by Cisco Talos
• Deep integration with other Cisco products
• Scales easily for large organizations

❌ Cons

• High cost (up to $28/user/month), especially for smaller businesses
• Complex setup and management
• Limited customization
• Often more than what businesses need
• Poor support

Our Take on Cisco Umbrella

Cisco Umbrella is a heavyweight solution designed for large, security-focused organizations. If you're already invested in Cisco hardware or software, it can be a powerful addition to your security stack. But for many small-to-mid-sized businesses (SMBs), the pricing, complexity, and enterprise orientation can feel like overkill.

WebTitan

Best For: Small MSPs and businesses that want simple content filtering with moderate threat protection.

Key Features

• Cloud-based DNS filtering
• Simple reporting dashboards
• Multi-tenant support for MSPs

✅ Pros

• Lower price point than Cisco Umbrella
• Easy to deploy and manage
• Good fit for smaller organizations

❌ Cons

• Limited advanced security features
• UI can feel dated
• Less granularity in policy controls
• Basic analytics compared to other advanced DNS platforms

Our Take on WebTitan

WebTitan is a solid entry-level platform for teams that want basic DNS security and content control without breaking the bank. But if you’re looking for deep customization, modern UX, or cutting-edge threat intelligence, it may leave you wanting more.

WebTitan vs. Cisco Umbrella

Plans & Pricing

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

However, pricing isn’t available on their website. You’ll need to contact their sales team for a quote. Costs vary based on factors like the number of users, contract length, and the specific plan you choose.

User reports suggest pricing can range from approximately $2.50 to $28/user/month, reflecting its target audience of larger enterprise clients. While these figures aren’t official, they provide a general idea of what to expect.

WebTitan does not publicly share its MSP pricing model, so you'll need to contact their sales team to receive a personalized quote.

For regular business users, pricing begins at $2.25/user/month when billed annually. Monthly billing is available but typically comes at a higher rate.

Features, Clients, and Integrations

Both Cisco Umbrella and WebTitan offer the typical features you’d come to expect from a DNS filtering service.

Having said that, there are also some notable differences.

Since Cisco Umbrella is an enterprise-grade tool, naturally, it offers more enterprise-level features and capabilities. WebTitan simply cannot compete in this department.

Analytics

Both services offer comparable analytics capabilities, though there are a few key differences worth noting:

• Query Log Retention: Cisco Umbrella retains query log data for 30 days, whereas WebTitan stores it for 60+ days
• Report & Analytics Retention: Cisco Umbrella stores analytics and reports data for up to one year, whereas WebTitan stores them for 60+ days
• SIEM Log Streaming: Cisco Umbrella provides SIEM log streaming to all users, while WebTitan does not offer this feature

Support

Cisco Umbrella offers Community Support and 24/7 Software Support (add–on), both of which WebTitan does not provide.

However, it's important to note that Cisco Umbrella’s post-sales support is a frequent complaint. Many users mention experiencing long response times and unresolved support tickets, an issue that's especially frustrating given the premium price tag for the service.

WebTitan vs. Cisco Umbrella vs. Control D

If Cisco Umbrella or WebTitan doesn’t quite meet your requirements, Control D is a strong alternative worth considering. 

It offers enterprise-grade features with advanced filtering, privacy-focused security, and a high level of customization, surpassing both Cisco Umbrella and WebTitan in flexibility. 

All of this comes at a cost-effective price, making it a compelling option for businesses looking for robust protection that’s budget-friendly.

Easy Onboarding & Transparent Pricing

With Control D, there’s a simple billing and setup process that respects your time. Its flat-rate pricing covers every feature from the moment you sign up, with no hidden extras or upsells:

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

There’s also a 30-day free trial (no credit card required), so you can try everything without paying upfront.

Adding devices is equally straightforward. You can push a provisioning code out using your favorite RMM to deploy Control D to your entire device fleet in a matter of minutes.

Best-in-Class Malware Protection

In independent testing, Control D’s native malware filter blocked 99.97% of threats, beating out all competitors – including big names such as Cloudflare, Google, and Quad9.

For additional protection, there’s also Control D’s AI-driven detection system. It uses machine learning to spot suspicious domains and block them in real time, even if they’re brand new and not on existing blocklists.

Ad & Tracker Blocking

With Control D, ads and trackers are blocked at the DNS level, meaning they’re stopped before your device can connect to them. No waiting for pages to load, no wasted data, and no creepy tracking scripts following you around.

Control D’s system doesn’t rely on browser add-ons or app settings. It works for every device on your network, automatically. Whether you’re using a phone, tablet, or a smart TV, ads and trackers get blocked the same way, every time.

And because not every user wants the same experience, Control D includes three filter modes: Relaxed, Balanced, and Strict. You choose what level of blocking makes sense for your use case.

Neither Cisco Umbrella nor WebTitan offers ad or tracker blocking.

Blockable Services

Control D moves beyond simple category-based filtering with a massive library of over 1,000 blockable Services. These Services are real-world platforms, apps, and tools that you can block, bypass, or redirect individually. This includes everything from Google and Facebook to Dropbox, Reddit, and Fortnite.

Each Service is pre-bundled with all of its related domains and subdomains, so you don’t need to manually research anything. Just pick the ones you want to manage and set your rule.

You still get access to Control D’s 20 category filters, but the real power is in combining those with individual Services for total customization. For instance, you can block all social media with the Social Filter, but then set a bypass rule for individual platforms you want to allow access to with a simple toggle.

For comparison, Cisco Umbrella offers fewer than 100 Services, whereas WebTitan offers zero. 

Traffic Redirection

Control D gives you precise control over DNS routing with its Traffic Redirection feature. Choose from over 100 proxy locations in 60+ countries and decide exactly how your traffic flows.

You can set a default route for all DNS queries or define rules for specific Services and domains. For example, set everyday traffic to resolve to a server near your office while pushing cloud tools or media apps through faster or more compliant locations.

The system is built to be simple. Pick the region. Set the rule via the toggle. Done. It works across all devices and networks – home, business, or public – without a VPN.

Umbrella and WebTitan do not provide this capability.

Geo-Custom Rules

Control D’s Geo-Custom Rules feature lets you manage DNS traffic by location. You can build rules based on where a query comes from or where it’s headed, down to the country or ASN level.

Here’s what you can do:

• 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 combo of the above

These controls help you reduce exposure to high-risk regions like Russia or Iran, and also help with meeting compliance regulations about where data should flow.

Most other DNS providers don’t offer this kind of detailed filtering. For example, Cisco Umbrella only offers geo-IP blocking, which doesn’t extend to ASNs, and WebTitan does not offer this at all.

In-Depth Analytics & Monitoring

Control D’s analytics gives you the big picture and the fine details, showing you everything going on in your network. 

Every block, every redirect, every allowed domain is logged in real time, giving you full visibility. You can monitor usage trends, dig into specific events, and spot issues before they turn into real problems.

If you use a SIEM platform, Control D can stream query logs directly into it. That means your security team doesn’t need to switch tools. They can see DNS activity alongside everything else they track.

Don’t want to manually check the dashboard? No problem. You can schedule email reports to arrive on your timeline: daily, weekly, or monthly.

Advanced Chatbot

With Barry, you don’t need to guess or search through documentation when you get stuck. This isn’t a generic support bot. He understands how Control D works, can answer 99% of questions in seconds, and is ready to assist you 24/7.

So whether you need help setting up filtering policies, sifting through analytics data, or troubleshooting, Barry’s got you covered. 

Full Cross-Platform Support

Control D supports Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android, routers, and browsers. That means you can cover every corner of your network without worrying about compatibility.

For enterprise needs, Control D also plugs into identity and security tools you already use with support for Active Directory, SIEM, RMM platforms, and SSO (like Okta).

Dual Stack Ready & Modern Protocol Support

Control D gives you full dual-stack compatibility, supporting both IPv4 and IPv6 from day one. It also handles modern encrypted DNS protocols like DoH, DoT, DoH3, and DoQ. These protocols protect your DNS queries from surveillance, tampering, and other network interference.

If you still have legacy systems hanging around, that’s fine too. Control D supports traditional DNS, so older devices won’t break while you modernize the rest of your infrastructure.

Full API Access

Control D’s API gives you direct access to everything. You can build scripts, automate updates, or integrate DNS management into your own software stack.

This isn’t a limited developer tool; it’s the same power the dashboard has, just without the UI. And it’s available immediately. No paywalls. No enterprise-only tier.

Custom Data Storage Region

Right out of the box, you can store your DNS logs and account data in one of three regions: North America, Europe, or Australia.

If your organization operates under strict compliance or privacy regulations, you can go one step further. For a small additional cost, Control D lets you request a custom data storage region, tailored to meet your data sovereignty goals.

This flexibility is especially useful for companies in finance, healthcare, or other highly-regulated industries.

Performance

📌 WebTitan is not included in this list. Therefore, we’ll be comparing Control D against Cisco Umbrella

Control D offers a superior query speed of 16.09 ms, compared to Cisco Umbrella’s 19.42 ms.

Control D also has more consistent Uptime results, with a score of 99.91% compared to Cisco Umbrella’s 98.31%.

Control D scores far better in server Quality, too, with a score of 99.91% compared to Cisco Umbrella’s 98.29%.