CleanBrowsing vs Control D
CleanBrowsing
cleanbrowsing.org
Control D
controld.comSide by side
| Figure | CleanBrowsing | Control D |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $6.25/mo | $2/mo |
| Free plan | — | — |
| Free trial | — | Yes |
| Open source | — | Yes |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | Yes | Yes |
| Android | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 7 | 4 |
| Spec score · DNS Filtering Services | 8.0 (#12) | 9.1 (#3) |
| Spec score · Internet Filtering Software | 8.1 (#17) | 9.1 (#3) |
| Spec score · DNS Filtering Software | 8.0 (#9) | 9.0 (#2) |
| Headquarters | Fully remote; no physical office or headquarters | Toronto, Canada |
| Integrations | Official integration guides cover Mosyle, Google Workspace Chrome, Microsoft Intune, Active Directory, the REST API, NordVPN, and ProtonVPN. | Documented integrations include Asus Merlin, DD-WRT, Firewalla, OpenWRT, pfSense, OPNsense, Ubiquiti, Synology, major operating systems, browsers, RMM tools and Tailscale. |
| Support | Support is provided by email at [email protected], with a typical response time of within 8 hours. | The pricing comparison lists email and community support, an AI assistant, and live engineer sessions for some plans. |
| What it does | CleanBrowsing is a DNS-based content-filtering service that limits explicit content and categories such as gambling, torrents, gaming, and social media. | Control D is a DNS filtering and traffic-redirection service that blocks threats and unwanted content and can route domains through proxies. |
Plans
CleanBrowsing
- Basic$8.99 a month
- Pro 50$15 a month
- Pro 100$30 a month
- Basic$75 a year
- Pro 50$150 a year
- Pro 100$300 a year
- CustomPriced on request
Control D
- SMB$2 a month
- EnterprisePriced on request
- MSP / ChannelPriced on request
- School / Non-profitPriced on request
In their own words
CleanBrowsing
CleanBrowsing is a DNS-based content-filtering service for restricting access to explicit material and categories such as gambling, torrents, gaming, and social media. Its resolver filters fully qualified domain names, and its anycast network has more than 50 data centers. The service uses a proprietary machine-learning platform to find and classify new domains. DNSCrypt, DNS-over-TLS, and DNS-over-HTTPS are supported by default, while DNSSEC is enforced and validated. Free public filters do not log personally identifiable information tied to DNS requests; paid customers can choose their logging level. Paid plans add custom domain rules, TLD blocking, device profiles with different filtering rules, and an option to block all internet access. Activity logging supports searches by domain, profile, and day. Apps are available for Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android, and devices can also be configured manually with DNS settings. Listed platforms include Android, iOS, Linux, macOS, web, Windows, and API. There is a free plan; paid pricing is listed from $75/yr, while monthly plans start at $8.99 a month. Self-service plans do not include a trial.
Control D
Control D is a configurable DNS filtering and traffic redirection service for controlling access to domains, services and browsing activity. Its filtering includes 20 content categories, custom rules and more than 1,000 premade services that users can block or allow. Malware protection uses threat intelligence feeds and machine learning, with selectable aggressiveness levels. DNS connections support DNS-over-HTTPS, DNS-over-TLS, DNS-over-QUIC and DNS-over-HTTPS/3, as well as IPv4 and IPv6. Listed integrations cover Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, browsers, routers, RMM tools and Tailscale. API access includes generating and invalidating tokens. Raw query logs are retained for 30 days and lower-resolution analytics for up to one year; customers can choose analytics storage in New York, Amsterdam or Sydney. A free plan is available. The SMB plan costs $2 a month, billed per endpoint, and includes self-serve deployment and real-time analytics. Control D was founded in Toronto in 2021.