ClearDNS vs OpenBLD

ClearDNS is a DNS filtering service that blocks ads, trackers, malware, phishing, cryptojacking, and other unwanted content at network level. It works on Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, and Android, across Wi-Fi and mobile data networks. Thirteen filtering categories can be configured independently, with custom allow and block lists and SafeSearch enforcement. DNS-over-HTTPS and DNS-over-TLS provide encrypted DNS connections. Setup can use a unique link or QR code without a conventional account, email address, or password. ClearDNS says it runs on Cloudflare’s edge network across more than 335 locations. Family policies allow unlimited users, with up to five devices per user. Essential and Stream keep no DNS query history; Analyze and Full retain history for up to 90 days. Stream and Full add instant logs and a live traffic map. Plans are Essential at $5.99 a month, Analyze at $9.99 a month, Stream at $10.99 a month, and Full at $14.99 a month. A one-day trial is listed.

OpenBLD provides protective DNS to block malware, phishing, tracking and unwanted domains. It supports classic DNS, DNS-over-HTTPS and DNS-over-TLS. The free service can be configured on phones, browsers, computers and routers without installing an agent or additional software. Its ADA profile is adaptive for most users, while RIC applies stricter filtering that may affect some services. OpenBLD Free is presented for personal use, home networks and small offices, and is billed Free forever with about 100,000 DNS queries per day and a limit of 100 requests per second per IP. OpenBLD Plus is aimed at companies, security teams and managed service providers. It adds organization-specific policies, centralized DNS analytics, security events and corporate DNS integrations. Deployment options are Managed Cloud, Dedicated DNS and On-Premise; the On-Premise option keeps DNS traffic, events and analytics within customer infrastructure. The documentation says there is no Service Level Agreement for OpenBLD DNS, while Plus lists SLA options. The service was founded in 2019.