Control D vs NextDNS
Control D
controld.com
NextDNS
nextdns.ioSide by side
| Figure | Control D | NextDNS |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $2/mo | £1.79/mo |
| Free plan | — | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | — |
| Open source | Yes | 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 | Yes |
| Plans published | 4 | 5 |
| Spec score · Internet Filtering Software | 9.1 (#3) | 9.0 (#5) |
| Spec score · DNS Filtering Services | 9.1 (#3) | 9.0 (#6) |
| Spec score · DNS Filtering Software | 9.0 (#2) | 9.0 (#4) |
| Limit: G2 reviewers | Reviewers mention abstract rules, analytics needing improvement, a learning curve, false positives and occasional latency or slow blocklist updates. | G2 reviewers report confusing initial setup, occasional sites or services that require disabling NextDNS, and some ads or trackers still getting through. |
| Praise: G2 reviewers | Reviewers repeatedly praise quick deployment, an understandable interface, strong blocking and easy integrations. | G2 reviewers praise blocking ads in Apple News and desktop apps, private DNS queries, easy multi-platform setup, configurable filters and malware protection. |
| Praise: Trustpilot reviewers | Positive reviewers cite extensive filtering, reliable DNS, ad and malware reduction, schedules, analytics and responsive community support. | Trustpilot reviewers repeatedly describe fast DNS, effective ad blocking, easy set-and-forget operation, broad blocklist support and fair pricing. |
| Rating on G2 | 4.6 out of 5 from 5 reviews | 4.7 out of 5 from 3 reviews. |
| Rating on Google Play | 4.4 out of 5 from 300 reviews | 4.2 out of 5 from about 1.86K ratings for the unofficial NextDNS Manager app. |
| Rating on Trustpilot | 3.9 out of 5 from 48 reviews | 2.8 out of 5 from 38 reviews. |
| Support | The pricing comparison lists email and community support, an AI assistant, and live engineer sessions for some plans. | The pricing page lists community support for Free and Pro, and email support for Business and Education. |
| Threat protection | Its malware protection blocks malicious domains using threat intelligence feeds and machine learning protection with selectable aggressiveness levels. | Its listed protections include malware and phishing, cryptojacking, DNS rebinding, IDN homographs, typosquatting, domain generation algorithms, and newly registered domains. |
| What it does | Control D is a DNS filtering and traffic-redirection service that blocks threats and unwanted content and can route domains through proxies. | NextDNS is a cloud DNS firewall that blocks security threats, ads and trackers and provides supervised internet controls across devices and networks. |
Plans
Control D
- SMB$2 a month
- EnterprisePriced on request
- MSP / ChannelPriced on request
- School / Non-profitPriced on request
NextDNS
- FreeFree
- FreeFree
- Pro£1.79 a month
- Business£17.90 a month
- Education£17.90 a month
In their own words
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.
NextDNS
NextDNS filters internet traffic to block security threats, ads, and trackers, and offers controls for supervising children's access across devices and networks. Its listed threat protections include malware, phishing, cryptojacking, DNS rebinding, lookalike domains, typosquatting, domain generation algorithms, and newly registered domains. Parental controls include category blocking, SafeSearch, YouTube Restricted Mode, and blocks for specific sites, apps, and games, plus scheduled Recreation Time. DNS-over-HTTPS and DNS-over-TLS provide encrypted DNS connections. Users can disable logging or choose retention from one hour to two years and select storage in the United States, European Union, United Kingdom, or Switzerland. The free plan costs nothing and includes 300,000 queries per month; after the limit, it continues answering as a non-blocking DNS service. Pro costs £1.79 a month. Business and Education each cost £17.90 a month, for every 50 employees or 250 students respectively. Free and Pro list community support; Business and Education list email support.