NextDNS vs Quad9

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.

Quad9 is a free recursive DNS service that blocks requests to domains associated with malware, viruses, adware, phishing and scams. It draws on threat information from more than 20 partners to identify malicious domains. The service supports DNS over TLS, DNS over HTTPS and DNSCrypt, and provides DNSSEC validation on its resolver services. Quad9 says it does not store end-user IP addresses and operates under Swiss privacy law. Its focus is malicious-domain blocking, not content filtering; it also does not offer custom domain policies. Setup documentation covers Cloudflared, Pi-hole and open-source routers including pfSense, OPNsense, OpenWrt, MikroTik RouterOS and IPFire. Support assists with setup questions and issues. Quad9 reports 99.999% uptime for its global anycast service. The service costs nothing, with no contract or sign-up process, and is listed for Android, iOS, Linux, macOS and Windows. Large organizations planning high-volume DNS traffic are asked to contact Quad9 first.