Summary
Google DNS and Cloudflare DNS are popular for good reason. They’re faster and more reliable than most ISP-provided DNS servers. But that doesn’t make them the ultimate choice, at least not for everyone. There are plenty of other DNS providers that tick both those checkboxes and also bring something extra to the table. AdGuard DNS is the better pick for anyone who wants to block ads. Quad9 does a better job of protecting itself from malware. CleanBrowsing is a great option for families. The list goes on. And they’re all free, so there’s no reason not to try one that actually solves a problem you have. AdGuard for blocking ads True to its name Ads are one of the worst parts of the internet. They’re necessary, sure, but we all hate it when sites take it too far. AdGuard DNS is the easiest way to fight back. And unlike an extension, it works at the DNS level. It maintains a blocklist of known ad-serving and tracking domains. So when something on our device tries to resolve one of those domains, AdGuard simply refuses to load them, and the ad never actually shows up. It works the same way for blocking trackers too. It’s not perfect, though. If a site is loading ads from the same domain as its actual content, AdGuard can’t block those. YouTube ads are the most painful example of this, but that’s a structural limitation of DNS-based blocking, not something AdGuard has dropped the ball on. There’s also a paid version of AdGuard DNS that can handle ads that appear within apps. It also offers custom filters for blocking specific content like gambling or social media. But yes, for most people, the free version is more than enough. Quad9 for protection against malware and phishing Don’t let a bad link ruin your day Bad actors are everywhere on the internet, so you always have to be careful when clicking links. Your DNS server can do help with this too. Quad9 is popular specifically for its ability to block malware and phishing attempts. It works much like AdGuard, but focuses on security rather than ads. It cross-references DNS queries against a constantly updated threat intelligence feed that’s pulled from over 20 different cybersecurity organizations. When your device tries to load any domain that’s flagged as malicious, Quad blocks the request before anything is loaded. This is what makes it better than Google and Cloudflare DNS because those servers don’t block anything by default. If you type in a bad domain, they’ll resolve it just fine, so the onus is mostly on you. Quad9 is also known for its privacy. It’s a nonprofit organization that promises to not collect any user data. It’s based in Switzerland, which has some of the strongest internet privacy laws around. CleanBrowsing for filtering unwanted content Kid-proof your home network This won’t be useful for everyone, but if you have kids at home and want a DNS that does more than just resolve requests, CleanBrowsing is worth trying. Its Family Filter blocks adult content and mixed-content sites across the board. It also enables SafeSearch on Google, YouTube and other search engines that support it. Heck, it even blocks VPNs and proxies, so those can’t be used to bypass the restrictions you’ve set. There’s another filter for blocking just the adult content, but that one does allow VPNs and proxies. The only catch with DNS-level filtering is that it can be blunt, which means it can sometimes block legitimate sites by mistake. CleanBrowsing does let you whitelist specific domains, but you can only do that on a paid plan. Mullvad DNS for privacy-focused all-rounder Get a bit of everything I’ve saved the best one for the last. If you want a DNS that does a bit of everything, Mullvad is hard to beat. You may have heard about its VPN service, but it also has a great DNS service that’s completely free. Its default dns.mullvad.net endpoint doesn’t block anything. It’s just fast and privacy-friendly. But if you want more, there are several alternatives to pick from. Its adblock DNS focuses on blocking ads and trackers. Its base DNS adds malware blocking on top of that. The extended option blocks all three and throws in social media sites as well. The family DNS swaps social media filtering for gambling sites. And if you want to block everything, there’s an all-in option for that too. So yes, it’s truly a jack of all trades. Mullvad also has a strict no-logs policy, so you don’t have to worry about your data getting sold to the advertisers. That’s also what makes it better than Google and Cloudflare DNS, neither of which have a no-logs policy.