Alternatives to Quad9
Free public DNS resolver that blocks known malicious domains. The listings below can replace it for an important use case. Each note says what changes if you switch.
The original
Quad9
Free public DNS resolver that blocks known malicious domains.
Replacements
Listings that take over the same core job as Quad9.
Cloudflare 1.1.1.1
Fast public DNS resolver with a filtered option for families.
Cloudflare 1.1.1.1 is also free and runs on a large global network, with a Families option that adds content filtering rather than malware blocking.
AdGuard DNS
Public filtering DNS resolver with encrypted transports.
AdGuard DNS blocks advertising as well and supports DNS-over-QUIC, but custom rules and statistics need a paid account beyond a small free tier.
NextDNS
Cloud DNS filtering with per-device profiles and detailed logs.
NextDNS adds ad blocking, granular blocklists and per-device profiles with analytics, but its free tier is limited to a monthly query allowance.
Control D
Customisable DNS filtering service with per-device profiles.
Control D adds per-device profiles and granular per-service rules with apps for every platform, though most useful features require a paid plan.
DNS4EU
A free public DNS resolver hosted in the EU that blocks malware, phishing and ransomware domains.
DNS4EU is a free resolver on EU infrastructure that also blocks malware and phishing, offering variants with different filtering levels, though none allow custom lists.
OpenDNS Home
A public DNS service from Cisco with phishing protection and optional content filtering for home networks.
OpenDNS Home is a free Cisco resolver adding content filtering for parental controls alongside phishing protection, with queries going to a US company.
CleanBrowsing
A DNS filtering service that blocks malware, phishing and adult content at the network level.
CleanBrowsing is a freemium service that adds adult content blocking and enforced Safe Search to malware and phishing blocking, aimed at families and schools.
Also worth comparing
These listings name Quad9 as their own alternative, so the relationship runs both ways.
CIRA Canadian Shield
A free protective DNS service from Canada's domain registry that blocks malware, phishing and scams.
Quad9 is a free Swiss non-profit resolver blocking malicious domains with a no-client-IP-logging policy, but it offers no adult content filtering option.
Similar software
Related functionality, not a direct replacement.
Stubby
Local DNS stub resolver that encrypts queries with DNS-over-TLS.
dnscrypt-proxy
Encrypts your DNS lookups so your internet provider cannot read or tamper with them, and blocks domains while it is there.
Unbound
Validating, recursive, caching DNS resolver.
YogaDNS
A Windows DNS client that intercepts system DNS requests and sends them over encrypted protocols by rule.
