OpenDNS Home

A public DNS service from Cisco with phishing protection and optional content filtering for home networks.

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About OpenDNS Home

OpenDNS is a public DNS resolver, now part of Cisco. Its consumer products are aimed at home users. You set your router or devices to use OpenDNS servers, and every device on the network gets the same protection without installing anything.

Filtering can be pre-configured or customized to block adult content and other categories, which makes it a simple way to add parental controls across a household. Cisco's business security offering has moved to Cisco Secure Access, so the OpenDNS home products are the part aimed at individuals.

Strengths

  • Network-wide filtering set once at the router
  • Content filtering suited to parental controls
  • Phishing protection without installing software
  • Setup guides and a knowledge base for home users

Limitations

  • Queries go to a US company's resolver
  • Website mostly promotes Cisco's enterprise products

Details

Pricing
FreeThe home DNS service is free to use.
License
Proprietary
Developer
Cisco
Platforms
Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS
How it runs
Hosted service
Works offline
No
Best suited for
Households that want simple network-wide content filtering and phishing protection
Categories
DNS filtering
Last verified
Added
Provenance
Facts checked against the developer's own pages and store listings, 1 sources on file.

Alternatives to OpenDNS Home

Compare all

Software that can replace OpenDNS Home for an important use case, and what changes if you switch.

  • CleanBrowsing

    A DNS filtering service that blocks malware, phishing and adult content at the network level.

    FreemiumProprietaryWeb

    CleanBrowsing is a freemium filtering service that blocks malware, phishing and adult content with enforced Safe Search, aimed at families and schools with no contracts.

  • Cloudflare 1.1.1.1

    Fast public DNS resolver with a filtered option for families.

    Cloudflare 1.1.1.1 is a free resolver on Cloudflare's global network whose Families option adds content filtering, though its filtering options are limited.

  • Quad9

    Free public DNS resolver that blocks known malicious domains.

    Quad9 is a free Swiss non-profit resolver with a no-client-IP-logging policy that blocks malicious domains but offers no content filtering for parental controls.

  • NextDNS

    Cloud DNS filtering with per-device profiles and detailed logs.

    NextDNS adds granular blocklists, per-device profiles and detailed analytics with encrypted DNS on every platform, but its free tier is limited to a monthly query allowance.

  • Control D

    Customisable DNS filtering service with per-device profiles.

    Control D provides per-device profiles and granular per-service rules with encrypted DNS apps, though most useful features are behind a paid plan.

  • AdGuard DNS

    Public filtering DNS resolver with encrypted transports.

    AdGuard DNS is a freemium resolver with encrypted transports including DNS-over-QUIC and ad blocking, with custom rules and statistics requiring a paid account.

  • CIRA Canadian Shield

    A free protective DNS service from Canada's domain registry that blocks malware, phishing and scams.

    CIRA Canadian Shield is a free not-for-profit service blocking phishing, malware and scams with optional adult filtering, but it is built primarily for Canadian users.

  • DNS4EU

    A free public DNS resolver hosted in the EU that blocks malware, phishing and ransomware domains.

    DNS4EU is a free resolver run on EU infrastructure under EU rules, with variants at different filtering levels instead of a US company's resolver.

OpenDNS Home as an alternative

Listings that name OpenDNS Home as an alternative.

  • NxFilter

    A self-hosted DNS filter with per-user policies, reports and Active Directory integration.

    FreeProprietarySelf-hosted

    OpenDNS Home is a free Cisco resolver offering content filtering and phishing protection set once at the router, without per-user policies or Active Directory support.

  • Safe Surfer

    A parental-control DNS filtering service that blocks harmful content on phones, computers and home routers.

    OpenDNS Home from Cisco offers free network-wide content filtering suited to parental controls, set once at the router with no subscription.

Similar software

Related functionality, not necessarily a direct replacement.

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