Compare software

dnslookup vs BIND 9: catalog facts
dnslookup	BIND 9
Best for: Testing encrypted DNS resolvers from the terminal	Best for: Administrators querying and debugging DNS or running their own DNS server
Free Free to download and use.	Free Free and open source under the Mozilla Public License 2.0.
macOS, Linux, Command line	macOS, Linux, Self-hosted, Command line
Supports DoH, DoT, DoQ and DNSCrypt in one tool Simple to point at any specific DNS server All 3 strengths for dnslookup Supports DoH, DoT, DoQ and DNSCrypt in one tool Simple to point at any specific DNS server Available via Homebrew, Snap and prebuilt binaries	dig is a standard tool for DNS troubleshooting Full-featured DNS server with DNSSEC All 3 strengths for BIND 9 dig is a standard tool for DNS troubleshooting Full-featured DNS server with DNSSEC Open source and actively maintained by ISC
Command line only, no graphical interface Focused on single lookups rather than full DNS diagnostics	dig comes as part of the larger BIND package Server configuration has a steep learning curve
Downloadable app	Downloadable app, Self-hosted
Not open source	Open source
License not stated	License: MPL-2.0
No account needed	No account needed
Not stated if it works offline	Not stated if it works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Sources for dnslookup github.com/ameshkov/dnslookup Catalog checked October 1, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Sources for BIND 9 gitlab.isc.org/isc-projects/bind9 Catalog checked September 23, 2026

“Not stated” means we have not confirmed it. Features can vary by device and plan.