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dnsmasq vs Unbound: catalog facts
dnsmasq	Unbound
Free Free and open source under the GPL.	Free Free and open source under the BSD licence.
Linux, Self-hosted	Windows, macOS, Linux, Self-hosted
DNS, DHCP and network boot from one tiny daemon Local hostname resolution for DHCP clients happens automatically	DNSSEC validation and encrypted transports in a small, audited resolver Runs recursively, so no upstream resolver sees your queries
Not a recursive resolver; it forwards to one Configuration syntax is terse	Configuration is a text file with many options No filtering or blocklists of its own; that needs another layer
Self-hosted	Self-hosted
Open source	Open source
License: GPL-2.0	License: BSD-3-Clause
Not stated if an account is needed	Not stated if an account is needed
Not stated if it works offline	Not stated if it works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 22, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 22, 2026

Catalog facts only. Anything “not stated” is unconfirmed. Check full listings for details.