Compare software

q vs dnslookup: catalog facts
q	dnslookup
Best for: Testing DNS records and encrypted DNS resolvers from the terminal	Best for: Testing encrypted DNS resolvers from the terminal
Free Free and open source under GPL-3.0.	Free Free to download and use.
macOS, Linux, Command line	macOS, Linux, Command line
Supports DoT, DoH, DoQ, ODoH and DNSCrypt Recursive AXFR and IP whois lookups All 3 strengths for q Supports DoT, DoH, DoQ, ODoH and DNSCrypt Recursive AXFR and IP whois lookups Packaged for Homebrew, apt, yum and the AUR	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
Output and flags differ from dig Command line only	Command line only, no graphical interface Focused on single lookups rather than full DNS diagnostics
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Open source	Not open source
License: GPL-3.0	License not stated
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 q github.com/natesales/q Catalog checked September 23, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Sources for dnslookup github.com/ameshkov/dnslookup Catalog checked October 1, 2026

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