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Unbound vs Knot Resolver: catalog facts
Unbound	Knot Resolver
Free Free and open source under the BSD licence.	Free Free to download and use under the GPL.
Windows, macOS, Linux, Self-hosted	Linux, Self-hosted
DNSSEC validation and encrypted transports in a small, audited resolver Runs recursively, so no upstream resolver sees your queries	Small core with features in optional C and Lua modules Scales from home routers to large deployments
Configuration is a text file with many options No filtering or blocklists of its own; that needs another layer	Configured by hand, with no graphical dashboard Some newer features, such as unencrypted DoH mode, are still alpha
Self-hosted	Self-hosted
Open source	Open source
License: BSD-3-Clause	License: GPL
Not stated if an account is needed	No account 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 23, 2026

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