8 Best DNS Servers For Speed, Stability, and Security (2019).
To access the internet, you need a proper and fast DNS server that can quickly translate domain names (like google.com) to IP addresses (like 209.85.135.103). Depending on how fast the DNS server is, your internet experience can be fast or terrible.
To find the current DNS server, enter “ipconfig / all” at the command prompt and look for the “DNS Server” entry. But generally, we use a DNS server provided by our ISP, which is usually not as reliable, secure or fast. In fact, the DNS server provided by your ISP might not even protect you from phishing or malware attacks. Sometimes the ISP may also use their DNS server to censor a website that the ISP or government does not want you to access.
In these situations, you can simply change the DNS settings in your OS or router to be more secure and access the Internet faster and without any restrictions.
Here are some of the free and public DNS servers that are safer and faster than your regular internet service provider’s DNS server.
Read: Best DNS Testing Tools to Find Fastest DNS Server
Best DNS Servers You Must Try in 2019
1. Google Public DNS
Although Google provides many services, it is primarily a search engine. Part of a search engine’s job is to crawl all over the Internet while resolving and caching all the available and accessible DNS information. So it makes a lot of sense for Google to provide a fast DNS service to users. With its rich datacenter capabilities, multiple datacenter locations around the world, and technology, Google Public DNS is one of the fastest and most reliable DNS servers available.
While Google Public DNS doesn’t offer a control panel or configurable options, it does provide basic security to protect users from malicious websites, security threats, DDoS attacks, cache poisoning attacks, and more.
Since DNS requests are sent in clear text without encryption, an attacker can not only see which websites you visit, but also perform spoofed attacks. To prevent this, Google DNS now supports the DNS-over-TLS security protocol, which means that DNS queries are now secure with Google DNS.
Suitable for: speed, accuracy and basic safety.
DNS addresses: 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4.
Parental Control Options: Google Public DNS has no parental controls.
Level of security offered by DNS: Google protects you from DDoS attacks, phishing attacks, cache poisoning attacks, and more. You can read more about the security features of Google Public DNS here.
Price: Free.
2. OpenDNS
OpenDNS is one of the most popular DNS servers that is not only fast but also provides the best security for all your connected devices and parental controls to enforce rules on your network.
In addition, OpenDNS has built-in identity theft protection and custom filtering. By default, OpenDNS is configured to block adult content. If necessary, you can completely remove or configure how strong the filter should be and what type of websites for the block (eg, Adult, gambling, pornography, etc.) directly on the OpenDNS control panel.
Of course, just like Google Public DNS, OpenDNS also protects you from phishing attacks, malicious websites, cache poisoning attacks, and more.
Suitable for: speed, safety and parental control.
DNS addresses: 208.67.222.222 and 208.67.220.220.
Parental Control Options: OpenDNS has extensive filtering capabilities to enforce parental control rules. If necessary, you can block individual websites or websites belonging to specific categories.
The level of security offered by DNS: Provides basic protection against cache infections, DDoS attacks, malicious websites, phishing attacks, and more.
Price: Free. Some features, such as domain whitelisting and locked environment, are only available for professional accounts. To get a professional account, you have to pay $ 19.95 per year.
3. CleanBrowsing
If for some reason OpenDNS doesn’t work for you or you need an easy way to implement DNS blocking, use CleanBrowsing. It works in the same way, meaning it uses a DNS server to block adult websites on the Internet. However, they have an easy-to-use Android app. We tried it on Oneplus 6t and it works flawlessly.
Best for – Block your network’s porn or kid’s iPad
DNS addresses: 185.228.168.168
Level of security offered by DNS: The only caveat is privacy. Since CleanBrowsing is a relatively new application and all web traffic goes through it, it is not easy to trust it. However, if you want to customize it on a child’s device, privacy shouldn’t be an issue.
Price: CleanBrowsing follows the freemium model. There are 3 free filters available in the free version. In the paid version ($ 5 per month), this limit applies to 12 filters and supports up to 100 devices.
4. Smart DNS Proxy
We generally use a VPN to access a website or service that is blocked by geographic restrictions. As most of you know, VPNs are a little slower when compared to a regular internet connection. This is due to reasons such as bandwidth limitations, VPN server location, number of users on the VPN server, etc. However, you will not encounter these issues when using Smart DNS Proxy. Unlike other DNS services, the main purpose of Smart DNS Proxy is to unblock geo-restricted websites like Netflix, Hulu, Pandora, Spotify, etc.
Related: How to Bypass Chromecast DNS and Avoid Geo-Blocking
Remember, Smart DNS Proxy is not a VPN. that is, it will not change your IP address and / or encrypt your internet connection. It simply unblocks geo-restricted websites by redirecting all traffic from their servers. That being said, Smart DNS Proxy has multiple data centers for fast and correct DNS resolution. Thus, Smart DNS Proxy is also slightly faster than your typical ISP’s DNS server.
If you are looking for a good service that unblocks geo-restricted websites without sacrificing your internet speed, then Smart DNS Proxy is for you.
Best for: Unblocking geo-restricted websites.
DNS addresses: DNS addresses will be available in the Smart DNS Proxy control panel. Depending on the location you choose, the DNS addresses will be different. See this support article for more information.
Parental Control Options: There are no parental control options.
The level of security offered by DNS: very basic security, nothing special.
Price: Smart DNS Proxy is a completely paid service that costs $ 4.99 per month. There is a free 14-day trial that doesn’t require a credit card.
5. Uncensored DNS
At first glance, UncensoredDNS looks and sounds a lot like Smart DNS Proxy. In some cases, it is similar to Smart DNS Proxy. But the main purpose of UncensoredDNS is not to access geo-restricted websites. Rather, it is designed to access censored websites.
Take me for example, where I live, my main internet service provider (Airtel) blocks several websites for file sharing and video streaming. For example, I cannot access the Openload video streaming service, and cannot play videos on websites that primarily use Openload as a video storage and streaming service.
In situations where your ISP is actively blocking certain websites or services under government censorship, you can use UncensoredDNS to decensor and access those websites. I’ve personally used UncensoredDNS before and it worked great. Before using UncensoredDNS, you should be aware that the servers are hosted in Denmark and owned by an individual.
Best for: Decensing websites censored by your ISP or government.
DNS addresses: 91.239.100.100 and 89.233.43.71.
Parental Control Options: No parental controls.
Security level offered by DNS: No security. UncensoredDNS simply redirects your DNS requests through its servers, that’s all.
Price: Free.
6. AdGuard DNS
If you are looking for a DNS server to block online tracking and ads, try AdGuradDNS. Like most DNS services, you can either set up AdGuard DNS on your router or use the Android and iOS app with a single tap.
That being said, Comodo Secure DNS is not an alternative to firewall or anti-virus software.
Best for: blocking ads, malware and phishing sites.
DNS addresses: 176.103.130.130 and 176.103.130.131
Parental Control Options: Yes, it has “family protection” servers (176.103.130.132 and 176.103.130.134) that block adult content on the web.
The level of security offered by DNS: AdGuard provides decent security.
Price: AdGuard DNS is a paid service with different pricing policies. The basic version starts at a couple of dollars a month for PC or Android, or if you’re not a fan of the subscription model like me, you can also get a lifetime version of AdGuard for about $ 20.
7. SafeDNS
SafeDNS is very similar to OpenDNS in that it has very extensive parental controls and allows you to whitelist or blacklist websites or website categories as needed. Filter categories include, but are not limited to, adult sites, gambling, pornography, excessive or intrusive ads, etc.
If you don’t like ads, SafeDNS can also block most of the ads at the DNS level so you don’t have to see ads and make your web pages load faster. Moreover, SafeDNS is a member of the IWF (Internet Watch Foundation) and automatically blocks any images of sexual abuse of adults and children.
Of course, as the name suggests, SafeDNS does protect you from malicious sites, phishing attacks, DDoS attacks, cache poisoning, botnets, and more.
If your main goal is security and extensive parental control, you should try SafeDNS.
Suitable for: security and parental control.
DNS addresses: 195.46.39.39 and 195.46.39.40.
Parental Controls Options: SafeDNS has extensive choices about which website or what types of websites your child or family members can access.
The level of security offered by DNS: SafeDNS can protect you from intrusive or malware-infected ads, malicious websites, phishing attacks, botnets, DDoS attacks, and more.
Price: SafeDNS is a completely paid service that starts at $ 19.99 / year for 3 devices.
8. CloudFareDNS
Although Google DNS is known for its speed, today (April 1, 2018) CloudFare announced a completely new DNS service that is currently processing queries faster than Google DNS.
At the time of this writing, CloudFare is faster than Google DNS or any other DNS.
What sets CloudFare DNS apart from the rest are standalone iOS and Android apps. Not only does it provide you with an easy way to prevent an operator from tracking your online activity, but it also helps you remove certain websites that your government has banned.
Best for: If you need the fastest possible DNS resolution but don’t want to transfer your data to Google, CloudFare DNS is the best option.
DNS addresses: 1.1.1.1 and 1.0.0.1
Parental Control Options: No Parental Control Options
Level of security offered by DNS: While CloudFare makes no claims to protect you from intrusive ads or ads infected with malware, etc., they do have strict data privacy statements such as no IP address registration and KPMG retention for an annual audit of our systems to ensure we do what we say.
Price: CloudFareDNS is completely free
Conclusion: the best DNS servers
In general, each shared DNS service has its own advantages and is tailored to a specific use case. If you want basic security and speed, choose CloudFare DNS. For parental control, speed, and basic security, choose OpenDNS or SafeDNS (paid). If you just want to access websites censored by your ISP or government, try UncensordDNS. For geo-restricted websites, Smart DNS Proxy (paid) is a good choice.
Even when you configure clients to use a properly configured DNS server, they will retain their previously resolved DNS addresses. So make sure you flush your previous DNS servers for the changes to take effect.
That’s all for now. Comment below, share your thoughts and experiences using the above DNS servers.