Want to switch from your ISP’s DNS to another ISP? I was surprised to learn that using a free public DNS server from a reputable company is much better than using the DNS from my local ISP, especially when traveling abroad.
I was recently in India and was very frustrated that the web page could not load, errors followed by the website loading after 5 seconds. I kept seeing the DNS lookup error message so I figured I’d let me try another DNS provider and that made a huge difference.
There are many public DNS servers that you can use, but I won’t mention all of them as 5 to 10 will meet the needs of just about everyone. Some DNS servers provide additional benefits like filtering out phishing, blocking porn sites, etc., and I’ll be sure to mention the features for each service.
Also be sure to read my post on finding the fastest public DNS server from your location using free utilities. Once you have selected your DNS service, read my post on how to change DNS servers in Windows.
1. Google Public DNS
Google is Google, they have huge scale, load balancing, redundancy and DNS servers distributed all over the world. They also support the latest technology and security mechanisms such as IPv6 DNS servers and DNSSEC. Their DNS servers are also well protected against DoS attacks and cache poisoning attacks.
It’s worth noting that Google Public DNS does not do any blocking or filtering of DNS queries, as some other services do. They declare that only under exceptional circumstances can they block something. This is a good option for me as I use other tools to filter malicious sites, etc. And I don’t want my DNS service involved.
The main advantage of using Google is their global data center and the fact that they have DNS servers located all over the world. Some other services have DNS servers located in only one part of the world, so performance will decrease significantly.
The main downside to using Google is that they all track and log everything that anyone does on the Internet, and this is no exception. If you suspect that Google has too much information, I would suggest using a different DNS server.
Google Public IPv4 DNS Addresses:
- 8.8.8.8
- 8.8.4.4
Google Public DNS IPv4:
- 8.8.8.8
- 8.8.4.4
Google Public DNS IPv6:
- 2001: 4860: 4860 :: 8888
- 2001: 4860: 4860 :: 8844
- 2001: 4860: 4860 :: 8888
- 2001: 4860: 4860 :: 8844
- 209.244.0.3
- 209.244.0.4
- 4.2.2.1
- 4.2.2.2
- 4.2.2.3
- 4.2.2.4
- 209.244.0.3
- 209.244.0.4
- 4.2.2.1
- 4.2.2.2
- 4.2.2.3
- 4.2.2.4
- 208.67.222.222
- 208.67.220.220
- 208.67.222.222
- 208.67.220.220
- 199.85.126.10
- 199.85.127.10
- 199.85.126.20
- 199.85.127.20
- 199.85.126.30
- 199.85.127.30
Google Generic DNS IPv6:
2. Level 3 DNS
Layer 3 is a company that provides multiple ISPs with Internet backbone connectivity, so they are huge, reliable and secure. There is no filtering at level 3 like Google DNS, so it is mainly used to improve performance and reliability.
Depending on your location in the world, any of the public DNS servers mentioned here might be the fastest, so read the link above to find the fastest DNS server for your connection.
Public Level 3 DNS Server Addresses:
Level 3 public DNS server addresses:
3. OpenDNS
OpenDNS has been around for a very long time and it is a respected company. OpenDNS provides several services including Enhanced DNS and Parental Controls, both of which are free.
OpenDNS is also the first public DNS I mentioned that does automatic blocking and filtering against phishing attacks and identity theft. This is a great option if you have kids and want to prevent them from going to sites infected with malware, or if you have older family members who occasionally click on spam links in emails.
They also have a $ 20 a month VIP service that gives you internet usage statistics for all devices on your network.
OpenDNS IP Addresses:
OpenDNS IP Addresses:
4. Norton ConnectSafe DNS
Norton ConnectSafe is a public DNS service provided by Norton. Like OpenDNS, Norton also has automatic filtering and blocking based on its website database. Using the free DNS speed tools I mentioned, it is also one of the fastest public DNS servers out there.
Norton DNS has several different DNS servers depending on the type of protection you want. They have three options:
A – Protection against malware, phishing sites and fraudulent sites
B – A + Pornography
C – A + Pornography + Others
Others will block sites related to adult content, gambling, hate, suicide, tobacco, drugs, alcohol, etc. Obviously this can block many sites, so we use this option at our discretion.
Norton DNS IP Addresses:
Norton DNS IP addresses:
Option A:
Option B:
Option C:
5. OpenNIC DNS
Finally, I like to use another OpenNIC They have servers all over the world that are run by their own members, and they exist to provide a democratic, non-national network that protects your privacy. The above link will show you a list of all of their Level 2 DNS servers around the world, but you can go to the home page and it will automatically tell you the closest servers to your IP in the top right corner.
By browsing the list of servers, you can choose the one that suits your privacy needs. Many of them do not keep logs, have completely disabled logs, or keep anonymous logs.
So, these are my top recommendations for public DNS servers that are reliable, fast, and provide additional security and filtering for those who need it. Although most people use their ISP for DNS, it is actually much better to use a third party provider. If you have any questions, let us know in the comments. Enjoy!
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