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DNS Product Matrix
Feature Matrix - Core Updated: Oct 2025 / Feature Data is updated daily.
AdGuard | CleanBrowsing | Cloudflare | DNSFilter | NextDNS | Cisco | Pi-hole | Quad9 | ScoutDNS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Company | |||||||||
Parent Parent Company | AdGuard Software Limited | CleanBrowsing, Inc. | Cloudflare, Inc. | DNSFilter, Inc. | NextDNS, Inc. | Cisco Systems, Inc. | Pi-hole Community | Quad9 Foundation | ScoutDNS, Inc. |
Employee Size Size of the company or division | 100+ employees | 10-50 employees | 3,000+ employees | 100+ employees | 50-100 employees | 80,000+ employees | Community-driven | 10-50 employees | 10-50 employees |
Founded Year the company was founded | 2009 | 2016 | 2009 | 2016 | 2019 | 1984 | 2014 | 2016 | 2018 |
Headquarters Location of company headquarters | Cyprus | United States | San Francisco, California, USA | United States | United States | San Jose, California, USA | Open Source | Switzerland | United States |
Public/Private Whether the company is publicly traded or privately held | Private | Private | Public (NYSE: NET) | Private | Private | Public (NASDAQ: CSCO) | Open Source | Non-profit | Private |
Acquisition Details about any acquisitions | None | None | None | None | None | Acquired OpenDNS in 2015 | None | None | None |
| Architecture & Infrastructure | |||||||||
Anycast DNS DNS servers distributed globally using anycast technology for improved performance and reliability | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
Cloud Based Service delivered from the cloud without local hardware requirements | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
On-Premises Option Ability to deploy the solution on-premises | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
Hybrid Deployment Support for both cloud and on-premises deployment | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
Local Proxy/Appliance/VM Support for local proxy servers, appliances, or virtual machines | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
Multi-Tenant Support for multiple tenants in a single instance | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
IPv6 Support Support for IPv6 DNS resolution and filtering | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
DNSSEC Support Support for DNS Security Extensions | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
DNS over HTTPS (DoH) Support for DNS over HTTPS protocol | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
DNS over TLS (DoT) Support for DNS over TLS protocol | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
Private DNS Support for private DNS zones and custom DNS records | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
Recursive DNS Provides recursive DNS resolution services | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
Authoritative DNS Provides authoritative DNS hosting services | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
Global Server Network Number and distribution of DNS servers globally | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
API Access Programmatic access to the platform via API | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
High Availability Redundancy and failover capabilities | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
Scalability Ability to scale with increasing demand | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Web Filtering & Security | |||||||||
Category-Based Filtering Ability to filter content based on predefined or custom categories | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
Content Filtering Filtering of web content based on policies and rules | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
Custom Allow/Deny Lists Support for custom whitelists and blacklists | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
Time-Based Filtering Filtering based on time of day or day of week | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
Safe Search Enforcement Enforcement of safe search in search engines and YouTube | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
Malware & Phishing Protection against malware and phishing attempts | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
Botnet Protection Protection against botnet communication and control | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
Ransomware Protection Protection against ransomware attacks | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
Cryptomining Protection Protection against cryptomining scripts | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
Zero-Day Protection Protection against zero-day threats | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
Typosquatting Protection Protection against typosquatting domains | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
Domain Generation Algorithm Protection Protection against DGA-based malware | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
AI/ML Threat Analytics Use of artificial intelligence and machine learning for threat detection | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
Threat Intelligence Integration with threat intelligence feeds | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
Customized Block Pages Ability to customize the pages shown when content is blocked | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
SSL Inspection Ability to inspect encrypted SSL/TLS traffic | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
Bypass Options Ability to temporarily bypass filtering | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
GeoIP Blocking Blocking access based on geographic location | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
Application Blocking Ability to block specific applications | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
File Type Filtering Filtering based on file types | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
Keyword Filtering Filtering based on keywords in URLs or content | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
Regex Filtering Filtering using regular expressions | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Client & Endpoint Management | |||||||||
Roaming Client Support Support for clients that move between networks while maintaining protection | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
Device-Based Filtering Filtering at the device level without requiring local DNS alterations | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
Roaming OS Support Support for various operating systems when roaming | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
Windows Client Client software for Windows operating systems | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
macOS Client Client software for macOS operating systems | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
Linux Client Client software for Linux operating systems | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
iOS Client Client software for iOS devices | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
Android Client Client software for Android devices | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
Chromebook Client Client software for Chromebook devices | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
Client Auto-Update Automatic updates for client software | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
Client Deployment Tools Tools for deploying client software at scale | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
Device Isolation Ability to isolate compromised devices from the network | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
Network Segmentation Support Support for VLANs, SSIDs, and other network segmentation technologies | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
MDM Integration Integration with Mobile Device Management solutions | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Policy Management | |||||||||
Role-Based Policies Ability to assign different filtering policies based on user roles | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
Group-Based Policies Ability to assign policies based on user groups | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
Location-Based Policies Different policies based on location | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
Device-Based Policies Different policies based on device type | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
Policy Inheritance Hierarchical policy inheritance | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
Policy Scheduling Schedule when policies are active | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
Policy Exceptions Create exceptions to policies for specific users or devices | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
Policy Templates Pre-defined policy templates | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
Policy Import/Export Ability to import and export policies | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
End-User Access / Downstream IT Ability for end-users or downstream IT to access and manage settings | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
Delegated Administration Ability to delegate administration to different levels | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Reporting & Analytics | |||||||||
Timeline Activity Logs Chronological logs of activity for analysis | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
Traffic Logs Detailed logs of network traffic | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
Exporting Options Ability to export logs and reports in various formats | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
Real-Time Monitoring Ability to monitor activity in real-time | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
User / Entity Behavior Analytics Analysis of user and entity behavior to detect anomalies | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
Custom Reports Ability to create custom reports | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
Scheduled Reports Ability to schedule report generation and delivery | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
Dashboard Visual dashboard for monitoring and analytics | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
Log Retention Duration of log retention | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
SIEM Integration Integration with Security Information and Event Management systems | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
Alert Notifications Configurable alerts and notifications | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
Email Reports Ability to send reports via email | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| DNS Management | |||||||||
DNS Hosting Hosting of DNS zones | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
Domain Registration Domain registration services | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
DNS Record Management Management of DNS records | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
Bulk Record Management Tools for managing multiple DNS records at once | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
DNS Templates Templates for common DNS configurations | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
DNS Propagation Monitoring Tools for monitoring DNS propagation | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
DNS Health Checks Monitoring of DNS health and performance | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
DNS Failover Automatic failover for DNS services | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
Geographic Routing Route DNS queries based on geographic location | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
Load Balancing DNS-based load balancing | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
Traffic Steering Advanced traffic routing capabilities | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
DNS Analytics Analytics for DNS traffic and performance | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
DNS Caching Control over DNS caching behavior | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
TTL Management Management of Time-To-Live values | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
Secondary DNS Secondary DNS services for redundancy | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
Zone Transfer Support for zone transfers (AXFR/IXFR) | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
Dynamic DNS Support for dynamic DNS updates | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Compliance & Privacy | |||||||||
GDPR/CCPA Compliance Compliance with privacy regulations like GDPR and CCPA | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
HIPAA Compliance Compliance with healthcare privacy regulations | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
CIPA Compliance Compliance with Children's Internet Protection Act | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
Data Sovereignty Controls for data sovereignty requirements | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
Audit Logging Comprehensive audit logging for compliance | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
Compliance Reporting Reports for compliance purposes | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
Data Retention Controls Controls for data retention periods | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
Privacy Controls Features to enhance user privacy | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
Consent Management Tools for managing user consent | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Integration | |||||||||
Active Directory Integration Integration with Microsoft Active Directory | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
Azure AD Integration Integration with Microsoft Azure Active Directory | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
LDAP Integration Integration with LDAP directories | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
SAML Integration Support for SAML authentication | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
OAuth Support Support for OAuth authentication | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
RMM Integration Integration with Remote Monitoring and Management tools | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
PSA Integration Integration with Professional Services Automation tools | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
ConnectWise Manage Integration with ConnectWise Manage | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
Autotask Integration with Autotask PSA | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
Syncro Integration with Syncro | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
Datto RMM Integration with Datto RMM | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
N-central Integration with N-able N-central | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
ConnectWise Automate Integration with ConnectWise Automate | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
NinjaRMM Integration with NinjaRMM | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
Webhook Support Support for webhooks for custom integrations | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| MSP Features | |||||||||
Whitelabeling Ability to customize branding for resellers or MSPs | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
Multi-Tenant Management Tools for managing multiple client tenants | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
Client Reporting Client-specific reporting capabilities | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
Client Onboarding Tools for onboarding new clients | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
MSP Dashboard Centralized dashboard for MSP management | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
MSP Billing Integration Integration with MSP billing systems | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
Service Tiers Support for different service tiers | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
MSP Pricing Special pricing for Managed Service Providers | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
MSP-Specific Support Dedicated support for MSPs | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
MSP Training Training resources for MSPs | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Pricing & Licensing | |||||||||
Per User Pricing based on number of users | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
Per Device Pricing based on number of devices | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
Per Location Pricing based on number of locations | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
Per Query Pricing based on number of DNS queries | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
Unlimited Queries Unlimited DNS queries included | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
Free Tier Availability of a free tier or version | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
Trial Available Availability of a free trial | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
Monthly Billing Option for monthly billing | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
Annual Billing Option for annual billing | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
Volume Discounts Discounts for volume purchases | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |