There are many DNS providers out there, and it could be really hard to choose the right one for you. Let’s check the most popular DNS hosting providers, check their features and prices. After seeing the comparison table, you will be able to choose a DNS hosting provider with a better understanding.
Most popular DNS hosting providers
It is hard to which are the most popular, but based on our research, the companies that we saw most often are:
- Cloudflare.com
- Easydns.com
- Cloudns.net
- Dnsmadeeasy.com
- Dnsimple.com
Free DNS tier
Yes, it is possible to get DNS for free. It is a great option if you want to learn how to use it or if your needs are not that much yet.
DNSimple does not have a free plan, Cloudflare has, and it offers CDN, but there is not enough information about its free service and limited support types of DNS records.
EasyDNS is just behind ClouDNS, with little fewer features, and DNSmadeeasy wins with a larger number of DNS records and unlimited queries.
Feature | Cloudflare | EasyDNS | ClouDNS | DNSmadeeasy | DNSimple DOES NOT HAVE FREE DNS |
DNS Servers | Not specified | 3 | 4 | Not specified | |
Anycast | Not specified | No | No | Not specified | |
DNS Zones | Not specified | Not specified | 1 | Not specified | |
DNS Records | Not specified | 20 | 50 | 1500 | |
DNS queries per month | Not specified | 250K | 500K | Unlimited | |
Mail Forwards | Not specified | 10 | 1 | Not specified | |
DNS Failover | Not specified | No | No | 1 | |
CDN | Yes | No | No | No | |
DDoS protection | Yes | No | No | No | |
Types of DNS records | Not supporting CNAME | All | All | All |
Suggested article: Free DNS vs Premium DNS
Starter DNS tier
Now, we are looking at beginning paid DNS plans that already can serve the majority of the users. You will get a lot of queries per month, a lot of DNS records. Any advanced features like Anycast DNS or DDoS protection are welcome but not always present.
Cloudflare is not very open about what they offer. Their service is a lot more expensive, and they are focusing on CDN and DDoS protection.
EasyDNS offers a great economic plan, but they are missing DDoS protection and Reverse DNS, and also the limit of 5M queries per month could be limiting.
ClouDNS has a great balanced plan, with DDoS Protection and multiple Anycast locations. If the price is more important for you than the advanced features, there is a 2.95 USD per month plan too.
DNSmadeeasy has many limitations like query per month (10M) and only 300 DNS records, so it is not the ideal option.
DNSimple matches the ClouDNS option but lacks behind on Reverse DNS and DNS Failover.
Feature | Cloudflare | EasyDNS (Anycast) | ClouDNS (DDoS Protected S) | DNSmadeeasy (Business) | DNSimple (Personal) |
Price per month | 20 | 4.58 (55/year with domain registration) or 3.33 (40/year without domain registration) | 5.95 | 5 | 6 |
DNS Servers | Not specified | 3 | 4 | Not specified | Not specified |
Anycast | Not specified | 15 | 30 locations | Not specified | Yes |
DNS Zones | Not specified | Not specified | 75 | Not specified | Not specified |
DNS Records | Not specified | Unlimited | 3000 | 300 per domain, and up to 7500 | Unlimited |
DNS queries per month | Not specified | 5M | Unlimited | 10M | Unlimited |
Mail Forwards | Not specified | 100 | 150 | Not specified | 2 USD per 1000 messages/ a month |
DNS Failover | Not specified | 1 | 2 | 3 Records + 4.95 per A record per year | No |
CDN | Yes | No | Paid in other plans | 660 USD per year | No |
DDoS protection | Yes | No | Yes (4 protected servers) | Not specified | Yes |
DNSSEC | Yes | Yes | Yes | Not specified | Yes |
Reverse DNS | Not specified | Not Specified | Yes | Not specified | No |
Pro DNS tier
This tier will include features for those who outgrowth the Starter tier. You will get higher limits and advanced features. Some companies prefer to offer just Starter and Enterprise DNS, and they miss the middle-sized businesses.
In this tier, we have various prices, and different companies focus on different features like DDoS protection, CDN, or another.
Cloudflare, EasyDNS, and DNSmadeeasy do not have any additional plans for that target of users. Cloudflare is still attractive with its CDN, but the other two can’t shine here.
ClouDNS has a great option if your priority is DDoS protection and other premium features like Reverse DNS, DNSSEC, and DNS Failover.
DNSimple is a bit cheaper than the ClouDNS and has no limit on the number of DNS records but lacks DNS Failover and vanity servers.
Feature | Cloudflare | EasyDNS (Anycast) | ClouDNS (DDoS Protected L) | DNSmadeeasy (Business) | DNSimple (Professional) |
Price per month | 20 | 2.98 (35/year with domain registration) or 1.66 (20/year without domain registration) | 39.95 | 5 | 30 |
DNS Servers | Not specified | 3 | 4 | Not specified | Not specified |
Anycast | Not specified | 15 | 30 locations | Not specified | Yes |
DNS Zones | Not specified | Not specified | 400 | Not specified | Not specified |
DNS Records | Not specified | Unlimited | 20000 | 300 per domain, and up to 7500 | Unlimited |
DNS queries per month | Not specified | 1M | Unlimited | 10M | Unlimited |
Mail Forwards | Not specified | 100 | 1000 | Not specified | 2 USD per 10000 messages/ a month |
DNS Failover | Not specified | 0 | 3 | 3 Records + 4.95 per A record per year | No |
CDN | Yes | No | No | 660 USD per year | No |
DDoS protection | Yes | No | Yes (4 protected servers) | Not specified | Yes |
DNSSEC | Yes | Yes | Yes | Not specified | Yes |
Reverse DNS | Not specified | Not Specified | Yes | Not specified | Yes |
Vanity name servers | Not Specified | Not Specified | Yes | No | No |
Enterprise DNS tier
This one is a top-notch service that big e-commerce can use and rely on with fewer worries. You pay a lot more, but you can get really feature-rich plans with DDoS protection, GeoDNS (CDN), unlimited queries, and other advanced features.
EasyDNS is by far the cheapest in this category but lacks behind with features. Still, it might be interesting choice for many. Cloudflare and DNSimple do not provide much more than their previous plans, but the price is a lot higher.
ClouDNS has a good price and provides GeoDNS, so it is worth checking out. It still has limits, but they are very high.
DNSmadeeasy’s plan stays behind with fewer DNS records, fewer queries per month, and extra costs for CDN.
Feature | Cloudflare (Business) | EasyDNS (Enterprise DNS) | ClouDNS (GeoDNS Business) | DNSmadeeasy (Corporate) | DNSimple (Business) |
Price per month | 200 | 12.7 (152.49/year | 79.95 | 125 | 300 |
DNS Servers | Not specified | 4 | 4 | Not specified | Not specified |
Anycast | Not specified | 15 | 30 locations | Not specified | Yes |
DNS Zones | Not specified | Not specified | 10 | Not specified | Not specified |
DNS Records | Not specified | Unlimited | 10000 | 300 per domain, and up to 7500 | Unlimited |
DNS queries per month | Not specified | 5M | 1B | 50M | Unlimited |
Mail Forwards | Not specified | 100 | 30 | Not specified | 2 USD per unlimited messages/ a month |
DNS Failover | Not specified | 3 | 1 | 10 | No |
CDN | Yes | Yes | Yes | 540.00 per domain / year | No |
DDoS protection | Yes | No | Yes (4 protected servers) | Not specified | Yes |
DNSSEC | Yes | Yes | Yes | Not specified | Yes |
Reverse DNS | Not specified | Not Specified | Yes | Not specified | No |
Vanity name servers | Not specified | Not specified | Yes | Not specified | Yes |