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What are DNS?
DNS (Domain Name System) stands for domain name system, and it is an Internet service that translates domain names into IP addresses. For example, when you visit technowikis.com , you must first find the IP address of the server where that website is hosted in order to access it. This query is made by a nearby domain name server (DNS server) or servers that have been assigned responsibility for that hostname. Imagine that a DNS server is like a phone book for the Internet. A DNS server maintains a directory of domain names and translates them to their respective IP addresses.
As we have seen, the DNS (Domain Name System) is a system that translates the domain names that we enter in a browser to the IP addresses required to access those sites.
Your ISP (internet service provider: Movistar , Yoigo , Orange , Vodafone , Másmóvil , etc..) will assign you DNS servers every time you connect to the Internet, but these may not always be the best option. Slow DNS servers can cause a delay before websites start to load, and if your DNS server sometimes crashes, you may not be able to access any sites.
Switching to a free public DNS server can make a world of difference, giving you smoother browsing with no lag and no interruptions, meaning there’s far less chance of technical issues.
Some public DNS services can also block access to infected or phishing sites, and some offer content filtering (parental controls) to keep your kids away from the worst of the web.
You should choose your service carefully, not every provider will necessarily be better than your ISP, but to help point you in the right direction, this article will highlight six of the best free DNS servers.
Best Free Public DNS Servers of 2022
OpenDNS
- Primary DNS : 208.67.222.222
- Secondary DNS : 208.67.220.220
IPv6 addresses are also available:
- Primary DNS : 2620:119:35::35
- Secondary DNS : 2620:119:53::53
Founded in 2005 and now owned by Cisco, OpenDNS is one of the biggest names in public DNS.
The free service offers many benefits: high speeds, 100% uptime, phishing sites blocked by default, optional parental control-type web filtering to block websites by content type, along with free email support if anything. goes wrong.
Paid plans allow you to view a history of your internet activity up to the last year and can optionally block and allow access only to specific websites. These aren’t must-have features for the average user, but if you’re interested, they can be turned on for around a few dollars a year.
If you’re experienced with changing DNS, you can get started right away by reconfiguring your device to use OpenDNS nameservers.
If you’re a newbie, that’s okay, as OpenDNS has setup instructions for PCs, Macs, mobile devices, routers, and much, much more.
cloudflare
Cloudflare created 1.1.1.1 to be the “world’s fastest DNS service” and will never log your IP address, never sell your data, and will never use your data to show you ads.
- Primary DNS : 1.1.1.1
- Secondary DNS : 1.0.0.1
They also have public IPv6 DNS servers:
- Primary DNS :2606:4700:4700::1111
- Secondary DNS :2606:4700:4700::1001
There is a 1.1.1.1 app for Android and iOS for quick setup on mobile devices .
Google Public DNS
- Primary DNS : 8.8.8.8
- Secondary DNS : 8.8.4.4
Google also offers IPv6 versions:
- Primary DNS :2001:4860:4860::8888
- Secondary DNS : 2001:4860:4860::8844
Google is present in most web-related industries, and DNS is no exception: Google Public DNS is a free, simple and effective replacement for your own ISP’s nameservers.
When it comes to privacy, Google can’t quite match Cloudflare’s “we’ll never keep your data” promises, but it’s not bad either. The service logs the full IP address information of the query device for approximately 24-48 hours for troubleshooting and diagnostic purposes. “Permanent” records remove any personally identifiable information and reduce location details to the city level, and all but a small random sample of these are deleted after two weeks.
There is an additional benefit for experienced users in the detailed description of the Google service. If you want to be able to assess the importance of Google ‘s privacy policy , for example, you can read absolutely everything in the service logs to find out for yourself.
Google’s support site offers only a very basic guide aimed at experienced users, warning that “only users who are proficient in configuring the operating system [should] make these changes.” If you’re not sure what you’re doing, check out the tutorials from a provider like OpenDNS, and remember to replace your nameservers with Google’s: 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4.
Comodo Secure DNS
- Primary DNS : 8.26.56.26
- Secondary DNS : 8.20.247.20
Comodo Group is behind a number of great security products, so it’s no surprise that the company also offers its own public DNS service.
As expected, Comodo Secure DNS has a strong focus on security. Not only does it block phishing sites, it also warns you if you try to visit sites with malware, spyware, and even parked domains that can overload you with advertising (pop-ups, invasive ads, and more). Also, you can try the Comodo Dome Shield service, which adds additional features to Comodo Secure DNS.
Comodo claims its service is also smarter than average, detecting attempts to visit parked or ‘unused’ domains and automatically forwarding you where you really want to go.
Performance is key, of course, and the company suggests that its worldwide network of servers and intelligent routing technology give it an edge over the rest of the competition. Unfortunately DNSPerf’s Comodo stats aren’t that impressive. Currently, DNSPerf reports its average query time to be around 72ms.
That said, Comodo can still be interesting if you’re looking for an extra layer of web filtering, and the support website has some brief but helpful instructions for setting up the service on Windows PCs, Macs, routers, and Chromebooks.
Quad9
- Primary DNS : 9.9.9.9
- Secondary DNS : 149.112.112.112
There are also Quad 9 IPv6 DNS servers:
- Primary DNS :2620:fe::fe
- Secondary DNS :2620:fe::9
Quad9 is a young DNS service offering fast and free DNS service since August 2016.
The company markets itself for its ability to block malicious domains by gathering intelligence from “a variety of public and private sources.” It’s unclear what these sources are, but the website says Quad9 used more than 18 ‘threat intelligence providers’ as of December 2018.
That’s too vague for us, and we’re not convinced that using a large number of threat intelligence providers will necessarily help: the quality of the intelligence is generally more important than the quantity.
However, Quad9’s performance cannot be argued with. DNSPerf currently rates it a seven out of ten for average query times worldwide, trailing behind Cloudflare and OpenDNS, but handily beating contenders like Comodo.
If we go into a bit of detail we see some variations in speed (Quad9 ranks 6th for US queries and somewhat less in Europe), but overall the service still performs better than most.
The setup guide is a bit limited, with tutorials for the latest versions of Windows and macOS only. However, they are well presented and it is not difficult to know what to do.
VeriSign DNS
- Primary DNS : 64.6.64.6
- Secondary DNS : 64.6.65.6
Verisign also offers public IPv6 DNS servers:
- Primary DNS :2620:74:1b::1:1
- Secondary DNS : 2620:74:1c::2:2.
Verisign was founded in 1995 and over the years has offered various services, including various security services such as Managed DNS.
Verisign’s DNS service is free to use, and the company highlights the three features they consider most important: stability, security, and privacy. The service definitely delivers, especially when it comes to security and stability. As for privacy, although you can never be 100% sure, there was no problem and the company ensures that your public DNS data will not be sold to third parties.
The performance, however, was not that great compared to other providers. Still, it’s decent, and depending on your needs, this may not be a drawback. At the moment, DNSPerf.com ranks the service 10th worldwide.
On their website, you can find tutorials on how to set up their public DNS. Tutorials are available for Windows 7 and 10, Mac, Linux, and mobile devices. There is also a tutorial on how to configure the DNS server settings on your router.
All in all, Verisign offers a good alternative to some other DNS providers, plus it’s free, so it’s worth checking out.
Why do I care about DNS?
DNS servers can vary wildly in speed, particularly in areas that don’t always have the best internet coverage (Africa, South America, Oceania). To take an example from a single day we tested, DNSPerf.com reported that Cloudflare achieved an average Query Time of 4.43ms for Oceania, while Yandex lagged behind at 350.24ms. That’s potentially more than a third of a second in additional waiting time before your browser can access any new websites.
This is an extreme example, to be fair. Lookups in Europe or the US can have a variation of less than 30 ms between most DNS services, and since your device or router will probably cache the address for reuse later, even this delay will only happen very occasionally. . Still, a slow DNS server can noticeably slow down your browsing in some situations, and trying an alternative is usually a good idea, especially since the best options are all free.
There is a second possible benefit in terms of uptime. If your ISP’s DNS server fails, you may not be able to access some or all of your favorite websites. Reputable providers like OpenDNS claim that they have had 100% uptime for years.
Conclution
As you have seen, there are many great free DNS hosting providers out there with a variety of different features. Don’t wait until disaster strikes, consider implementing multiple DNS server configurations for additional redundancy and to help mitigate and prevent DDoS attacks.
Do you have a free DNS hosting provider that we don’t have listed? Feel free to comment below and tell us what your experience has been.
