Software Alternatives & Reviews

dnsmasq VS NextDNS

Compare dnsmasq VS NextDNS and see what are their differences

dnsmasq logo dnsmasq

Dnsmasq is a lightweight, easy to configure DNS forwarder and DHCP server.

NextDNS logo NextDNS

Block ads, trackers and malicious websites on all your devices.
  • dnsmasq Landing page
    Landing page //
    2019-04-03
  • NextDNS Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-09-26

dnsmasq videos

DHCP Server Setup with Dnsmasq

More videos:

  • Review - Quick Configs Ubiquiti - DNSMASQ & DHCP
  • Review - DD-WRT DNSMasq Setup and Local DNS

NextDNS videos

How To Set NextDNS on Your PC

More videos:

  • Review - NextDNS: A review and walkthrough
  • Review - NextDNS Review and Configuration
  • Review - NextDNS IS The Future of DNS!!

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to dnsmasq and NextDNS)
Security & Privacy
8 8%
92% 92
Ad Blockers
12 12%
88% 88
Monitoring Tools
100 100%
0% 0
DNS
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

Share your experience with using dnsmasq and NextDNS. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
Log in or Post with

Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare dnsmasq and NextDNS

dnsmasq Reviews

We have no reviews of dnsmasq yet.
Be the first one to post

NextDNS Reviews

22 NextDNS Alternatives
NextDNS app intuitively encrypts all DNS queries on all networks and manages settings from your cell phones and tablets. NextDNS brings next-level protection from almost all kinds of security threats while blocking ads and trackers on applications as well as websites. This significant tool brings safe and supervised internet for kids on almost all networks and devices.
Free Privacy App for Any Device.
The other option is to host your own PiHole. NextDNS’s service is modelled on PiHole, and openly admit this in their FAQ. I personally host my own PiHole on a RaspberryPi 3b+ and have my traffic in my apartment routed through this. I trust NextDNS to protect me while I am on my mobile data, or in a coffee shop, but at home, I enjoy knowing that I have 100% control over my...
Source: medium.com

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, NextDNS seems to be a lot more popular than dnsmasq. While we know about 499 links to NextDNS, we've tracked only 5 mentions of dnsmasq. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

dnsmasq mentions (5)

  • Working on Multiple Web Projects with Docker Compose and Traefik
    This seems like an improvement over my current solution in that it can keep multiple projects open simultaneously and route to each of them, but does add more complexity to the setup. I'm using Dnsmasq (https://thekelleys.org.uk/dnsmasq/doc.html) to map anything at .lo to the currently running project, like so:
      brew install dnsmasq.
    - Source: Hacker News / 7 months ago
  • easiest way to setup internal DNS routing?
    I would use a simple dns proxy like Blocky if you want adblocking or dnsmasq if you don't. Source: about 1 year ago
  • Frustrated with the hardware I own
    The pervious setup was much the same except the lab was under the UDMP without another gateway. I used UnifiOS to create networks(vLANs) and trusted that segregation to work. It did not. As I progressed in my home lab, I went through a few hypervisors and settled on EXSi and vSphere. 100% overkill but that is what labbing is for right? Again progressing through and adding things like windows AD and many Home... Source: over 1 year ago
  • Can I use a custom dns entry to get to my local dev site?
    If you can handle all these, then the easiest way to setup a local dev DNS is dnsmasq. You can install it via HomeBrew. Source: over 1 year ago
  • Is there any way to boot an operating system over PXE?
    If you are still interested, I heartily suggest using dnsmasq to do the dhcp/tftp/PXE service. I’ve used it on airgapped networks to boot systems and install a base Linux OS or run diagnostic tools. Source: over 2 years ago

NextDNS mentions (499)

  • All Fritz Box modems have been hijacked
    Block 45.76.93.104 and 2001:19f0:6c00:1b0e:5400:4ff:fecd:7828 at the firewall if possible. Ensure that DNS-over-HTTP (DoH) is enabled where it can be. Set upstream DNS servers that block malware, such as 1.1.1.2 or NextDNS Delete "fritz.box" from the domain search list in DNS settings. Educate your parents to be cautious about directly typing domain names or searching from the OmniBox. https://nextdns.io/... - Source: Hacker News / 7 days ago
  • Ask HN: Which tools are the best for internet safety for kids?
    I've tried hosted Pi-Hole and AdGuard Home. They are good as long as I'm around to fix stuffs. Then I tested something which can be global (home) and also for individual devices -- Control-D, NextDNS, and Adguard DNS. All of them works pretty well. If I really have to choose, then it would be in the order of NextDNS > Control-D > AdGuard DNS. Affiliated with none, and have decided to subscribe to all three to... - Source: Hacker News / 27 days ago
  • Ask HN: Which tools are the best for internet safety for kids?
    I really like NextDNS. It's very cheap ($1.99/mo) and has an app (macOS/Windows/iOS/Android) that provides filtering/monitoring on the go, even when they aren't at home. https://nextdns.io. - Source: Hacker News / 27 days ago
  • Runs on your OpenWrt box: AdGuard Home is network-wide blocking ads and tracking
    Okay but NextDNS' own homepage says it "blocks ads and trackers on websites and in apps" - https://nextdns.io. - Source: Hacker News / 3 months ago
  • Runs on your OpenWrt box: AdGuard Home is network-wide blocking ads and tracking
    I used Pi-Hole, then went to NextDNS, then to AdGuard DNS, tinkered with AdGuard Home, and currently testing Control-D. They are all actually pretty good, similar features, and it has become just a matter of personal choice. In all fairness, when I have some time and can invest in decent hardwares, I might go back to AdGuard Home with one of the paid services as backup for travel, and when for the other family... - Source: Hacker News / 3 months ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing dnsmasq and NextDNS, you can also consider the following products

BIND - BIND is by far the most widely used DNS software on the Internet.

Pi-hole - Pi-hole is a multi-platform, network-wide ad blocker.

PowerDNS - PowerDNS offers open source DNS software, services, and support.

AdGuard - Surf the Web Ad-Free and Safely. Shield up!

Unbound - Unbound is a validating, recursive, and caching DNS resolver.

Blokada - The best ad blocker for Android. Free and open source.