Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

NextDNS VS AdGuard DNS

Compare NextDNS VS AdGuard DNS and see what are their differences

NextDNS logo NextDNS

Block ads, trackers and malicious websites on all your devices.

AdGuard DNS logo AdGuard DNS

Soon you'll be able to create your own private DNS server that will protect your personal data, block ads and trackers, and allow you to control access to specific Internet content.
  • NextDNS Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-09-26
  • AdGuard DNS Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-02

NextDNS features and specs

  • Privacy Protection
    NextDNS prevents trackers, malicious websites, and ads from reaching your devices, ensuring better privacy and security online.
  • Customization
    NextDNS offers extensive customization options, allowing users to configure the DNS filtering rules to suit their specific needs, including custom blocklists and allowlists.
  • Performance Insights
    Provides detailed analytics and logs, helping users monitor DNS queries, block rates, and other performance metrics.
  • Multiple Devices
    Can be used across various devices and operating systems, including Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, and more.
  • Parental Controls
    Includes parental control features to block adult content, social media, and gaming sites, making the internet safer for children.

Possible disadvantages of NextDNS

  • Cost
    While there is a free tier, accessing full features and unlimited queries requires a paid subscription, which might be a downside for budget-conscious users.
  • Learning Curve
    The extensive customizability may pose a learning curve for users who are not tech-savvy, requiring some technical understanding to optimize settings effectively.
  • Reliance on Cloud
    NextDNS operates through cloud-based servers, which means users must rely on their internet connection and NextDNS's server uptime for uninterrupted protection and performance.
  • Data Retention Concerns
    Even though privacy is a key feature, some users might still have concerns about data retention and the logging of DNS queries.
  • Potential for Overblocking
    Aggressive filtering can sometimes block legitimate websites or services, requiring users to manually adjust settings or whitelist certain domains.

AdGuard DNS features and specs

  • Privacy Protection
    AdGuard DNS provides enhanced privacy by blocking trackers and analytics systems, preventing them from collecting data about your online activities.
  • Ad Blocking
    It effectively blocks advertisements on websites, resulting in a cleaner, faster, and less cluttered browsing experience.
  • Malware Blocking
    AdGuard DNS blocks access to malicious and phishing domains, protecting users from potentially harmful websites.
  • Parental Control
    The service offers features that allow parents to restrict access to adult content, providing a safer browsing environment for children.
  • Ease of Use
    AdGuard DNS is easy to configure; users can simply change their DNS settings to start using the service without needing complex software installations.

Possible disadvantages of AdGuard DNS

  • Limited Customization
    While it provides effective ad blocking and security features, users have limited ability to customize which domains are blocked or allowed.
  • Potential False Positives
    Some legitimate websites may mistakenly be blocked, disrupting access to desired content.
  • Dependency on External Service
    Using a DNS service like AdGuard DNS means reliance on an external provider, which could be a point of concern if the service experiences outages or performance issues.
  • Limited Logging and Analytics
    While designed to enhance privacy, this limitation might not be suitable for users who desire detailed analytics or logging of DNS queries.
  • No Advanced Features
    AdGuard DNS lacks some advanced features available in other DNS services, such as DNS over HTTPS (DoH) or DNS over TLS (DoT) for more secure DNS traffic.

Analysis of NextDNS

Overall verdict

  • NextDNS is a recommended service for improving online privacy and security, offering extensive features and a user-friendly interface. It balances robust protection with ease of use, making it suitable for a wide range of users.

Why this product is good

  • NextDNS is considered a good option for those looking to enhance their internet privacy and security. It offers advanced features like customizable filtering, privacy protection, and ad-blocking. It also provides real-time analytics and threat intelligence to help users understand and control their internet usage. Its ease of use and flexibility make it accessible for both tech-savvy individuals and those looking for simple solutions to improve their digital safety.

Recommended for

  • Individuals concerned about privacy
  • Families wanting to implement parental controls
  • Users looking to block ads and trackers
  • Tech enthusiasts seeking customizable DNS solutions
  • Businesses aiming for enhanced network security

Analysis of AdGuard DNS

Overall verdict

  • AdGuard DNS is a robust and reliable choice for users seeking enhanced privacy, security, and ad-blocking capabilities. It effectively filters out unwanted content and promotes safer browsing experiences, making it a worthwhile option for both tech-savvy users and general consumers.

Why this product is good

  • AdGuard DNS is considered good by many users and experts due to its ability to block ads, trackers, and known malicious websites at the DNS level. It improves privacy and security without the need to install additional software on each device. Additionally, AdGuard DNS offers customizable filtering and parental controls, which provide an extra layer of internet safety for families.

Recommended for

    AdGuard DNS is well-suited for individuals and families looking to improve their online privacy and security. It is also recommended for users who want a hassle-free, network-wide ad-blocking solution and those who wish to protect their network devices from harmful websites and malware with minimal setup.

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!!

AdGuard DNS videos

How-To Block Internet Ads and Adult Websites : AdGuard DNS Review

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to NextDNS and AdGuard DNS)
Security & Privacy
87 87%
13% 13
Ad Blockers
100 100%
0% 0
DNS
78 78%
22% 22
DNS Tools
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Reviews

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

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

AdGuard DNS Reviews

We have no reviews of AdGuard DNS yet.
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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, NextDNS seems to be a lot more popular than AdGuard DNS. While we know about 510 links to NextDNS, we've tracked only 39 mentions of AdGuard DNS. 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.

NextDNS mentions (510)

  • What are some app ideas that you think would benefit people on a perosnal level?
    NextDNS is great for that: https://nextdns.io/. - Source: Hacker News / 25 days ago
  • uBlock Origin is no longer available on the Chrome Store
    uBlock Origin still works in Firefox. https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/ublock-origin/ And you can, I believe, still just modify your hosts table to block out ads in Chrome. https://github.com/StevenBlack/hosts Or your router's DNS using something like NextDNS. https://nextdns.io/ Ads suck. Support content where you can, but even when you pay they still serve ads / tracking scripts. So fuck 'em. Block... - Source: Hacker News / 3 months ago
  • Hack your DNS for better focus
    I've used NextDNS for years to keep our home internet safe for the kids and it works really well. Fortunately NextDNS offers API access that you can use to automate turning different internet filters on and off. Unfortunately their API docs are horrible. - Source: dev.to / 3 months ago
  • Microsoft begins turning off uBlock Origin and other extensions in Edge
    I think that we'll need to adopt network-level filtering if we want to outsmart the browsers. I haven't looked back since adopting NextDNS and configuring my router to filter all traffic through it. It does a great job of stripping ads out of all my devices connected to it, and that's something I don't mind paying a few bucks for a year (I think it's like $19/year). Check it out here: https://nextdns.io/. - Source: Hacker News / 3 months ago
  • Pihole v6
    One of the most values I get out of a SaaS service is NextDNS [0]. There are competitors like ControlD [1] that are also very good. At the end of the day they both check all the boxes for me. But, the piece that really got me with NextDNS when I started using it was the unlimited number of profiles. This allows me to target any device, no matter where it is (this is fantastic for mobile devices) and keep my... - Source: Hacker News / 4 months ago
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AdGuard DNS mentions (39)

  • Candy Crush, Tinder, MyFitnessPal: See the Apps Hijacked to Spy on Your Location
    Easier just to block the ad servers at the DNS level. I use NextDNS [1] as it lets me configure it, but AdGuard [2] DNS probably also works well. 1. https://nextdns.io/ 2. https://adguard-dns.io/en/welcome.html. - Source: Hacker News / 5 months ago
  • Trying Adguard DNS and I have a question.
    At the bottom of this link https://adguard-dns.io/en/welcome.html, is a world map with the AdGuard servers on it. Try the public AdGuard DNS servers https://adguard-dns.io/en/public-dns.html, you want the ones under plain DNS. If they show up with small delays then report the 94.140.14.59 as being misconfigured, My current understanding is the public server number is supposed to route you to the closest/fastest... Source: over 1 year ago
  • Adguard Home vs Adguard DNS
    So I've been looking for a DNS solution for my home. I looked at the options and settled on AdGuard Home. As I was going to install it I came across Adguard DNS, more particularly this one. Source: over 1 year ago
  • I switched to iPhone recently, I miss my android.
    #3. You can swipe in from the left edge of the screen to go back usually (also get AdGuard DNS to reduce ads in non-browser apps, since you're already using Brave). Source: almost 2 years ago
  • Malwarebyetes blocking qBittorent
    - If you are worried about what you might get while browsing the internet: Please use an adblocker (uBlock Origin) while browsing, and you can also use a DNS that will protect you. See https://adguard-dns.io/en/welcome.html . It is completely free. Source: almost 2 years ago
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What are some alternatives?

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

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

Quad9 - Quad9 is a free, recursive, anycast DNS platform that provides end users robust security protections, high-performance, and privacy.

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

1.1.1.1 - The free app that makes your Internet safer.

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

uBlock Origin - Popular and efficient blocker for Chromium, Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Opera, Safari, Thunderbird.