NextDNS VS OpenVPN

Compare NextDNS VS OpenVPN and see what are their differences

ComplyCube

Verify your customers in under 15 seconds anywhere in the world with a cutting-edge SaaS & API platform for Identity Verification and AML/KYC compliance. featured

Contents:

» Base Details
» Videos
» Reviews
» Alternatives

NextDNS

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

OpenVPN

OpenVPN - The Open Source VPN

Landing page //
2021-09-26

Landing page //
2023-09-19

NextDNS

Website: nextdns.io
Pricing URL: Official NextDNS Pricing
$ Details

Edit details

OpenVPN

Website: openvpn.net
Pricing URL: Official OpenVPN Pricing
$ Details

Edit details

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.

OpenVPN features and specs

Security
OpenVPN uses robust encryption standards like AES-256, providing a high level of security for data transmission.
Open Source
Being open-source, OpenVPN allows users to verify its code for vulnerabilities, ensuring transparency and reliability.
Flexibility
OpenVPN can run on various platforms, including Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, and Android, offering extensive compatibility.
Customizability
Users can configure OpenVPN according to their specific needs, allowing advanced network setups and policies.
Performance
OpenVPN offers strong performance with efficient handling of large data transmissions and support for high and stable speeds.
Community Support
A large and active community provides ample resources, including tutorials, forums, and user support.
Cost
As a free and open-source solution, OpenVPN significantly reduces the cost compared to many commercial VPN offerings.

Possible disadvantages of OpenVPN

Complex Setup
Setting up OpenVPN can be complex and may require technical expertise, particularly for advanced configurations.
Resource Intensive
OpenVPN can be resource-intensive compared to some other VPN protocols, potentially impacting the performance of older or lower-spec hardware.
Client Software
The official OpenVPN client software has a less user-friendly interface compared to some commercial VPNs, possibly deterring less tech-savvy users.
Mobile Experience
Although OpenVPN supports mobile devices, the user experience on mobile can be less streamlined compared to desktop environments.
Initial Learning Curve
New users may find the initial learning curve steep due to the multitude of configuration options and the need for understanding networking concepts.
Support
While community support is strong, there may not be as much immediate or personalized support as found with some commercial VPN services.

NextDNS videos

+ Add

How To Set NextDNS on Your PC

OpenVPN videos

+ Add

OpenVPN Overview

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to NextDNS and OpenVPN)

OpenVPN

Security & Privacy

52 52%

Security & Privacy

48% 48

VPN

0 0%

VPN

100% 100

Ad Blockers

100 100%

Ad Blockers

0% 0

DNS

100 100%

DNS

0% 0

User comments

Share your experience with using NextDNS and OpenVPN. For example, how are they different and which one is better?

Reviews

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

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.

Source: www.justalternativeto.com

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

OpenVPN Reviews

The top 10 alternatives to OpenVPN

OpenVPN is an open-source software application that provides virtual private network (VPN) services. It allows the creation of secure network connections over the internet, using a custom security protocol that utilizes SSL/TLS for key exchange. OpenVPN is capable of traversing network address translators (NATs) and firewalls, providing users with the ability to securely...

Source: www.twingate.com

Best Top 20 OpenVPN Alternatives (Pros and Cons)

OpenVPN is a virtual private network system used to create trusted end-to-end connection configuration and remote access services. As with any other VPN service, OpenVPN also has its own drawbacks. For instance, its inability to bypass particular proxy servers and complexities in user journeys lead to less user-friendliness. Therefore, we will be discussing a few...

Source: cloudinfrastructureservices.co.uk

6 Types of VPN Protocols, Compared: Which is the Best to Use?

In most cases, OpenVPN or WireGuard will be your best bet. PPTP is a protocol we don’t recommend using because of its relatively low-level encryption. However, you could try this protocol when privacy and security are not your highest priorities, such as for unblocking streams. If OpenVPN is not supported or does not work well for whatever reason, you could consider using...

Source: vpnoverview.com

OpenVPN vs WireGuard: Which protocol is best?

OpenVPN was first released in May 2001. Although the PPTP protocol had been around for five years already at this point, OpenVPN became popular because it offered stronger encryption without too much of a drop in speed. Over the years, vulnerabilities were patched and new clients were developed that brought OpenVPN support to a greater range of devices. This previously...

Source: www.comparitech.com

9 Best NordVPN Alternatives You Must Use In 2022

The next alternative to NordVPN on our list is OpenVPN. OpenVPN allows you to establish a point-to-point secure connection between your device and the Internet. It is a flexible VPN solution that can cater to business needs as well.

Source: wethegeek.com

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, NextDNS seems to be a lot more popular than OpenVPN. While we know about 509 links to NextDNS, we've tracked only 40 mentions of OpenVPN. 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 (509)

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 / about 2 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 / 2 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 / 2 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 / 2 months ago
Pihole v6
Want to highlight https://nextdns.io/ as a similar service, very happy with it. - Source: Hacker News / 2 months ago

OpenVPN mentions (40)

Ask HN: Who is hiring? (October 2023)
OpenVPN is hiring! https://openvpn.net/ C++ Developer in the United States. Full-time| Fully remote| Flexible work schedules Link to look at vacancy details and apply:. - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
Are there any work arounds for the Netflix new "household" system?
How you connect to your modem will depend on the device you are using, but for windows laptops as an example you download the OpenVPN program and input your modem details there, much like you would any other vpn service. I think there would be some guides on youtube. https://openvpn.net/. Source: almost 2 years ago
Can i use PFSense to control incoming user connections (without a vpn?)
I just started playing with CloudConnexa for remotely managing my second pFSense. Really nice and is free for up to 3 concurrent users. https://openvpn.net. Can also self-host OpenVPN access server with a free 2 concurrent license. Source: almost 2 years ago
Is the 7spotlight Markle family interview airing now? Is anyone watching and can provide comment? 👀📺
If anyone is being blocked check out free OpenVPN. Source: about 2 years ago
Is it possible for a sysadmin to block only some packets from a VPN connection ?
I too haven't used the client-nat directive in some years (I currently implement 1:1 NAT with pfsense to access my network because I'm too lazy to change the networks subnet from the default) so I decided to retest and it does appear that OpenVPN Connect clients do not properly support the client-nat directive but the traditional OpenVPN server/clients still do. I've just tested this on OpenVPN 2.6.3 Server,... Source: about 2 years ago

What are some alternatives?

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

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

ProtonVPN - ProtonVPN is a security focused FREE VPN service, developed by CERN and MIT scientists. Use the web anonymously, unblock websites & encrypt your connection.

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

Hotspot Shield - Hotspot Shield is a software application developed by AnchorFree, Inc.

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

Psiphon - Psiphon is circumvention software for Windows and Mobile platforms that provides uncensored access to Internet content. Read more about Psiphon.

Hotspot Shield vs NextDNS

Hotspot Shield vs OpenVPN