Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Outline by Alphabet VS OpenDNS

Compare Outline by Alphabet VS OpenDNS and see what are their differences

Outline by Alphabet logo Outline by Alphabet

Control and build your own VPN 🛠️

OpenDNS logo OpenDNS

OpenDNS provides faster and safer Internet access for your home or Business.
  • Outline by Alphabet Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-16
  • OpenDNS Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-22

Outline by Alphabet features and specs

  • Open Source
    Outline is free and open-source, allowing users to access, modify, and distribute the source code. This promotes transparency and community-driven improvements.
  • Collaborative Features
    The platform supports real-time collaboration, making it easy for teams to work together on documentation.
  • Clean and Intuitive UI
    Outline offers a user-friendly interface that is easy to navigate, reducing the learning curve for new users.
  • Markdown Support
    Outline supports Markdown, allowing users to format documents easily and consistently.
  • Integration Capabilities
    The platform can integrate with various other software and tools, such as Slack, promoting a seamless workflow.

Possible disadvantages of Outline by Alphabet

  • Limited Features Compared to Competitors
    While Outline is powerful, it may lack some advanced features available in other premium documentation tools.
  • Self-Hosting Requirements
    Users need to self-host the software, which can be a drawback for those who prefer a fully managed, cloud-based solution.
  • Scalability Issues
    There may be concerns about scalability for very large organizations or extensive documentation needs.
  • Reliance on Community Support
    As an open-source tool, users may encounter limitations in terms of customer support, relying instead on community forums and documentation.
  • Security Concerns
    Self-hosted solutions can pose security risks if not managed properly, requiring users to handle their own security updates and maintenance.

OpenDNS features and specs

  • Improved Security
    OpenDNS offers robust protection against phishing attacks, malware, and botnets by blocking access to known malicious domains.
  • Enhanced Control
    Users get granular control over website access, enabling custom filtering to block inappropriate or unsafe sites, which is especially useful for parents and schools.
  • Faster DNS Resolution
    OpenDNS aims to provide faster domain name resolution, potentially reducing the time it takes to load websites compared to using ISPs' DNS services.
  • DNS Uptime
    With globally distributed servers, OpenDNS ensures high availability and reliability, minimizing the risk of DNS outages.
  • Detailed Analytics
    OpenDNS provides insightful web usage statistics and reports that can help identify trends and potential security threats.
  • Device Compatibility
    It is compatible with multiple platforms and devices, making it easy to configure on routers, computers, and mobile devices.
  • Ease of Use
    The service is straightforward to set up, often requiring only a simple change in DNS settings on your device or router.

Possible disadvantages of OpenDNS

  • Privacy Concerns
    By using OpenDNS, users are subject to its terms of service and privacy policy, which may involve data logging and sharing with third parties.
  • Limited Free Features
    The free version of OpenDNS has limited features compared to the premium offerings, which may not be sufficient for all users.
  • Potential Circumvention
    Tech-savvy users or devices can potentially circumvent OpenDNS filtering by manually changing DNS settings to another provider.
  • Dependency on Third-Party Service
    Relying on an external DNS service introduces an additional point of dependency, which could be problematic if the service experiences outages or disruptions.
  • Geographic Performance Variations
    Performance improvements in DNS resolution speed may vary based on geographic location due to the proximity of OpenDNS servers.
  • Complex Configuration for Advanced Features
    Utilizing some of the advanced features, like custom filtering and detailed analytics, may require a more complex configuration that could be challenging for non-technical users.
  • Limited control on Pure DNS Services
    Since OpenDNS modifies DNS requests for security and filtering purposes, users needing pure DNS services without any changes may find it restrictive.

Analysis of Outline by Alphabet

Overall verdict

  • Overall, Outline is highly regarded as a reliable and user-friendly knowledge management tool. It serves well for both small teams and large organizations looking for a seamless way to handle information sharing and collaboration.

Why this product is good

  • Outline by Alphabet (getoutline.org) is considered good by many users due to its intuitive interface, ease of collaboration, and comprehensive feature set, which includes version history, document organization, and integration with other tools. It is designed to help teams efficiently share knowledge and documentation in a manner that is easy to manage and access.

Recommended for

  • Teams needing a collaborative documentation platform
  • Organizations looking to centralize knowledge management
  • Projects that require version control and easy access to past document iterations
  • Users who prefer a sleek design and high usability in their tools

Analysis of OpenDNS

Overall verdict

  • OpenDNS is generally regarded as a good choice for users looking for enhanced internet security and customizable filtering, making it a strong option for both personal and enterprise use.

Why this product is good

  • OpenDNS is renowned for its robust security features, including phishing protection, parental controls, and DNS-level blocking of malicious websites. It provides fast and reliable DNS resolution, which can enhance internet speed and browsing experience. The platform also offers customizable filtering policies and is easy to set up for both individuals and businesses.

Recommended for

    Families seeking to implement parental controls, businesses needing to safeguard against cyber threats with minimal infrastructure changes, and individuals looking for improved online safety and reliability.

Outline by Alphabet videos

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OpenDNS videos

OpenDNS - #2 - OpenDNS Review

More videos:

  • Tutorial - How to secure home network using OpenDNS
  • Review - IN DEPTH: openDNS

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Outline by Alphabet and OpenDNS)
VPN
100 100%
0% 0
Security & Privacy
55 55%
45% 45
DNS
0 0%
100% 100
Cloud VPN
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Outline by Alphabet and OpenDNS

Outline by Alphabet Reviews

The 10 Best Open Source VPN Apps
If you couldn’t make up your mind about the other VPNs on our list, then we have another impressive option in Outline Manager. Powered by Shadowsocks, this open-source software works for the safety of journalists so that they can freely browse the Internet and publish their work without the fear of exposing their true identity. Although the target demographic of this...

OpenDNS Reviews

Best Free Firewalls for Windows, Mac & Android in 2024
Note that OpenDNS Home works best alongside Windows’ built-in firewall. Since it’s not a complete firewall software, you’ll need another firewall to properly monitor incoming and outgoing traffic to help block network intrusions. All things considered, though, OpenDNS Home is a great free solution to improve online safety.
Source: www.wizcase.com
Best DNS servers of 2022: Boost your internet speed with these free, public services
Google's support site offers only very basic guidance targeted at experienced users, warning that "only users who are proficient with configuring operating system settings [should] make these changes." If you're unsure what you're doing, check the tutorials from a provider such as OpenDNS, remembering to replace its nameservers with Google's: 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4.
Best DNS Servers to Use for Free in 2022
Again, for users concerned about their children’s Internet safety, OpenDNS offers a service called OpenDNS FamilyShield that blocks adult content (available at the servers 208.67.222.123 and 208.67.220.123).
Best free DNS servers: 14 options to check out
Owned by Cisco, OpenDNS has two free options: Family Shield and Home. Family Shield is good for parents who want to make sure their kids can’t access inappropriate content. Home focuses on internet safety and performance.

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Outline by Alphabet should be more popular than OpenDNS. It has been mentiond 64 times since March 2021. 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.

Outline by Alphabet mentions (64)

  • Russia has started indiscriminately blocking all OpenVPN/WireGuard connections
    Outline (https://getoutline.org) is even easier to deploy than Streisand and uses Shadowsocks. - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • Set Up a Self Hosted Outline VPN with Amazon LightSail in 5 steps.
    Outline, a free and open-source VPN service developed by Google, is renowned for its user-friendly design. It can be conveniently established on diverse platforms, and this blog will specifically guide you through the process of setting up a self-hosted Outline VPN using Amazon LightSail. - Source: dev.to / almost 2 years ago
  • How can I bypass extreme website restrictions in my university wifi?
    Another good way is to set up your own VPN server on Digitalocean or something. Use a VPN protocol that is good at escaping detection. I recommend Outline VPN (getoutline.org). It's an open-source project that uses the Shadowsocks protocol and aims to provide censorship-free Internet to journalists in certain countries. It's not a VPN service so you need to set it up on your own server. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • Is there any way to circumvent the shitty VPN ban that we have in place other than, well, a VPN ?
    Use a self-hosted Outline on GCP or any other cloud platform, it works really well in my experience for circumventing these blocks. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • Shadowsocks vs. Astrill?
    Shadowsocks is a protocol. Technically not a VPN, but looks like one. Shadowsocks is a string of code that needs a server. You can get a VPS (aka server for $2/m) and install Shadowsocks. Alternately install outline, it's largely based on Shadowsocks. Works also with the Shadowsocks client, or others, like V2rayNG. Source: almost 2 years ago
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OpenDNS mentions (11)

  • Multiple DDNS configs?
    I've been using the DDNS option in the UI to sync with no-ip.com, so that I can remotely access my NAS via Wireguard, and this works great. However, my new router no longer supports DDNS without subscription. I need another DDNS client to sync with opendns.com, to get content filtering and parental controls, as my new router has no options for this. Source: about 2 years ago
  • Evaluating DNSfilter
    We have used opendns.com for this for years. Might take a look at them. Source: about 2 years ago
  • What does this error message mean? How/where do I change the URL?
    Can you visit opendns.com on your home network? The problem likely that site is getting blocked, and can't use the API to get the public IP of your box. Source: over 2 years ago
  • Firefox detected a potential security threat and did not continue to calyxos.org
    This might be an issue with my DNS provider. I use opendns.com to filter my DNS queries. They're giving the following reasons for blocking the site... Source: over 2 years ago
  • Wi-Fi web filtering
    If all users need the same level of filtering, opendns.com is free and works great. You need a way to forward DNS requests to the Open DNS server, such as a typical Windows DNS. Source: about 3 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Outline by Alphabet and OpenDNS, you can also consider the following products

Mozilla VPN - A VPN from the trusted pioneer in internet privacy.

1.1.1.1 - The free app that makes your Internet safer.

sshuttle - sshuttle: where transparent proxy meets VPN meets ssh

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

Advanced Onion Router - Team Elite - Our work - Advanced Onion Router

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