Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

PythonAnywhere VS OpenNIC

Compare PythonAnywhere VS OpenNIC and see what are their differences

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PythonAnywhere logo PythonAnywhere

Host, run, and code Python in the cloud: PythonAnywhere

OpenNIC logo OpenNIC

An organization of hobbyists who run an alternative DNS network, also provides access to domains not administered by ICANN. People also askWhat is OpenNIC?Which is the fastest DNS server?What is DNS by Comodo?
  • PythonAnywhere Landing page
    Landing page //
    2018-09-30
  • OpenNIC Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-09-20

PythonAnywhere features and specs

  • Ease of Use
    PythonAnywhere provides a user-friendly interface with pre-configured settings, which makes it simple for beginners to deploy and manage Python applications without the need to manage server infrastructure.
  • Integrated Development Environment
    It includes an in-browser code editor and Python console, making it convenient to edit and run code on the go without needing to install any software locally.
  • Affordable Pricing
    Offers various pricing tiers, including a free tier, which is very attractive for small projects, prototypes, and learning purposes.
  • Scalability
    Offers options to scale applications as needed, making it suitable for growing projects that may require additional resources over time.
  • Built-in Python Libraries
    Comes pre-installed with many common Python libraries and frameworks, saving users the time and effort of setting up dependencies.
  • Built-in MySQL Support
    Provides built-in support for MySQL databases, making it straightforward to set up and manage databases for your applications.
  • Automated Backups
    Includes automated backup features to help secure your data and provide peace of mind.

Possible disadvantages of PythonAnywhere

  • Limited Customization
    The pre-configured environment limits customization options, which may be a drawback for more advanced users who require specific configurations or installations.
  • Free Tier Limitations
    The free tier has significant limitations, including restricted CPU time and storage space, which can hinder more demanding applications.
  • Performance
    Shared plans might experience slower performance during peak times due to the shared nature of the infrastructure.
  • Lack of Root Access
    Users do not have root access to the underlying system, which can be a limitation for deploying certain types of applications or custom services.
  • Support Limitations
    While it offers community support and documentation, the level of professional support might not meet the needs of all users, especially those on lower-tier plans.
  • Limited Language Support
    Primarily focused on Python, which may not suit all projects, especially those requiring multi-language support.
  • Resource Constraints
    Lower-tier plans have stringent resource limits (CPU, RAM, storage), which can be restrictive for resource-intensive applications.

OpenNIC features and specs

  • Censorship Resistance
    OpenNIC provides an alternative to traditional DNS providers, offering DNS servers that are less susceptible to governmental and corporate censorship, thus giving users access to a broader and less restricted internet.
  • User Governance
    The OpenNIC community is user-governed, meaning users have a say in the operation and policies of the network, which promotes transparency and community-driven decision-making.
  • Privacy
    OpenNIC respects user privacy by not logging DNS queries, which helps in protecting users' browsing habits from being tracked and sold by commercial DNS providers.
  • Access to Alternative TLDs
    OpenNIC offers access to several alternative top-level domains (TLDs) that are not available through ICANN, expanding the diversity of available domain names.
  • Redundancy
    With numerous servers around the world, OpenNIC can provide redundancy and potentially faster DNS resolution by choosing a geographically closer server.

Possible disadvantages of OpenNIC

  • Limited Support and Reliability
    Being a community-driven project, OpenNIC's infrastructure may not be as robust or supported as commercial providers, potentially resulting in less reliability or slower performance.
  • Complexity
    Setting up and configuring OpenNIC DNS servers may require more technical knowledge compared to more mainstream DNS services, which can be a barrier for less tech-savvy users.
  • Potential Security Risks
    As a decentralized and community-based service, OpenNIC might pose security risks, like exposure to rogue servers or configurations that could lead to DNS spoofing or other vulnerabilities.
  • Inconsistent Availability
    Alternative TLDs offered by OpenNIC might not be recognized by all internet browsers and services, leading to inconsistencies in access and usability across the internet.
  • Smaller Community
    With a smaller user base and community compared to major DNS providers, there may be fewer resources available for support, development, and issue resolution.

Analysis of PythonAnywhere

Overall verdict

  • Overall, PythonAnywhere is considered a good option for those seeking a reliable, straightforward, and affordable way to host Python applications. While it might not cater to the needs of very large scale or highly customizable environments, it is well-suited for personal projects, small to medium-sized applications, and educational purposes.

Why this product is good

  • PythonAnywhere is a popular choice for hosting Python applications because it offers a convenient and user-friendly platform for both beginners and experienced developers. Its cloud-based service allows for easy deployment and execution of Python scripts without the need to manage physical servers. The platform supports web development frameworks like Flask and Django, provides a variety of integrations and is equipped with a web-based interactive console, which makes it highly accessible for many users.

Recommended for

    PythonAnywhere is especially recommended for Python developers (beginners and intermediates), educators, students, and hobbyists who are looking for an easy and quick way to deploy and host their Python applications or who need an online python environment for coding practice.

PythonAnywhere videos

Python Anywhere with pythonanywhere - Simplified Python VPS hosting

More videos:

  • Review - Deploy Python Flask App on Pythonanywhere.com
  • Review - PythonAnywhere in one minute

OpenNIC videos

OpenNIC

More videos:

  • Review - OpenNICไธญๆ–‡่ฎฒ่งฃๆ•™็จ‹

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to PythonAnywhere and OpenNIC)
Text Editors
100 100%
0% 0
Security & Privacy
0 0%
100% 100
Cloud Computing
100 100%
0% 0
DNS
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 PythonAnywhere and OpenNIC

PythonAnywhere Reviews

We have no reviews of PythonAnywhere yet.
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OpenNIC Reviews

Best DNS Servers to Use for Free in 2022
OpenNIC is a great choice for users who donโ€™t want to figure out where is the closest server to their location.
Best free DNS servers: 14 options to check out
At its core, OpenNIC is an attempt to combat censorship. Volunteer-run, this free DNS server makes the entire web accessible to everyone. They also prevent โ€œDNS hijackingโ€ which is when an ISP takes over commonly mistyped URLs.

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, PythonAnywhere should be more popular than OpenNIC. It has been mentiond 55 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.

PythonAnywhere mentions (55)

  • [Offer] I need someone to set up a webhook in my WordPress site and a Python server with listener + bot
    The website is already built. Each comment will have a reddit post URL, and the bot should leave a comment on that URL. We can use pythonanywhere.com for this to make it easiest. Source: about 3 years ago
  • Flask and web hosting
    If you are learning, use pythonanywhere.com as they specialize in python, and make setup easy. Only $5 a month. Start with a barebones flask app, get it to run, then follow a tutorial. Actually better to build the app locally, easier to test with IDE like Pycharm. Then upload to the net. Source: about 3 years ago
  • Redirecting client to my server via a external server
    Hello, I have a Minecraft server running on a Rpi with Paper. It works great and I use it to play with some of my friends. However, the server's public IP address often changes, meaning that I have to give my friends the new IP address daily. Being a programmer, I feel this could be automated. I don't want to buy a domain, so I want to try and setup a system where the server sends Its IP to my PythonAnywhere... Source: over 3 years ago
  • Question Gallery WebApp Django or Flask?
    Hosting wise, I would reccomend pythonanywhere.com, combined with either https://imagekit.io or https://cloudinary.com. Source: over 3 years ago
  • Cheap Heroku alternative for PHP MySQL app
    So what is the best alternative? I have one Plotly Dash app on pythonanywhere.com where I spend 6 bucks a month so I don't want to spend anymore than 5 dollars per month on the PHP + MySQL. Source: over 3 years ago
View more

OpenNIC mentions (7)

  • EU Council Approves New "Chat Control" Mandate Pushing Mass Surveillance
    But tech oriented people got pretty lazy in the last 2 decades: - We let ISPs be the only gatekeeper of the Internet - We let big tech dominate the mobile OS space - We embrassed the Cloud and SaaS (not your computer) These 3 things made us sitting duck to any authoritarian government and now we pretend to be surprised we are getting shot. Here is what we can do before it is too late: - Buy a $10-20 LoRa device... - Source: Hacker News / 9 months ago
  • Open Social
    Opennic too, allowing you to host your own tld. https://opennic.org/ Although it's now harder to change DNS settings on Windows to which I conspire is one for these reasons. - Source: Hacker News / 11 months ago
  • Cloudflare 1.1.1.1 Incident on July 14, 2025
    I havenโ€™t had any problems with OpenNIC: https://opennic.org/ > OpenNIC (also referred to as the OpenNIC Project) is a user owned and controlled top-level Network Information Center offering a non-national alternative to traditional Top-Level Domain (TLD) registries; such as ICANN. - Source: Hacker News / about 1 year ago
  • The internet is worse than it used to be. How did we get here?
    Be a pirate with https://opennic.org/ and have a look at https://wiki.opennic.org/opennic/dot there... - Source: Hacker News / almost 2 years ago
  • Price increase for .COM, .XYZ, and more domains
    Yes, host your own DNS server and make it public. https://opennic.org/. - Source: Hacker News / almost 2 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing PythonAnywhere and OpenNIC, you can also consider the following products

Heroku - Agile deployment platform for Ruby, Node.js, Clojure, Java, Python, and Scala. Setup takes only minutes and deploys are instant through git. Leave tedious server maintenance to Heroku and focus on your code.

OpenDNS - OpenDNS provides faster and safer Internet access for your home or Business.

Google App Engine - A powerful platform to build web and mobile apps that scale automatically.

1.1.1.1 - The free app that makes your Internet safer.

DigitalOcean - Simplifying cloud hosting. Deploy an SSD cloud server in 55 seconds.

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