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Quad9 VS Hacker Sidekick

Compare Quad9 VS Hacker Sidekick and see what are their differences

Quad9 logo Quad9

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

Hacker Sidekick logo Hacker Sidekick

The desktop AI tool for cybersecurity professionals. Built for pentesters, red teamers, and security engineers โ€” agentic AI that runs on your machine, works with your tools, and executes real security workflows.
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  • Quad9 Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-09-24
  • Hacker Sidekick Security Code Review in Hacker Sidekick
    Security Code Review in Hacker Sidekick //
    2026-05-01
  • Hacker Sidekick Agentic Pentest in Hacker Sidekick
    Agentic Pentest in Hacker Sidekick //
    2026-05-01
  • Hacker Sidekick Security Code Review in Hacker Sidekick
    Security Code Review in Hacker Sidekick //
    2026-05-01
  • Hacker Sidekick Enterprise Tools in Hacker Sidekick
    Enterprise Tools in Hacker Sidekick //
    2026-05-01

Hacker Sidekick is a desktop application that gives penetration testers, red teamers, blue teamers, and security engineers an AI environment purpose-built for cybersecurity work. Built on a VS Code-based interface, it combines an AI model fine-tuned for security contexts with agentic execution โ€” meaning it chains tools together and runs multi-step workflows rather than just providing advice.

Sovereign AI Unlike general-purpose AI assistants, Hacker Sidekick's models are built for cybersecurity work. The AI generates exploit code, analyzes malware samples, writes attack narratives, and works with offensive security terminology natively โ€” without the content restrictions that block legitimate security research.

Agentic Execution Hacker Sidekick executes workflows rather than just chatting. It chains tools like Nmap, vulnerability scanners, and custom scripts into automated pipelines, maintains context across an entire engagement, accesses the terminal on your machine, and produces structured output including reports and documentation.

Local-First Architecture Runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux. Integrates with tools already on your system โ€” Kali Linux, Burp Suite, WSL, Metasploit, and custom scripts. Data stays on your machine by default.

Use Cases Offensive: penetration testing, web application assessment, code analysis, threat emulation (MITRE ATT&CK), bug bounty reconnaissance. Defensive: alert triage, detection engineering, threat hunting, incident response, compliance reporting.

Deployment Individual download (free tier available), team deployment via SSO, and on-premises enterprise deployment with centralized management.

Quad9

Website
quad9.net
Pricing URL
-
$ Details
-
Release Date
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Quad9 features and specs

  • Privacy-Focused
    Quad9 does not store any personal data about users and maintains a stringent privacy policy, ensuring that your DNS queries are not tracked or sold to third parties.
  • Security
    Quad9 provides robust security features by blocking access to known malicious domains, which helps protect users from phishing, malware, and other online threats.
  • Performance
    With a global network of servers, Quad9 offers fast DNS resolution, which can contribute to quicker website load times and improved overall internet browsing experience.
  • Easy to Set Up
    Changing your DNS to Quad9 is straightforward and can be easily configured on most devices without requiring technical expertise.
  • Free Service
    Quad9 offers its DNS services free of charge, making it an accessible option for anyone looking to improve their online privacy and security without additional costs.

Possible disadvantages of Quad9

  • Limited Customization
    Quad9 does not offer as many customization options as some competing services, which may be a drawback for advanced users looking for more control over their DNS settings.
  • Possible Geolocation Issues
    Using a global DNS resolver like Quad9 can sometimes lead to geolocation issues, where content or services are delivered based on server location rather than user location.
  • Not as Established
    Quad9 is a relatively new entrant in the DNS space compared to longstanding providers like Google Public DNS and OpenDNS, which might make some users hesitant.
  • Dependency on Upstream Filters
    Quad9's security filtering relies on upstream threat intelligence providers. Therefore, the comprehensiveness of the protection is dependent on the accuracy and timeliness of these third-party sources.

Hacker Sidekick features and specs

  • AI-Powered Bug Bounty Assistance
    Hacker Sidekick leverages AI to help bug bounty hunters and security researchers streamline their workflow, providing intelligent suggestions and automation for common reconnaissance and testing tasks.
  • Time Savings for Security Researchers
    By automating repetitive tasks and providing quick access to relevant tools and techniques, Hacker Sidekick can significantly reduce the time spent on manual processes during security assessments.
  • Beginner-Friendly
    The platform can serve as a helpful learning tool for newcomers to bug bounty hunting and penetration testing, guiding them through methodologies and suggesting approaches they might not have considered.
  • Centralized Workflow
    Hacker Sidekick aims to consolidate various aspects of the hacking workflow into a single interface, reducing the need to switch between multiple tools and references constantly.
  • Up-to-Date Security Knowledge
    The AI-driven approach can help researchers stay current with evolving attack vectors, techniques, and vulnerabilities by incorporating recent security knowledge into its recommendations.

Analysis of Quad9

Overall verdict

  • Yes, Quad9 is generally considered a good DNS service.

Why this product is good

  • Quad9 offers a DNS service that prioritizes security, privacy, and performance. It blocks known malicious domains using threat intelligence from multiple sources, enhancing cybersecurity for its users. Additionally, Quad9 respects user privacy by not logging or selling personal data.

Recommended for

  • Individuals and organizations seeking enhanced security against phishing and malware.
  • Users concerned about privacy and looking for a DNS provider that respects these values.
  • Anyone needing a reliable and fast DNS resolver for their internet activities.
  • IT administrators interested in a robust, secure DNS solution for networks.

Quad9 videos

Quad9 9.9.9.9 VS Google 8.8.8.8 Benchmark Testing & Keeping Your Computer safer with Quad9 DNS

More videos:

  • Review - Quad9 on PS4!! DNS Settings 9.9.9.9 (My Review)
  • Review - Keep your data and computer safe with Quad9
  • Review - Here's Why DNS Matters w/ John Todd from Quad9

Hacker Sidekick videos

No Hacker Sidekick videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

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Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Quad9 and Hacker Sidekick)
DNS
100 100%
0% 0
Security & Privacy
89 89%
11% 11
Cyber Security
0 0%
100% 100
DNS Tools
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 Quad9 and Hacker Sidekick

Quad9 Reviews

Best DNS servers of 2022: Boost your internet speed with these free, public services
The company sells itself on its ability to block malicious domains by collecting intelligence from 'a variety of public and private sources.' It's not clear what these sources are, but the website says Quad9 used 18+ 'threat intelligence providers' as of December 2018.
Best DNS Servers to Use for Free in 2022
As the name Quad9 suggests, their primary DNS is 9.9.9.9. Quad9โ€™s DNS is fairly easy to remember as the name indicates. Quad9 focuses on security, performance, privacy, and speed. Though it may not be the fastest DNS, it surely is one of the best DNS servers. Quad9 was built on the factor of security, focusing mainly on protecting its users
Best free DNS servers: 14 options to check out
Quad9 emphasizes security, privacy and performance โ€” the company was founded on the goal to make the internet safer for everyone. It blocks malicious domains, phishing and malware while maintaining your anonymity. Quad9 is constantly expanding to new regions. Right now, it comes in at No. 8 on the DNS Performance Analytics and Comparison ratings.

Hacker Sidekick Reviews

We have no reviews of Hacker Sidekick yet.
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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Quad9 seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 49 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.

Quad9 mentions (49)

  • The Great DNS Trail
    So assuming the answer to a query of what something like dev.to is mainly starts at the locally designated DNS servers. This will most likely be your ISP but it's not uncommon to utilize public DNS servers such as Quad9, Google, and Cloud Flare. Public DNS servers were popularized after "certain ISPs" decided that showing ad littered pages for unknown domains was a good idea. - Source: dev.to / 2 months ago
  • AT&T Paid a Hacker $370k to Delete Stolen Phone Records
    Maybe consider using https://quad9.net for DNS? It's nice having archive.today work. Otherwise you can always copy/paste the link to TFA into https://archive.org. - Source: Hacker News / almost 2 years ago
  • Information Security Best Practices
    Automate everything. Use a password manager, enable automatic updates, use DNS malware filtering at router level (Free with https://quad9.net ). Source: over 2 years ago
  • Firefox has surpassed Chrome on Speedometer
    Depends on your region and what sites you're using. I live in the middle of nowhere far from civilization, and 1.1.1.1 returns terrible IPs for many sites including google.com (which pings at 350-400 ms if you resolve it through 1.1.1.1, but at 90-100 ms if you're using any other resolver). They do it because they block EDNS0 in order to protect your privacy or something like that. So I use 8.8.8.8 and 9.9.9.9 in... - Source: Hacker News / almost 3 years ago
  • 96 ms to a DNS server OK?
    9.9.9.9 is run by Quad9. Theyโ€™re more privacy oriented, afaik. Source: almost 3 years ago
View more

Hacker Sidekick mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of Hacker Sidekick yet. Tracking of Hacker Sidekick recommendations started around Oct 2025.

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Quad9 and Hacker Sidekick, you can also consider the following products

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

SentinelOne - Autonomous endpoint protection platform

1.1.1.1 - The free app that makes your Internet safer.

Picus Security - Picus continuously assesses your security controls with automated attacks to mitigate gaps and enhance your security posture against real threats.

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

SafeBreach - SafeBreach is a platform that automates adversary breach methods across the entire kill chain, without impacting users or infrastructure.