Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

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?

OpenNIC

OpenNIC Reviews and Details

This page is designed to help you find out whether OpenNIC is good and if it is the right choice for you.

Screenshots and images

  • OpenNIC Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-09-20

Features & Specs

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. 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.

  5. Redundancy

    With numerous servers around the world, OpenNIC can provide redundancy and potentially faster DNS resolution by choosing a geographically closer server.

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Videos

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OpenNICไธญๆ–‡่ฎฒ่งฃๆ•™็จ‹

Social recommendations and mentions

We have tracked the following product recommendations or mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you see what people think about OpenNIC and what they use it for.
  • 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 / 5 days 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 / 3 months 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 / about 1 year 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 / about 1 year ago
  • Not all TLDs are Created Equal
    OpenNIC is a project that replaces and extends the official DNS root maintained by Verisign. http://opennic.org. - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • Which dns should i use to protect my privacy?
    Go for opennic.org, its a alternative Root-DNS with mostly no logging (atleast mine is for sure not :)). Source: over 4 years ago

Summary of the public mentions of OpenNIC

OpenNIC is a notable player in the domain name system (DNS) landscape, positioning itself within the product categories of Security & Privacy, DNS Tools, and Ad Blockers. Public opinion of OpenNIC, as gleaned from recent articles and online discussions, underscores its reputation as a resourceful alternative to traditional DNS servers controlled by major organizations.

OpenNIC's core appeal lies in its commitment to combating internet censorship. It is primarily supported by a network of volunteers who aim to make the web more accessible and maintain an open structure against the backdrop of increasing digital control efforts by major DNS providers. Such a premise resonated in various public discussions and articles that highlight OpenNIC's role in ensuring a more democratized web experience.

Articles such as "Best DNS Servers to Use for Free in 2022" and "Best free DNS servers: 14 options to check out" underscore its capability to circumvent geographic server selection issues and prevent "DNS hijacking", a process whereby internet service providers take over mistakenly typed URLs to redirect users to a different page. These capabilities have fostered a perception of OpenNIC as a favorable option for users seeking more control and privacy in their internet browsing.

Furthermore, OpenNIC distinguishes itself from its competitorsโ€”like OpenDNS, 1.1.1.1 by Cloudflare, Quad9, NextDNS, AdGuard DNS, Comodo Secure DNS, and Yandex.DNSโ€”by operating as an alternative Root DNS that replaces and extends the DNS root typically maintained by Verisign. This extension offers unique TLD options and theoretically enhances user privacy given OpenNIC's emphasis on minimal logging.

Online discussions, such as on forums and blog posts, often showcase a grassroots encouragement for taking part in the OpenNIC ecosystem. Users appreciate the project's community-driven ethos, encouraging them to host their own DNS servers. Here, the sentiment aligns with the broader ideology of decentralization and user sovereignty over internet infrastructure. Moreover, comments such as "Be a pirate with OpenNIC" or advocating for its use to protect privacy suggest that for some users, OpenNIC represents a divergence from the controlled experiences imposed by traditional, commercially-driven DNS solutions.

In conclusion, OpenNIC garners favorable opinion as a decentralized, privacy-conscious, and community-supported alternative DNS provider. Its volunteer-driven model and focus on combating internet censorship distinguish it in a competitive field. Advocates frequently highlight its potential to enhance accessibility, offer unique domain opportunities, and provide privacy assurance to users, reinforcing its perceived value as a worthwhile DNS option.

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Is OpenNIC good? This is an informative page that will help you find out. Moreover, you can review and discuss OpenNIC here. The primary details have not been verified within the last quarter, and they might be outdated. If you think we are missing something, please use the means on this page to comment or suggest changes. All reviews and comments are highly encouranged and appreciated as they help everyone in the community to make an informed choice. Please always be kind and objective when evaluating a product and sharing your opinion.