If you know anything about the workings of the internet, you must have heard about Domain Name Servers or DNS. DNS is one of the building blocks of the internet without which the internet as we use and know today wouldn’t exist. While our Internet Service Providers or ISPs provide us with a default DNS server, you will find it profitable to use a different DNS server on some occasions. Here are the 12 best DNS servers – both free and public – which you should be using as an alternate DNS server in 2022.
Before we get to our list, I would like to discuss DNS servers in a little more detail and answer questions such as why you should be using alternate DNS servers. If you don’t want to read extra information, make use of the table of content below to quickly movie to the list of DNS servers.
- What are DNS Servers?
- Why Should You Use an Alternate DNS?
- What to Consider When Switching a DNS?
- Why Paid DNS is Better Than Free?
- Cloudflare DNS
- Google Public DNS
- OpenDNS
- Comodo Secure DNS
- Quad9 DNS
- DNS.Watch
- Verisign
- CleanBrowsing
- AdGuard DNS
- Alternate DNS
- UncensoredDNS
- Yandex DNS
- Remember to Optimize your Devices’ DNS
- Frequently Asked Questions
What are DNS Servers?
DNS aka Domain Name Server is designed to translate domain names into machine-friendly IP addresses to help browsers like Chrome load internet resources. Each device connected to the internet has a unique IP address which enables it to connect with other machines. More importantly, DNS servers ensure there is no need to remember IP addresses such as 208.67.220.220.
There are multiple reasons why you may need to use a different or alternate DNS.
What to Consider When Switching a DNS?
There are three most important things you must keep in mind before switching a DNS? First and foremost, “Reliability”. Though most DNS servers work smoothly, not all of them are able to deliver the needed performance.
The second thing you must check out before picking out a third-party DNS service is the “Speed” as it plays a vital role in accelerating the internet activity.
Though many free DNS servers are fully equipped to deliver reliable performance and even safeguard the data thanks to the essential features like firewall policies, filtering, and rate-limiting and blocking to ward off DDoS attacks, most paid ones are better due largely to the much-improved website performance and more advanced nameserver setups.
Notably, premium DNS also provides advanced reporting, two-way authentication, and solid administrator control. So, if you want your commercial website to deliver top-of-the-line performance, the paid DNS should be your preferred choice.
Cloudflare is one of the world’s topmost companies working in the web performance and security domain. in 2018, the company released a new DNS service which is one of the best free and public DNS servers that you can use today. Their new DNS server, the “1.1.1.1” is one of the fastest and privacy-first DNS servers available on the web.
Notably, Cloudflare also makes it very easy to set up your DNS preferences as it takes only a few minutes to get it all set-up. I love that it lets me access blocked content. This one is definitely one of the best third-party DNS servers that you can use.
Cons:
IP Addresses for DNS: 1.1.1.1, 1.0.0.1
2. Google Public DNS
Google Public DNS service is probably one of the most popular free and public DNS servers on the planet. Launched in December 2009, the Google Public DNS aims to make the internet more reliable and secure. According to the website, Google Public DNS protects users against various kinds of phishing attacks, especially if you are using older hardware to access the internet.
- Free to use
- Brings speed enhancements
- Protects against phishing and DDoS attacks
IP Addresses for DNS: 8.8.8.8, 8.8.4.4
OpenDNS is a free and public service provided by Cisco which is a giant in the networking space. It gives you tools not only to access the internet in a fast and secure way but also prevents attacks from shoddy and forged clone websites.
Furthermore, it also blocks phishing websites along with the ones which have been flagged for carrying malware. Just like Google Public DNS, OpenDNS uses Anycast routing to route your connection to your nearest DNS servers to serve you faster page load times.
Cons:
- Logs the DNS traffic that it receives
IP Addresses for DNS: 208.67.222.222, 208.67.220.220
Comodo Secure DNS is a domain name resolution service that resolves your DNS requests through the company’s worldwide network of redundant DNS servers. This can provide a much faster and more reliable Internet browsing experience than using the DNS servers provided by your ISP.
Comodo Secure DNS also keeps the users secure with its malware domain filtering feature. SecureDNS references a real-time block list of harmful websites (phishing sites, malware sites, spyware sites, and parked domains among others) and warns visitors whenever they attempt to access a site containing potentially threatening content.
IP Addresses for DNS: 8.26.56.26, 8.20.247.20
Visit: Website
Quad9 DNS is yet another free and public DNS server that you can use to route your traffic away from your ISP provided DNS servers. Just like other DNS servers on this list, once configured, Quad9 routes your DNS queries through a secure network of servers around the globe.
Pros:
IP Addresses for DNS: 9.9.9.9
DNS.Watch is a great third-party DNS server for people who want to surf the internet without the pain of any restricted content. The DNS server is totally free to use and doesn’t require any installations.
While the other DNS server providers also help in opening the geo-restricted content, DNS.Watch solely dedicates itself to the purpose and hence you will have the best-unrestricted internet experience here. The company also believes in user privacy thus it doesn’t log any DNS queries sent by your devices.
- Free to use
- DNS Neutrality
- Doesn’t log your queries
- Doesn’t share or sell your data
IP Addresses for DNS: 84.200.69.80, 84.200.70.40
The last open and public DNS server that we recommend is the Verisign Public DNS server which promises stability, security, and privacy. The stability part is very important as it ensures that you are always connected and never encounter any downtime because of the DNS server that you are using.
Moreover, the company also promises robust protection from security flaws around the internet. It neither sells your DNS queries to third-party data harvesting companies nor redirects your queries to serve you any ads. In a nutshell, the Verisign Public DNS server is completely free to use and definitely worth checking out.
IP Addresses for DNS: 64.6.64.6, 64.6.65.6
8. CleanBrowsing
CleanBrowsing is for those users and particularly parents who want a safe experience on the web for their kids and families. As the name suggests, CleanBrowsing allows you to block adult content on the web, in addition to protecting you from phishing websites and malicious domains.
All in all, CleanBrowsing has all the essential content filtering lists and that makes it one of the best free DNS servers in this list.
IP Addresses for DNS: 185.228.168.9 (Security), 185.228.168.10 (Adult), 185.228.168.168 (Family)
9. AdGuard DNS
AdGuard DNS is a popular and free DNS server that you can use on Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS devices. It’s widely known for blocking ads, but there is more than that. With the new AdGuard DNS, you can block trackers and analytics tools system-wide which are always on a lookout to understand your browsing habit on the web.
IP Addresses for DNS: 176.103.130.130 (Default), 176.103.130.132 (Family protection)
Alternate DNS is a fairly new DNS server, but it offers surprisingly good speed and many users vouch for its reliability and server uptime. Similar to other DNS resolvers, Alternate DNS is built on the premise of blocking ads, trackers, harmful websites, and of course, adult content.
- Privacy policy seems dodgy
IP Addresses for DNS: 23.253.163.53, 198.101.242.72
Based in Denmark, UncensoredDNS promises to be a safe bet for those looking for a free DNS. With a good set of security and performance enhancement features, you can count on it to let you surf the web without any restriction and also fend off common attacks.
Additionally, UncensoredDNS states that it only uses the data for capacity planning of the service. Beyond privacy, its server is also up to the task when it comes to running smoothly. While it isn’t the fastest DNS server, you can bank on it to let you surf the web or access any restricted content without any hassle.
IP Addresses for DNS: 91.239.100.100
12. Yandex DNS
For more than one reason, Yandex DNS is a complete DNS server. So, if you are on the lookout for an alternate DNS that can deliver reliable performance in most aspects including speed and protection without costing an arm or a leg, this one can fit into your needs.
Considering these notable features, Yandex DNS can easily claim to be among the best DNS servers in the world.
IP Addresses for DNS: 77.88.8.8, 77.88.8.1,77.88.8.88,77.88.8.2
Remember to Optimize your Devices’ DNS
For enhanced performance and better security, it’s always better to optimize your device’ DNS. Though not many may think of reducing milliseconds of time that it takes to look up websites via the domain name system, those looking for a top-notch internet performance will appreciate cutting down the slack.
What is the Best DNS Server to Use?
Though there are several notable contenders like Google Public DNS and OpenDNS that can claim to be the best, Cloudflare DNS is slightly better. Apart from being one of the fastest, it’s also up to the mark when it comes to privacy and security.
Cloudflare DNS, along with Comodo Secure DNS, is probably the fastest DNS server in 2022.
Comodo Secure DNS and OpenDNS are more equipped to be considered one of the best DNS servers for gaming.
Is It Safe to Use 8.8 8.8 DNS?
Well, the straightforward answer to this question is “No”. As Google Public DNS is primarily a DNS resolution and caching server, it doesn’t offer any filtering or blocking features, which make it insecure.
That ends our list of the best free and public DNS servers that you can use to enjoy fast, free, and secure internet on your devices. While most of us never switch from our ISP provided DNS servers, its a good practice to do so, especially if you value your privacy.
