Tech

Best Free DNS Servers, Both Secure and Fast

The DNS provided by your ISP does not suit you, but you are not ready to invest to improve your web browsing? So, you must turn to a free service. Don’t worry, there are platforms that do the job perfectly.

dns server

Whether for security, anonymity or performance reasons, there are plenty of arguments for changing DNS and turning to a third-party service. You still need to know which platform is trustworthy, reliable, fast and free. A question that we answer in this dossier.

What are the best free DNS in 2022?

Google Public DNS

Is there a part of the web on which Google is not present? The Mountain View firm provides DNS servers particularly fast to users. It achieves this thanks to the presence of a large number of servers around the world and to a technology particularly targeting the problems of cache misses, a major concern in the slowdown and the congestion of the DNS.

The simplicity of configuration is also one of the strengths of this platform, which is thus perfect for insiders who have never changed their default DNS. For a first experience, Google Public DNS is therefore highly recommended. The lack of customization options will, on the other hand, perhaps cool hackers and those accustomed to this kind of manipulation.

Unlike other services, Google Public DNS keeps connection and browsing logs for troubleshooting and diagnostic purposes. So it’s not the best when it comes to privacy. For security, the American group uses the DNSSEC (Domain Name System Security Extensions) protocol. The service offers a protection against DDoS attacks (denial of service), phishing attempts and cache poisoning attacks.

Primary DNS: 8.8.8.8
Secondary DNS : 8.8.4.4

Cloudfare

Cloudfare is arguably the best-known service of its kind, and with good reason. It is by far the fastest DNS service as measured by independent site DNSPerf. A request is processed about twice as fast on a DNS 1.1.1.1 server as by an OpenDNS or Google Public DNS server, the two platforms that complete the podium. It is therefore the best choice for anyone who wants raw performance above all else.

With regard to the processing of personal data, Cloudfare also pulls out of the game. Browsing data is not used for advertising purposes, the originating IP address (yours) is not recorded on its servers. and all logs are deleted within 24 hours.

Another advantage of Cloudfare is the existence of applications dedicated to mobiles, under Android and iOS. A way that could not be simpler to improve the speed of its navigation and to hide certain activities from its operator, not only on the computer, but also on its smartphone.

Primary DNS: 1.1.1.1
Secondary DNS: 1.0.0.1

OpenDNS

OpenDNS has been a recognized player in the sector since 2005. Renowned for its versatility and efficiency, it was acquired in 2016 by the giant Cisco. This is one of the fastest DNS services on the market, at the level of what Google Public DNS offers.

On the security side, it offers protection against identity theft, DDoS attacks, malicious websites, phishing attacks or cache poisoning attacks. Where OpenDNS stands out is above all its countless parental control options, which can be configured for each device in the household. For bans on access to websites, you can for example target certain types of pages: pornography, gambling, etc.

OpenDNS offers three formulas. The paid VIP offer adds some features for blocking and allowing access to web pages and internet consumption and browsing statistics. The other two are free. FamilyShield is pre-configured and therefore perfect for beginners or users who don’t want to bother setting everything up on their own, while Home is perfect for anyone who wants to customize their service from scratch.

Primary DNS : 208.67.222.222
Secondary DNS : 208.67.220.220

Verisign DNS

Verisign puts stability, security, and privacy first with its service. This offers robust protection against the main types of attacks and malicious programs. The platform also guarantees that your data is not sold to third-party companies, in particular for advertising targeting purposes.

But if Verisign stands out in some areas, it must be admitted that it is also slightly behind in others. It is slower than the other solutions presented in this selection of DNS services. If you don’t mind losing a few milliseconds for each request made in order to gain security and guarantee the protection of your personal data, then this free DNS may be for you.

Primary DNS : 64.6.64.6
Secondary DNS : 64.6.65.6

Quad9

It is a non-profit organization, supported by IBM and several organizations specializing in cybersecurity. This platform has been available since 2016, so it is relatively new on the market compared to the old hands that we know. But it still has undeniable advantages.

Quad9 doesn’t match the speed of DNS servers from Cloudfare or Google, but it’s still one of the fastest services of its kind on the market as measured by DNSPerf. For example, it quite significantly surpasses Yandex or Comodo, two fairly well-known services, but which we have chosen not to detail here precisely because of this performance deficit compared to other challengers.

The interest of Quad9 also lies in its security features. It protects against most computer threats thanks to its collaboration with 18 companies working in intelligence against cyber threats. Since we are dealing with a non-profit organization, this one has no “commercial motivation or desire to profit from or distribute data that we believe to be private and vital to an open and free Internet“, we are assured.

Primary DNS : 9.9.9.9
Secondary DNS : 149.112.112.112

🧐 A DNS server, what is it?

dns server

DNS is the acronym for “Domain Name System”, a term that can be translated as “domain name system”. The interactions it manages are essential in the functioning of the Internet, since the DNS translates domain names into IP addresses. When you type google.com in your URL bar, it doesn’t mean much to the network. Because the real identification of this address is in fact 216.58.198.206.

It is the role of the DNS to make the link between the two, so that you can access a page without needing to know its exact IP. Without DNS carrying out this translation mission, we would have to enter a sequence of numbers rather than a name to land on a web page. It would then obviously be very difficult to retain so many IP addresses.

Read also: Free VPN, comparison of 6 solutions for browsing securely

🤔 Why change DNS server?

windows 10 dns change

By default, Internet Service Providers (ISPs) assign their customers the DNS servers they need. But we cannot say that what is made available to customers offers the best services. To obtain better performance, and in particular faster page loading, it is then necessary to turn to DNS servers that are more efficient, but also more reliable. We remember the national outages experienced by Free and Free Mobile due to a DNS problem.

Good news, there are free services of excellent quality that allow you to improve your web browsing experience without spending anything. It is important not to turn to just any free DNS service, not all will do better than the servers provided by your ISP. We have selected for you what we consider to be among the best platforms.

Also keep in mind that to benefit from the best possible services, you should obviously turn to paid DNS services, which will combine speed, security and additional features. But these are especially to be recommended for specific uses.

android dns settings

The exact procedure varies depending on the type of device and the software used, but it is not difficult to change the DNS address used by default. Just go to the network settings and fill in new addresses.

Below are suggested third-party DNS services that we recommend using, with their primary and secondary DNS server addresses listed for each. For more details on the steps to follow to do this, we invite you to consult our tutorial explaining step by step how to change the DNS servers.

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