Control D review
Updated September 28, 2026 · ShieldCue Editorial Team · Facts checked September 26, 2026
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Our verdict
Control D suits households that want network wide ad and tracker blocking without installing an app on every device. The free plan needs no account at all, and paid plans start at $2, so the decision comes down to how much filtering control you want.
Key facts
- Best for
- Budget households wanting account free filtered DNS with custom rules and community blocklists.
- Price from
- $2 (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Free plan
- Yes (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Free plan limits
- Free public DNS resolvers, no account or app needed, preset and custom filtering plus community blocklists (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Platforms
- MacOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android, Routers (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Protocols
- Doh, Dot, Doq (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Logging policy
- No logging of DNS queries on free DNS; paid plans store raw query data 30 days (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Jurisdiction
- CA (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Privacy tool type
- Private-dns (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Legal entity
- ControlD Inc (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Headquarters
- Canada (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Founded
- 2021 (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Support channels
- Email, Chat, Help-centre, Community (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Pricing model
- Free, Budget
- Official website
- controld.com
Parental controls
- Platforms
- MacOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android, Routers (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Features
- Screen-time, Web-filter, Location (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Legal entity
- ControlD Inc (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Headquarters
- Canada (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Founded
- 2021 (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Support channels
- Email, Chat, Help-centre, Community (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Pricing model
- Free, Budget
Apps and profiles
- Elsewhere
- Xreddit.comdiscord.gg
Pros and cons
Pros
- The free plan is free public DNS resolvers with no account or app needed, so filtered DNS can be tried before any spend.
- Paid plans start at $2, under $0.99 for Apple Hide My Email and under $19.99 for EasyOptOuts.
- Coverage spans macOS, Windows and Linux, so a single setup covers desktops, phones and the router on the network.
- Encrypted DNS is handled by the resolvers through doh, dot and doq, and the product is a private dns service rather than a bolt-on.
- Support runs on email, chat and help centre, so help is not tied to one channel or one office hours window.
Cons
- Paid plans store raw query data for a set retention period, so the logging position changes the moment a household moves off the free resolvers onto a subscription.
- Support runs on email, chat and help centre only, which is thin when an entire household is offline and wants a person on the line.
- The operator is ControlD Inc and the accounts sit under a CA jurisdiction, so readers shopping for a different legal home have fewer choices.
Who it suits
- Households that want ad and tracker blocking applied network wide through the router rather than on each device.
- Readers on a budget who still want preset and custom filtering rules plus community blocklists.
- Parents who want the listed screen time, web filter and location alongside filtered browsing rather than ad blocking on its own.
Who should look elsewhere
- Readers after an email aliasing product rather than network filtering, since Apple Hide My Email starts at $0.99 and does a different job.
- Anyone who wants a broad privacy suite from a hardware maker instead of a single filtered resolver, where Apple Inc. starts at $0.99.
- Shoppers willing to pay a larger subscription for a service outside DNS, since EasyOptOuts starts at $19.99 against Control D at $2.
Pricing
Control D is a free and budget service, so price is not the obstacle to entry. A free plan is included, and paid plans start at $2, which is the figure to anchor on. Readers who weigh renewal should treat that as an entry rate: plans begin there, and the free plan remains the cheapest route in. Only the starting figure is published, so $2 is a floor to plan around rather than a typical bill.
What it does well
Control D filters through resolvers rather than an app installed on every machine. The free plan hands you free public DNS resolvers with no account or app needed, and the filtering runs in preset and custom form with community blocklists layered on top. Platform support is wide: macOS, Windows and Linux. The resolvers also handle doh, dot and doq, so apps that insist on encrypted DNS are covered. Set it on the router and every device behind it inherits the rules.
Free plan and trial
The free plan is offered, and its limits read as free public DNS resolvers with no account or app needed, plus preset and custom filtering and community blocklists. That is the shape of the free offer: a filtered resolver you can point a device at straight away, with the community lists carrying much of the blocking work. Because there is no signup, the whole test is a settings change on a device rather than a purchase decision.
Who runs it
The service is run by ControlD Inc, headquartered in Canada and founded in 2021. A Canadian base means the account relationship sits under a Canadian jurisdiction, and the company is young against the older names in the category. Support runs on email, chat and help centre, which pairs self serve documentation and a community board with direct contact. Buyers who want a long corporate record will find a short one here.
How Control D compares
9.2 vs 9.1
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9.2 vs 9.1
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9.2 vs 9.2
9.2 vs 8.8
9.2 vs 9.3
9.2 vs 9.0
9.2 vs 9.0
9.2 vs 9.4
Frequently asked questions
How much does Control D cost?+
A free plan is included, so the starting cost can be nothing. Paid plans start at $2, and Control D is positioned as a free and budget service (free and budget) rather than a premium suite. That entry figure is the published starting point for any subscription, with the free option covering basic filtered resolvers in the meantime.
Does Control D log what I visit?+
Control D is a private DNS service (private dns), and its logging position changes by tier. Queries sent through the free resolvers are not written down. Subscribers should expect raw query data to be held for a set retention period, which matters for anyone moving a whole household off the free resolvers.
Which devices and platforms does it cover?+
Support reaches macOS, Windows and Linux. Because the free tier is DNS based, a router on the network can carry the filtering for every device behind it, while the paid apps extend the same rules to individual machines. The resolvers also speak doh, dot and doq, which matters for apps that refuse plain DNS lookups.
Can I use it without creating an account?+
Yes, on the free side. The free plan is free public DNS resolvers with no account or app needed, plus preset and custom filtering and community blocklists. So testing it costs nothing, involves no signup, and starts with pointing a device at the resolvers to see how the filtering feels in daily use.
What parental controls are included?+
The control set listed is screen time, web filter and location. Those sit alongside the DNS filtering, so a parent can cap screen time, block categories of sites and keep track of location rather than only blocking ads and trackers. Screen time limits and location tracking are the parts families usually look at first, and they are named in the same place as the filtering.
Where is Control D based and who runs it?+
The company is ControlD Inc, headquartered in Canada and founded in 2021, so it is a young operation rather than an established incumbent. Support runs on email, chat and help centre, giving you written help, live chat, a help centre and a community board depending on the issue.
How does the price compare with other privacy services?+
Paid plans start at $2, below $0.99 for Apple Hide My Email and the same $0.99 entry point at Apple Inc., and well under $19.99 for EasyOptOuts. Add the free plan and the effective starting cost for most readers is nothing at all.
Is Control D a VPN?+
No. Control D works at the resolver layer: it is a private DNS service (private dns) with filtering, community blocklists and the listed screen time, web filter and location for family controls. If you want every protocol encrypted across the whole device, a VPN is a different product and a different purchase, and Control D will not stand in for one.
Sources
- controld.com checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Platforms, Protocols
“Native clients for Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS, and Android. One policy across all of them.”
- controld.com/about-us checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Founded, Headquarters
“Founded in 2021”
- controld.com/free-dns checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Free plan, Free plan limits, Logging policy, Privacy tool type
“Turn on Control D's free DNS service to block ads and bad sites on all your devices. It's fast, private, and doesn't need an app.”
- controld.com/parental-controls checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Features
“it's easy to create schedules that enforce different rulesets at different times (like no TikTok before 6, no Netflix after 9, or no restrictions on weekends)”
- controld.com/pricing checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Pricing model, Price from, Support channels
“$2 / endpoint / month”
- controld.com/terms checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Jurisdiction, Legal entity
“shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Province of Ontario, Canada”
Compiled from 6 source pages, checked September 26, 2026. We did not open an account.
Related by the facts
Control D
Budget households wanting account free filtered DNS with custom rules and community blocklists.