NextDNS Inc. review
Updated September 28, 2026 · ShieldCue Editorial Team · Facts checked September 26, 2026
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Our verdict
NextDNS Inc. filters and blocks DNS traffic rather than tunnelling a VPN, which suits households and small offices that want ad blocking alongside cheap private DNS. The paid plan costs €19.90 a year, and the free plan covers 300,000 queries/month, then answering continues unfiltered.
Key facts
- Best for
- Cheap DNS filtering and ad blocking with a free tier.
- Monthly price
- €1.99 (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Long-term plan price
- €1.99 (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Jurisdiction
- US (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Protocols
- DNS-over-HTTPS, DNS-over-TLS, DNSSEC, Handshake (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Features
- Obfuscation (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Platforms
- iOS, Android, Windows, Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Brave, Ubiquiti (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Owner
- NextDNS Inc. (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Longest plan (months)
- 12 months (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Legal entity
- NextDNS Inc. (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Headquarters
- United States (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Founded
- 2019 (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Support channels
- Email, Help-centre, Community (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Features
- No logs
- Audience
- Business
- Pricing model
- Free
- Official website
- nextdns.io
Privacy tools
- Price from
- €1.99 (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Free plan
- Yes (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Free plan limits
- 300,000 queries/month, then answering continues unfiltered (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Platforms
- iOS, Android, Windows, Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Brave, Ubiquiti (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Protocols
- DNS-over-HTTPS, DNS-over-TLS, DNSSEC, Handshake (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Logging policy
- No data logged unless the user opts in; retention and storage region user-selectable (US, EU, UK, Switzerland) (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Jurisdiction
- US (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Open source
- Yes (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Privacy tool type
- Private-dns, Ad-blocker (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Legal entity
- NextDNS Inc. (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Headquarters
- United States (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Founded
- 2019 (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Support channels
- Email, Help-centre, Community (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Pricing model
- Free
Parental controls
- Yearly price
- €19.90 (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Platforms
- iOS, Android, Windows, Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Brave, Ubiquiti (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Features
- Obfuscation (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Legal entity
- NextDNS Inc. (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Headquarters
- United States (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Founded
- 2019 (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Support channels
- Email, Help-centre, Community (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Pricing model
- Free
Apps and profiles
- Get the app
- App Store
Pros and cons
Pros
- Logging stays off unless the user opts in, and retention and the storage region are user-selectable across US, EU, UK and Switzerland.
- Setup spans iOS, Android and Windows, so phones, desktops and browsers are all covered.
- The project is open source and supports DNS over HTTPS, DNS over TLS and DNSSEC for encrypted DNS.
- Extra features include obfuscation, and a free plan runs alongside the paid tier.
Cons
- Support runs on email, help centre and community only, with no live chat or phone line listed.
- Longest terms run 12 months, so there is no multi-year rate to lock in.
- Filtering sits at the DNS layer, with privacy type listed as private dns and ad blocker, so traffic outside DNS queries is untouched.
Who it suits
- Households that want ad blocking and tracker filtering without a tunnel VPN.
- Business teams, since the audience is listed as business.
- Readers who want a usable free tier before paying for the paid plan.
Who should look elsewhere
- Anyone who needs a full encrypted tunnel: MEGA lists $3.99 a month for a conventional VPN.
- Readers who want privacy bought alongside other Apple services, priced at $0.99 a month.
- Buyers shopping for a different kind of privacy subscription, such as the $1.99 a month plan from Sinew Software Systems.
How NextDNS Inc. compares
9.1 vs 9.1
9.1 vs 8.8
9.1 vs 8.5
9.1 vs 9.5
9.1 vs 9.4
9.1 vs 9.1
9.1 vs 9.2
9.1 vs 9.4
9.1 vs 9.2
9.1 vs 8.8
9.1 vs 9.3
9.1 vs 9.0
9.1 vs 9.0
9.1 vs 9.4
Frequently asked questions
How much does NextDNS cost at the start and over a year?+
The paid plan is listed at €1.99 a month and €19.90 a year, with €1.99 as the price on the longest term of 12 months. A free plan is also offered, and €1.99 marks the starting price for paid use.
What does the free plan allow?+
There is a free plan, and its allowance is stated as 300,000 queries/month, then answering continues unfiltered. Lookups carry on after the cap is used, but answering then runs unfiltered, which makes the free tier a practical option for light use.
Does NextDNS keep logs?+
Logging stays off unless you opt in, and retention plus the storage region are user-selectable across US, EU, UK and Switzerland. The no-logs stance is listed under features (no logs), the legal entity is NextDNS Inc., and it is headquartered in the US (US).
Which platforms can I install it on?+
Apps and extensions cover iOS, Android and Windows. That spans phones, desktops and browsers plus Ubiquiti hardware, so a household or office can point most devices at the same setup. Encrypted DNS is handled through DNS over HTTPS, DNS over TLS and DNSSEC.
Is NextDNS a VPN or a DNS service?+
It is a DNS level service rather than a tunnel VPN, and the privacy type is listed as private dns and ad blocker. NextDNS Inc. was founded in 2019 and sits in the US (US), so it falls under US jurisdiction (US).
What support do I get?+
Support runs on email, help centre and community, so there is no live chat or phone line listed. The help centre and the community carry the explaining instead, and because the project is open source the configuration and clients can be inspected directly.
Is NextDNS a good fit for a business?+
The audience is listed as business, so the service is pitched at teams rather than only home users, and the paid plan costs €1.99 a month. Retention and storage regions are user-selectable across US, EU, UK and Switzerland, which matters where data has to stay in a set region.
How does the price compare with other services?+
NextDNS ranks 7 of 133 brands on monthly price and 14 of 112 on the long-term price. The site median monthly price is €7.89, while MEGA lists $3.99 a month and Apple Inc. lists $0.99.
Sources
- github.com/nextdns checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Open source
- help.nextdns.io/t/y4hmv0n/who-is-behind-nextdns checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Founded, Headquarters, Jurisdiction
“NextDNS was founded in May 2019 in Delaware, USA by two French founders Romain Cointepas and Olivier Poitrey.”
- nextdns.io checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Features, Features, Platforms, Privacy tool type, Protocols
“Decide how long your logs are kept - from one hour up to two years - or disable logging completely for a no-logs experience.”
- nextdns.io/pricing checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Audience, Free plan, Free plan limits, Long-term plan price, Longest plan (months), Pricing model, Price from, Monthly price, Yearly price, Support channels
“Business - For small and medium businesses.”
- nextdns.io/privacy checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Legal entity, Logging policy, Owner
“NextDNS Inc. is an independent company 100% funded, owned and controlled by its founders”
Compiled from 5 source pages, checked September 26, 2026. We did not open an account.
Not confirmed yet: Devices, Server countries, No-logs audit.