NextDNS review
Updated September 28, 2026 · ShieldCue Editorial Team · Facts checked September 26, 2026
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Our verdict
NextDNS suits readers who want open source network filtering with a free tier they can keep paying nothing for. Entry pricing of €1.99 sits below the site median €6.84, and the free plan continues with 300,000 queries/month, then answering continues unfiltered rather than stopping outright.
Key facts
- Best for
- Free tier ad blocking and private DNS from open source software, for people who will not pay for a full suite.
- 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
- Apple iOS/macOS, Android, Windows, Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Brave, Ubiquiti (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Protocols
- Doh, Dot, Doq (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, Budget
- Official website
- nextdns.io
Parental controls
- Yearly price
- €19.90 (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Platforms
- Apple iOS/macOS, Android, Windows, Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Brave, Ubiquiti (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Features
- Screen-time, Web-filter (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, Budget
Apps and profiles
- Get the app
- App Store
Pros and cons
Pros
- There is a free plan, and after 300,000 queries/month, then answering continues unfiltered the service keeps answering rather than cutting you off.
- Entry pricing of €1.99 starts under the site median €6.84.
- NextDNS is open source, so the code can be read and checked by anyone.
- Nothing is logged unless you opt in, and the storage region can be set to the US, EU, UK or Switzerland.
Cons
- Free plan filtering stops early: 300,000 queries/month, then answering continues unfiltered.
- Support runs on email, help centre and community only, so phone and live chat help are out of reach.
- Feature coverage is screen time and web filter, a short list for a household expecting more.
- Jurisdiction is US, so anyone who needs a different legal home has to look elsewhere.
Who it suits
- People who want ad blocking and private DNS from open source software rather than a closed add-on.
- Readers who want nothing logged unless they opt in, plus a choice of storage region among the US, EU, UK and Switzerland.
- Households running a mix of Apple iOS/macOS, Android and Windows who want one configuration across phones, laptops and routers.
Who should look elsewhere
- Anyone who needs more than screen time and web filter for screen time and web filtering.
- Readers who want phone or live chat help, since support runs on email, help centre and community only.
- Shoppers anchoring a budget on the high end, such as EasyOptOuts at $19.99, who will not need to spend that level here, since entry is €1.99.
Privacy and jurisdiction
NextDNS answers to US jurisdiction, which sets the legal ground for anyone asking who holds their data. The logging policy is the sharper point: nothing is logged unless you opt in, and the retention and storage region is yours to choose among the US, EU, UK and Switzerland. Opting in is a deliberate step rather than a condition of signing up, and a reader who needs one specific storage country can name it. The choice sits with the account holder.
Pricing
The paid entry price is €1.99, and there is also a free plan, so a reader can start at no cost and decide about paying later. For scale, the site median starting price is €6.84, and NextDNS starts under it. The starting figure and the yearly figure are separate numbers rather than the same price seen twice, so both matter when you weigh the commitment.
Free plan and trial
A free plan is available, and its limit is 300,000 queries/month, then answering continues unfiltered. Filtered answers stop at that point, but the service does not cut you off: queries keep resolving without filtering afterwards. That makes the free tier usable as a trial or as a permanent setup for light browsing, and it lets you judge whether the filtering suits your household before paying anything. Paid tiers are the route for heavier traffic.
Who runs it
The legal entity is NextDNS Inc., and its headquarters sit in the US. It was founded in 2019, so it is a young operation next to older security vendors. Support runs on email, help centre and community, which is a self serve setup built around written answers and a community rather than a phone line. Readers who expect a named contact at a large vendor may find that thinner than usual.
How NextDNS compares
9.3 vs 9.1
9.3 vs 8.8
9.3 vs 8.5
9.3 vs 9.5
9.3 vs 9.4
9.3 vs 9.1
9.3 vs 9.2
9.3 vs 9.4
9.3 vs 9.2
9.3 vs 8.8
9.3 vs 9.3
9.3 vs 9.0
9.3 vs 9.0
9.3 vs 9.4
Frequently asked questions
What does NextDNS cost to start with?+
There is a free plan, and the paid entry price is €1.99. The listed tiers are free and budget, so nothing expensive sits behind that entry price. For scale, the site median starting price is €6.84, so NextDNS starts low.
What does NextDNS cost at renewal?+
The yearly price is €19.90, which is the number to budget for instead of the €1.99 entry rate. For scale, the site median long term price is €3.97 and the median monthly price is €7.89.
Is there a free plan, and where does it stop?+
A free plan is offered, and its limit is 300,000 queries/month, then answering continues unfiltered. In plain terms you get filtered answers up to that point, and afterwards the service does not drop your traffic, it simply stops filtering. That is friendlier than a hard cutoff for casual use.
What does NextDNS log, and where is it stored?+
Nothing is logged unless you opt in, and the retention and storage region is yours to pick among the US, EU, UK and Switzerland. Opting in is a deliberate step rather than a condition of using the service. The operator's own jurisdiction is US, so storage stays a separate choice you control.
Which devices, browsers and connections does it cover?+
The listed platforms are Apple iOS/macOS, Android and Windows, which covers the major phone, desktop, browser and router routes in one account. The protocols behind the queries are doh, dot and doq, so encrypted DNS is used rather than plain lookups. A phone, a laptop and a router can all point at the same configuration.
Who runs NextDNS, and how do you get help?+
The legal entity is NextDNS Inc., based in the US and founded in 2019. Support runs on email, help centre and community, so answers come by email, through a help centre or from a community rather than from a phone line. The plan list is short too, holding free and budget tiers.
What does the filtering actually cover?+
The feature list is screen time and web filter, and the service is classed as private dns and ad blocker. In short it handles ad blocking, screen time style limits and web filtering rules, all at the DNS level rather than inside a browser. That covers the common household goal of cutting ads and setting limits without per device apps.
Is NextDNS open source, and how long has it been running?+
It is open source, with the code published for anyone to read. The company was founded in 2019 and is run by NextDNS Inc., so the project is young but the software is inspectable. For a reader who likes to check what handles their traffic, that combination matters.
Sources
- github.com/nextdns checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Open source
- help.nextdns.io/t/x2hmvas/what-is-dns-over-tls-dot-dns-ov... checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Protocols
“NextDNS supports all 4 protocols. See the setup tab for more information on how to use them.”
- 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, Platforms, Privacy tool type
“With Recreation Time, only allow access to some websites, apps or games during specific times each day. Block all websites containing porn, violence, piracy and more.”
- nextdns.io/pricing checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Free plan, Free plan limits, Pricing model, Price from, Yearly price, Support channels
“Free ... 300,000 queries/month ... Unlimited devices ... Community support ... EUR 0/month”
- nextdns.io/privacy checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Legal entity, Logging policy
“NextDNS Inc.”
Compiled from 6 source pages, checked September 26, 2026. We did not open an account.
Related by the facts
NextDNS
Free tier ad blocking and private DNS from open source software, for people who will not pay for a full suite.