Public DNS Resolvers Compared: Google, Cloudflare, Quad9, and More

Your DNS resolver sees every domain you visit. Every website, every app connection, every service your devices reach—it all flows through DNS first. This makes your DNS provider one of the few entities with a complete picture of your digital life.

You don't get to choose whether someone sees this. You only get to choose who.

That choice—who watches—is what separates these providers. Not just speed. Not just features. Values.

Google Public DNS

IPv4: 8.8.8.8, 8.8.4.4
IPv6: 2001:4860:4860::8888, 2001:4860:4860::8844

Launched in 2009, Google Public DNS is the most widely used resolver worldwide. Their massive infrastructure makes it consistently among the fastest.

Google logs your queries temporarily (24-48 hours) including your IP address, then keeps only aggregated, anonymized data permanently. They validate DNSSEC and protect against DNS amplification attacks.

Here's the tension: Google's business is advertising. They say they don't use DNS data for ad targeting, and their privacy policy explicitly states this. But you're still giving a complete map of your online activity to a company that profits from knowing you. Whether that bothers you depends on how much you trust the wall between Google's DNS team and Google's advertising business.

Best for: Users who prioritize speed and reliability, and trust Google's internal boundaries.

Cloudflare DNS

IPv4: 1.1.1.1, 1.0.0.1
IPv6: 2606:4700:4700::1111, 2606:4700:4700::1001

Cloudflare launched in 2018 with privacy as the explicit selling point. They commit to never selling user data or using DNS queries for advertising. Query logs purge within 24 hours, verified by annual KPMG audits.

Performance matches or beats Google in most benchmarks. The service supports encrypted DNS (DoH and DoT), which prevents your ISP from seeing your queries—not just your resolver, but anyone in between.

Cloudflare for Families offers variants that block malware (1.1.1.2) or malware plus adult content (1.1.1.3) at the DNS level.

Cloudflare's business model matters here: they sell CDN and security services, not advertising. Their revenue doesn't depend on monetizing your browsing history. This alignment between business model and privacy promises is why their commitments feel more credible than Google's.

Best for: Users who want top-tier speed without feeding an advertising company.

Quad9

IPv4: 9.9.9.9, 149.112.112.112
IPv6: 2620:fe::fe, 2620:fe::9

Quad9 is different. It's a nonprofit foundation headquartered in Zürich, Switzerland—a jurisdiction chosen specifically for its strict privacy laws.

Founded through collaboration between IBM, the Global Cyber Alliance, and Packet Clearing House, Quad9's defining feature is automatic threat blocking. It aggregates intelligence from multiple commercial and open-source security feeds to block malware, phishing, and known malicious domains. Your device simply can't connect to them.

Quad9 doesn't log source IP addresses at all. The nonprofit structure means no shareholders demanding monetization. Swiss jurisdiction means stronger privacy protections than U.S.-based services, with legal frameworks harmonized with GDPR.

Performance is competitive but sometimes slightly slower than Cloudflare or Google in certain regions—the tradeoff for a smaller infrastructure.

Best for: Users who prioritize security and privacy over maximum speed, and want their resolver to actively protect them.

OpenDNS

IPv4: 208.67.222.222, 208.67.220.220
IPv6: 2620:119:35::35, 2620:119:53::53

Operating since 2006 and now owned by Cisco, OpenDNS is one of the oldest public resolvers. The free tier includes basic phishing protection. Paid tiers add customizable filtering, analytics, and whitelisting.

OpenDNS excels at content filtering for families and organizations. You can block categories of content across your entire network without installing software on each device.

Privacy policies are weaker than newer competitors, and the service feels dated compared to Cloudflare or NextDNS. But for straightforward content filtering, it works.

Best for: Families or organizations wanting simple, category-based content filtering.

NextDNS

Configuration: Custom endpoints via dashboard (no fixed IP addresses)

NextDNS represents maximum customization. You build your own resolver by combining blocklists, enabling tracking protection, setting parental controls, and configuring exactly what gets blocked.

The free tier includes 300,000 queries per month with full features. You can enable ad blocking, malware protection, platform-specific tracking protection, and granular category filtering. Analytics show exactly what every device on your network is requesting.

Privacy is configurable—you control whether queries are logged, retention periods, and storage location.

Best for: Power users who want visibility into their network and granular control.

Quick Comparison

What Should You Use?

Fast with strong privacy? Cloudflare (1.1.1.1)

Automatic threat protection? Quad9 (9.9.9.9)

Maximum control and visibility? NextDNS

Simple family filtering? OpenDNS or Cloudflare for Families

Just fast, privacy not a concern? Google (8.8.8.8)

Changing Your DNS

Configure DNS at your router (affects all devices) or per-device. Most modern operating systems support encrypted DNS (DoH/DoT), which prevents your ISP from seeing or tampering with your queries.

Performance varies by location and ISP routing. Test multiple providers in your environment—global benchmarks don't tell you what works best for you.

One thing to remember: DNS is one piece of privacy. A privacy-focused resolver doesn't stop websites from tracking you, and DNS blocking can be bypassed. But choosing who sees your DNS queries is one of the easier privacy wins available—and unlike most surveillance, this one you actually get to choose.

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