ControlD entered the encrypted DNS market a few years after NextDNS established itself, with a similar product, similar pricing, and a willingness to compete on features. The product has matured. For users evaluating which configurable DNS service to pay for, the comparison between ControlD and NextDNS is genuinely close. This review is the practical assessment after several months of use.
What ControlD is
ControlD is operated by Windscribe (the Canadian VPN company) as a separate product line. The launch in 2020 came after Windscribe’s existing customers had asked for a more configurable DNS service than the basic encrypted DNS that came with the VPN.
The product is a configurable, hosted, encrypted DNS resolver. You sign up, create a profile, get a configuration string, point your devices at the ControlD server using a configuration profile, DoH/DoT, or router-level setup. ControlD applies your configured filtering rules to your queries.
The infrastructure is on Anycast network spread globally. Latency is comparable to NextDNS in most regions; Windscribe’s existing infrastructure investments mean ControlD did not need to build out from scratch.
What ControlD does well
The interface is the most polished in this category. ControlD’s dashboard is, frankly, more visually appealing than NextDNS’s. Pages load faster, the UI is cleaner, and the visual design is closer to current consumer SaaS norms. For users who care about the dashboard experience, this is a real advantage.
The custom blocking rules are powerful. Beyond the standard category-based blocking (ads, trackers, adult content, etc.), ControlD lets you create custom rules with specific patterns. You can block, allow, redirect, or modify specific queries. The “redirect” capability lets you do things like force certain domains to specific IPs, useful for various network administration scenarios.
The “Profiles” model with bulk profile management is well-designed. You can have multiple profiles (one per device or per use case) and bulk-edit shared rules across them. NextDNS supports profiles too but the editing interface is less efficient.
The native apps for iOS and Android are functional. NextDNS relies on configuration profiles for iOS and the system Private DNS field for Android; ControlD has dedicated apps that handle the configuration with a smoother user experience for non-technical users.
The pricing is similar to NextDNS but with a more generous free tier. ControlD’s free tier covers basic use cases (one device, basic filtering) without the query-count limit that NextDNS imposes (300,000 per month).
What ControlD does less well
The blocking categorizations are less curated. NextDNS works closely with the OISD project for their default blocklists; ControlD maintains their own categorizations which sometimes have more false positives in our testing. The difference is small but present.
The query log retention is shorter on lower-tier plans. NextDNS Pro retains logs longer than ControlD’s equivalent tier.
The community is smaller. NextDNS has a more active community discussion (subreddit, GitHub-like discussion threads) where users share configurations and discuss edge cases. ControlD’s community is real but smaller, which means fewer resources when you hit a specific issue.
The advanced configuration options for power users are slightly less granular. NextDNS exposes more under-the-hood DNS options (DNSSEC validation behavior, ECS settings, specific resolver behavior) than ControlD.
The brand is less established in the privacy-tools community. NextDNS has been the default recommendation in privacy circles for several years; ControlD has been climbing but is not yet at the same recognition level.
Pricing comparison
ControlD pricing as of mid-2025:
| Plan | Cost | Devices |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 1 device, basic filtering |
| Personal | $1.99 per month or $19.99 per year | Unlimited devices |
| Pro | $3.99 per month or $39.99 per year | Unlimited devices, plus advanced features |
NextDNS pricing for comparison:
| Plan | Cost |
|---|---|
| Free | $0, 300K queries per month |
| Pro | $1.99 per month or $19.90 per year, unlimited |
Personal/Pro tiers are essentially priced identically. ControlD’s Pro tier is a separate higher-priced tier with additional features (custom analytics, more retention, advanced logging) that NextDNS does not directly compare.
For most users, ControlD Personal versus NextDNS Pro is the apples-to-apples comparison. Both are around $20 per year.
How they compare side by side
| Feature | ControlD | NextDNS |
|---|---|---|
| Free tier device limit | 1 device | No device limit, 300K query limit |
| Polished dashboard |  Better |
OK |
| Native mobile apps | Better |
Configuration profiles only |
| Curated blocklists | Smaller selection | More integrated with OISD and others |
| Custom rules | More flexible |
Adequate |
| Community / docs | Smaller | Larger |
| Latency | Comparable | Comparable |
| Privacy policy | Solid | Solid |
| Annual cost | $20 to $40 | $20 |
| Company stability | Windscribe (small) | NextDNS (small French company) |
Neither is decisively better. They are real competitors, with different strengths.
Use cases where ControlD wins
You want the most polished mobile experience and you set up DNS for non-technical users. The native mobile apps are easier than the NextDNS configuration profile approach.
You need flexible custom rules beyond basic blocking. ControlD’s rule language is more expressive.
You value visual design and dashboard polish.
You are already a Windscribe VPN customer and prefer to consolidate vendors.
Use cases where NextDNS wins
You want the largest community and the most documentation. NextDNS forums and GitHub discussions are richer.
You want the most curated default blocklist. NextDNS’s integration with OISD produces fewer false positives in default configuration.
You want the most established brand with multi-year track record. NextDNS has been around longer in this market.
You want the cheapest option. NextDNS Pro at $20 per year is the most generous pricing for the feature set.
My personal experience
I tested ControlD for two months as my primary DNS, then switched back to NextDNS as my primary, then ran ControlD as a secondary on a different device for ongoing comparison.
The reasons for switching back to NextDNS as primary were not dramatic. Both work. The dashboard preference came down to “I am used to NextDNS.” The blocklist preference was real but marginal (a few NextDNS-default-blocked domains were not blocked by ControlD-default; I had to add them manually).
The reasons to keep ControlD as a secondary on one device: the polished mobile app for the family member who uses that device, and the slightly better experience setting up custom redirect rules I needed for a specific home network setup.
For a fresh install today, I would recommend NextDNS as the default and ControlD as the alternative pick if NextDNS does not fit. Either is a defensible choice; the differences are small.
Should you switch from NextDNS to ControlD
Probably not. The migration cost (configuring all your devices, retraining your habits with the new dashboard) is more than the marginal benefit of switching.
If you are unhappy with NextDNS for a specific reason (the dashboard performance frustrates you, the mobile experience is annoying, etc.), ControlD might fix that specific issue. Try the free tier first.
Should you start with ControlD instead of NextDNS
If the polished mobile app appeals to you and you are setting up DNS for less-technical users: yes, ControlD is the gentler option.
If you are a power user who will customize heavily: NextDNS’s larger community is more useful for finding configurations that work.
If you are price-comparing and both are at $20 per year: pick by interface preference. Both products are at parity on the underlying DNS service quality.
Summary
ControlD is a legitimate competitor to NextDNS, not a clone or an also-ran. The product has real strengths (mobile apps, dashboard polish, custom rule flexibility) that justify its existence. The product has real weaknesses (smaller community, less curated default blocking) that mean it is not a clear winner over NextDNS.
For a user choosing between these two, the practical answer is “pick the one whose interface you prefer after looking at both.” The underlying functionality is comparable. The price is comparable. The privacy properties are comparable. The differences are matters of personal taste rather than product quality.
If forced to recommend one for a reader who has not formed an opinion: NextDNS, slightly, because the larger community matters when you eventually hit an issue. But ControlD is a fine alternative.
Related: NextDNS deep review after a year, Encrypted DNS friendly guide, Why I switched from Cloudflare DNS to NextDNS