In this blog post, I have examined 11 free DNS hosting services and provided a detailed discussion on each of them.
The increasing prevalence of Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attacks is a concerning trend. To safeguard your valuable website from such threats, opting for a high-quality DNS hosting service becomes imperative.
The good news is that obtaining a reliable DNS service doesn’t have to incur any cost nowadays, thanks to the availability of free DNS hosting services. These providers enable you to establish your website with multiple DNS providers, ensuring its accessibility to users without any expense.
Before delving into the details, let’s first understand the role of DNS
What does DNS stand for?
DNS stands for Domain Name System, a system designed to translate domain names (such as your website’s name or URL) into their associated IP addresses.
In this process, DNS servers play a crucial role in facilitating the mapping. To elaborate, DNS servers keep a record of website names (domain names) and associate them with their corresponding IP addresses.
1. CloudFlare
CloudFlare commands a significant presence, overseeing over 38% of managed DNS domains across the internet. It boasts one of the world’s most extensive authoritative DNS networks.
With the capability to furnish query results within milliseconds, CloudFlare asserts its status as the current fastest-managed DNS provider, handling an impressive 86 billion queries daily. Notably, their servers can implement live DNS updates in just a matter of seconds.
CloudFlare stands out as one of the largest free DNS hosting services presently available. Surprisingly, their free DNS service delivers superior performance compared to some premium alternatives.
Despite its status as a managed DNS host, CloudFlare might offer slightly less control compared to other free DNS hosting providers. However, it compensates by enhancing website security through its user-friendly blocking, filtering, and rate-limiting features.
2. NS1
For those in search of a free, Data-Driven DNS hosting service, NS1 stands out. Boasting impressive speed, NS1 surpasses many industry leaders. The platform features a robust Filter Chain routing engine, specifically crafted for efficiently managing critical and demanding web applications.
This dynamic routing engine facilitates customizable DNS configurations. More crucially, it intelligently makes real-time routing decisions to enhance the speed and reliability of your applications.
NS1 excels in providing automatic traffic management, utilizing your infrastructure and real-time network data to ensure a consistently high level of reliability and performance. Programmers will appreciate the user-friendly RESTful API for convenient code adjustments.
Key highlights of their free service include 500k queries per month, a single Filter Chain, two free monitoring jobs, and fifty records, among other features.
3. Rackspace
Rackspace extends free DNS hosting and management exclusively to its existing customers. For those already utilizing their services, this offering comes at no additional cost. Despite having just 5 or 6 Points of Presence (POPs), Rackspace boasts an impressive track record of uptimes.
Key features of Rackspace include IP Anycast routing, automated migrations, flexible access, and load balancing. The configuration of these features is made straightforward through their RESTful API and cloud control panel, which features an intuitive interface.
Rackspace ensures users have complete control over their DNS. The user-friendly interface allows for tasks such as adding, modifying, and removing domains and records. This control is facilitated through both their API and Cloud Control Panel.
4. ClouDNS
For those seeking a reliable free DNS service, ClouDNS offers a robust free DNS hosting plan worth exploring. Their servers are strategically located across North America, Australia, Asia, and Europe, employing a Round Robin (RR) architecture within their DNS network platform.
With a complimentary ClouDNS account, users can add three domains, accompanied by 4 DNS servers, 3 DNS zones, 3 Mail forwards, Dynamic DNS, support for native IPv6, round robin, and an unlimited number of records or requests. It’s worth noting that features like GeoDNS and DDoS-protected DNS hosting are reserved for premium members.
Boasting a claimed 100% uptime, ClouDNS provides an easily navigable interface for zone management and Dynamic DNS support. Should any issues arise, their support team is accessible through an online ticket system.
5. FreeDNS
With a track record of handling over 7 billion monthly DNS requests, the FreeDNS network has been delivering high-quality free DNS hosting since 2004. They provide a range of services, including absolutely free DNS, Static DNS, and Dynamic DNS. Surprisingly, they offer an unlimited number of domains and accounts. With a history rooted in offering free DNS hosting, FreeDNS stands out for its quick and easy setup, exceptional reliability, and impressive speed. Notably, every update is reflected live on the internet instantly.
6. Hurricane Electric Internet Services
Hurricane Electric Internet Services offers complimentary DNS hosting services. Their robust network encompasses over 130 Point-Of-Presence (POP) locations spread across North America, Europe, and Asia.
With an impressive portfolio of over 19,000 Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) sessions involving more than 6,000 diverse networks, the company ensures swift loading times for websites, enhancing the overall user experience. Leveraging an abundance of advanced DNS resources, Hurricane Electric Internet Services proves to be a compelling choice for DNS hosting.
7. GeoScaling
Catering to a capacity of up to 1 million monthly DNS requests, GeoScaling distinguishes itself with a range of unique features in its managed DNS services. Prioritizing an optimal user experience, they redirect users based on criteria such as country, uptime, AS number, custom rules, and server load.
GeoScaling maintains a low Time-To-Live (TTL), ensuring that updated records go live on the internet in less than 5 minutes. Their DNS service supports various standard record types, including the Service Record (SRV). Additionally, they offer support for Dynamic DNS and provide options to import, upload, and paste BIND zone files.
For users in France, Romania, or Texas, GeoScaling promises assured redundancy and scalability benefits. With a user-friendly interface facilitating the addition and updating of DNS records without page reloads, any modification is propagated instantly to the nameservers.
8. Namecheap
While renowned as a domain registration provider, Namecheap also extends free DNS hosting services, complete with Dynamic DNS functionality. Boasting geographically dispersed name servers to enhance site performance and expedite loading times, Namecheap supports nearly every record type, including SRV.
Namecheap’s management console is both powerful and intuitive, and they offer 24/7 technical support to their customers.
9. 1984
Ranked among the noteworthy free DNS hosting providers, 1984 is a service worth exploring. Supporting nearly all standard record types, including SRV and TLSA, 1984’s free DNS service encompasses features such as Web Redirects, Dynamic DNS, and Nameserver on an Anycast network.
To utilize 1984’s free DNS service, users can register on their homepage. This FreeDNS service affords complete control over every registered domain, allowing users to host their sites anywhere while availing themselves of the DNS service for free.
10. BuddyNS
If you’re in search of a straightforward and free secondary DNS service, BuddyNS is tailored just for you. Boasting an intuitive interface, BuddyNS claims to update your DNS data at an impressive speed, surpassing other providers by 10 to 100 times the industry average. The service generously offers up to 300k queries per account without any cost.
With eight strategically located Points of Presence (POPs), BuddyNS automatically syncs with the master DNS service in a mere 10 minutes, ensuring quick updates. For instantaneous synchronization, features like SyncNOW or NOTIFY can be employed. Leveraging a robust DNS infrastructure worldwide, BuddyNS accelerates the processing of visitor queries, regardless of their geographic location.
Maintaining a flawless 100% uptime since its inception, BuddyNS also supports seamless integration with CPanel/WHM. The secure and consistently available network infrastructure ensures that your domains remain accessible to users, even in the event of a primary DNS outage.
11. Dynu
Established in 1997, Dynu stands as a 100% free “dynamic” DNS service that users can sign up for. The lifetime free package includes four domains, four subdomains, four MX records, four custom DNS records, and four web redirects, alongside various offline settings. Dynu’s service supports a comprehensive range of record types, including A, AAAA, PTR, CNAME, TXT, SRV, SPF, and HINFO.
Equipped with a user-friendly control panel, Dynu’s DNS service grants total control over your domain name. The package also includes a complimentary DNS client. Dynu’s geographically dispersed network of DNS servers ensures complete redundancy for your domain.
The free package further provides valuable features such as Port 80 redirection, offline options, subdomains, and MX records.
Comparative Analysis on DNS Lookup Speed
When choosing a free DNS hosting service, the paramount consideration is the speed of DNS lookup. Opting for the provider with the swiftest lookup speed is crucial.
In a comparative analysis of DNS lookup speeds among the mentioned free DNS hosting providers, CloudFlare stands out as the frontrunner, boasting an exceptional speed of just 4.84 milliseconds – a truly remarkable feat.
Securing the second position is NS1, which exhibits commendable speed at 5.37 milliseconds, albeit slightly slower than CloudFlare. Rackspace, ClouDNS, and FreeDNS follow closely with lookup speeds of 72.56, 88.16, and 94.82 milliseconds, respectively, with others trailing behind.
Hence, my unequivocal choice for the best free DNS hosting provider is CloudFlare!
Conclusion
The availability of free DNS hosting services proves to be a boon for online entrepreneurs operating on a tight budget. Not only do these services enable significant cost savings, but they also provide access to premium features akin to those offered by paid DNS hosting plans. As emphasized earlier, it’s imperative to scrutinize the DNS lookup speed before settling on a particular provider.
I am curious to learn about your experiences with any of these free DNS hosting providers. What insights or feedback do you have to share?