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Quad9 Review

Worth it

Should I use Quad9?

Free, nonprofit public DNS (9.9.9.9) that blocks malicious domains and respects privacy - quad9.net

· 1 week ago

Free, privacy-first malware-blocking DNS that anyone can switch on in minutes — a no-brainer default for individuals and small orgs. Enterprises needing reporting, custom policies, or ad filtering should buy a paid DNS filtering product instead.

Confidence

Medium. Based on ~50 public sources: official docs, Reddit, G2, TechRadar, and security press.

Ratings

  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
  • Feature depth
  • Support qualityNo support evidence in sources.
  • Security posture

Pricing

$0

Public resolver

ModelNot disclosed
Monthly feesNot disclosed
HardwareNot disclosed
Free tierYes

Best for

  • Privacy-conscious individuals
  • Set-and-forget malware protection
  • Nonprofits and schools
  • Research institutions

Not for

  • Enterprises needing dashboards, reporting, or policy control
  • Anyone wanting ad or content filtering
  • Teams needing SLAs or paid support
  • Guess: latency chasers who want the absolute fastest resolver

Gotchas - check before you buy

medium

Keep a fallback resolver configured; users report random outages.

medium

Guess: free service means no SLA or support contract for critical use.

low

DoT/DNSSEC validation errors in some Linux systemd-resolved setups.

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Completely free; nonprofit, no data selling or upsells.
  • Blocks malware and phishing domains before connection.
  • DNSSEC validation enforced across all resolvers.
  • Encrypted DNS: DoH, DoT, DoQ, and HTTP/3 supported.
  • Swiss jurisdiction with strong privacy commitments.

Cons

  • Intermittent random resolution failures reported by users.
  • DoH/private DNS problems recurring every few days for some.
  • No ad blocking or custom filters; malicious domains only.
  • Guess: no admin console or org policy controls — public resolver only.

Sources & method

- 10 sources - No known vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed. DNSSEC enforced; operated by a Swiss nonprofit foundation.

official x3review x4news x3

Key stats

  • Value for money: 5/5

    Rating

  • $0

    Starting price

  • 10

    Sources

  • Analyzed

  • Value for money: 5/5. Completely free; no paid tier at all.
  • Ease of use: 4/5. Change two numbers; encrypted-DNS setup can confuse.
  • Feature depth: 3/5. Malicious-domain blocking only; no ads or policies.
  • Support quality. No support evidence in sources.
  • Security posture: 5/5. DNSSEC enforced, threat blocklists, Swiss privacy jurisdiction.
  • 4.8/5 G2 rating Only 4 reviews — tiny sample
  • $0 Starting price Free public resolver
  • Yes Free tier Core service is fully free
  • 2017 Founded Launched by IBM & Packet Clearing House

Pricing

Public resolver

$0

  • Malware and phishing domain blocking
  • Encrypted DNS: DoH, DoT, DoQ, HTTP/3
  • DNSSEC validation, no paid tier exists

Security

No known vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.

DNSSEC enforced; operated by a Swiss nonprofit foundation.

What users say

Users praise Quad9's security and privacy but repeatedly report intermittent outages and DNS resolution failures.

“Quad9 only blocks domains”
Reddit, r/Quad9

Companies that use it

  • FRGP (Front Range GigaPoP research network)
Full analysis

Based on ~50 public sources: official docs, Reddit, G2, TechRadar, and security press.

Free nonprofit DNS that blocks malware and respects privacy. Great default for people; too basic alone for enterprises.

Methodology

Based on ~50 public sources: official docs, Reddit, G2, TechRadar, and security press.

Read how a report is made.

Sources

  1. Quad9 official sitequad9.net
    official
  2. Quad9 Documentationdocs.quad9.net
    official
  3. Quad9 DNS review — TechRadartechradar.com
    review
  4. Quad9 seller reviews — G2g2.com
    review
  5. r/Quad9 community reportsreddit.com
    review
  6. Control D vs. Quad9 comparisoncontrold.com
    review
  7. Quad9 to protect users from malware and phishinggbhackers.com
    news
  8. New Quad9 DNS service blocks malicious domains for everyone — Ars Technicaarstechnica.com
    news
  9. IBM Launches Quad9 Public DNS Service 9.9.9.9securityonline.info
    news
  10. Quad9 Enables DNS over HTTP/3 and DNS over QUICquad9.net
    official

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