dnsmasq Alternatives

dnsmasq is described as 'Dnsmasq is a lightweight, easy to configure DNS forwarder and DHCP server. It is designed to provide DNS and, optionally, DHCP, to a small network. It can serve the names of local machines which are not in the global DNS' and is an app in the network & admin category. There are more than 10 alternatives to dnsmasq for a variety of platforms, including Linux, Windows, Mac, Android and BSD apps. The best dnsmasq alternative is NextDNS, which is both free and Open Source. Other great apps like dnsmasq are AdGuard Home, NextDNS Manager, YogaDNS and Unbound.

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Alternatives list

  1. NextDNS icon

    NextDNS

     148 likes
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    NextDNS protects you from all kinds of security threats, blocks ads and trackers on websites and in apps and provides a safe and supervised Internet for kids — on all devices and on all networks.

    139 NextDNS alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium (Subscription)
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Chrome OS
    • BSD
    • iPad
    • UC Browser
    • Vivaldi
    • Google Chrome
    • UniFi Network
    • Safari
    • Yandex Browser
    • Software as a Service (SaaS)
    • OpenWrt
    • Opera
    • Alpine Linux
    • pfSense
    • Mozilla Firefox
    • DD-WRT
    NextDNS screenshot 1
     
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    1
    Comments about NextDNS as an Alternative to dnsmasq
    lenaw
    Negative
    0

    dnsmasq is a server you run that is not recursive, nextdns is a recursive server

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    dnsmasq Icon
    NextDNS icon

    • NextDNS is the most popular Web-based, Windows, Android & Mac alternative to dnsmasq.

    • NextDNS is the most popular Open Source & free alternative to dnsmasq.

    • NextDNS is Freemium and Open Sourcednsmasq is Free and Open Source
    • NextDNS is Customizable, Privacy focused, Lightweight and Security-focuseddnsmasq is not according to our users
  2. AdGuard Home icon

    AdGuard Home

     30 likes
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    AdGuard Home is a network-wide software for blocking ads & tracking. After you set it up, it'll cover ALL your home devices, and you don't need any client-side software for that.

    11 AdGuard Home alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Self-Hosted
    • FreeBSD
    • Raspberry Pi
    • Cloudron
    AdGuard Home screenshot 1
     
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    2
    Comments about AdGuard Home as an Alternative to dnsmasq
    Taurolyon
    Negative
    1

    AdGuard is closer in comparison to Pihole. dnsmasq is a completely different animal.

    Guest
    Negative
    4

    dnsmasq is a service for confiruing DNS requests. ADGuard is a browser tool for blocking ads. One is a low level protocol, the other is a client-facing application. Not remotely the same. Seems like spam / advertising

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    dnsmasq Icon
    AdGuard Home icon

    • AdGuard Home is the most popular Self-Hosted alternative to dnsmasq.

    • AdGuard Home is Free and Open Sourcednsmasq is also Free and Open Source
    • AdGuard Home is Customizable, Privacy focused and Lightweightdnsmasq is not according to our users
  4. NextDNS Manager icon

    NextDNS Manager

     7 likes
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    With this management app, you can manage and change your NextDNS settings, check your connection, test your ping, and see other connection information!

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Platforms

    • Android
    NextDNS Manager screenshot 1
    NextDNS Manager screenshot 2
    NextDNS Manager screenshot 3
     
  5. Ad
    Screenshot
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    Total Adblock

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  6. YogaDNS icon

    YogaDNS

     13 likes
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    YogaDNS automatically intercepts DNS requests at the system level and allows you to process them over user-defined DNS servers using modern protocols and flexible rules.

    12 YogaDNS alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Proprietary

    Platforms

    • Windows
    YogaDNS screenshot 1
     
  7. Unbound icon

    Unbound

     16 likes
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    Unbound is a validating, recursive, and caching DNS resolver.

    The C implementation of Unbound is developed and maintained by NLnet Labs. It is based on ideas and algorithms taken from a java prototype developed by Verisign labs, Nominet, Kirei and ep.net.

    Unbound is designed as.

    10 Unbound alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
     
  8. TinyProxy icon

    TinyProxy

     10 likes
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    Tinyproxy is a light-weight HTTP/HTTPS proxy daemon for POSIX operating systems. It is free software, and supports transparent and reverse proxying.

    28 TinyProxy alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Linux
    TinyProxy screenshot 1
     
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    1
    Comments about TinyProxy as an Alternative to dnsmasq
    Guest
    Negative
    4

    TinyProxy has nothing to do with DNS, this is not an alternative.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    dnsmasq Icon
    TinyProxy icon
    • TinyProxy is Free and Open Sourcednsmasq is also Free and Open Source
  10. Acrylic DNS Proxy icon

    Acrylic DNS Proxy

     18 likes
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    Acrylic is a local DNS proxy for Windows which improves the performance of your computer by caching the responses coming from your DNS servers and helps you fight unwanted ads through a custom HOSTS file.

    8 Acrylic DNS Proxy alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Platforms

    • Windows
    Acrylic DNS Proxy screenshot 1
     
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  11. BIND icon

    BIND

     11 likes
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    BIND is by far the most widely used DNS software on the Internet. On Unix-like operating systems it is the de facto standard. It provides a robust and stable platform on top of which organizations can build distributed computing systems with the knowledge that those systems are...

    13 BIND alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Linux
    • BSD
     

  12. WireHole

     2 likes
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    WireHole is a combination of WireGuard, Pi-hole, and Unbound in a docker-compose project with the intent of enabling users to quickly and easily create a personally managed full or split-tunnel WireGuard VPN with ad blocking capabilities thanks to Pi-hole, and DNS caching...

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Self-Hosted
    • Windows
    • Linux
     
  13. hBlock icon

    hBlock

     10 likes
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    hBlock is a POSIX-compliant shell script, designed for Unix-like systems, that gets a list of domains that serve ads, tracking scripts and malware from multiple sources and creates a hosts file (alternative formats are also supported) that prevents your system from connecting to...

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Homebrew
     
  14. CoreDNS icon

    CoreDNS

     4 likes
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    CoreDNS is a DNS server. It is written in Go. It can be used in a multitude of environments because of its flexibility. CoreDNS is licensed under the Apache License Version 2, and completely open source.

    10 CoreDNS alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Platforms

    • Linux
     
  15. Technitium DNS Server icon

    Technitium DNS Server

     8 likes
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    Technitium DNS Server is an open source tool that can be used as a personal local DNS server for privacy & security. It includes Ad blocking feature combined with DNS-over-TLS and DNS-over-HTTPS support.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    Technitium DNS Server screenshot 1
     
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    1
    Comments about Technitium DNS Server as an Alternative to dnsmasq
    onyo
    Positive
    0

    dnsmasq can only forward DNS queries, Technitium also has the option to resolve them itself

    Both offer a built-in DHCP Server. Even if you use an external DHCP server, you can tell the Technitium authoritative DNS server about the LAN hostnames, provided that your external DHCP server supports "Dynamic DNS Updates [RFC 2136]".

    dnsmasq Icon
    Technitium DNS Server icon
    • Technitium DNS Server is Free and Open Sourcednsmasq is also Free and Open Source
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