--- title: Control D canonical: https://saasranked.com/software/control-d/ category: Ad Blockers points: 73 rank: 4 of 12 facts_checked: 2026-10-08 --- # Control D DNS service that blocks ads, trackers and malware domains on a whole network, with free public resolvers and paid plans from $30 a year. 73 points out of 100. #4 of 12 ad blockers. Vendor: ControlD Inc. Website: https://controld.com/ - Free public DNS resolvers block ads, trackers and malware with no account [1]. - The cheapest paid personal plan, Some Control, is $30 a year ($2.50 a month) [10]. - Custom rules take up to 10,000 domains, with wildcards and folders [3]. - Its command-line DNS proxy, ctrld, runs on Windows under the MIT licence; the setup utility is not listed as open source [9]. - Terms offer a refund within 7 commercial days of payment, with conditions [11]. Verdict: Control D suits people who want ad, tracker and malware blocking by DNS on every device, plus their own domain rules, at $30 a year [1][3][10]. Its free resolvers need no account [1]. The catch: its filter list names no cookie-consent pop-up filter, and a browser that uses its own encrypted DNS can bypass a system setting [2][4]. Best for: People who want to filter every device by DNS and write their own domain rules. ## Points | Criterion | Line | Value | Points | Note | |---|---|---|---|---| | Where it blocks | Windows browsers | Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Opera | 12/12 | The ctrld service sends all DNS queries on the PC to Control D, so every browser is filtered; the browser guide names Chrome, Edge and Firefox [9][4]. | | Where it blocks | Blocks outside the browser | Yes | 5/5 | The Windows guide sets the DNS server of a network interface, a system-wide setting. The vendor says free DNS blocks on all devices [5][12]. | | Where it blocks | Phone protection | iOS, Android | 6/6 | iOS uses a DNS profile; Android uses the Private DNS setting [6][7]. | | Blocking | Still works in Chrome after Manifest V2 | Yes | 4/4 | A DNS service that needs no app, so blocking happens outside the browser extension system [12]. | | Blocking | Your own block rules | Yes | 7/7 | Custom rules block, bypass or redirect single domains, with wildcards. The page names no plan restriction [3]. | | Blocking | Malicious site blocking | Yes | 5/5 | Malware and Phishing are named filters, with a Malware filter on the free resolvers [2][1]. | | Blocking | Cookie pop-up blocking | Not published | 0/4 | Not published on the vendor's filters page, which lists no cookie-consent filter [2]. | | Blocking | No ad allow-list on by default | Not published | 0/6 | Not published on the vendor's free DNS or filters pages [1][2]. | | Privacy and trust | Open source | Not published | 0/10 | The ctrld proxy is MIT licensed; the Windows setup utility is not listed as open source [9]. | | Privacy and trust | No browsing history kept | Yes | 6/6 | Free DNS says it does not log queries. Paid accounts can set analytics to No Analytics [12][8]. | | Privacy and trust | Works without an account | Yes | 4/4 | Free public resolvers work without an account [1]. | | Price | Free plan | Yes | 12/12 | Free public resolvers with an Ads & Tracking filter, no time limit and no account [1]. | | Price | Cheapest paid plan | $2.50/mo | 9/12 | Some Control, the cheapest paid personal plan, is $30 a year [10]. | | Price | Devices on one paid plan | Not published | 0/4 | Not published on the vendor's pages [10][1]. | | Price | Money-back guarantee | Yes | 3/3 | Terms give a refund if requested within 7 commercial days of payment, under four conditions, including no earlier free trial [11]. | ## Plans | Plan | Price | Per month (USD) | |---|---|---| | Free DNS | Free [1] | $0 | | Some Control | $30/year [10] | $2.50 | | Full Control | $60/year [10] | $5 | Prices come from the vendor's public product data. It lists no device limits or plan contents [10]. ## Strengths - Free resolvers block ads, trackers or malware and need no account [1]. - Custom rules let you block, bypass or redirect single domains, with wildcards, up to 10,000 rules [3]. - The ctrld DNS proxy is public under the MIT licence and has Windows builds [9]. - Free resolvers do not log queries, and paid accounts can turn analytics off per device [12][8]. - Setup guides cover Windows, iOS and Android without a browser extension [5][6][7]. ## Limits - The free resolvers cannot take custom rules or combine filters [1]. - The filter list has no cookie-consent pop-up filter [2]. - A browser using its own DNS-over-HTTPS can ignore the system DNS setting [4]. - The refund clause refers to commercial plans and excludes anyone who used a free trial [11]. - Only the ctrld proxy is listed as open source, not the Windows setup utility [9][5]. ## Vendor claims (not scored) - Control D says it has a 99.98% malware block rate [13]. ## Sources 1. [Free DNS Resolvers](https://docs.controld.com/docs/free-dns.md), Control D docs, accessed 2026-10-08 2. [Filters](https://docs.controld.com/docs/filters.md), Control D docs, accessed 2026-10-08 3. [Custom Rules](https://docs.controld.com/docs/custom-rules.md), Control D docs, accessed 2026-10-08 4. [Browsers](https://docs.controld.com/docs/browsers-platform.md), Control D docs, accessed 2026-10-08 5. [Windows](https://docs.controld.com/docs/platform-windows.md), Control D docs, accessed 2026-10-08 6. [iOS](https://docs.controld.com/docs/ios-platform.md), Control D docs, accessed 2026-10-08 7. [Android](https://docs.controld.com/docs/android-platform.md), Control D docs, accessed 2026-10-08 8. [Analytics](https://docs.controld.com/docs/analytics-levels.md), Control D docs, accessed 2026-10-08 9. [Control-D-Inc/ctrld](https://github.com/Control-D-Inc/ctrld), GitHub, accessed 2026-10-08 10. [Pricing for Personal Use (plan data loaded by the page)](https://api.controld.com/products), Control D, accessed 2026-10-08 11. [Terms of Service](https://controld.com/terms), Control D, accessed 2026-10-08 12. [Free DNS](https://controld.com/free-dns), Control D, accessed 2026-10-08 13. [Control D home](https://controld.com/), Control D, accessed 2026-10-08