ad blocker · NextDNS

NextDNS

Cloud DNS service that blocks ads, trackers and malicious domains on every device, with a free plan of 300,000 queries a month.

71/100

#5 of 12 ad blockers
Facts checked 8 Oct 2026

In short

The free plan covers 300,000 DNS queries a month².
Pro costs €19.90 a year, or €1.99 a month, with unlimited devices².
After 300,000 queries the free plan becomes a plain resolver with no filtering or logging⁹.
You choose how long logs are kept, from one hour to two years, or turn logging off¹.
The home page says you can start with no signup¹.

NextDNS suits people who want ads, trackers and malware blocked in every program on every device, not only in a browser^1,5. Pro is about €1.66 a month billed yearly, and the free plan has no time limit but a monthly query cap^2,9. The catch: it does not accept uploaded custom blocklists, and the free plan stops filtering after 300,000 queries a month^3,9.

Best for: People who want one blocker for every app and device on the network.

Where the points come from

Where it blocks20 of 23

Blocking16 of 26

Privacy and trust10 of 20

Price25 of 31

Where it blocks 20 of 23 points

Rule	What is published	Points
Windows browsers	Chrome, Edge, Firefox, OperaThe vendor says DNS filtering works a level below browsers, for all applications on a device; a Windows app exists^5,7.	12 / 12
Blocks outside the browser	YesThe vendor says it works for all applications on your devices, like games; an official Windows app is offered^5,7.	5 / 5
Phone protection	iOSA configuration-profile page covers iPhone and iPad. Android is not named on the vendor's Apple setup page⁶.	3 / 6

Blocking 16 of 26 points

Rule	What is published	Points
Still works in Chrome after Manifest V2	YesA DNS service, so it blocks outside the Chrome extension system¹.	4 / 4
Your own block rules	YesThe home page says you can manually block or allow an unlimited number of domains¹.	7 / 7
Malicious site blocking	YesThe home page says threat-intelligence feeds block malware, phishing and cryptojacking¹.	5 / 5
Cookie pop-up blocking	Not publishedNot published on the vendor's home page¹.	0 / 4
No ad allow-list on by default	Not publishedDefault blocklist settings are not published on the vendor's home page¹.	0 / 6

Privacy and trust 10 of 20 points

Rule	What is published	Points
Open source	Not publishedOnly the command-line client is shown as MIT licensed⁸; the vendor's other apps are not listed as open source in its public repositories⁸.	0 / 10
No browsing history kept	YesThe home page says you can disable logging completely; the help page says you control how much data is stored^1,4.	6 / 6
Works without an account	YesThe home page shows a "Try it now" button with the note "No signup required"¹.	4 / 4

Price 25 of 31 points

Rule	What is published	Points
Free plan	YesFree plan allows 300,000 queries a month with no time limit stated^2,9.	12 / 12
Cheapest paid plan	$1.86/moPro, €19.90 a year billed yearly, about €1.66 a month². Converted at €1 = $1.1186¹¹.	9 / 12
Devices on one paid plan	99Pro lists unlimited devices².	4 / 4
Money-back guarantee	Not publishedNot found on the vendor's pricing page².	0 / 3

The rule behind each line: how we score ad blockers.

Plans and prices

As the vendor lists them, before tax. Prices are in US dollars unless the plan shows euros; the points use US dollars, with euros converted at the ECB rate.

Plan	Price as listed	Per month	Notes
Free1 person	Free²	$0	300,000 queries a month
Pro (yearly)1 person	€19.90/year²	$1.85	Unlimited devices and configurations
Pro (monthly)1 person	€1.99/month²	$2.23	Same features as the yearly plan

The pricing page shows euros only. Dollar figures use the ECB reference rate².

Strengths

Filters at the DNS level, so it covers all applications on a device, including games⁵.
Free plan with 300,000 queries a month; Pro has unlimited devices².
Logging can be turned off, or kept for as little as one hour¹.
Lets you block or allow an unlimited number of domains by hand¹.

Limits

Free filtering stops once the 300,000-query monthly cap is reached⁹.
The vendor does not support uploading your own blocklists³.
Only the command-line client is listed as open source, under the MIT licence⁸.

What NextDNS says

Vendor claims. We show them, but they earn no points.

NextDNS says it does not and never will share any of the data generated¹⁰.
NextDNS says its service has no impact on device CPU, memory or battery¹.

Other ad blockers

1
uBlock OriginPeople who want a free, open-source blocker with their own filter rules
95/100
$0cheapest paid plan
2
GhosteryPeople who want a free, open-source blocker with cookie pop-up handling
82/100
$0cheapest paid plan
3
AdGuard DNSPeople who want device-wide blocking and a plan with their own rules
77/100
$1.67/mocheapest paid plan
4
Control DPeople who want to filter every device by DNS and write their own domain rules
73/100
$2.50/mocheapest paid plan

All 12 ad blockers

Sources

NextDNS, NextDNS. Accessed 8 Oct 2026.
NextDNS pricing, NextDNS. Accessed 8 Oct 2026.
Custom blocklist support, NextDNS Help Center. Accessed 8 Oct 2026.
Does NextDNS collect and store personal data?, NextDNS Help Center. Accessed 8 Oct 2026.
How is NextDNS different from traditional adblockers?, NextDNS Help Center. Accessed 8 Oct 2026.
NextDNS configuration profile for Apple devices, NextDNS. Accessed 8 Oct 2026.
NextDNS CLI wiki: Windows, GitHub. Accessed 8 Oct 2026.
nextdns/nextdns, GitHub. Accessed 8 Oct 2026.
What happens after 300k queries?, NextDNS Help Center. Accessed 8 Oct 2026.
Does NextDNS share the DNS data that is generated?, NextDNS Help Center. Accessed 8 Oct 2026.
Euro foreign exchange reference rates: US dollar, European Central Bank. Accessed 8 Oct 2026.

Website: nextdns.io · Markdown version · We are not affiliated with NextDNS.