DNS Benchmark: Quad9 vs NextDNS vs Cloudflare

In a direct benchmark of Quad9, NextDNS, and Cloudflare, the winner is not the biggest name—Cloudflare—but typically NextDNS on raw speed, with Quad9 close behind, because NextDNS’s anycast network and caching often edge out Cloudflare in real-world tests. This article explains what those benchmarks actually measure, why results vary, and how to pick a DNS provider for your own setup.

What the Benchmark Really Tests

When you benchmark DNS resolvers, you are measuring the time it takes for a resolver to answer a query. That time includes network round-trip time (RTT) to the resolver’s nearest server, the resolver’s own processing time, and cache hits vs. misses. Most public benchmarks (like DNSPerf or GRC’s DNS Benchmark) send thousands of queries for popular domains and measure the average response time. They also test reliability—how many queries time out or get errors.

Cloudflare (1.1.1.1) is famous for being fast, but NextDNS often posts lower average latencies in independent tests because it uses a large anycast network with many edge locations, and it aggressively caches popular records. Quad9 (9.9.9.9) focuses on security—it blocks malware and phishing domains by default—and its performance is usually close to Cloudflare but slightly slower in some regions. The winner depends heavily on your geographic location and your ISP’s routing.

The Three Providers: Background and Focus

• Cloudflare (1.1.1.1) – Launched in 2018, Cloudflare’s resolver is built for speed and privacy. It supports DNS-over-HTTPS (DoH) and DNS-over-TLS (DoT), and it does not log IP addresses. It has a huge global network, but it is a general-purpose resolver with no built-in filtering (unless you use the separate 1.1.1.2/1.1.1.3 family-filtered addresses).
• Quad9 (9.9.9.9) – A nonprofit run by the Quad9 Foundation, backed by organizations like the Global Cyber Alliance. It blocks domains on threat-intelligence lists from over 20 partners, which stops many malware, phishing, and botnet connections. You can turn off filtering by using 9.9.9.10 or 9.9.9.11. It also supports DoH and DoT.
• NextDNS – A newer (2019) service that combines a resolver with a customizable filtering and analytics dashboard. You can create blocklists, set parental controls, and see query logs. It has a free tier for up to 300,000 queries per month, and paid plans for more. It uses anycast with many PoPs, which often gives it a latency edge.

Why Cloudflare Didn’t Win (and Why It Sometimes Does)

Cloudflare’s network is enormous, but that doesn’t guarantee the lowest latency for every user. DNS queries are small, and the bottleneck is often the path between your device and the resolver’s nearest PoP. If your ISP has a poor peering arrangement with Cloudflare’s network, your queries might take a longer route. NextDNS and Quad9 have different peering agreements, so they may have a closer PoP to you.

Another factor: Cloudflare’s resolver is designed to prioritize privacy and security, which can add a tiny overhead. It also does not cache as aggressively as some others because it wants to avoid serving stale records. In contrast, NextDNS uses a longer TTL (time-to-live) cache for popular domains, which means it can answer from cache more often.

Finally, the benchmark itself matters. Some tests measure only the time to get a response, not the time to complete a full DNS lookup (which includes TCP/TLS handshakes for DoH). If you test DoH, the TLS handshake can dominate—and that depends on the server’s TLS configuration and your network.

How to Run Your Own Benchmark

To get a meaningful comparison, you should test from your own location and network. Here is a simple method:

1. Use a tool like dnsping, dnsperftest, or the GRC DNS Benchmark (Windows) to test multiple resolvers at once.
2. Run the test at different times of day (peak vs. off-peak) to see variance.
3. Test both plain DNS (UDP port 53) and encrypted DNS (DoH/DoT) if you plan to use that.
4. Look at average latency, max latency, and packet loss. A resolver with a slightly higher average but zero loss might be more reliable.
5. Repeat the test over a few days to account for network changes.

Keep in mind that a difference of 5–10 milliseconds is imperceptible for normal browsing. The real-world speed gain from switching DNS is often overhyped; you might notice a bigger difference if your ISP’s DNS is slow or unreliable.

Choosing Based on Your Priorities

If your main goal is raw speed, NextDNS is a strong choice, but you must create an account and configure it (or use its setup guides). If you want a no-hassle, privacy-focused resolver, Cloudflare’s 1.1.1.1 is excellent and requires zero setup. If you want built-in security against malicious domains, Quad9 is the best default—it works immediately and blocks threats without any configuration.

Consider also:

• Privacy: All three have strict no-logging policies, but NextDNS offers optional logs (if you enable them) for analytics. Quad9 does not log IP addresses, and Cloudflare does not log IPs.
• Filtering: NextDNS lets you customize blocklists; Quad9 has a fixed threat list; Cloudflare has only a family filter (1.1.1.2).
• Encryption: All support DoH and DoT. NextDNS also supports DNSCrypt and DoQ (DNS-over-QUIC).
• Ease of use: Cloudflare is the easiest to set up—just change your DNS server to 1.1.1.1. Quad9 is also simple (9.9.9.9). NextDNS requires you to get a unique DNS address from your dashboard.

Common Pitfalls in DNS Benchmarking

One big mistake is benchmarking only one day and assuming the results are permanent. Network conditions change, and a resolver that is fastest today might be slower tomorrow due to routing changes or maintenance. Another mistake is comparing apples to oranges: if you test Cloudflare with DoH and NextDNS with plain UDP, you’re not comparing the same thing.

Also, be aware that some benchmarks use a list of domains that may not reflect your actual browsing habits. If you visit mostly cached content (like social media), the resolver’s cache hit rate matters more. If you visit obscure sites, the resolver’s upstream fetch time matters.

Finally, do not ignore security. A resolver that is 2 ms faster but does not block known malware could cost you more in the long run. Quad9’s threat blocking is a real security layer, and NextDNS’s filtering can block trackers and ads, which can speed up page loads by reducing requests.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Cloudflare DNS really the fastest? Not always. In many independent tests, NextDNS and Quad9 are comparable or faster, depending on location. Cloudflare’s global network is vast, but latency is about the path to the nearest server, not the number of servers.

Does DNS speed affect my internet speed? DNS lookup time is a tiny fraction of total page load time. For most sites, the DNS lookup is a few milliseconds out of hundreds. You might see a small improvement if your ISP’s DNS is slow, but you won’t see a dramatic change in download speeds.

Which DNS is best for privacy? All three have strong privacy policies: Cloudflare and Quad9 do not log IP addresses, and NextDNS offers a no-log mode. However, NextDNS’s default mode does log queries if you enable it, so you must turn that off if you want zero logs.

Can I use NextDNS for free? Yes, NextDNS has a free tier that allows up to 300,000 queries per month. For most home users, that is plenty. Paid plans (about $2/month) offer unlimited queries and additional features like custom analytics retention.

Does Quad9 block ads? No, Quad9 only blocks domains that are known to be malicious (malware, phishing, botnets). It does not block ads or trackers. For ad-blocking, use NextDNS with a blocklist or a separate ad-blocker.

How do I change my DNS server? On most devices, you can go to network settings and change the DNS server. For example, on Windows, go to Control Panel > Network and Sharing Center > Change adapter settings, then right-click your connection, select Properties, and edit the IPv4 settings. On a router, you can change the DNS settings in the admin panel. Each provider has setup guides on its website.

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