Quad9

Free, non-profit public DNS resolver that blocks malicious domains and doesn't log your IP address.

Verified facts: 4 of 4
Alternatives ranked: 4
Approved reviews: 0
Visits sent from here: 0

About Quad9

Quad9 is a free public DNS service run by a Swiss-based non-profit foundation. You replace your ISP's DNS with 9.9.9.9 on a device or router, and it refuses to resolve domains on threat-intelligence lists from many security partners, protecting against malware, phishing, spyware and botnets. It promises that no data containing your IP address is logged, supports encrypted DNS over TLS and HTTPS, and sits under Swiss privacy law. Quad9 is not an ad blocker: it targets malicious domains, not advertising or tracking, so it is usually combined with a browser blocker or used as the upstream resolver for Pi-hole or AdGuard Home. There is no account, dashboard or custom blocklist. It is funded by donations and sponsors. It is a simple, trustworthy security upgrade for any network, including those of less technical relatives.

Best for: Anyone wanting free malware and phishing protection at DNS level with no setup.

What works

Free, with no account needed
Blocks malware and phishing domains
No logging of IP addresses; Swiss non-profit

Why people leave

Does not block ads or most trackers
No custom blocklists or dashboard
Protection depends on threat feeds catching new domains

Top Quad9 alternatives

See all 4

1
NextDNS
Adds ad and tracker blocking, custom lists and analytics on top of security filtering.
66.5
2
AdGuard DNS
Hosted DNS that blocks ads and trackers as well as threats.
62.6
3
Control D
Configurable DNS filtering with category blocking and device management.
59.6
4
Pi-hole
Add ad blocking locally while keeping Quad9 as the upstream resolver.
57.2

Why people left Quad9

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Quad9: common questions

Is Quad9 free?

Yes, Quad9 is free to use.

Is Quad9 open source?

No, Quad9 is not open source. Open-source alternatives include Pi-hole.

What platforms does Quad9 run on?

Quad9 is available for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS.

What are the best alternatives to Quad9?

The highest-ranked Quad9 alternatives right now are NextDNS, AdGuard DNS and Control D. See the full ranked list for pricing, platforms and verified facts.

See all 4 Quad9 alternatives

Quad9 facts

4 of 4 verified

Price: Free; Checked Oct 25, 2026quad9.net(opens source in a new tab); “Quad9 is a free service that replaces your default ISP or enterprise Domain Name Server (DNS) configuration.”
Resolver address: 9.9.9.9; Checked Oct 25, 2026quad9.net(opens source in a new tab); “IPv4 9.9.9.9 149.112.112.112”
IP logging: None; Checked Oct 25, 2026quad9.net(opens source in a new tab); “no data containing your IP address is ever logged in any Quad9 system.”
Blocks: Malware, phishing, spyware, botnets; Checked Oct 25, 2026quad9.net(opens source in a new tab); “malware, phishing, spyware, and botnets, and it can improve performance in addition to guaranteeing privacy.”