N
AdGuard DNS vs Control D
Price, audits and jurisdiction and who each one suits, side by side.
A
Choose AdGuard DNS if…
- you want more money-back (days) (30 vs 7)
- you're in its core audience: privacy-minded individuals, parents
C
Choose Control D if…
- you're in its core audience: it and security teams, managed service providers
Side by side
Feature AdGuard DNS Control D
Cost over 2 years—$60
PlatformsWeb, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, AndroidWeb, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, API
CompanyAdGuardControl D, Inc.
Full feature lists
A AdGuard DNS
- Network-level blocking of ads, trackers, malware and phishing
- Family protection mode with adult-content blocking and Safe Search
- Parental control with screen-time scheduling
- Real-time DNS request stats by device, date and country
- Custom per-device block and allow lists
- DNSCrypt, DNS-over-HTTPS, DNS-over-TLS and DNS-over-QUIC support
- DNSSEC validation
- 100+ servers in 15+ locations
C Control D
- ML-based malware and phishing domain blocking
- 20 content categories plus custom rules
- One-toggle blocking for 1,000+ services
- DoH, DoH/3, DoT, DoQ and legacy DNS support
- Traffic redirection via proxies in 69 countries
- 30-day query logs and 1-year analytics
- SIEM streaming to Splunk or MS Sentinel
- Multi-tenant dashboard with API and CLI
Their home pages
What each vendor shows first: the pitch, the plans and the sign-up.
AdGuard DNS · adguard-dns.io
Control D · controld.comWhat you'd pay
The cheapest plan that fits, per month, billed yearly where the plan offers it.
| Team size | AdGuard DNS | Control D |
|---|---|---|
| 1 person | no published plan | $2 SMB |
| 5 people | no published plan | $10 SMB |
| 20 people | no published plan | $40 SMB |
All plans and prices
AdGuard DNS
Public DNSFree
Private DNS serverPaid
Enterprise DNSCustom
Control D
SMB$2/endpoint/month
School / Non-profitCustom
MSP / ChannelCustom
EnterpriseCustom
Strengths and limitations
AdGuard DNS
- Public servers are free
- Supports DNSCrypt, DoH, DoT, DoQ and DNSSEC
- Works with any device, including routers
- Code published on GitHub
- DNS-level blocking works only on whole domains
- Dashboard, stats and custom filtering need a paid private server
Control D
- Low self-serve price of $2 per endpoint per month
- 14-day free trial with no credit card
- Native clients for all major desktop and mobile OSes
- API access and 30-day query logs on every plan
- MSP, school and enterprise pricing requires contacting sales
- Live engineer sessions, Slack support and migration help are limited to higher tiers
- Custom storage regions cost extra
More comparisons
Other options to consider
N
Free, from $1.99/mo
N
Cloud DNS firewall that blocks threats, ads, trackers and adult content
Smart DNS & DNS privacyFree plan
P
PP
Free
P
Self-hosted DNS sinkhole that blocks ads and trackers for your whole network
Ad & tracker blockersFree planAPIOpen source
Q
QQ
Free
Q
Free public DNS resolver that blocks malicious domains and logs no IP addresses
Smart DNS & DNS privacyFree plan
A
AA
Free trial
A
Ad, tracker and phishing blocker for desktop, mobile, browsers and networks
Ad & tracker blockers
Facts from each vendor's public pages, prices checked Nov 8, 2026. Editorial policy