DNSFilter Reviews & Product Details

DNSFilter was extremely quick, but is no longer the quickest option in Atlanta for Comcast users. Comcast’s BGP peering with NetActuate—who DNSFilter appears to be using after a change several months ago—now sends DNS queries to Miami instead of keeping them in Atlanta. I contacted support and they provided a workaround, but it doesn’t allow DNSSEC. Comcast users in the Atlanta area who are considering DNSFilter should be aware that this adds latency to DNS queries. In my case, it was faster than Cloudflare, NextDNS, Quad9, and Google according to GRC’s DNS Benchmark tests. After the BGP changes, it is now the slowest resolver. Comcast users should keep this in mind before switching to DNSFilter.

Setup and configuration were easy, and the universal block/allow lists are great. I can upload domain names in CSV format. The reports are detailed and have a very nice layout; it’s clear a lot of design work went into DNSFilter. Overall, it feels much more polished than competitors. Last but not least, DNSFilter’s support staff is excellent. I’ve chatted with them via online chat a few times, and they’re also prompt when responding to emails. DNSFilter also maintains a feature list with updates showing where certain feature requests are in the development process.

A previous limitation with DoH has been addressed: DNSFilter now supports DoH for routers. Their relay servers are awesome, and they allow client identification (LAN IP) even when using DoT. DoQ isn’t currently supported. Supposedly, IPv6 support with relay servers is in development, although IPv6 resolvers are already available for DNS. Additionally, profiles can be assigned separate DNS server addresses for plain-text lookups.

DNSSEC is supported, but it seems to be actively discouraged. I’m not sure why they don’t encourage broader DNSSEC use. I realize it isn’t the most widely adopted technology, but other resolvers seem to support it by default. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

DNSFilter uses NetActuate, and for Comcast users in Atlanta, traffic doesn’t seem to reach the nearest server. Instead, DNS queries are being routed to Miami. If it weren't for this, DNSFilter would be the quickest resolver in Atlanta and I would give them a 10. DNSFilter went from being the fastest to the slowest resolver for Comcast users in the Atlanta metropolitan area. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I like the simplicity of DNSFilter, as it provides protection to our infrastructure by simply placing the agent within the endpoints, which gives us sufficient security for our organization. The easy management from its console is wonderful, allowing us to have the necessary protection through threat categories and content classification with just one click. The management also doesn't require much time to allow or deny access to different content on the internet, which is very convenient. The threat classification done by DNSFilter is quite accurate, which reassures me, knowing that if any of our users fall for a social engineering technique, we can rely on DNSFilter to mitigate this threat. I also find the initial setup quite easy, as we only need to create the site and the policy, and with that, we can deploy the agent, ensuring we have all the necessary protection without wasting time customizing for each collaborator. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

At this point, I think it might be an option to track our public IP, since we do not have a fixed public IP. When the change occurs, our virtual machines stop working, which sometimes causes problems, and it would be a good option to implement some way in DNSFilter to avoid this issue. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I use DNSFilter as a key layer of our cybersecurity program to protect against phishing, malware, and other DNS-based threats. It helps maintain uptime and security, enforces safe browsing, and monitors DNS activity across both on-site and remote users. I appreciate its reliability as a security layer, especially since it operates quietly in the background and requires low maintenance. The deployment process is straightforward, the dashboard is clean, and the threat-blocking accuracy is consistently strong. The combination of simplicity, strong protection, and low maintenance makes DNSFilter especially valuable. The initial setup was very easy, with an intuitive dashboard and well-guided onboarding steps, making it much easier than other tools we've used. This overall effectiveness and ease of use make DNSFilter a reliable part of our security stack. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

While DNSFilter works well for us overall, there are a few areas where we see room for improvement. The reporting features, while clear, could offer more customization and deeper analytics for organizations that need more granular insights. Lastly, the pricing can feel a bit high as the environment scales. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I like the interface of DNSFilter because it's very easy to navigate. I also appreciate the very responsive support, especially how tech support is always willing to follow up with a new release that will patch and fix things, which is astonishing in this day and age. Having a superb service experience is valuable to me. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Sometimes it trips up and it's a bit harder to uninstall. If something is accidentally deleted from a computer, sometimes it requires a secondary command to uninstall it, and it's harder to navigate these uninstalls, but it's understood why it's in place. This is more so an error on our tech side; but small price to pay. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

DNSFilter provides fast, reliable DNS-based security with an extremely clean and intuitive interface. Deployment is simple, whether using roaming clients or network-level enforcement, and policies are easy to manage across multiple sites and users. The real-time threat blocking, detailed reporting, and low false-positive rate make it a powerful yet lightweight security layer that works quietly in the background without impacting users. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Occasionally, initial tuning is required to whitelist certain business-specific domains, especially in specialized environments. However, once policies are dialed in, the system runs smoothly with minimal ongoing maintenance. Any limitations are outweighed by the platform’s stability, security effectiveness, and ease of management. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I really appreciate DNSFilter for its ease of use and simple dashboards, which make navigation straightforward. The reporting features are great and provide valuable insights. I find the security policies extremely valuable, offering a range of categories like newly registered domains, P2P, self-harm, weapons, and phishing that help minimize business risk and boost productivity. The setup was very easy; it's as simple as deploying with a binary and secret key, and configuring policies is a breeze. It's a perfect solution that offers everything I need. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Can't say there is anything I dislike. Everything exceeds expectations. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I like how DNSFilter is easy to use for setting up sites and monitoring usage. It's straightforward to make changes, like blocking or allowing certain sites when needed. The use of categories to block unwanted sites is particularly convenient, and if specific sites need to be adjusted, I can make those changes easily. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

The DNS Roaming Agents have had issues since we set them up on student computers because of needed updates and it doesn't seem like the updates always go through as promptly as needed. If there was a way to push through updates on the agent itself, that would be helpful. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

DNSFilter has become my preferred software within our security stack. Installation is straightforward, and I typically complete deployment on a local domain system in less than an hour, including the roaming agent setup. Users appreciate the software and find it easy to report blocked domains. Integrating DNSFilter with our existing systems was seamless, as both the user and developer experiences are very friendly. I rarely need to reach out to support, but on the occasions I have, Customer Support has been responsive and resolved my issues quickly. I use DNSFilter daily and frequently deploy it, and so far, I have found very little to dislike.

DNS FIlter as an organization is amazing, and very receptive to user feedback. I regularly have conversations with their teams about the product, and what can be done to improve or refine the solution. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I often need to switch between tenants. When someone reports a domain, I use the domain report tool to check why it is blocked. The tool also allows me to add the domain to either the universal allow list or the allow list for the current tenant. However, it would be more convenient if I could access all tenants' allow lists directly from this tool, instead of having to switch tenants and research the domain each time.

I will be submitting a feature request to further refine this. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

One of the best parts of DNSFilter is managing policies across all our customers. Where previously a firewall/proxy was mainly set up per company, we could now make settings much more globally across all our customers. The originally fully integrated setup in N-Central was extremely simple. The migration also went smoothly, and the API is well documented, making it possible to automate a lot. What I also like about DNSFilter is that it does what it promises, offers management capabilities, and is simple to set up. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Making exceptions to policies at the customer level should still be developed. Now you either have to create a customer-specific policy, but in order to manage it as globally as possible, we try to avoid this as much as possible, but sometimes we have no other choice, and this should be improved. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I like that DNSFilter blocks content regardless of the browser and is IP-based instead of app-based. It effectively blocks adult content where it would otherwise be difficult. It's valuable because unlike normal blockers that are easy to get around and require a lot of upkeep, DNSFilter can provide blocking across all platforms. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

I realized that it's easy to actually change the DNS address to bypass the filtering, which makes it easy to bypass the filter. Additionally, my most recent subscription took a long time to start due to the issue of not connecting to the DNS address. also, I cant play my game, Zenless Zon Zero when i have the DNS adress that connects to the filter also, I need a email verification code everytime i log in Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.