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If you’re like most home or business “Cable Internet” users, you’ve probably never heard of such a thing as the best DNS servers and you are totally unaware of the default DNS settings configured by your ISP. This is perfectly OK, we did not trust 3rd party DNS servers for a long time either (until recently).
Having a basic understanding of DNS can improve online browsing speed and security and put you in control.
In order to save our readers and customers time and effort, we took a close look at the top DNS servers in the industry and ranked them according to user satisfaction and overall reputation. Although all DNS services ultimately function the same way, they do not necessarily serve the same purpose. The key is to determine which DNS server is right for you and how to apply it. This article will be updated as we gather new information so bookmark this page and check back regularly.
This is what you gain: In many countries, local ISPs are known to filter connections. There are situations when you may want to have an uncensored Internet connection. This article is for you if you want to find out which DNS servers are available for free public access as of September, 2016, who owns them and what security and privacy features are built into the most reputable ones.
- Estimated reading time: less than 5 minutes.
- Required technical experience: beginner
Best DNS Servers Offering Free Public Access
In certain situations, it may be more beneficial to utilize a free public DNS server offered by a reputable company than one provided by a local ISP network. Local providers do not always value privacy or security for their users. The list of servers below, however, offer relevant features such as phishing protection, site blocking (i.e., porn), and malicious traffic filtering.
Below you can find more details about each of the following free DNS suggestions:
- Best DNS servers: Google Public DNS
- Secure DNS servers: Level3 DNS
- Protection against phishing attacks: OpenDNS
- Protection against malware: Norton ConnectSafe DNS
- Anonymous DNS servers: OpenNIC DNS
- Other public DNS servers with links to their websites
1. Best DNS servers: Google Public DNS
Here you can find more details published by Google on the advantages of using their DNS servers and how they address various related domain name resolution issues:
- How to speed up your browsing experience
- How to improve your browsing security
- How does Google public DNS handle non-existent domains?
2. Secure DNS server: Level3 DNS
3. DNS protection against phishing attacks: OpenDNS
4. DNS protection against malware: Norton ConnectSafe DNS
5. Anonymous DNS servers: OpenNIC DNS
6. Other public DNS servers with links to their websites
Changing DNS Servers on Windows Computers
This related help content is not yet published. Once published, the following links will be updated: