13 Best Free DNS Hosting Services – 2024 (Updated Edition)

Updated on

In this blog post, I’ve reviewed 13 Free DNS hosting services for you. And discussed each free DNS hosting service provider one by one in detail.

It’s appalling to hear that Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attacks are growing day by day! So, to protect your precious website from such vulnerabilities, a top-notch DNS hosting service is highly crucial.

Luckily, these days, availing of a reliable DNS service need not cost you even a penny thanks to the free DNS hosting services. These free DNS hosting providers will allow you to set up your website with multiple DNS providers and safeguard it from being inaccessible to your users.

Free DNS Hosting Services
Free DNS Hosting Services

But before we talk about that, let’s see what a DNS does.

What is a DNS?

DNS is the acronym for Domain Name System. This is a system that maps domain names (or your website name or URL) into their respective IP address.

The DNS utilizes DNS servers to do the mapping job for them.

Put differently, the DNS servers maintain a list of website names (domain names) and map them to their corresponding IP addresses.

DNS Explained

13 Free DNS Hosting Services in 2024

Now let’s briefly check out the 13 free DNS hosting domain providers that we mentioned earlier.

1. CloudFlare

Cloudflare DNS Ι Free DNS Hosting Services
Cloudflare DNS Ι Free DNS Hosting Services

CloudFlare powers more than 38% of the managed DNS domains on the web. It also possesses one of the world’s biggest authoritative DNS networks.

Capable of delivering query results in a few milliseconds, the company claims to be the fastest-managed DNS provider now. They serve 86 billion queries in a day! Their servers can also make DNS updates live in just a few seconds!

CloudFlare is also one of the biggest free DNS hosting services available now!

Their free DNS service can offer much faster performance than its premium counterparts.

Cloudflare Managed DNS offers unlimited & unmetered DDoS mitigation. It also features a one-click DNSSEC option for protection against spoofing or hijacking of your DNS records. They also provide added security to your website thanks to their intuitive blocking, filtering, and rate-limiting features. These features make Cloudflare a good choice for free DNS management service among other free DNS hosting providers.

2. NS1

NS1 DNS │ Free DNS Hosting Services
NS1 DNS │ Free DNS Hosting Services

If you are looking for a free Data-Driven DNS hosting service then don’t look beyond NS1. In terms of speed, they outperform many of the top players in the industry. NS1 offers a potent Filter Chain routing engine designed to easily manage highly critical and demanding applications on the web.

This powerful routing engine can also help you customize your DNS. But most importantly, this routing mechanism takes smart routing choices in real-time to make your applications faster and more reliable.

NS1 also provides automatic traffic management by leveraging your infrastructure and real-time network data to ensure a high level of reliability and performance. If you want to tweak some code, no worries, their RESTful API is very user-friendly for programmers.

Other major highlights of their free service are 500k queries per month, one Filter Chain, two free monitoring jobs, and fifty records to name a few.

Do you know?

3. Rackspace

Rackspace DNS │ Free DNS Hosting Services
Rackspace DNS │ Free DNS Hosting Services

Rackspace is free but only to its existing customers! Their current customers can avail their DNS hosting and management free of cost. Even though with just 5 or 6 POPs, they have an impressive track record of uptimes.

Some of their main features include IP Anycast routing, automated migrations, flexible access, and load balancing. You can set up these features easily through their RESTful API and cloud control panel. They also have an easy-to-use interface.

Rackspace allows you to have total control of your DNS. You can do a variety of tasks like adding, modifying, and removing domains, records, and so on thanks to their API and Cloud Control Panel.

4. ClouDNS

ClouDNS │ Free DNS Hosting Providers
ClouDNS │ Free DNS Hosting Providers

The free DNS hosting plan from ClouDNS is another free DNS service that you can try out with confidence. With servers spread out in North America, Australia, Asia, and Europe, CloudDNS employs a Round Robin (RR) architecture in its DNS network platform.

With your free ClouDNS account, you can add three domains along with 4 DNS servers, 3 DNS zones, 3 Mail forwards, Dynamic DNS, support for native IPv6, round robin, and unlimited records or requests. However, they have reserved GeoDNS and DDoS-protected DNS hosting for their premium members.

Claiming 100% uptime, ClouDNS offers an easy-to-use interface for zone management and Dynamic DNS support. If you run into a problem, you can always get in touch with their support team via an online ticket system.

5. FreeDNS

FreeDNS │ Free DNS  Domain Hosting Provider
FreeDNS │ Free DNS Domain Hosting Provider

Processing more than 7 Billion monthly DNS requests, FreeDNS network has been providing great quality free DNS hosting since 2004. They offer free DNS, Static DNS, as well as Dynamic DNS services. It may stun you beyond imagination but they offer unlimited domains/accounts. With a long history of providing free DNS hosting services, FreeDNS is quick and easy to set up, exceptionally reliable, and fast. Most importantly, every update is made live on the internet – instantly!

6. Hurricane Electric Internet Services

Hurricane Electric Internet Services 58ms DNS
Hurricane Electric Internet Services 58ms DNS

The DNS hosting services provided by Hurricane Electric Internet Services is free. They have a solid network of DNS servers with more than 130 POPs (Point-Of-Presence) distributed across North America, Europe, and Asia.

The company boasts more than 19000 BGP (Border Gateway Protocol) with more than 6000 varied networks. This signifies a lower load time for your website and a greater experience for your users. With oodles of futuristic DNS resources at their disposal, this DNS hosting provider is worth trying out.

7. GeoScaling

GEOSCALING DNS │ Free DNS Hosting Providers
GEOSCALING DNS │ Free DNS Hosting Providers

Handling up to 1 million monthly DNS requests, GeoScaling offers a bunch of unique features in its managed DNS services. They strive to give the best experience to your users by redirecting users by Country, uptime, AS number, custom rules, and server load.

They have a low TTL (Time-To-Live), which means updated records are made live on the internet in less than 5 minutes.

GeoScaling’s DNS service supports a variety of normal record types including the Service Record (SRV). And they also offer support for Dynamic DNS, and allow you to import, upload, and paste BIND zone files.

If you happen to reside in France, Romania, or Texas, you can avail of their assured redundancy and scalability benefits. With an easy-to-use interface, you can add and update DNS records without reloading the web page. Any change is propagated to the nameservers instantaneously.

8. Namecheap

Namecheap DNS │ Free DNS Hosting Providers
Namecheap DNS │ Free DNS Hosting Providers

You probably know Namecheap as a domain registration provider. But did you know that they also offer free DNS hosting services with Dynamic DNS?

Namecheap has geographically dispersed name servers that can boost your site’s performance and make it load faster. They also support almost every record type including SRV. They also have a powerful and intuitive management console and offer 24/7 technical support to their customers.

9. 1984

1984 DNS │ Free DNS Hosting Providers
1984 DNS │ Free DNS Hosting Providers

1984 is one of those free DNS hosting providers that you must give it a shot. Their service also supports almost all normal record types including SRV and TLSA. Other features included in their free DNS service are Web Redirects, Dynamic DNS, and Nameserver on Anycast network.

To use 1984’s free DNS service, all you need to do is register a user on their home page. Their FreeDNS service offers total control over every domain you register with them. You can host your site anywhere and avail of their DNS service for FREE!

10. BuddyNS

BuddyNS DNS │ Free DNS Hosting Providers
BuddyNS DNS │ Free DNS Hosting Providers

If you are looking only for a free secondary DNS service with an easy-to-use interface, then BuddyNS is just right for you! BuddyNS claims to be capable of updating your DNS data faster than any other DNS service provider. This speed is 10 to 100 times faster than the industry average! And it gives you up to 300k queries free per account!

With 8 geographically distributed POPs, their service automatically syncs with the master DNS service in just a short period of 10 minutes. It can even sync instantaneously using SyncNOW or NOTIFY feature. With a solid DNS infrastructure across the globe, BuddyNS can process your visitor queries much faster – irrespective of your visitors’ geographic location.

BuddyNS has also maintained a 100% uptime since its beginning. And the best part is that they also allow you to integrate CPanel/WHM. With a secure and perpetually available network infrastructure, BuddyNS servers keep your domains ever accessible to users even if your primary DNS goes down.

11. Dynu

Dynu DNS │ Free DNS Hosting Providers
Dynu DNS │ Free DNS Domain Hosting Providers

Established in 1997, Dynu is a 100% free “dynamic” DNS service that you can sign up for! Their service is also free for a lifetime with a package that includes four domains, four subdomains, four MX records, four custom DNS records, and four web redirects, along with other offline settings. Their service also supports virtually all types of records including A, AAAA, PTR, CNAME, TXT, SRV, SPF, and HINFO.

With an easy-to-use control panel, Dynu’s DNS service offers total control of your domain name. You are also offered a free DNS client in this package. Dynu boasts a geographically dispersed network of DNS servers to ensure complete redundancy for your domain.

The free package also offers several useful features including Port 80 redirection, offline options, Subdomains, and MX records.

12. Hostry

Hostry DNS - Free DNS Hosting
Hostry DNS – Free DNS Hosting

Hostry offers a Free DNS service which is an enterprise-level quality DNS service that’s free of charge and backed by a robust 400% SLA. Regardless of where your domains are registered, it offers improved DNS performance and security. The user-friendly control panel simplifies DNS traffic management, while the goal is to provide high-quality DNS service without limitations, continuously upgrading infrastructure to meet industry standards and satisfy customers.

Hostry is an option for safeguarding your primary DNS servers or your hosting provider’s DNS. This ensures uninterrupted domain accessibility even in the face of potential DNS issues.

This Free DNS service includes features like Universal Compatibility: Works with domains registered anywhere, Enhanced Performance: Boosts DNS speed and responsiveness, Unlimited Entries and Requests: No limitations on the number of DNS entries or requests, etc.

It is a solution for website owners, offering performance enhancement and security. It’s a cost-effective way to ensure your website remains accessible and responsive, with an intuitive control panel to manage DNS traffic effortlessly. Whether you’re looking to fortify your DNS infrastructure or optimize your website, Hostry Free DNS service can be a worth considering option.

13. CrazyDomains

CrazyDomains DNS - Free DNS Hosting
CrazyDomains DNS – Free DNS Domain Hosting

Free DNS Hosting offered by Crazy Domains is a service accessible for all domains, regardless of their origin. This service provides a range of benefits, including high availability, global performance optimization, and customizable settings. But this plan comes with only 2 Global Networks and limited DNS record customization as of now.

Crazy Domains’ Free DNS Hosting offers pretty average feature with this free plan:

Anycast network technology: this service routes website traffic to the nearest available server within its global network. This approach not only accelerates your website’s responsiveness but also ensures reliability by eliminating single points of failure.

Additionally, Free DNS Hosting by Crazy Domains offers enhanced security features. With secondary DNS, it becomes less vulnerable to Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks and minimizes the risk of downtime.

Comparative Analysis of DNS Lookup Speed

The most crucial factor to consider while choosing one of these free DNS hosting services is the DNS lookup speed. Always opt for the one that has the least lookup speed.

DNS Speed Comparison Report by www.solvedns.com
DNS Speed Comparison Report by www.solvedns.com

*Note – the list shown in the above figure shows DNS Speed Comparison of all Free and Paid DNS Hosting Services.

If we do a comparative analysis of DNS lookup speed from the above list of free DNS hosting providers, CloudFlare tops the list – hands down – with just 4.84 ms (milliseconds)! That’s truly exceptional!

The 2nd position is held by NS1 in this list of free DNS domain hosting services. Yes, NS1 has an exceptional speed of 5.37 ms but is still a tad slower than CloudFlare.  Rackspace, ClouDNS, and FreeDNS secure the next lower slots with 72.56 ms, 88.16, and 94.82 ms respectively, followed by the others.

So my vote for the best free DNS hosting provider surely goes to CloudFlare!

Conclusion

The availability of free DNS hosting services is truly a blessing to those online entrepreneurs on a shoestring budget.

These free DNS hosting providers not only help save you some serious bucks but also benefit from those premium features that a paid DNS hosting service plan would offer. But as mentioned earlier, do check for the DNS lookup speed before settling for one!

What has been your experience with any of these free DNS hosting providers so far?

Further Readings –

Best WordPress Shared Hosting for PageSpeed – Compared
Best Free CDN Providers for WordPress Website
How to Increase Page Speed using Htaccess (WordPress)
Lazy Load Images in WordPress to Speed Up Your Website

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Shashank Singh
Shashank is a web addict and amateur blogger. His current interests include blogging, SEO, and WordPress. See his social profiles to know him even better.
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1 thought on “13 Best Free DNS Hosting Services – 2024 (Updated Edition)”

  1. Avatar of Zach Cohen

    It would be useful to add DNSSEC compatibility to the list. I know that cloudflare and Dynu support DNSSEC both of which I used before and they are equally good.

    Reply

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