DNS filtering is one of the cheapest, lowest-effort ways to block malware, phishing, and unwanted content before a browser ever loads a page. Instead of inspecting traffic after the fact, it stops the lookup at the DNS layer — the step where a device asks “what’s the address for this domain?” If the answer is a known-bad or blocked domain, the request never goes anywhere. NextDNS, Cloudflare Gateway, and OpenDNS (now folded into Cisco’s security lineup) are the three names that come up most often, but they’re built for different people: a privacy-minded household, a small business wanting Zero Trust basics for free, and a large enterprise buying through a reseller, respectively.
At a Glance
| Tool | Best For | Free Tier | Entry Paid Price | Setup Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NextDNS | Privacy-conscious individuals and families | 300,000 queries/month, all features, unlimited devices | $1.99/mo or $19.90/yr (Pro) | Easy — apps, router, or DoH/DoT profile |
| Cloudflare Gateway | Small businesses wanting Zero Trust basics | Up to 50 users, full SWG/ZTNA, limited DLP | $7/user/month billed annually (self-serve tier) | Moderate — part of a broader Zero Trust setup |
| OpenDNS / Cisco Umbrella (Secure Access) | Enterprises already in the Cisco ecosystem | Free public resolvers with baseline filtering | Custom quote via Cisco partners — no public price list | Harder — sold and deployed through resellers |
The Short Verdict
If you’re protecting your own home network or a handful of personal devices, NextDNS gives you serious control — security-threat blocking, ad/tracker filtering, and parental controls — for free or for about $2 a month, with logs you fully control. If you run a small or mid-size business and already like Cloudflare’s stack, Gateway’s free plan (up to 50 users) is a genuinely strong starting point for Zero Trust-style DNS filtering, and the paid tier is transparently priced at $7 per user, per month. If you’re a larger organization that needs Cisco’s enterprise support, integrations, and compliance posture, you’ll be filtering through Cisco Secure Access (the product line that is absorbing Umbrella) — but be aware that pricing is not published anywhere publicly; you’ll need to talk to a partner or account rep to get a number.
What Each Tool Actually Is
NextDNS is a consumer-and-prosumer DNS resolver and filtering service. According to NextDNS’s own pricing page, the free plan covers up to 300,000 DNS queries per month with access to every feature — security-threat blocking, ad and tracker blocking, and parental/content controls covering categories like adult content, violence, and piracy. Once you cross that query cap, NextDNS says it keeps resolving DNS “like a classic non-blocking DNS service” until the month resets or you upgrade, so a busy household can occasionally lose filtering, not internet access. The $1.99/month (or $19.90/year) Pro plan removes the query cap entirely but keeps every other feature identical — it’s explicitly aimed at personal and close-family use, not seat-based business deployments. NextDNS also lets you choose where logs are stored (United States, EU, UK, or Switzerland) and how long they’re kept, from one hour to two years, or off entirely — a level of control most consumer DNS tools don’t offer.
Cloudflare Gateway is the secure web gateway component of Cloudflare’s Zero Trust platform (part of the broader “Cloudflare One” SASE suite). Independent pricing trackers that monitor Cloudflare’s published Zero Trust plans consistently report a Free tier covering up to 50 users with no device limit, DNS-and-network-level policies across up to three locations, 24 hours of activity log retention, and full secure-web-gateway and Zero Trust network access capability (DLP is limited to predefined policies on this tier). The next tier — billed per user, self-serve, no sales call required — is commonly listed at $7/user/month when billed annually, raising the location count to 20, log retention to 30 days, and adding email/chat support. An Enterprise/contract tier above that adds up to 250 locations, six months of log retention with SIEM export, expanded CASB, and premium support, priced only through a sales conversation. Cloudflare’s own developer documentation confirms Gateway enforces DNS, network, and HTTP policies and maintains a categorized list of domains for content and risk-based filtering, though the exact category list isn’t published in a single static page we could verify word-for-word — expect broad coverage of both security-risk categories (malware, phishing, newly seen domains) and acceptable-use categories (adult content, gambling, social media, and similar).
OpenDNS was Cisco’s original consumer DNS security brand; it still publishes free resolver addresses (208.67.222.222 and 208.67.220.220) that apply baseline phishing and malware filtering with zero signup, and Cisco continues to document a FamilyShield variant that pre-configures adult-content blocking for home routers. For organizations, though, OpenDNS’s own site now funnels business visitors straight to Cisco Secure Access. That matters for buyers: Cisco’s official Umbrella packages page confirms that Umbrella — the business product OpenDNS evolved into — is in a planned end-of-sale and end-of-life transition as Cisco consolidates its DNS-layer security (plus SASE features like ZTNA and digital experience monitoring) under the Secure Access name. Existing Umbrella subscriptions continue under their current terms, but new buyers are being steered to Secure Access. Crucially, none of Cisco’s own pages list self-serve prices for either product — every package is “contact an expert” or quote-via-partner, which is standard for Cisco’s enterprise sales model but a real contrast with NextDNS and Cloudflare’s published numbers.
Pricing and Feature Comparison
| Feature | NextDNS | Cloudflare Gateway | OpenDNS / Cisco Secure Access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Published self-serve pricing | Yes — $0 or $1.99/mo | Yes — $0 or ~$7/user/mo | No — quote-only via partners |
| Malware/phishing blocking | Included on free tier | Included on free tier | Included on free public resolvers |
| Content category filtering | Ads, adult, violence, piracy, more | Dozens of security and acceptable-use categories | Parental controls via FamilyShield; full category policy requires Secure Access |
| Log retention control | 1 hour to 2 years, or off | 24 hrs (Free) up to 6 months (Enterprise) | Not publicly documented |
| Device/user limits | Unlimited devices, all plans | Up to 50 users free; unlimited paid | Varies by contract |
| Target buyer | Individuals, families, small teams | Small-to-mid businesses, Zero Trust adopters | Mid-to-large enterprises, Cisco shops |
Pros
- NextDNS: Full feature access on the free tier, granular logging and data-residency controls, and a genuinely low $1.99/month price for unlimited use.
- Cloudflare Gateway: A free plan generous enough for a real small business (50 users), backed by Cloudflare’s global network, with transparent self-serve pricing above that.
- OpenDNS / Cisco: Free baseline resolvers for home use, plus enterprise-grade support, integrations, and compliance credentials once you’re a Secure Access customer.
Cons
- NextDNS: No dedicated business tier, centralized device management, or SSO — it’s built for personal use, not fleets of managed endpoints.
- Cloudflare Gateway: DNS-only filtering won’t stop much on its own; real value requires adopting more of the Zero Trust/Cloudflare One stack, which adds complexity.
- OpenDNS / Cisco: No public pricing anywhere, a confusing Umbrella-to-Secure-Access rebrand in progress, and a sales-led buying process that’s slow for smaller teams.
Who It’s a Good Fit For
Choose NextDNS if you manage your own home or small-office network and want fast, cheap, highly configurable filtering without an IT department. Choose Cloudflare Gateway if you run a small or growing business, already touch Cloudflare for DNS or CDN services, and want Zero Trust-style web filtering without committing budget up front. Choose OpenDNS/Cisco Secure Access if you’re a mid-size or large organization that needs enterprise support contracts, deep integration with existing Cisco security tooling, and can tolerate a quote-based sales cycle.
Who Should Look Elsewhere
Businesses that want one predictable, self-serve price with no sales call should skip Cisco’s business line entirely and look at NextDNS or Cloudflare Gateway instead. Households that need zero setup and don’t care about granular logs may find NextDNS’s configuration options unnecessary and prefer plugging straight into OpenDNS’s free resolver addresses.
Bottom Line
For most individuals and small teams, NextDNS and Cloudflare Gateway’s free tiers already cover the core job — blocking known-bad domains and unwanted content categories before they load — at a price point of $0 to roughly $7 per user. Cisco’s OpenDNS/Secure Access lineage still matters for enterprises that want a single vendor relationship and dedicated support, but you should budget time for a sales conversation, not a checkout page, and expect the Umbrella-to-Secure-Access transition to keep reshaping what’s on offer.
FAQ
Is DNS filtering enough security on its own?
No. It blocks lookups to known-bad or policy-blocked domains, but it can’t inspect encrypted traffic content or stop every threat. Most teams pair it with endpoint protection and, for businesses, a broader secure-access or email-security layer.
Can I use NextDNS and Cloudflare Gateway on the same network?
Not usefully at the same time for the same traffic — a device or router can only point to one DNS resolver at a time. You’d pick one as your primary filter.
Does Cloudflare Gateway’s free plan expire or get capped?
It’s an ongoing free tier (not a trial) for up to 50 users, though Cloudflare’s service terms set usage expectations around DNS query volume per seat; sustained heavy overage can require moving to a paid plan.
What happened to Cisco Umbrella?
Cisco’s own product pages describe Umbrella as being folded into Cisco Secure Access, with Umbrella itself in a planned end-of-sale and end-of-life transition. Current Umbrella customers keep their existing terms, but new buyers are directed to Secure Access packages.
Is OpenDNS’s free resolver still available for home use?
Yes — Cisco continues to document the free public resolver addresses and the FamilyShield variant for pre-configured parental filtering, with no account required.
Sources
- NextDNS — Pricing
- NextDNS — Product overview
- Cloudflare — Zero Trust Services plans
- Cloudflare Developers — Gateway policies documentation
- Control D — Cloudflare Zero Trust pricing breakdown (third-party tracker, cross-checked)
- Cisco Umbrella — Product packages
- OpenDNS — Official site
- Cisco — Understanding OpenDNS FamilyShield
Related Reading
- NordVPN vs ExpressVPN in 2026
- Best Email Security and Anti-Phishing Tools for Small Businesses in 2026
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