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Can we use free DNS? Free DNS vs. Premium

If you are searching for free DNS, you know what DNS is and for what it serves. The DNS will resolve your domain name. If you have more DNS servers and they are spread around the world, this process will be faster, and it will reduce the load. It will even add an extra level of protection, imagine if one of the servers is down, the users can still find your domain using the rest of the DNS servers.

Understanding DNS

Before delving further into DNS types, let’s familiarize ourselves with what DNS really is. Each time you enter a web address into your browser, a DNS server translates that address into an IP address, guiding your request to the right web server. Simply put, the DNS is the phone book of the internet – converting human-readable domain names into machine-readable IP addresses.

Free DNS

Different companies offer such a Free DNS plan like us from ClouDNS.net. With this plan, you can manage your DNS. It has many of the features of a professional DNS plan. You can use up to 4 DNS servers and 1 DNS zone. You will have one mail forward. This plan is popular among people who need Dynamic DNS for their connected devices like CCTV cameras and other security measurements. It is used for personal blogs or parked domains.

Using this plan, the user can use all kinds of DNS records, including A, AAAA, MX, TXT and more. Something that is rarely found in such Free DNS plans is that we provide unlimited DNS queries. This can be a big plus.

It is a good plan for starters, who wants to learn using DNS. People who want to experiment and get how does the DNS work. It can be useful for small blog sites that still don’t get too much traffic. This kind of plans can’t offer the uptime of the Premium DNS plans so users of it, can experience occasional downtime and they are more vulnerable to DNS attacks.

Look how to add Free Zone in ClouDNS!

Premium DNS

Premium DNS plans have more of everything. They can use far more DNS servers and DNS zones. They can manage the traffic better. By using such a plan, you can see improvement in the loading speed, the security, better uptime and even better SEO.

DNS and SEO: How does DNS service affect SEO?

This kind of plans are for every website, that is more than just a personal blog with few monthly visitors. Every company that can’t afford to have downtime should choose a professional plan.

Premium DNS vs. Free DNS

When it comes to managing online data flow and protection, choosing the right type of Domain Name System (DNS) is crucial. Our comparison between Premium DNS and Free DNS will provide an understanding of the features, capabilities, and benefits that each service brings to your online activities.

• Better uptime – Our Premium DNS plans offer 50+ Anycast locations, up to 8 DNS name servers. You can also enjoy DDoS protection for maximum, SLA guaranteed, uptime. In case of a downtime, for each minute, we will extend your account with 10!

• More advanced features – Many more DNS zones and DNS records, unlimited queries, and many more mail forwards, DNSSEC, Reverse DNS zones, and more. Don’t forget DNS Failover and Monitoring checks.

• More DNS servers – Up to 8, depending on your plan. And up to 4 DDoS protected ones. They are strategically located around the world.

• Anycast DNS for better load balancing – Anycast is far superior technology in comparison with the older Unicast protocol. It manages queries a lot more efficiently. It provides the best route for each query to reduce latency.

• DDoS protection for extra security – DDoS attacks have been widespread for a while. They can completely cripple your network. ClouDNS offers 4 DDoS protected servers that can resist even heavy traffic.

• More DNS Zones – The free DNS plan that we offer has just 1 DNS zone that you can manage. The premium plans offer up to 400!

• Secondary DNS zones – You can use our Secondary DNS zones if you already have the master elsewhere. It is easy to set up, and it doesn’t take a long time. With Secondary DNS zones, you can improve the redundancy.

• More Mail Forwards – The free DNS plan has 1, but the premium plans have up to 1000.

Real-time statistics While the free plan provides statistics, it only on a daily, monthly, or yearly basis. If you want advanced real-time statistics that updates hourly check the premium plans.

Feature    Free DNS Premium DNS
DNS Management Basic DNS management Advanced DNS management
Dynamic DNS Available Available
DNS Zones 1 DNS zone Multiple DNS zones (varies by plan)
DNS Records Up to 50 DNS records Abundance of DNS records (varies by plan)
DNS Queries 500k DNS queries Multiple DNS queries (varies by plan)
Anycast DNS Not available Available 
DNS Failover Not available Available (varies by plan)
Mail Forwards 1 mail forward Multiple mail forwards (varies by plan)
Secondary DNS Zone Not available Available (varies by plan)
DNSSEC Support Not available Available (varies by plan)
Free SSL Not available Available (varies by plan)
DNS Branding Not available Available 
24/7 Live chat support Available Available

Contextualizing your DNS needs: Factors to consider

Opting for either a free or Premium DNS service is not a decision to be taken lightly. While it’s tempting to choose the most economical option, it’s wise to weigh certain considerations to make an informed choice for your website’s long-term success:

  1. Size and nature of your needs: Personal blogs and small websites usually don’t require the robust features of a Premium DNS, making a free DNS a reasonable choice. However, for larger websites or e-commerce platforms where downtimes mean lost revenue, Premium DNS services become indispensable for their reliability and stability.
  2. Security concerns: Websites dealing with sensitive user data, especially eCommerce stores, need to prioritize their security features like DNSSEC, which often come with Premium DNS. 
  3. Budget: Of course, budget plays a crucial role in your decision. Evaluate how much you are willing to invest in DNS services and if it aligns with your website’s requirements.
  4. Traffic volume: If your website witnesses a significant volume of traffic, a Premium DNS with load balancing and faster routing can dramatically improve the user experience. 
  5. Scalability: If you foresee quick expansion and growth for your website, investing in a Premium DNS service could provide the scalability you will eventually require.

Why does your choice of DNS matter?

Your choice of DNS acts as the vehicle driving the smooth operation of your website. It’s not just about translating a domain name to an IP address; it’s about ensuring your website can efficiently connect with users around the world.

  • Speed: The performance speed of your DNS can significantly affect your website’s loading speed. In an era where waiting an extra second can lead to visitors abandoning your site, a faster DNS lookup can make a considerable difference.
  • Uptime: Imagine owning a physical store but randomly closing several times a day – definitely not good for business, right? That’s essentially what website downtime is. A reliable DNS server ensures maximum uptime for your website, leading to consistent user experience and potentially higher revenue.
  • Security: An insecure DNS can expose your website to cyber-attacks, leading not only to potential revenue loss through downtime but also damage to your brand reputation. A secure DNS can act as your frontline defense against cyber threats.

Conclusion

There are plenty of reasons to choose a Premium DNS over a Free DNS plan. Think about your needs, how much traffic are you expecting and how important is the uptime for your business. If you are not sure, you can start with a Free DNS or a cheap plan and slowly upgrade with the time. But if you know your business needs our sales team is here to meet your requirements. Just fill the form and our Sales representative will contact you as soon as possible.

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Tags: , , , , , , , , , Last modified: February 8, 2024
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