# NextDNS: how AI models rank it, November 2026

Gane Index, November 2026 Edition. Named in 37 judge labels across 2 categories by 14 of 14 models. Page: https://www.gane.ai/index/it/vendors/nextdns

## Standing by category

| Category | Share | Rank | Negative rate | Labels |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| [DNS filtering](https://www.gane.ai/index/it/network/dns-filtering/index.md) | 2% | 5 | 17% | 36 |
| [Managed DNS](https://www.gane.ai/index/it/network/managed-dns/index.md) | 0% | 36 | 0% | 1 |

## What the models said for it

- "For most privacy-conscious users, NextDNS or Mullvad DNS offer the best balance of customization, transparency, and security." (Qwen 3.7 Flash, DNS filtering)
- "Customizable filtering (ads, trackers, malware, adult content) with strong no-log policies, audits, and per-device configs." (Grok 4.20, DNS filtering)
- "If you can spend ~$20/month, NextDNS Business offers the best value with full features and unlimited devices." (Kimi K2, DNS filtering)
- "NextDNS offers the best value-to-feature ratio for individuals" (DeepSeek V4 Flash, DNS filtering)

## And against it

- "if logging/analytics are left enabled the provider can retain query history, device identifiers and custom lists... a privacy risk for users who want no history" (Muse Glimmer 30B, DNS filtering)
- "NextDNS and similar configurable services expose more policy controls; neither should be treated as a substitute for endpoint protection." (Perplexity Sonar, DNS filtering)
- "NextDNS and AdGuard Private DNS, for example, offer user-visible logs and settings to control logging or retention." (GPT-6 Luna, DNS filtering)
- "NextDNS (which is otherwise well-regarded) enables logging by default when you create an account" (DeepSeek V4 Flash, DNS filtering)

## By model

| Model | First choice | Alternative | Mention | Warning | Labels |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Claude Haiku 4.5 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 4 |
| GPT-5.4 mini | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Gemini 3.5 Flash | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Perplexity Sonar | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Grok 4.20 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Mistral Small | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| DeepSeek V4 Flash | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| Llama 4 Maverick | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Qwen 3.7 Flash | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Kimi K2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| GLM 4.7 FlashX | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| MiniMax M2.5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| GPT-6 Luna | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| Muse Glimmer 30B | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 |

## Sources returned with these answers

The sites and pages cited by the answers that named NextDNS, from 74 of the 88 answers that named it (only the models that return a source list).

### Domains cited

- dnsfilter.com: 42
- controld.com: 29
- cybersecuritynews.com: 27
- powerdmarc.com: 27
- nextdns.io: 22 (its own site)
- reddit.com: 22
- simplyit.biz: 22
- routersecurity.org: 21
- developers.cloudflare.com: 18
- g2.com: 17

### Pages cited

- https://dnsfilter.com/: 35
- https://powerdmarc.com/best-dns-security-solutions: 27
- https://simplyit.biz/resources/best-dns-filtering-small-business-2026: 22
- https://routersecurity.org/DNS.providers.php: 21
- https://nextdns.io/pricing: 16
- https://cybersecuritynews.com/best-dns-filtering-solutions-2026: 15
- https://mspcompared.com/best/dns-filtering: 14
- https://cybersecuritynews.com/best-dns-security-solutions: 13

## In its own words

What NextDNS's own pages state, read 2026-10-05. Stated by the vendor, not checked by the index.

- Positioning: The new firewall for the modern Internet (https://nextdns.io/)
- Customers named: Firefox

## What it publishes

Every page nextdns.io exposes, read 2026-10-05: 11 addresses. By kind, pages and the last 90 days:


## Record

- Method: https://www.gane.ai/index/it/methodology
- License: CC BY 4.0. Cite as Gane Index, November 2026 Edition, www.gane.ai/index/it.