Best Open-Source DNS Servers 2026: 6 Options Compared
Best open-source DNS Servers compared: PowerDNS, BIND 9, Unbound, CoreDNS and 2 more, with licenses, platforms and prices from official pages checked October 24, 2026.
•3 min read•Web Hosting & Cloud Platforms
Quick comparison
| Tool | Price | Platforms | Best for | Tested |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PowerDNS | Free (Free open-source authoritative DNS server; you run it yourself) | Linux, Self-hosted | Hosting many zones from a database | Docs only |
| BIND 9 | Free (Free open-source software) | Self-hosted (Unix-like) | Traditional authoritative and recursive setups | Docs only |
| Unbound | Free (Free open-source software) | Self-hosted | A fast private resolver | Docs only |
| CoreDNS | Free (Free open-source software) | Self-hosted | Kubernetes and custom plugin setups | Docs only |
| Technitium DNS Server | Free (Free open-source DNS server that acts as authoritative and recursive resolver) | Windows, Linux, macOS, Raspberry Pi, Docker | Home labs wanting a single graphical server | Docs only |
| AdGuard Home | Free (Free and open source; no paid tier mentioned) | Linux, macOS, FreeBSD, OpenBSD, Windows (Chocolatey package), Docker | Filtering a home or office network | Docs only |
Independent comparison. Paid placements are labelled separately; editorial links earn no affiliate commissions. Learn more.
Good fit if
- You host DNS for many domains (PowerDNS is the pick)
- You want a private caching resolver (Unbound is the pick)
- You run Kubernetes (CoreDNS is the pick)
- You want to block ads for the whole house (AdGuard Home is the pick)
- You want one GUI-managed server (Technitium DNS Server is the pick)
Not ideal if
- You cannot host, patch and back up a server yourself and want a vendor to run it
DNS software does several different jobs, and the main mistake is choosing an authoritative server when you need a resolver, or the reverse. An authoritative server answers questions about your own domains, and PowerDNS, BIND 9 and CoreDNS can do that. A recursive resolver looks up other people's names for your users and caches the answers, which is Unbound's job, and BIND can do it as well. Filtering servers, such as AdGuard Home, sit in your network and block ads and trackers for every device. Technitium covers a lot of these roles in one program with a web console. BIND 9 is the long-standing reference implementation, complete but with a lot of configuration. PowerDNS suits hosting many zones from a database. CoreDNS is built from plugins and is the default inside Kubernetes. Unbound is small and focused on validation and speed. Running your own DNS is easy to get wrong in ways that take whole networks offline, so use at least two servers, keep software patched and do not leave a resolver open to the internet, where it can be abused for attacks. For a home network, a filtering resolver is plenty. For a company domain, consider your host's managed DNS before running your own authoritative servers.
PowerDNS
GPL-2.0 authoritative server that you run yourself. Repository metadata describes the project as including the Authoritative server, Recursor and dnsdist.
Price: Free (Free open-source authoritative DNS server; you run it yourself) (PowerDNS pricing, checked 2026-10-23).
Platforms and license: Linux, Self-hosted. GPL-2.0 (open source) (license source).
Project activity: 4.5k GitHub stars · last commit Oct 27, 2026
Best for: Hosting many zones from a database.
BIND 9
MPL-2.0 reference DNS software from ISC. Development moved to ISC GitLab; the GitHub copy is a mirror. ISC sells support separately.
Price: Free (Free open-source software) (BIND 9 pricing, checked 2026-10-24).
Platforms and license: Self-hosted (Unix-like). MPL-2.0 (open source) (license source).
Project activity: 786 GitHub stars · last commit Oct 27, 2026
Best for: Traditional authoritative and recursive setups.
Worth knowing: License taken from the GitHub mirror metadata (isc-projects/bind9) on 2026-10-23; development happens on ISC GitLab. ISC sells support separately.
Unbound
BSD-3-Clause validating, recursive, caching resolver from NLnet Labs. It resolves for clients; it does not serve your own zones.
Price: Free (Free open-source software) (Unbound pricing, checked 2026-10-24).
Platforms and license: Self-hosted. BSD-3-Clause (open source) (license source).
Project activity: 5k GitHub stars · latest release release-1.26.2 (Oct 21, 2026) · last commit Oct 26, 2026
Best for: A fast private resolver.
Worth knowing: Validating, recursive, caching resolver per the repository description. It is not an authoritative server.
CoreDNS
Apache-2.0 DNS server built from chained plugins, and the usual DNS inside Kubernetes. Flexible but configuration is by plugin chain.
Price: Free (Free open-source software) (CoreDNS pricing, checked 2026-10-24).
Platforms and license: Self-hosted. Apache-2.0 (open source) (license source).
Project activity: 14.4k GitHub stars · latest release v1.15.0 (Oct 21, 2026) · last commit Oct 26, 2026
Best for: Kubernetes and custom plugin setups.
Worth knowing: DNS server built from chained plugins per the repository description.
Technitium DNS Server
GPL-3.0 DNS server with a web console, covering several roles in one program. Check the project page for supported operating systems.
Price: Free (Free open-source DNS server that acts as authoritative and recursive resolver) (Technitium DNS Server pricing, checked 2026-10-23).
Platforms and license: Windows, Linux, macOS, Raspberry Pi, Docker. GPL-3.0 (open source) (license source).
Project activity: 10.2k GitHub stars · latest release v15.6.2 (Oct 17, 2026) · last commit Oct 24, 2026
Best for: Home labs wanting a single graphical server.
AdGuard Home
GPL-3.0 DNS server that blocks ads and trackers across your network. It runs on Linux, macOS, Windows, FreeBSD and Docker.
Price: Free (Free and open source; no paid tier mentioned) (AdGuard Home pricing, checked 2026-10-23).
Platforms and license: Linux, macOS, FreeBSD, OpenBSD, Windows (Chocolatey package), Docker. GPL-3.0 (open source) (license source).
Project activity: 37.8k GitHub stars · latest release v0.107.79 (Aug 18, 2026) · last commit Oct 27, 2026
Best for: Filtering a home or office network.
Which one to pick
- You host DNS for many domains: PowerDNS
- You want a private caching resolver: Unbound
- You run Kubernetes: CoreDNS
- You want to block ads for the whole house: AdGuard Home
- You want one GUI-managed server: Technitium DNS Server
Limits of this review
Docs-only for PowerDNS, BIND 9, Unbound, CoreDNS, Technitium DNS Server, AdGuard Home: we did not install or run them, so feature claims come from vendor pages. Vendor prices and free limits change; confirm on the linked pricing page before you commit.
Related guides
Sources
Kevin Fan
Kevin Fan is a SaaS founder. He runs Free Instead Of, which tracks free and open-source alternatives to paid software and checks each price and free-plan limit against the vendor's own pages.
Methodology
Based on official pricing, license and product pages checked between 2026-10-23 and 2026-10-24: PowerDNS, BIND 9, Unbound, CoreDNS, Technitium DNS Server, AdGuard Home. Prices, free limits and licenses are the figures shown on those pages on those dates. No tool on this page was installed or run. No accounts were created.