Alternatives to ControlD
Configurable DNS with redirection tricks
ControlD ranks #3 of 6 in Network ad blockers, with an Alt Score of 85. It is proprietary, freemium and available on Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android and Web. 9 of 9 checklist rows are verified against a public source.
Individuals who want a customizable ad, tracker, and malware-blocking DNS resolver, and businesses or MSPs who need to manage DNS-level filtering and policy across many devices or client networks.
A DNS filtering service that blocks ads, trackers, malware, and other unwanted content, with options to filter by category, block specific apps/services, or redirect and unblock domains. You get device- or network-level 'profiles' with custom rules, native apps for major desktop and mobile platforms, and (on paid/business plans) query logs, analytics, and multi-tenant management for teams or clients.
You point your device or network to Control D's resolvers (via DoH, DoT, DoQ, or plain DNS) using a native app, router, or manual configuration, and DNS queries are checked against your chosen profile's filters and rules before being resolved, so blocked domains never load while allowed/redirected ones resolve as configured.
Why people leave ControlD
Dashed reasons are sourced facts; the rest are opinions. Vendors can dispute.
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Ranked alternatives
Ordered by Alt Score. Click any score to see the breakdown.
Feature comparison
Rows come from the Network ad blockers checklist (13 rows). Human-verified cells only. ? means the value has not been verified.
| Network ad blockers checklist | ControlD | AdGuard Home | Blocky | NextDNS | Pi-hole | Technitium |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | ||||||
| Starts at | ||||||
| License | ||||||
| Platforms | ||||||
| DNS-level blocking | ||||||
| Self-hostable | ||||||
| Blocklist management | ||||||
| Per-device policies | ||||||
| DoH / DoT support | ||||||
| Query logging & dashboard | ||||||
| Whitelisting UX | ||||||
| Parental controls | ||||||
| Open source |
Every fact and feature listed for ControlD is verified against its own pages. Each alternative is sourced on its own page.
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License Proprietary verified 2026-07-08
Service proprietary; ctrld CLI is MIT.
Control D offers enterprise-grade DNS filtering
https://controld.com/network -
Pricing model Freemium verified 2026-07-08
Turn on Control D's free DNS service to block ads and bad sites on all your devices.
https://controld.com/free-dns -
Platforms Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, Web verified 2026-07-08
Control D supports the following platforms: Windows, MacOS, Linux, Android, iOS, Browsers, Routers, Windows Server / AD Controller
https://docs.controld.com/docs/getting-started -
Status active verified 2026-07-08
Start Free Trial
https://controld.com/network -
DNS-level blocking Yes verified 2026-07-08
Filters prevent websites and services that fall within the category from resolving on your device.
https://docs.controld.com/docs/filters -
Self-hostable No verified 2026-07-08
Cloud service; ctrld is a client proxy, not a self-hosted server.
Simply configure your existing devices or routers to use Control D's provided Anycast DNS addresses
https://controld.com/network -
Blocklist management Yes verified 2026-07-08
There are 2 categories of Filters: 1. Native Filters ... 2. 3rd Party Filters - These are popular community maintained blocklists.
https://docs.controld.com/docs/filters -
Per-device policies Yes verified 2026-07-08
A single Profile can be enforced on one or more Endpoints (resolvers).
https://docs.controld.com/docs/profiles -
DoH / DoT support Yes verified 2026-07-08
Control D supports all modern (and encrypted) protocols like DNS-over-HTTPS/3 and DNS-over-TLS.
https://controld.com/free-dns -
Query logging & dashboard Yes verified 2026-07-08
The Analytics Dashboard has several sections: Statistics ... Shows exact queries that were made and additional metadata.
https://docs.controld.com/docs/analytics -
Whitelisting UX Yes verified 2026-07-08
Custom Rules are basically a hosts file, with wildcard support. Block, redirect or spoof any domain ... A BYPASS rule will resolve the domain to its true IP address
https://docs.controld.com/docs/custom-rules -
Parental controls Yes verified 2026-07-08
Kids Profile - Blocks adult content and other things not appropriate for children.
https://docs.controld.com/docs/profiles -
Open source Partial verified 2026-07-08
ctrld CLI is MIT; the service is proprietary.
we've developed an open source command line daemon, known as ctrld
https://docs.controld.com/docs/ctrld
FAQ
Yes. AdGuard Home, Blocky and NextDNS have a free tier or are fully free. Free-tier limits in the comparison table are verified and dated.
AdGuard Home, Blocky and Pi-hole — every license claim links its source.