# Control D vs NextDNS: which do AI models recommend for DNS filtering, October 2026

IT AI Recommendation Index, October 2026 Edition, DNS filtering. Zero of fourteen models named Control D first on the direct prompt; zero named NextDNS. Page: https://it-ai-index.com/network/dns-filtering/control-d-vs-nextdns/

| | First-choice share | Rank | Negative rate | Labels | Models naming it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Control D | 2% | #4 of 9 | 0% | 24 | 12 of 14 |
| NextDNS | 2% | #5 of 9 | 15% | 27 | 13 of 14 |

## The direct prompt, model by model

- Gemini 3.5 Flash: neither first, one named (first choices: DNSFilter) (alternatives: Cloudflare Gateway, Control D)
- Perplexity Sonar: neither first, one named (first choices: Cloudflare Gateway, DNSFilter) (alternatives: Control D, SafeDNS)
- Claude Haiku 4.5: neither named (first choices: DNSFilter) (alternatives: Akamai Enterprise Threat Protector, Cloudflare Gateway, Prisma Access DNS Security)
- GPT-5.4 mini: neither named (first choices: DNSFilter) (alternatives: Cisco Secure Access – DNS Defense, Cisco Umbrella, Cloudflare Gateway, Zscaler DNS Security)
- Grok 4.1 Fast: neither named (first choices: DNSFilter) (alternatives: Cisco Umbrella, Cloudflare Gateway)
- Mistral Small: neither named (first choices: DNSFilter)
- DeepSeek V4 Flash: neither named (first choices: DNSFilter) (alternatives: Cisco Umbrella, Cloudflare Gateway, Webroot DNS Protection)
- Llama 4 Maverick: neither named (first choices: DNSFilter, WebTitan)
- Qwen 3.7 Flash: neither named (first choices: Cloudflare Gateway) (alternatives: Cisco Umbrella, DNSFilter)
- Kimi K2: neither named (first choices: DNSFilter) (alternatives: Cisco Umbrella, Cloudflare Gateway)
- GLM 4.7 FlashX: neither named (first choices: DNSFilter) (alternatives: Cisco Umbrella, Cloudflare Gateway, Infoblox BloxOne DDI)
- MiniMax M2.5: neither named (first choices: Cloudflare Gateway, DNSFilter) (alternatives: Cisco Umbrella)
- GPT-6 Luna: neither named (first choices: DNSFilter) (alternatives: Cisco Secure Access, Cloudflare Gateway)
- Muse Glimmer 30B: neither named (first choices: DNSFilter) (alternatives: Cisco Umbrella, Cloudflare Gateway)

## What the models said about Control D

- "For Privacy-Focused Filtering: Control D (offers customizable tiers, strong privacy stance, modern protocols)" (Qwen 3.7 Flash, negative prompt, first choice)
- "or Control D if you want predictable low-cost pricing at around $2/endpoint/month" (MiniMax M2.5, budget prompt, first choice)
- "Consider Control D or SafeDNS if your priority is highly customizable filtering... but the results here put them behind DNSFilter and Cloudflare" (Perplexity Sonar, direct prompt, alternative)

## What the models said about NextDNS

- "NextDNS/AdGuard: Highly customizable (ads/trackers/parental), but free tiers have query limits" (Grok 4.1 Fast, negative prompt, soft negative)
- "NextDNS's free plan should not be relied upon for critical filtering applications" (Claude Haiku 4.5, negative prompt, soft negative)
- "Browser Secure DNS Can Bypass NextDNS and Pi-hole: How to Check and Fix It" (Mistral Small, negative prompt, soft negative)
- "NextDNS is usually the best value if you mainly want DNS filtering and easy policy control" (GPT-5.4 mini, budget prompt, first choice)
- "NextDNS is often considered the most flexible option for tech-savvy users." (Qwen 3.7 Flash, comparative prompt, first choice)
- "NextDNS – best for privacy-focused users needing advanced DNS controls" (Muse Glimmer 30B, comparative prompt, first choice)

Share is the count of first choices across the direct, paraphrase, budget and scale prompts over all fourteen models, for a mid-market B2B company; rank is within the category. Comparisons are drawn for the top eight products in each category. Published under CC BY 4.0; the output is the models' output, and nothing here is a recommendation by the index.