Best DNS Hosting · head-to-head
Cloudflare DNS vs NS1 Connect (IBM)
A sourced, side-by-side comparison for dns hosting. Cloudflare DNS has the lower entry price. Every figure links to the vendor's own page and the date we captured it.
At a glance
- Price: Cloudflare DNS $0/mo vs NS1 Connect (IBM) $0/mo — Cloudflare DNS is cheaper to start.
- Free tier: Cloudflare DNS Yes; NS1 Connect (IBM) Yes.
- HIPAA: Cloudflare DNS Yes; NS1 Connect (IBM) —.
Side by side
| Cloudflare DNS | NS1 Connect (IBM) | |
|---|---|---|
| Entry price | $0/mo (Free) | $0/mo (Developer (Free)) |
| Free tier | Yes | Yes |
| HIPAA (BAA) | Yes | — |
| SOC 2 | Yes | — |
| GDPR | Yes | — |
| Best for | any scale needing free DNS | enterprises needing advanced traffic steering |
Sources — Cloudflare DNS: cloudflare.com (verified 2026-06-15). NS1 Connect (IBM): ibm.com (verified 2026-06-15).
Key features
Cloudflare DNS: Free authoritative DNS with no query limits; Largest anycast network globally; SOC 2 Type II + ISO 27001 + ISO 27701 certified; Unmetered DDoS protection on all plans
NS1 Connect (IBM): Filter chains for advanced traffic steering; Real-time monitoring and failover; Data-driven DNS with external data sources; Multi-cloud traffic management