IBM NS1 Connect vs Quad9 comparison

Why PeerSpot?

IBM and Quad9 DNS are both solutions in the Managed DNS category. IBM is ranked #7 with an average rating of 8.5, while Quad9 DNS is ranked #4. IBM holds a 3.0% mindshare in MDP, compared to Quad9 DNS’s 21.9% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of IBM users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 50% of Quad9 DNS users who would recommend it.

IBM NS1 Connect

Read 18 IBM NS1 Connect reviews

3,085 Views
2,962 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Quad9

Read 2 Quad9 reviews

21,518 Views
20,657 Comparison Views

50% willing to recommend

IBM NS1 Connect

Quad9

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 4, 2024

IBM NS1 Connect and Quad9 are competitors in the DNS management sector. IBM NS1 Connect leads in scalability and enterprise-grade features, while Quad9 is superior in security and ease of use.

Features: IBM NS1 Connect offers advanced traffic management, robust analytics, and high scalability, suitable for larger enterprises. Quad9 integrates threat prevention, ensures privacy, and focuses on straightforward security, ideal for businesses prioritizing cybersecurity.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: IBM NS1 Connect provides comprehensive deployment options with extensive support for complex IT environments. Quad9 offers easy deployment and quick customer support, accessible for smaller teams and allowing fast implementation.

Pricing and ROI: IBM NS1 Connect requires higher initial setup costs, reflecting its enterprise focus, with promises of long-term ROI for large organizations. Quad9 presents a cost-effective solution with low upfront costs and quick ROI, attractive to small and medium-sized businesses seeking efficient DNS security without large investments.

To learn more, read our detailed IBM NS1 Connect vs. Quad9 Report (Updated: September 2026).

Buyer's Guide

IBM NS1 Connect vs. Quad9

September 2026

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Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Categories and Ranking

IBM NS1 Connect

Ranking in Managed DNS

7th

Average Rating

9.0

Reviews Sentiment

7.4

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Domain Name System (DNS) Security (8th)

Quad9

Ranking in Managed DNS

4th

Average Rating

6.0

Reviews Sentiment

7.9

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Internet Security (6th)

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2026, in the Managed DNS category, the mindshare of IBM NS1 Connect is 3.0%, up from 1.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Quad9 is 21.9%, down from 32.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Managed DNS Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
Quad9	21.9%
IBM NS1 Connect	3.0%
Other	75.1%

Managed DNS

Featured Reviews

reviewer2889387

Associate Software Engineer at a outsourcing company with 201-500 employees

Intelligent traffic steering has improved uptime and now needs simpler policies and support

The best features IBM NS1 Connect offers include the authoritative DNS filter chain, traffic steering policies, and endpoint health monitoring, along with its API-first automation and DNS reporting, which are all some of the most valuable features. Out of those features, I find myself relying on the traffic steering policies the most because we detect the endpoints and steer new DNS responses towards healthy alternatives. This is very helpful because whenever there is a massive amount of requests coming into the region or to the server, and for a better user interface and customer experience, we should not show the user that the server is down. We can reroute the request to the server nearest to that region, making it an important capability. The authoritative DNS ensures DNS queries for domains and reliable DNS resolution are essential for users, particularly to discover application endpoints, but it alone does not guarantee this. The API-first automation automates DNS configurations and changes through APIs and infrastructure as code workflows, reducing repetitive manual work and the risk of human error. The DNS reporting and analytics help teams understand query volume, traffic distribution, and unusual behavior under the support of troubleshooting and capacity planning.

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Louis Geoffroy

President at IDEBUG

It's easy to use and set up, but I've faced performance problems

I have experience with Quad9 and most other filtering solutions. Quad9 was working well initially, but it started slowing, so I switched to OpenDNS. I recently checked Tom's Hardware, an IT review site, and read a review of seven DNS filters. Open DNS was ranked the fastest, and Quad9 was second. Google was on there too, but they said it didn't filter enough.

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Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"NS1 was the first solution that could express the logic we needed to be hidden behind the records, and we couldn't adapt any other solution to our needs."

"For starters, it integrates with Terraform and a lot of our infrastructure is effectively built out using Terraform. That makes all this stuff extremely easy... when we deploy, all the entries are created and configuration is done."

"Overall, it has helped to improve our end-user experience."

"The fact that it's an API-first platform for DNS and application traffic management is one of the reasons we looked into NS1. We use it for a lot of automation and metrics gathering and it's been great."

"IBM NS1 Connect has positively impacted my organization by providing controlled downtime, reduced downtime, and time saving through automation, as approximately forty to fifty percent of our time is saved through automation and enhanced visibility."

"The solution's stability is absolutely perfect."

"The Filter Chain is one of the most valuable features, for geo-load balancing and geo-fencing. The Filter Chain is the most useful because it allows us to do several things. With geo-fencing we can redirect a particular user to a particular answer. That's very valuable for us. Filter Chains with monitoring is our strategy to provide redundancy."

"IBM NS1 Connect's API-driven architecture has helped my organization with digital transformation as it is an open standard."

More IBM NS1 Connect pros

"The most valuable feature of Quad9 is that it is a free solution."

"Setting up Quad9 is straightforward if you know what you're doing, and it's easy to use overall."

Cons

"There could maybe be additional ways to manage traffic. There are no major improvements we're looking for. It's a very complete solution."

"I also think the cost is a bit high compared to other more traditional solutions such as Route 53, Azure, and Cloudflare."

"The Filter Chain setup is a bit hard to grasp at first."

"The reporting metrics are great from an API standpoint, but it would be a little bit nicer if there was some type of dashboard around that. There should also be some type of reporting that's more executive-level focused."

"The technical support is slow. You raise a PR, and then it takes several weeks for them to respond."

"I believe IBM NS1 Connect can be improved in several ways. The main concern I identified is the cost, which is higher than other solutions despite its uses."

"Our experience with customer support has been mixed; while some team members are really helpful and responsive, there have been instances where responses to complex technical issues are slower because they need to evaluate and provide support."

"We use our client in our infrastructure to communicate with NS1. This client is a bit complex in the way that it is set up. NS1 has their own client solution that you can deploy into your platform to do this, but even that is a bit complex. So, I would like a very simple, thin, light API agent that we can deploy into our platform to communicate with NS1. That would be welcome."

More IBM NS1 Connect cons

"It used to work fine for all the devices, but it started to slow and become non-responsive. I would have to reload the page two or three times before all the pages loaded. With OpenDNS, I only need to load the page once."

"Quad9 could improve by having more free features, such as custom DNS filtering."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The cost of this product is one of the reasons that we chose it."

"We pay about $30,000 a month. We used to pay about $20,000 with Dyn every month, for lower volume than we're doing right now, but it had none of the features that we have available with NS1, so it was worth it for us. It seems competitive for us, given that we're doing 4.5 billion requests."

"From a cost standpoint, it's certainly not the most expensive out there, and it's also not the cheapest, but it does well to balance the cost and the functionality/reliability."

"Everything can always be cheaper, but as it is today the pricing is fair."

"NS1's pricing is much more aggressive than its competitors in the market and you get more value out of what you pay for it."

"The price of Quad9 is free."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Comms Service Provider

10%

Financial Services Firm

Computer Software Company

Outsourcing Company

Comms Service Provider

27%

Computer Software Company

Hospitality Company

Manufacturing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	2
Midsize Enterprise	5
Large Enterprise	14

No data available

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with NS1 Managed DNS?

IBM NS1 Connect has a very steep learning curve in terms of learning the custom filter chains and the complex multi-region setup, which requires a specialized DNS expert and can be difficult for be...

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What is your primary use case for NS1 Managed DNS?

IBM NS1 Connect serves as our managed authoritative DNS and traffic steering service, which is highly reliable, and its performance is excellent for a global Anycast network. For a specific example...

See all answers

What advice do you have for others considering NS1 Managed DNS?

Regarding IBM NS1 Connect's AI capabilities, I think its governance and security are great as it's a SaaS-based solution, and the governance is also good. While we haven't had a very close connecti...

See all answers

Which would you choose - Cloudflare DNS or Quad9?

Cloudflare DNS is a very fast, very reliable public DNS resolver. It is an enterprise-grade authoritative DNS service that offers great redundancy and advanced security with built-in unmetered and ...

See all answers

Comparisons

Cloudflare vs IBM NS1 Connect

Compared 24% of the time

Amazon Route 53 vs IBM NS1 Connect

Compared 17% of the time

Akamai Edge DNS vs IBM NS1 Connect

Compared 11% of the time

Managed DNS Services vs IBM NS1 Connect

Compared 9% of the time

Cisco Umbrella vs IBM NS1 Connect

Compared 2% of the time

More IBM NS1 Connect Competitors

Cloudflare vs Quad9

Compared 68% of the time

Google Cloud DNS vs Quad9

Compared 18% of the time

Cisco Umbrella vs Quad9

Compared 2% of the time

G-Core Labs CDN vs Quad9

Compared 2% of the time

More Quad9 Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

IBM NS1 Connect

October 2026

Download IBM NS1 Connect product report

Buyer's Guide

Managed DNS

October 2026

Download Quad9 product report

Also Known As

NS1 Managed DNS, NS1

No data available

Overview

IBM NS1 Connect delivers comprehensive DNS management with features like DNSSEC, low latency, and intelligent traffic routing. It integrates seamlessly with automation tools, making it ideal for improving infrastructure management.

IBM NS1 Connect offers a robust DNS management platform combining security, speed, and reliability. Its API-driven functionality allows for seamless integration with Terraform and other tools, enhancing geolocation-aware capabilities and real-time performance monitoring. Smart Domains ensure optimal routing, while Pulsar boosts user experience. Real-time telemetry and intelligent traffic routing minimize load times, contributing to efficient service delivery and application uptime. Recommendations for improvement include enhancing DNS timeout resolutions and providing educational resources for networking novices.

What are IBM NS1 Connect's key features?

DNSSEC: Enhances security by protecting DNS information.
Low Latency: Ensures faster DNS query responses.
API-driven Functionality: Facilitates easy integration with tools like Terraform.
Real-time Telemetry: Provides up-to-date performance insights.
Intelligent Traffic Routing: Directs traffic for optimized user experience.
Pulsar: Enhances performance with smart routing algorithms.
Filter Chains: Offers customizable rules for traffic handling.
Secondary DNS: Ensures redundancy and disaster recovery.

What benefits should users look for?

Cost-effectiveness: Reduces infrastructure costs by leveraging cloud hosting.
Improved Application Uptime: Minimizes downtime with reliable DNS management.
Faster Provisioning: Speeds up infrastructure setup and updates.
Reliable Metrics: Provides accurate performance data for informed decision-making.
Enhanced User Interface: Offers a straightforward navigation experience.

In healthcare, IBM NS1 Connect enhances CDN routing and facilitates efficient DNS management. Financial institutions leverage its geo-load balancing capabilities for secure transaction processing. E-commerce brands use its low latency and automation features to improve website responsiveness and reduce error rates. Telecom companies benefit from its API integration, allowing for seamless upgrades and network optimizations.

IBM

Quad9 is a DNS service offering robust security and privacy features. It blocks access to malicious sites by analyzing and correlating threat intelligence from multiple sources. Suitable for tech-savvy users, it focuses on enhancing online safety while maintaining user privacy.

Quad9 serves as a critical tool in safeguarding users from online threats. By providing DNS resolution, it helps prevent access to phishing sites, malware, and other harmful content by utilizing threat intelligence feeds from reputable cybersecurity organizations. Its focus is on delivering an efficient, secure browsing experience without compromising user privacy. With ease of use and reliability, Quad9 effectively reduces the risk of digital threats while keeping user data secure and anonymous.

What features make Quad9 valuable?

Blocking Malicious Domains: Quad9 prevents accessing harmful sites by leveraging diverse threat intelligence sources.
Privacy Protection: It does not store, sell, or use personal data, ensuring complete anonymity.
Global Threat Intelligence: The DNS service aggregates threat data from various security organizations.
DNS over TLS/HTTPS: Offers encrypted DNS queries for added privacy and security.

What benefits should users look for in reviews?

Enhanced Security: Users experience fewer online threats and safer browsing.
Privacy Assurance: Complete data anonymity and protection from unwarranted data tracking.
Reliable Performance: Fast and consistent DNS resolution across different networks.
Ease of Use: Simple to set up with minimal configuration required.

In industries like finance and healthcare where data security and privacy are critical, Quad9 is a useful tool in mitigating cyber threats. Its robust framework is deployed to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements, providing a secure browsing environment without sacrificing speed or reliability.

Quad9 DNS

Sample Customers

Avast Software, Bloomberg L.P., BBC, Carfax, CNBC LLC, Deloitte Consulting LLP, Disney Streaming, Dropbox, EBAY Inc, Gannett Media Corp, Salesforce, Wayfair, Workday

CISCO, Netlab, proofpoint

Buyer's Guide

IBM NS1 Connect vs. Quad9

September 2026

Free Report: IBM NS1 Connect vs. Quad9

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