# 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. Source: https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/controld/ Category: Network ad blockers ## Overview - **Who it's for**: 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. - **What you get**: 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. - **How it works**: 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. ## Profile - **License**: Proprietary (verified 2026-07-08) - **Pricing model**: Freemium (verified 2026-07-08) - **Starts at**: ? - **Platforms**: Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, Web - **Status**: active (verified 2026-07-08) ## Ranked alternatives | # | App | Alt Score | Licence | Platforms | |---|-----|-----------|---------|-----------| | 1 | [AdGuard Home](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/adguard-home.md) | 100 | GPL-3.0 | Linux, Windows, macOS | | 2 | [Blocky](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/blocky.md) | 90 | Apache-2.0 | Linux, Windows, macOS | | 3 | [NextDNS](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/nextdns.md) | 85 | Proprietary | Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS | | 4 | [Pi-hole](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/pi-hole.md) | 85 | EUPL-1.2 | Linux | | 5 | [Technitium](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/technitium.md) | 85 | GPL-3.0 | Windows, Linux, macOS | Alt Score = Verified coverage (90%) + Visibility (10%). See https://altcatalog.com/how-alt-score-works/ ## Feature comparison Legend: Yes / No / Partial / ? (not verified). | Network ad blockers checklist | ControlD | AdGuard Home | Blocky | NextDNS | Pi-hole | Technitium | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | Pricing model | Freemium | Free | Free | Freemium | Donationware | Donationware | | Starts at | ? | Free | Free | €1.99/month | Free | Free | | License | Proprietary | GPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 | Proprietary | EUPL-1.2 | GPL-3.0 | | Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, Web | Linux, Windows, macOS | Linux, Windows, macOS | Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, Web | Linux | Windows, Linux, macOS | | DNS-level blocking | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | | Self-hostable | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | | Blocklist management | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | | Per-device policies | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Partial | | DoH / DoT support | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Partial | Yes | | Query logging & dashboard | Yes | Yes | Partial | Yes | Yes | Yes | | Whitelisting UX | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | | Parental controls | Yes | Yes | Partial | Yes | ? | ? | | Open source | Partial | Yes | Yes | Partial | Yes | Yes | ## Sources Sources for ControlD. Each alternative is sourced on its own page. - **License**: Proprietary — (verified 2026-07-08) - Note: Service proprietary; ctrld CLI is MIT. - Quote: “Control D offers enterprise-grade DNS filtering” - **Pricing model**: Freemium — (verified 2026-07-08) - Quote: “Turn on Control D's free DNS service to block ads and bad sites on all your devices.” - **Platforms**: Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, Web — (verified 2026-07-08) - Quote: “Control D supports the following platforms: Windows, MacOS, Linux, Android, iOS, Browsers, Routers, Windows Server / AD Controller” - **Status**: active — (verified 2026-07-08) - Quote: “Start Free Trial” - **DNS-level blocking**: Yes — (verified 2026-07-08) - Quote: “Filters prevent websites and services that fall within the category from resolving on your device.” - **Self-hostable**: No — (verified 2026-07-08) - Note: Cloud service; ctrld is a client proxy, not a self-hosted server. - Quote: “Simply configure your existing devices or routers to use Control D's provided Anycast DNS addresses” - **Blocklist management**: Yes — (verified 2026-07-08) - Quote: “There are 2 categories of Filters: 1. Native Filters ... 2. 3rd Party Filters - These are popular community maintained blocklists.” - **Per-device policies**: Yes — (verified 2026-07-08) - Quote: “A single Profile can be enforced on one or more Endpoints (resolvers).” - **DoH / DoT support**: Yes — (verified 2026-07-08) - Quote: “Control D supports all modern (and encrypted) protocols like DNS-over-HTTPS/3 and DNS-over-TLS.” - **Query logging & dashboard**: Yes — (verified 2026-07-08) - Quote: “The Analytics Dashboard has several sections: Statistics ... Shows exact queries that were made and additional metadata.” - **Whitelisting UX**: Yes — (verified 2026-07-08) - Quote: “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” - **Parental controls**: Yes — (verified 2026-07-08) - Quote: “Kids Profile - Blocks adult content and other things not appropriate for children.” - **Open source**: Partial — (verified 2026-07-08) - Note: ctrld CLI is MIT; the service is proprietary. - Quote: “we've developed an open source command line daemon, known as ctrld” --- Ranked by verified data, never by who paid. https://altcatalog.com/trust/