DNS Benchmark
What is Quad9 DNS?
Quick Answer
Quad9 is a public DNS resolver at 9.9.9.9 that focuses on security by blocking domains associated with malware, phishing, and other threats.
Quad9 is one of the most recognizable public security-focused resolvers. Instead of optimizing mainly for raw speed or household filtering, it emphasizes threat-intelligence-backed domain blocking.
Provider comparison
| DNS | Provider | Privacy | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9.9.9.9 | Quad9 | High | Fast |
| 1.1.1.1 | Cloudflare | High | Very Fast |
| 8.8.8.8 | Google Public DNS | Medium | Fast |
| 1.1.1.3 | Cloudflare Family | High | Fast |
Detailed explanation
Quad9 can be a strong choice when security matters more than shaving the last millisecond off response time. Its value is straightforward: stop known malicious destinations before the browser or app connects.
That makes it useful for households, unmanaged endpoints, and organizations that want a simple DNS-layer control without deploying a full secure web gateway. The tradeoff is that some users will prefer the absolute speed of Cloudflare or the broad ecosystem familiarity of Google Public DNS.
For a safety-first view of resolver choice, pair this guide with is DNS safe. If you are comparing family-safe filtering, also read what 1.1.1.3 DNS is.
FAQ
Is Quad9 free to use?
Yes. Quad9 is a free public DNS service for individual and organizational use.
Is Quad9 faster than Cloudflare?
Usually not on raw latency, but it can still perform very well depending on your region and network path.
Why do people use Quad9?
People use Quad9 when they want DNS-level threat blocking with a strong security-first positioning.
Does Quad9 support encrypted DNS?
Yes. Quad9 supports encrypted protocols such as DNS over HTTPS and DNS over TLS.
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