# Cloudflare DNS vs DNSimple

Canonical: https://inetgeek.com/compare/cloudflare-dns-vs-dnsimple/

Every value below is read from Cloudflare DNS's and DNSimple's own documentation. See https://inetgeek.com/methodology/ for how.

## At a glance

| Criterion | Cloudflare DNS | DNSimple |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Free tier | Yes | No |
| Entry paid plan | None for DNS itself. The product page prices it at nothing and names no paid DNS tier; what a Cloudflare account costs is decided by the other products on it. | $0.50 per hosted zone per month on Solo, which is free for one user; 50,000 queries per zone per month are included, then $0.80 per million. Teams is $29/month including one seat, with 500,000 queries per zone and $0.60 per million after. |
| Pricing model | Free, with no separate meter for zones or queries. DNS comes with any Cloudflare plan rather than being priced on its own. | Per zone and per query, with the seat free on Solo. Both meters loosen as the plan rises: Teams doubles nothing but raises the included queries tenfold and lowers the overage rate. |
| Edge network | Supported | Supported |
| DNSSEC | Supported — Cloudflare signs the zone and generates the DS record for you | Supported — Listed under DNS Security beside DDoS protection |

## Where they differ

### Free tier

- Cloudflare DNS: Yes ([source](https://www.cloudflare.com/products/dns/))
- DNSimple: No ([source](https://dnsimple.com/pricing))

### Entry paid plan

- Cloudflare DNS: None for DNS itself. The product page prices it at nothing and names no paid DNS tier; what a Cloudflare account costs is decided by the other products on it. ([source](https://www.cloudflare.com/products/dns/))
- DNSimple: $0.50 per hosted zone per month on Solo, which is free for one user; 50,000 queries per zone per month are included, then $0.80 per million. Teams is $29/month including one seat, with 500,000 queries per zone and $0.60 per million after. ([source](https://dnsimple.com/pricing))

### Pricing model

- Cloudflare DNS: Free, with no separate meter for zones or queries. DNS comes with any Cloudflare plan rather than being priced on its own. ([source](https://www.cloudflare.com/products/dns/))
- DNSimple: Per zone and per query, with the seat free on Solo. Both meters loosen as the plan rises: Teams doubles nothing but raises the included queries tenfold and lowers the overage rate. ([source](https://dnsimple.com/pricing))

## Which should you choose?

Pick Cloudflare DNS if Any domain you are already putting behind Cloudflare. Authoritative DNS on its anycast network costs nothing, meters nothing, and has no volume at which that changes — the query bill other providers charge simply does not exist here.

Pick DNSimple if Teams that want DNS as a product rather than a loss leader: $0.50 per zone, 50,000 queries each, an API, domain registration and access control — priced openly at every tier including the overage rate.

Consider something else: Cloudflare DNS — You want DNS bought separately from a CDN and a proxy. Cloudflare prices DNS at zero because it is a way into the rest of the platform, and the product page names no paid DNS tier at all — what the account costs is decided by everything else on it.

Consider something else: DNSimple — The zones are yours and the budget is nothing. Cloudflare and bunny.net charge neither per zone nor per query, and DNSimple's entry plan publishes 'No SLA' in those words — so you are paying for the product and the tooling rather than for a commitment.

## Documented by only one

- Uptime SLA: DNSimple: None on Solo, stated in those words on the pricing page. Higher plans are where an SLA appears.

## Questions this comparison answers

**Entry paid plan: Cloudflare DNS or DNSimple?**

Cloudflare DNS: None for DNS itself. The product page prices it at nothing and names no paid DNS tier; what a Cloudflare account costs is decided by the other products on it.
DNSimple: $0.50 per hosted zone per month on Solo, which is free for one user; 50,000 queries per zone per month are included, then $0.80 per million. Teams is $29/month including one seat, with 500,000 queries per zone and $0.60 per million after.

**Free tier: Cloudflare DNS or DNSimple?**

Cloudflare DNS: Yes
DNSimple: No

**Should I choose Cloudflare DNS or DNSimple?**

Pick Cloudflare DNS if Any domain you are already putting behind Cloudflare. Authoritative DNS on its anycast network costs nothing, meters nothing, and has no volume at which that changes — the query bill other providers charge simply does not exist here.
Pick DNSimple if Teams that want DNS as a product rather than a loss leader: $0.50 per zone, 50,000 queries each, an API, domain registration and access control — priced openly at every tier including the overage rate.