Cloudflare DNS vs DNSimple
SEPT 2026 auditA comparison of Cloudflare DNS and DNSimple built from values read directly from each provider's own documentation, with the source recorded against every figure.
The short answer
Choose 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.
Editorial · Palash Bagchi · approved
Choose 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.
Editorial · Palash Bagchi · approved
Consider something else if…
- 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.
- 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.
3 sourced criteria separate them — see where, with sources, below.
Pick the criteria you care about. The chart counts how many of them lean toward each provider — the same read as scanning the bars below, just totalled for the ones you chose.
Cloudflare DNS 0
DNSimple 0
At a glance.
| Criterion | Cloudflare DNS | DNSimple |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | ||
| 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. |
| Infrastructure | ||
| Edge network | Supported | Supported |
| Compliance | ||
| 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
- DNSimple
- No
Sources (2) →Sources ↓
- DNS — Cloudflare ↗
“DNS The world's fastest and most reliable DNS - for free Cloudflare's Authoritative DNS translates domain names into IP addresses - usin”
Read 2026-09-15 · official site
- DNSimple Pricing ↗
“Solo Free For 1 user $0.50 per hosted zone per month 50,000 queries per zone per month included”
Read 2026-09-15 · official 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.
- 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.
Sources (2) →Sources ↓
- DNS — Cloudflare ↗
“Cloudflare's Authoritative DNS translates domain names into IP addresses - usin”
Read 2026-09-15 · official site
- DNSimple Pricing ↗
“Solo Free For 1 user $0.50 per hosted zone per month 50,000 queries per zone per month included, then $0.80 per million queries”
Read 2026-09-15 · official 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.
- 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.
Sources (2) →Sources ↓
- DNS — Cloudflare ↗
“The world's fastest and most reliable DNS - for free”
Read 2026-09-15 · official site
- DNSimple Pricing ↗
“Most Popular Teams $ 29 USD /month Includes 1 seat $0.50 per hosted zone per month 500,000 queries per zone per month included, then $0.60 per million queries”
Read 2026-09-15 · official pricing
When these numbers change, hear about it. Sources are re-checked monthly; a repricing goes out as a short note.
Documented by only one.
These criteria are published by one provider and not the other. An absence here means we have not found a source, not that the feature is missing.
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.