--- title: AdGuard DNS canonical: https://saasranked.com/software/adguard-dns/ category: Ad Blockers points: 77 rank: 3 of 12 facts_checked: 2026-10-08 --- # AdGuard DNS DNS service that blocks ads, trackers and malicious domains on any device, with free public servers and a $19.99-a-year private plan. 77 points out of 100. #3 of 12 ad blockers. Vendor: AdGuard. Website: https://adguard-dns.io/ - Public AdGuard DNS servers are free and block ads, trackers, malware and phishing sites [3][10]. - Personal costs $19.99 a year before VAT and covers 20 devices [2]. - The Personal plan allows custom rules and custom blocklists, up to 1,000 rules [2][6]. - A 30-day money-back guarantee applies to 1-year plans; monthly plans are not refundable [9]. - The AdGuard DNS server source code is public under AGPL-3.0 [8]. Verdict: AdGuard DNS suits people who want ads, trackers and malicious domains blocked on every device by changing a DNS setting, with a free tier to start [3][4]. The Personal plan adds your own rules and blocklists for $19.99 a year [2][5][6]. The catch: custom rules need the paid private service, and DNS filtering cannot hide the blank space where an ad was [4][5]. Best for: People who want device-wide blocking and a plan with their own rules. ## Points | Criterion | Line | Value | Points | Note | |---|---|---|---|---| | Where it blocks | Windows browsers | Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Opera | 12/12 | The vendor says DNS filtering covers all apps and programs that send web requests, not just browsers; Windows setup is a system DNS change [3][4]. | | Where it blocks | Blocks outside the browser | Yes | 5/5 | A system DNS setting on Windows filters other programs too, per the vendor's DNS filtering article [3][4]. | | Where it blocks | Phone protection | iOS, Android | 6/6 | The public DNS page has setup guides for Android Private DNS and an iOS configuration profile [3]. | | Blocking | Still works in Chrome after Manifest V2 | Yes | 4/4 | A DNS service, so it blocks outside the Chrome extension system [3]. | | Blocking | Your own block rules | Yes | 7/7 | Private DNS lets you add rules to block or unblock domains, and add custom blocklists by URL; Personal allows 1,000 rules [5][6]. | | Blocking | Malicious site blocking | Yes | 5/5 | The Default public server blocks ads, trackers, malware and phishing websites; the home page also lists malicious domains [1][10]. | | Blocking | Cookie pop-up blocking | Not published | 0/4 | Not published on the vendor's DNS knowledge-base pages [4][5]. | | Blocking | No ad allow-list on by default | Not published | 0/6 | Default filter lists are not named on the vendor's blocklists page [6]. | | Privacy and trust | Open source | Not published | 0/10 | A DNS resolver repository is public under AGPL-3.0, but the README names no client apps and does not say it runs the service [8]. | | Privacy and trust | No browsing history kept | Yes | 6/6 | Public DNS processes no personal data; private DNS users can disable query logging in account settings [7]. | | Privacy and trust | Works without an account | Yes | 4/4 | Public server setup steps for Windows, Android, iOS and macOS mention no account [3]. | | Price | Free plan | Yes | 12/12 | Public servers are free with no stated limit; the Starter plan is also free [2][3]. | | Price | Cheapest paid plan | $1.67/mo | 9/12 | Personal, $19.99 a year billed yearly before VAT [2]. | | Price | Devices on one paid plan | 20 | 4/4 | Personal covers up to 20 devices [2]. | | Price | Money-back guarantee | Yes | 3/3 | 30-day money-back guarantee for 1-year plans [9]. | ## Plans | Plan | Price | Per month (USD) | |---|---|---| | Public servers | Free [3] | $0 | | Starter | Free [2] | $0 | | Personal (yearly) | $19.99/year [2] | $1.67 | | Personal (monthly) | $2.49/month [2] | $2.49 | Prices are shown before VAT. The page labels the yearly plan "+VAT, billed annually" and the renewal price is the same $19.99 [2]. ## Strengths - Setup guides cover Windows, Android, iOS and macOS, with no app to install [3]. - Vendor says DNS filtering covers all apps and programs that send web requests, not only browsers [4]. - Personal renews at the same $19.99 a year and covers 20 devices [2]. - Private DNS logging can be turned off in account settings [7]. - Server source code is on GitHub under AGPL-3.0 [8]. ## Limits - Custom DNS rules are listed for the private service only, not the public servers [5]. - The vendor says DNS filtering is coarse and cannot hide blank space left by blocked ads [4]. - Monthly plans are not refundable [9]. - The private service stores DNS query logs unless you disable logging [7]. ## Vendor claims (not scored) - AdGuard says it has built privacy-oriented products since 2009 and has more than 120 million users [2]. ## Sources 1. [AdGuard DNS](https://adguard-dns.io/), AdGuard, accessed 2026-10-08 2. [AdGuard DNS plans and pricing](https://adguard-dns.io/en/license.html), AdGuard, accessed 2026-10-08 3. [Public AdGuard DNS](https://adguard-dns.io/public-dns.html), AdGuard, accessed 2026-10-08 4. [DNS filtering](https://adguard-dns.io/kb/general/dns-filtering/), AdGuard Knowledge Base, accessed 2026-10-08 5. [Private AdGuard DNS overview](https://adguard-dns.io/kb/private-dns/overview/), AdGuard Knowledge Base, accessed 2026-10-08 6. [Blocklists](https://adguard-dns.io/kb/private-dns/setting-up-filtering/blocklists/), AdGuard Knowledge Base, accessed 2026-10-08 7. [AdGuard DNS privacy policy](https://adguard-dns.io/privacy.html), AdGuard, accessed 2026-10-08 8. [AdguardTeam/AdGuardDNS](https://github.com/AdguardTeam/AdGuardDNS), GitHub, accessed 2026-10-08 9. [Terms of sale](https://adguardcheckout.com/terms-of-sale.html), AdGuard, accessed 2026-10-08 10. [Public AdGuard DNS overview](https://adguard-dns.io/kb/public-dns/overview/), AdGuard Knowledge Base, accessed 2026-10-08