# Cloudflare DNS vs PowerDNS

| Attribute | Cloudflare DNS | PowerDNS |
|---|---|---|
| **vioscaleAI score** | 45.7 (62% (medium)) | 43.8 (8% (low)) |
| content.faq | `[{"answer":"A nameserver system that converts domain names to IP addresses using a global network infrastructure to deliver rapid, resilient query responses. Includes a fully-featured, unrestricted API for infrastructure-as-code automation. It is indexed under DNS Management.","source":"https://www.cloudflare.com/plans","question":"What is Cloudflare DNS?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Cloudflare DNS offers a free tier, so you can start without paying. Paid plans start at $20 per month. Prices are published openly on the vendor's own pricing page. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.","source":"https://www.cloudflare.com/plans","question":"Is Cloudflare DNS free?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"Cloudflare DNS supports the web and a command-line interface. Platforms we have not confirmed are simply not listed here rather than ruled out.","source":"https://www.cloudflare.com/plans","question":"What platforms does Cloudflare DNS support?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have only confirmed a cloud / SaaS deployment for Cloudflare DNS, so it appears to be vendor-hosted. If a self-hosted option exists we have not found it documented publicly.","source":"https://www.cloudflare.com/plans","question":"Can Cloudflare DNS be self-hosted?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have independently confirmed GDPR for Cloudflare DNS. Certifications we do not list are ones we have not been able to verify from public sources, which is not the same as Cloudflare DNS not holding them. Always confirm compliance directly before you rely on it.","source":"https://www.cloudflare.com/solutions/security","question":"What security certifications does Cloudflare DNS have?","confidence":0.7},{"answer":"Cloudflare DNS is available worldwide. The vendor is headquartered in the United States.","source":"https://www.cloudflare.com/plans","question":"Where is Cloudflare DNS available?","confidence":0.75}]` | `[{"answer":"A DNS management solution that intelligently routes traffic across multiple servers for reliability and performance. Supports encrypted DNS protocols including DoT, DoH, DoQ, and DoH3, designed for large-scale DNS service providers and cloud deployments. It is indexed under DNS Management.","source":"https://www.powerdns.com","question":"What is PowerDNS?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"PowerDNS is a paid product; published pricing starts at $8330 per year. There is no free tier. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.","source":"https://www.powerdns.com","question":"How much does PowerDNS cost?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have confirmed browser-based access to PowerDNS. That is the extent of what we could verify from public sources, so it may well offer desktop or mobile clients we have not indexed.","source":"https://www.powerdns.com","question":"What platforms does PowerDNS support?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have only confirmed a cloud / SaaS deployment for PowerDNS, so it appears to be vendor-hosted. If a self-hosted option exists we have not found it documented publicly.","source":"https://www.powerdns.com","question":"Can PowerDNS be self-hosted?","confidence":0.6},{"answer":"We have independently confirmed GDPR for PowerDNS. Certifications we do not list are ones we have not been able to verify from public sources, which is not the same as PowerDNS not holding them. Always confirm compliance directly before you rely on it.","source":"https://www.powerdns.com/compliance","question":"What security certifications does PowerDNS have?","confidence":0.7}]` |
| deployment.options | `{"cloud":true}` | `{"cloud":true,"hybrid":true,"self_hosted":true}` |
| description.long | A nameserver system that converts domain names to IP addresses using a global network infrastructure to deliver rapid, resilient query responses. Includes a fully-featured, unrestricted API for infrastructure-as-code automation. | PowerDNS is a leading DNS software provider offering secure, scalable solutions for large-scale network deployments. It includes DNSdist for intelligent traffic distribution and encrypted DNS support (DoT, DoH, DoQ, DoH3), plus centralized cloud-based management through a unified web interface. |
| integrations.count | 2 | - |
| integrations.list | `[{"name":"Terraform"},{"name":"Ansible"}]` | - |
| market.availability | `{"primaryMarkets":[],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` | `{"primaryMarkets":[],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` |
| platform.support | `{"web":true}` | `{"cli":true,"web":true}` |
| pricing | `{"type":"hybrid","plans":[{"free":true,"name":"Free","summary":"$0/month","features":["Fast DNS","Unmetered DDoS Protection","CDN","Universal SSL Certificate","Free Managed Ruleset"],"components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":0,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"description":"Personal or hobby projects that aren't business-critical","contactSales":false},{"free":false,"name":"Pro","summary":"$20/month (annual) or $25/month (monthly)","features":["Fast DNS","Unmetered DDoS Protection","CDN","Universal SSL Certificate","Free Managed Ruleset","Lossless Image Optimization","Accelerated Mobile Pages","PCI DSS 4.0 Compliance","100% Uptime SLA","1x Uptime Service Credits","SSO Support"],"components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":20,"period":"month","currency":"USD","plus_note":"billed annually"},{"kind":"fixed","amount":25,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"description":"Professional websites that aren't business-critical","contactSales":false},{"free":false,"name":"Business","summary":"$200/month (annual) or $250/month (monthly)","features":["Fast DNS","Unmetered DDoS Protection","CDN","Universal SSL Certificate","Free Managed Ruleset","Lossless Image Optimization","Accelerated Mobile Pages","PCI DSS 4.0 Compliance","100% Uptime SLA","10x (Standard) or 25x (Premium) Uptime Service Credits","SSO Support"],"components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":200,"period":"month","currency":"USD","plus_note":"billed annually"},{"kind":"fixed","amount":250,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"description":"Small businesses operating online","contactSales":false},{"free":false,"name":"Contract","summary":"Custom pricing, billed annually","commitment":"annual","description":"Mission-critical applications that are core to your business","contactSales":true}],"summary":"Free tier available; paid plans from $20/month billed annually","currency":"USD","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://www.cloudflare.com/plans","retrievedAt":"2026-08-18T22:37:17.966Z","startingPrice":{"amount":20,"period":"month","currency":"USD"},"billingPeriods":["month","year"]}` | `{"type":"subscription","plans":[{"free":false,"name":"Annual Subscription","summary":"$8,330/year for up to 8, 16, or 24 cores","features":["Web-based domain administration interface","Commercial support","Deployment automation","Remote configuration management","Encrypted DNS protocols (DoT, DoH, DoQ, DoH3)"],"commitment":"annual","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":8330,"period":"year","currency":"USD"}],"contactSales":false,"includedLimits":{"cores":"8, 16, or 24"}}],"summary":"From $8,330/year. Core-based subscription pricing.","currency":"USD","sourceUrl":"https://www.powerdns.com","retrievedAt":"2026-09-24T12:32:15.797Z","startingPrice":{"amount":8330,"period":"year","currency":"USD"},"billingPeriods":["year"]}` |
| pricing.free_tier | yes | no |
| pricing.model | freemium | commercial |
| pricing.price_level | mid | high |
| pricing.starting_price | `{"amount":20,"currency":"USD"}` | `{"amount":8330,"currency":"USD"}` |
| pricing.transparent | yes | no |
| reliability.sla_pct | 100 | - |
| security.certifications | `[{"name":"PCI DSS 4.0 Compliance","level":"4.0","status":"active"}]` | - |
| security.gdpr | yes | yes |
| security.pci | yes | - |
| security.trust_center | https://www.cloudflare.com/solutions/security | - |

*Source: vioscaleAI. Generated 2026-10-16T20:39:21.703Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*