Unbound
An open source DNS resolver with privacy-focused features and support for modern internet standards
- Vendor
- Stichting NLnet Labs
- Also known as
- unbound
Available worldwide
What is Unbound?
A fast, lightweight DNS resolver that validates queries and caches responses. It supports DNS encryption (over TLS and HTTPS), minimizes data exposure to authoritative servers, and implements modern internet standards with a focus on security and privacy.
Unbound pricing
We don't have Unbound's full plan breakdown yet (its pricing page resisted automated reading). Here's what we could confirm. Always check live pricing for exact numbers.
Platform & deployment
Independently observed- CLI
- macOS
- Linux
- Windows
- Self-hosted
Security & compliance
Known vulnerabilities: 0 (0 in the last 12 months) sourcea count reflects scale & disclosure, not quality
Unbound FAQ
Common questions about Unbound, answered from independent, dated evidence.
What is Unbound?
A free DNS resolver software that encrypts user queries and validates domain lookups. Designed for privacy and performance, it supports modern encrypted DNS protocols and works across Linux, BSD, and macOS systems. It is indexed under DNS Management.
Is Unbound free to use?
Unbound is open source, so it can be self-hosted and used at no licence cost. It is released under the BSD-3-Clause licence. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.
What platforms does Unbound support?
Unbound supports macOS, Linux and a command-line interface. Platforms we have not confirmed are simply not listed here rather than ruled out.
Can Unbound be self-hosted?
Yes. Unbound can be deployed on-premise and self-hosted, so it does not have to run on the vendor's infrastructure.
Is Unbound open source?
Yes. Unbound is published under the BSD-3-Clause licence, a permissive licence that generally allows commercial use and modification. Licence terms can change between releases, so verify against the repository for the version you intend to use.
Where is Unbound available?
Unbound is available worldwide. The vendor is headquartered in the Netherlands.
Unbound alternatives
Other dns management we track, ranked by the same independent score.
- AWS Route 53Managed DNS routing and domain registration servicelow · 31%
- IBM NS1 ConnectA DNS service that automatically routes users to optimal endpoints based on live application performance and availability.low · 32%
- Technitium DNS ServerA self-hosted DNS server for enhanced privacy and securitylow · 15%
- CoreDNSA DNS server engine designed for cloud-native infrastructurelow · 26%
- Google Cloud DNSCloud-hosted domain name service on Google's global server networklow · 14%
- Cloudflare DNSA high-speed, globally-distributed domain name system with automatic DDoS protectionmedium · 62%
Compare Unbound
Side by side against other dns management, attribute by attribute, with a source on every value.
The vioscaleAI score: one lens on the evidence
Not user reviews and not a paid placement: a confidence-weighted blend of the independent signals below (adoption, activity, security posture, and more), which you can sort and re-weight yourself. Vendors can correct their listing but can never move their rank, and stars are weighted low as a vanity metric. It is one way to read the evidence for Unbound, not the verdict.
| Signal | Score | Weight | Contribution | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Development activity | 47 | 0.09 | 4.5 | ✓ |
| Release cadence | 72 | 0.05 | 3.8 | ✓ |
| Stars | 70 | 0.03 | 1.8 | ✓ |
| Capabilities | 0 | 0.06 | 0.0 | - |
| Integrations | 0 | 0.07 | 0.0 | - |
| Dependent projects | 0 | 0.06 | 0.0 | ✓ |
| Security posture | 5 | 0.12 | 0.0 | - |
| Package downloads | 0 | 0.14 | 0.0 | - |
| Security score | 0 | 0.04 | 0.0 | - |
| Developer Q&A activity | 0 | 0.06 | 0.0 | - |
Computed . Re-weight it by intent, or see the full method.
All data & sourcesshow ↓
Every value we hold, with its source, retrieval date, and confidence. This is the evidence behind the score: don't trust it, verify it.
Activity
| Attribute | Value | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Commits last 30d | 31 | mediumsource · 2026-10-14 · 65% |
Adoption
Content
| Attribute | Value | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Faq | 6 items | mediumsource · 2026-09-10 · 68% |
Language
| Attribute | Value | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Primary | C | highsource · 2026-10-14 · 90% |
License
| Attribute | Value | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Spdx | BSD-3-Clause | highsource · 2026-10-14 · 95% |
Market
| Attribute | Value | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Availability | HqCountry: NL · PrimaryMarkets: … · AvailabilityScope: global · AvailableCountries: … · NotAvailableCountries: … | highsource · 2026-10-14 · 75% |
Pricing
Release
Security
| Attribute | Value | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Trust center | https://nlnetlabs.nl/security-report/ | mediumsource · 2026-10-14 · 60% |
| Disclosure policy | Yes | mediumsource · 2026-10-14 · 60% |
| Vulnerabilities | Count: 0 · Source: https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=go&package_name=github.com%2FNLNetLabs%2Funbound&per_page=100 · Last 12m: 0 | highsource · 2026-10-14 · 90% |
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