NextDNS
Last updated: 27 October 2026
NextDNS is an ad blocker and security filter that works at the DNS level, so one setting covers every app on a phone, laptop or router. The free plan handles 300,000 lookups a month, and NextDNS Pro costs £1.79 a month or £17.90 a year for unlimited use. It also adds parental controls, and Firefox has offered it as a built-in secure DNS option since 2019.
Try the NextDNS ad blocker free
The NextDNS link on this page is a referral link. If you sign up through it, I may get a reward at no extra cost to you. NextDNS does not choose what I say about it.
What NextDNS is
Every time a device opens a website or an app talks to a server, it asks a DNS service for that server's address. NextDNS answers those questions for you. When the address belongs to an ad network, a tracker or a known scam site, it refuses to answer, so the content never loads.
Because the blocking happens before anything downloads, it works inside apps as well as browsers. NextDNS Inc was founded by Romain Cointepas and Olivier Poitrey, who previously worked at Dailymotion and Netflix.
What the NextDNS ad blocker does
- Security: blocks malware, phishing and cryptojacking sites using threat lists, including Google Safe Browsing.
- Privacy: blocks ads and trackers on websites and in apps, using blocklists you choose.
- Parental controls: blocks adult and violent sites, forces SafeSearch and YouTube Restricted Mode, and can block apps such as TikTok or Fortnite.
- Recreation Time: allows chosen apps and games only at set times of day.
- Logs: keep them from one hour to two years, store them in the UK, EU, US or Switzerland, or switch them off.
- Encryption: supports DNS-over-HTTPS and DNS-over-TLS, so your network provider cannot read the lookups.
Key facts
- Free plan: 300,000 queries a month, unlimited devices, every feature
- Pro plan: £1.79 a month or £17.90 a year, unlimited queries, for personal and family use
- Business and education: £17.90 a month or £179 a year for every 50 staff or 250 students
- Payment: card, PayPal or cryptocurrency, charged in pounds
- Works on: all major phone and computer platforms, plus routers
- Sign-up: you can try it without an account, then sign up to save your settings
Who NextDNS suits
- Parents: one profile can filter a child's phone on wifi and on mobile data.
- Households with smart devices: set NextDNS on the router and the TV, speakers and cameras are covered too.
- Anyone who wants fewer trackers: the logs show which companies each device contacts.
If your router lets you change its DNS settings, that is the quickest way to cover the house. Our page on the eero 6 mesh wifi 3-pack covers the eero mesh system and its UK price.
The limits
The free plan stops blocking once you pass 300,000 queries in a month. NextDNS keeps answering like an ordinary DNS service, so the internet still works, but ads and trackers come back until the month resets. If you hit the limit regularly, Pro at £17.90 a year removes it.
DNS blocking works by domain name. So it cannot remove ads that come from the same address as the content you want.
Support on the Free and Pro plans comes from the community forum. Email support is only for business and education plans.
Setting it up on each device or on the router takes some care. Get it wrong and a device just uses its normal DNS without any filtering.
Where to get NextDNS in the UK
NextDNS sells direct from its website, priced in pounds. Firefox added it to its Trusted Recursive Resolver programme in December 2019. That means NextDNS signed up to Mozilla's rules on how much data a DNS provider may keep.
FAQs
Is the NextDNS ad blocker free?
Yes, for up to 300,000 queries a month with every feature included. Pro removes the limit for £1.79 a month or £17.90 a year.
Does NextDNS block ads in apps?
Yes. It blocks ad and tracker domains at the DNS level, so it works inside apps as well as in the browser.
Can NextDNS block TikTok or other apps for children?
Yes. Its parental controls can block specific apps and games, and Recreation Time allows them only at set times.
What happens when the free NextDNS quota runs out?
NextDNS keeps answering lookups like a normal DNS service, but it stops blocking until the next month.
Can I use NextDNS on my router?
Yes, if the router lets you change its DNS settings. That covers every device on your wifi at once.
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