The Best Secondary DNS Services in 2026
We researched secondary DNS services from official websites, including pricing pages, plan tables, and product documentation. Rankings reflect the category’s core job—redundant authoritative zone synchronization—along with value for money and verified features such as transfer support, health checks, API access, and capacity.
Our top picks
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Top ranked
ClouDNS#1 of 399.4/10A broad secondary DNS service with automation, routing, monitoring, and API access.
Free plan
-
Runner-up
ice.domains Secondary DNS#2 of 399.2/10A free secondary DNS service with unlimited zones, records, DNSSEC, API access, and Anycast.
Free plan
-
Top-ranked free plan
le_dns Secondary DNS Hosting#3 of 399.0/10A free, standards-based secondary DNS service for primary DNS run elsewhere.
Free plan
Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. Bought places stand at the number bought; this page and our disclosure say so. Paying vendors may get a fuller, more detailed review from our editors, and that review can change their score. How we rank.
The full ranking 39 tools, best first
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Best forBroad secondary DNS with automation
A broad secondary DNS service with automation, routing, monitoring, and API access.
- Health checks
- API access
9.4/10★★★★★Visit ClouDNS -
Best forUnlimited free secondary DNS
A free secondary DNS service with unlimited zones, records, DNSSEC, API access, and Anycast.
- DNSSEC support
- IPv6 support
- API access
9.2/10★★★★★Visit ice.domains -
Best forFree standards-based redundancy
A free, standards-based secondary DNS service for primary DNS run elsewhere.
- Health checks
- API access
9.0/10★★★★☆Visit le_dns -
Best forAffordable AXFR secondary DNS
A low-cost AXFR secondary DNS service with a useful free tier and scalable upgrades.
- Health checks
- API access
8.9/10★★★★☆Visit BuddyNS -
Best forMature paid secondary DNS
A paid secondary DNS service with transfers, failover monitoring, DNSSEC, and API access.
- DNSSEC support
- IPv6 support
- Health checks
8.8/10★★★★☆Visit easyDNS -
Best forLow-cost multi-server secondary DNS
A low-cost secondary DNS service for multi-server deployments and primary DNS redundancy.
- DNSSEC support
- IPv6 support
- API access
8.7/10★★★★☆Visit DNS Unlimited -
Best forManaged synchronization and monitoring
A focused secondary DNS service with monitoring, automation, and hosting-panel integrations.
- Health checks
- API access
8.6/10★★★★☆Visit SecondDNS -
Best forEnterprise global secondary DNS
A global, API-enabled secondary DNS service for enterprise and public-sector environments.
- DNSSEC support
- IPv6 support
- Health checks
8.5/10★★★★☆Visit Netnod -
Best forEnterprise managed DNS with advanced routing
A secondary DNS service with failover, traffic steering, DNSSEC, analytics, and API access.
- Health checks
- API access
8.4/10★★★★☆Visit DNS Made Easy -
Best forAdvanced traffic steering and failover
A paid secondary DNS service for advanced traffic steering and monitoring-triggered failover.
- Health checks
- API access
8.3/10★★★★☆Visit CloudFloorDNS -
Best forBranded managed secondary DNS
A capable managed DNS service for organizations that need branded secondary DNS.
- API access
8.2/10★★★★☆Visit RcodeZero -
Best forHigh-capacity managed Anycast DNS
A high-capacity managed DNS service for secondary synchronization and traffic resilience.
- DNSSEC support
- IPv6 support
- Health checks
8.1/10★★★★☆Visit NuCloud DNS -
Best forEnterprise traffic-managed secondary DNS
Enterprise DNS management with advanced steering, monitoring, security, and API control.
- Health checks
- API access
8.0/10★★★★☆Visit DigiCert -
Best forAkamai-connected enterprise DNS
Enterprise secondary DNS with Anycast, DNSSEC, traffic steering, and automation.
- Health checks
- API access
7.9/10★★★★☆Visit Akamai -
Best forTeams seeking broad DNS with secondary DNS
A broad DNS platform with free authoritative DNS and enterprise secondary DNS.
- Health checks
- API access
7.8/10★★★★☆Visit Cloudflare -
Best forOracle Cloud infrastructure users
A feature-rich OCI DNS service for primary, secondary, and traffic-managed configurations.
- Health checks
- API access
7.7/10★★★★☆Visit Oracle Cloud -
Best forAlibaba Cloud customers needing secondary DNS
A broad Alibaba Cloud DNS suite with capable secondary DNS and traffic controls.
- Health checks
- API access
7.6/10★★★★☆Visit site -
Best forCanadian and global Anycast DNS
A managed secondary DNS service for resilient Canadian and global authoritative DNS.
- API access
7.5/10★★★★☆Visit CIRA -
Best forLarge enterprises needing DNS observability
A capable enterprise DNS service with strong automation and a $99/month entry point.
- DNSSEC support
- Health checks
- API access
7.4/10★★★★☆Try IBM NS1 Connect -
Best forAffordable managed secondary DNS from a mature provider
A low-cost secondary DNS add-on for organizations already using IONOS.
- DNSSEC support
- API access
7.3/10★★★★☆Visit IONOS -
Best forLow-cost Anycast secondary zones
A credit-based Anycast secondary DNS service for externally operated primaries.
7.2/10★★★★☆Visit ZoneEdit -
Best forSimple free secondary DNS
A focused free secondary DNS service for eligible Mythic Beasts customers.
- IPv6 support
- API access
7.1/10★★★★☆Visit Mythic Beasts -
Best forOperators needing free Anycast AXFR/IXFR service
A focused free secondary DNS service with AXFR/IXFR, DNSSEC, and global anycast delivery.
- DNSSEC support
- IPv6 support
7.0/10★★★★☆Visit NS-Global -
Best forFree secondary DNS with broad record support
A capable free secondary DNS service with broad record and update support.
- API access
6.9/10★★★☆☆Visit site -
Best forFree developer-oriented secondary DNS
A free, API-friendly secondary DNS service for developer workflows.
- API access
6.8/10★★★☆☆Visit Hetzner DNS -
Best forBudget secondary DNS for basic redundancy
Low-cost secondary DNS with AXFR/IXFR, NOTIFY, IPv4 and IPv6 support.
- IPv6 support
- Health checks
6.7/10★★★☆☆Visit AAISP -
Best forLogged, authenticated secondary DNS
A logged, authenticated secondary DNS service for teams running their own primary DNS.
- DNSSEC support
- IPv6 support
- API access
6.6/10★★★☆☆Visit RollerNet -
Best forDynamic DNS users needing backup DNS
A flexible DNS service for changing IPs, backup DNS, and router-based updates.
- IPv6 support
- API access
6.5/10★★★☆☆Visit FreeDNS -
Best forHybrid-cloud secondary DNS
A hybrid-cloud DNS service with free secondary transfers, custom resolvers, and health checks.
- IPv6 support
- Health checks
- API access
6.4/10★★★☆☆Visit IBM Cloud -
Best forLow-cost managed DNS with OctoDNS
Low-cost managed DNS with Anycast, automation integrations, and OctoDNS-based secondary DNS.
- Health checks
- API access
6.3/10★★★☆☆Visit Gcore -
Best forLow-cost API-first DNS users
A low-cost, API-first DNS service with AXFR secondary DNS and broad DNS controls.
- API access
6.2/10★★★☆☆Visit DNSimple -
Best forOpen-source DNS operators needing control
A free, open-source choice for operators who want deep authoritative DNS control.
- API access
6.1/10★★★☆☆Visit Knot DNS -
Best forSelf-hosted authoritative DNS teams
A capable self-hosted DNS foundation for teams that want control over primary and secondary zones.
6.0/10★★★☆☆Visit ISC -
Best forAPI-driven self-hosted DNS
A broad authoritative DNS server for teams that want API control and self-hosted deployment.
- API access
5.9/10★★★☆☆Visit PowerDNS -
Best forPowerDNS fleet management
Centralized PowerDNS zone control with DNSSEC, RBAC, auditability, and rollback.
- API access
5.8/10★★★☆☆Visit PowerDNS -
Best forFree secondary DNS for .fi domains
A focused, no-cost secondary DNS service for registrars managing .fi domains.
5.7/10★★★☆☆Visit Traficom DNS -
Best forHidden-master DNS redundancy
A focused secondary DNS service for hidden-master redundancy and outage continuity.
5.6/10★★★☆☆Contact Sonic -
Best forSecurity teams needing WAF protection
A capable hybrid WAF platform, but not a secondary DNS service.
2.0/10★☆☆☆☆Visit F5 -
Best forUsers seeking general web hosting
A broad shared-hosting service, but a poor fit for secondary DNS needs.
1.0/10☆☆☆☆☆Visit WEDOS
No tools match those filters.
Compare at a glance
| # | Tool | Free plan | Paid from | Health checks | API access | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ClouDNS | Yes | $2.95/mo | Yes | Yes | 9.4 |
| 2 | ice.domains Secondary DNS | Yes | Free | Yes | 9.2 | |
| 3 | le_dns Secondary DNS Hosting | Yes | Free | Yes | Yes | 9.0 |
| 4 | BuddyNS | Yes | $3/mo | Yes | Yes | 8.9 |
| 5 | easyDNS Secondary DNS | No | $20/yr | Yes | Yes | 8.8 |
| 6 | DNS Unlimited Secondary DNS | No | $5/mo | Yes | 8.7 | |
| 7 | SecondDNS | No | €3/mo | Yes | Yes | 8.6 |
| 8 | Netnod Secondary DNS | No | Yes | Yes | 8.5 | |
| 9 | DNS Made Easy | No | Yes | Yes | 8.4 | |
| 10 | CloudFloorDNS | No | $8/mo | Yes | Yes | 8.3 |
| 11 | RcodeZero DNS | No | €22/mo | Yes | 8.2 | |
| 12 | NuCloud DNS | Yes | Yes | 8.1 | ||
| 13 | UltraDNS | Yes | Yes | 8.0 | ||
| 14 | Akamai Edge DNS | No | Yes | Yes | 7.9 | |
| 15 | Cloudflare DNS | Yes | $20/mo | Yes | Yes | 7.8 |
| 16 | Oracle Cloud Infrastructure DNS | No | Yes | Yes | 7.7 | |
| 17 | Alibaba Cloud DNS | Yes | $7/site/yr | Yes | Yes | 7.6 |
| 18 | CIRA Anycast DNS | Yes | 7.5 | |||
| 19 | IBM NS1 Connect | No | $99/mo | Yes | Yes | 7.4 |
| 20 | IONOS DNS Pro | No | $2.50/mo | No | Yes | 7.3 |
| 21 | ZoneEdit Secondary DNS | No | 7.2 | |||
| 22 | Mythic Beasts Secondary DNS | Yes | Free | Yes | 7.1 | |
| 23 | NS-Global | Yes | Free | 7.0 | ||
| 24 | Hurricane Electric Hosted DNS | Yes | Free | Yes | 6.9 | |
| 25 | Hetzner DNS | Yes | Free | Yes | 6.8 | |
| 26 | AAISP Secondary DNS | No | £1/mo | Yes | 6.7 | |
| 27 | RollerNet Secondary DNS | No | $30/yr | No | Yes | 6.6 |
| 28 | FreeDNS | Yes | $5/mo | Yes | 6.5 | |
| 29 | IBM Cloud DNS Services | Yes | Yes | Yes | 6.4 | |
| 30 | Gcore Managed DNS | Yes | €2.49/mo | Yes | Yes | 6.3 |
| 31 | DNSimple | Yes | $0.50/mo | No | Yes | 6.2 |
| 32 | Knot DNS | Yes | Free | Yes | 6.1 | |
| 33 | BIND 9 | Yes | Free | 6.0 | ||
| 34 | PowerDNS Authoritative Server | Free | Yes | 5.9 | ||
| 35 | PowerDNS ZoneControl | No | $9,800/yr | Yes | 5.8 | |
| 36 | Traficom Anycast DNS | Yes | Free | 5.7 | ||
| 37 | Sonic Secondary DNS Service | 5.6 | ||||
| 38 | F5 WAF for Distributed Cloud | No | 2.0 | |||
| 39 | WEDOS | 1.0 |
Head-to-head All 28 comparisons →
- ClouDNS vs ice.domains Secondary DNS
- ClouDNS vs le_dns Secondary DNS Hosting
- ClouDNS vs BuddyNS
- ClouDNS vs easyDNS Secondary DNS
- ClouDNS vs DNS Unlimited Secondary DNS
- ClouDNS vs SecondDNS
- ClouDNS vs Netnod Secondary DNS
- ice.domains Secondary DNS vs le_dns Secondary DNS Hosting
- ice.domains Secondary DNS vs BuddyNS
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How we rank secondary DNS services
Every tool on this page was researched by iTechGuides Editors from its official website — pricing pages, plan tables and product documentation. We rank on how well each one does this category's core job, what the free or entry plan includes, and where it falls short. Where we have enough verified facts, the score out of 10 is a rubric — job fit, value and how much we could verify — shown with its breakdown on every tool's page; a tool we have not verified enough to score yet shows its rank without a number. Scores are re-checked when a product changes its plans. Read the full editorial policy, or submit a tool we missed.
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
Last updated · How we research and update