BuddyNS vs SecondDNS

BuddyNS8.9Visit SecondDNS8.6Visit

Higher score BuddyNS #4 in Secondary DNS Services 8.9/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 2 of 4 features Visit BuddyNS

vs

SecondDNS #7 in Secondary DNS Services 8.6/10 90-day trial Free trial✓ 2 of 4 features Visit SecondDNS

• BuddyNS fits best

  Affordable AXFR secondary DNS

• SecondDNS fits best

  Managed synchronization and monitoring

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Side by side

Feature	BuddyNS 8.9/10 Visit ↗	SecondDNS 8.6/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	8.9	8.6
Ranking	#4 in Secondary DNS Services	#7 in Secondary DNS Services
Best for	Affordable AXFR secondary DNS	Managed synchronization and monitoring
Pricing model	Free plan + paid	Paid
Starting price	$3/mo	€3/mo
Free plan	✓ (best)	—
Free trial	—	90 days
Deployment	Cloud	Cloud
Platforms	Web	Web
Support	Email, Docs	Email, Community, Docs
Built for	Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features BuddyNS 2/4 · SecondDNS 2/4
Health checks	✓	✓
DNSSEC support	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
API access	✓	✓
IPv6 support	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Specs
Transfer protocols	Not checked yet	Axfr_and_ixfr
Zone limit	Not checked yet	20 zones
Secondary nameservers	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Our review
Pros	Free secondary DNS replication with commercial use permitted REST API, health checks, SyncNOW, IPv6, and notifications Anycast, DNSSEC, MFA, and DDoS protection on higher tiers	AXFR and IXFR synchronization across paid tiers REST API, dashboard, health checks, and alerts Integrations for cPanel, Plesk, and monitoring tools
Cons	Anycast and DNSSEC start at the Astronaut plan Advanced support and infrastructure require higher-tier plans Enterprise pricing is substantially higher than Pro and Astronaut	No ongoing free plan after the three-month trial IXFR starts only on Pro and higher plans Premium support and custom SLA require the top tier
Our verdict	BuddyNS provides secondary DNS replication from an existing primary DNS server using AXFR and related DNS mechanisms. It is aimed at individuals, small businesses, organizations, ISPs, and enterprises that need authoritative DNS continuity… Read the review →	SecondDNS is a hosted secondary DNS service for developers, small businesses, agencies, hosting providers, and infrastructure teams. It keeps read-only copies of DNS zones synchronized from a primary server through AXFR, with IXFR… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• BuddyNS — where it wins

  • Free secondary DNS replication with commercial use permitted
  • REST API, health checks, SyncNOW, IPv6, and notifications
  • Anycast, DNSSEC, MFA, and DDoS protection on higher tiers

  Where it doesn't

  • Anycast and DNSSEC start at the Astronaut plan
  • Advanced support and infrastructure require higher-tier plans
  • Enterprise pricing is substantially higher than Pro and Astronaut

• SecondDNS — where it wins

  • AXFR and IXFR synchronization across paid tiers
  • REST API, dashboard, health checks, and alerts
  • Integrations for cPanel, Plesk, and monitoring tools

  Where it doesn't

  • No ongoing free plan after the three-month trial
  • IXFR starts only on Pro and higher plans
  • Premium support and custom SLA require the top tier

• BuddyNS8.9/10 · Free plan

  A low-cost AXFR secondary DNS service with a useful free tier and scalable upgrades.

  Visit BuddyNSFull verdict →
• SecondDNS8.6/10 · 90-day trial

  A focused secondary DNS service with monitoring, automation, and hosting-panel integrations.

  Visit SecondDNSFull verdict →