Cloudflare DNS vs Gcore Managed DNS

Cloudflare DNS9.4Visit Gcore Managed DNS9.2Visit

Higher score Cloudflare DNS #1 in Anycast DNS Services 9.4/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 4 of 5 features Visit Cloudflare

vs

Gcore Managed DNS #2 in Anycast DNS Services 9.2/10 Free plan · 14-day trial Free planFree trial✓ 4 of 5 features Visit Gcore

• Cloudflare DNS fits best

  Teams seeking managed anycast DNS and API automation

• Gcore Managed DNS fits best

  Small teams needing affordable managed Anycast DNS

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Side by side

Feature	Cloudflare DNS 9.4/10 Visit ↗	Gcore Managed DNS 9.2/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.4	9.2
Ranking	#1 in Anycast DNS Services	#2 in Anycast DNS Services
Best for	Teams seeking managed anycast DNS and API automation	Small teams needing affordable managed Anycast DNS
Pricing model	Free plan + paid	Free plan + paid
Starting price	$20/mo	€2.49/mo
Free plan	✓	✓
Free trial	—	14 days
Deployment	Cloud	Cloud
Platforms	Web	Web
Integrations	2 integrations	4 integrations
Features Cloudflare DNS 4/5 · Gcore Managed DNS 4/5
DNSSEC signing	✓	✓
Geo-based steering	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
DNS health checks	✓	✓
Secondary DNS	✓	✓
API access	✓	✓
Specs
Anycast locations	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Our review
Pros	Free plan includes DNS and authoritative record management Supports DNSSEC, CNAME flattening, and DNS analytics API automation plus Terraform and Ansible integrations	Free plan plus Pro pricing from €2.49 per month Advanced GeoDNS, traffic routing, and load balancing DNSSEC, health checks, API, and infrastructure integrations
Cons	Health checks and traffic steering require the Load Balancing add-on Secondary DNS is available to Enterprise customers Pro and Business are billed annually at their listed prices	Enterprise pricing is available only by quotation The Pro price excludes VAT The 14-day free trial applies to Pro, not Free
Our verdict	Cloudflare DNS provides authoritative DNS hosting and record management, serving responses through Cloudflare’s global network. It is suited to teams that want managed anycast DNS, DNSSEC, analytics, and API automation, with a free plan… Read the review →	Gcore Managed DNS provides authoritative DNS hosting for businesses and infrastructure teams. Its Anycast DNS approach is paired with DDoS-protected DNS, IPv4/IPv6 support, DNSSEC signing, advanced GeoDNS, traffic routing, and low-TTL… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• Cloudflare DNS — where it wins

  • Free plan includes DNS and authoritative record management
  • Supports DNSSEC, CNAME flattening, and DNS analytics
  • API automation plus Terraform and Ansible integrations

  Where it doesn't

  • Health checks and traffic steering require the Load Balancing add-on
  • Secondary DNS is available to Enterprise customers
  • Pro and Business are billed annually at their listed prices

• Gcore Managed DNS — where it wins

  • Free plan plus Pro pricing from €2.49 per month
  • Advanced GeoDNS, traffic routing, and load balancing
  • DNSSEC, health checks, API, and infrastructure integrations

  Where it doesn't

  • Enterprise pricing is available only by quotation
  • The Pro price excludes VAT
  • The 14-day free trial applies to Pro, not Free

• Cloudflare DNS9.4/10 · Free plan

  Free authoritative DNS with advanced steering and failover through a separate add-on.

  Visit CloudflareFull verdict →
• Gcore Managed DNS9.2/10 · Free plan · 14-day trial

  Affordable Anycast DNS with routing, health checks, DNSSEC, and automation integrations.

  Visit GcoreFull verdict →