Gcore Managed DNS vs IBM NS1 Connect

Gcore Managed DNS9.3Visit IBM NS1 Connect9.1Visit

Higher score Gcore Managed DNS #1 in Managed DNS Services 9.3/10 Free plan · 14-day trial Free planFree trial✓ 4 of 4 features Visit Gcore

vs

IBM NS1 Connect #3 in Managed DNS Services 9.1/10 30-day trial Free trial✓ 4 of 4 features Try IBM NS1 Connect

• Gcore Managed DNS fits best

  Teams seeking low-cost DNS with advanced routing

• IBM NS1 Connect fits best

  Enterprise traffic steering and DNS automation

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Side by side

Feature	Gcore Managed DNS 9.3/10 Visit ↗	IBM NS1 Connect 9.1/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.3	9.1
Ranking	#1 in Managed DNS Services	#3 in Managed DNS Services
Best for	Teams seeking low-cost DNS with advanced routing	Enterprise traffic steering and DNS automation
Pricing model	Free plan + paid	Paid
Starting price	€2.49/mo	$99/mo
Free plan	✓ (best)	—
Free trial	14 days	30 days
Free trial length	14 days	30 days
Deployment	Cloud	Cloud
Platforms	Web	Web
Integrations	4 integrations	16 integrations
Features Gcore Managed DNS 4/4 · IBM NS1 Connect 4/4
DNSSEC support	✓	✓
DNS health checks	✓	✓
API access	✓	✓
Secondary DNS	✓	✓
Specs
Included zones	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Traffic steering	Advanced	Advanced
Our review
Pros	Pro is priced at €2.49 per month, with a separate free plan. Includes DNSSEC, DDoS-protected Anycast DNS, and advanced traffic routing. Offers API access and integrations with Terraform, OctoDNS, and Kubernetes ExternalDNS.	Steers traffic by performance, availability, geography and policy Health checks can trigger automated failover Supports DNSSEC, zone versioning and primary-secondary DNS
Cons	Enterprise plan pricing is available by quotation. The advertised Pro price excludes VAT. The 14-day free trial is for Pro; the Free plan is not a trial.	No free plan; paid Essentials starts at $99 per month Essentials includes only 2 health check monitors Essentials includes just 1 traffic filter chain
Our verdict	Gcore Managed DNS provides authoritative DNS hosting for businesses and infrastructure teams that need traffic steering and health checks alongside DNS hosting. It combines Anycast DNS with DDoS protection, DNSSEC signing, IPv4/IPv6… Read the review →	IBM NS1 Connect is a managed authoritative DNS service for organizations that need traffic control, DNS resilience and API-driven operations. Its global anycast network provides the foundation for routing based on performance,… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• Gcore Managed DNS — where it wins

  • Pro is priced at €2.49 per month, with a separate free plan.
  • Includes DNSSEC, DDoS-protected Anycast DNS, and advanced traffic routing.
  • Offers API access and integrations with Terraform, OctoDNS, and Kubernetes ExternalDNS.

  Where it doesn't

  • Enterprise plan pricing is available by quotation.
  • The advertised Pro price excludes VAT.
  • The 14-day free trial is for Pro; the Free plan is not a trial.

• IBM NS1 Connect — where it wins

  • Steers traffic by performance, availability, geography and policy
  • Health checks can trigger automated failover
  • Supports DNSSEC, zone versioning and primary-secondary DNS

  Where it doesn't

  • No free plan; paid Essentials starts at $99 per month
  • Essentials includes only 2 health check monitors
  • Essentials includes just 1 traffic filter chain

• Gcore Managed DNS9.3/10 · Free plan · 14-day trial

  A low-cost managed DNS service with advanced routing, DNSSEC, health checks, and API access.

  Visit GcoreFull verdict →
• IBM NS1 Connect9.1/10 · 30-day trial

  Managed authoritative DNS with traffic steering, failover and API-driven automation.

  Try IBM NS1 ConnectFull verdict →