IBM Cloud DNS Services review
A hybrid-cloud DNS service with free secondary transfers, custom resolvers, and health checks.
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
IBM Cloud DNS Services provides managed public and private authoritative DNS through the IBM Cloud console and API. It is designed for organizations operating internet-facing domains alongside workloads in IBM Cloud VPCs or hybrid-cloud environments. Secondary DNS zones can transfer from customer-operated DNS servers using AXFR or IXFR, while custom resolvers support private VPC name resolution. The service also includes zone and resource-record management, authoritative nameservers for secondary domains, and split-horizon DNS support.
According to IBM’s pricing page, the free allowance covers the first DNS zone and first million queries. The published pricing model is freemium, making the service suitable for evaluating a small DNS deployment or maintaining a single zone within that allowance. Secondary-zone operations add configurable transfer intervals and manual transfers, while paid deployments are suited to workloads that exceed the free zone and query scope. The catalog does not present a numeric paid-plan price, so buyers should evaluate cost against zone and query requirements before expanding.
The strongest fit is a hybrid-cloud DNS architecture that needs both authoritative public DNS and private VPC resolution. API access, IPv6 support, split-horizon DNS, and health checks for HTTP, HTTPS, and TCP-based global load balancing broaden its operational scope. The service is less compelling for teams seeking a narrowly focused secondary-only tool or a workflow without manual transfer controls. Organizations already operating across IBM Cloud VPCs and public environments should consider it first; simpler DNS needs may not require its broader resolver and load-balancing features.
IBM Cloud DNS Services pros and cons
- Where it wins
- Free first DNS zone and first million queries
- AXFR, IXFR, manual transfers, and configurable intervals
- Split-horizon DNS with HTTP, HTTPS, and TCP health checks
- Where it doesn't
- Paid deployments extend beyond the free DNS-zone allowance
- Manual transfers remain part of the secondary-zone workflow
- Private resolver features focus on VPC and hybrid-cloud environments
IBM Cloud DNS Services fact sheet, pricing and score →
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