Simple DNS Plus review
A low-cost Windows DNS server with broad administration and security features.
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
Simple DNS Plus is a self-hosted authoritative and recursive DNS server for Windows. It is designed for administrators who need to host domains, manage zones and records, run primary or secondary DNS servers, or resolve and cache external domains. A Windows interface, remote management, and support for Windows Server Core suit teams managing DNS from Windows environments. The product is positioned for deployments ranging from a few domains to more than 100,000 domains.
Pricing is based on perpetual licenses rather than monthly subscriptions. The 5-zone license costs $79 for a single license or $69 per license with 2 or more licenses. The 25-zone options cost $129 or $99 per license, respectively; 100-zone options cost $189 or $149; and 1000-zone options cost $269 or $219. Each plan includes one year of free upgrade protection. A 14-day evaluation is available, but there is no free plan. The tier structure gives smaller teams a low entry price while providing higher zone limits for larger DNS environments.
Its strongest area is the breadth of DNS administration included in one Windows product. DNSSEC provides signing, key management, automatic re-signing, and key rollover. Zone version control adds comparison, export, and restore, while DNS over TLS and DNS over HTTPS address encrypted DNS requirements. Administrators can use primary, secondary, or automated super-slave operation, plus round-robin, weighted round-robin, and GeoDNS plug-ins. The REST/JSON HTTP API, Swagger/OpenAPI, CORS, Syslog, zone transfers, and plug-ins extend its integration options. Choose Simple DNS Plus if Windows compatibility and a broad self-hosted feature set matter more than cross-platform coverage. Teams requiring a non-Windows deployment should choose an alternative.
Simple DNS Plus pros and cons
- Where it wins
- Authoritative and recursive DNS with caching in one server
- DNSSEC, encrypted DNS, GeoDNS, logging and version control
- REST/JSON API, remote management and Windows Server Core support
- Where it doesn't
- Windows-only platform coverage
- No free plan; evaluation is limited to 14 days
- Perpetual licenses include one year of free upgrade protection
Simple DNS Plus fact sheet, pricing and score →
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