PC Slower Than It Used to Be?
A free scan shows the junk files, broken settings and background clutter dragging Windows down - then fixes them in one click.Free scan · Windows 10 & 11Outdated Drivers Are Slowing You Down
One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware matchiTechGuides is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Learn more
You might choose Quad9’s 9.9.9.9 over Cloudflare’s standard 1.1.1.1 because Quad9 blocks DNS requests for domains associated with malicious activity—not because it is proven faster. The standard Cloudflare resolver does not filter content, although Cloudflare offers separate filtered Families endpoints. Which service fits depends on whether you prefer threat blocking, an unfiltered resolver, or a particular provider’s privacy and configuration choices.
What changes when you switch?
A DNS resolver looks up the address associated with a domain name when your device needs to reach it. Changing resolvers changes which service receives those lookups and, in this comparison, whether known threat-associated domains are blocked. It does not by itself establish that websites will load faster: performance depends on your network, location, resolver routing, and other factors, and no comparable location-specific benchmark is available here.
The title’s wording does not establish an individual user’s actual reason for switching. Filtering, privacy disclosures, and service configuration are documented trade-offs a reader can weigh; they should not be mistaken for a verified personal motivation.
How the default services differ
| Service | Default behavior | IPv4 addresses | IPv6 addresses |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cloudflare standard 1.1.1.1 | No content filtering | 1.1.1.1 and 1.0.0.1 | 2606:4700:4700::1111 and 2606:4700:4700::1001 |
| Quad9 secure 9.9.9.9 | Blocks DNS requests for domains associated with malicious activity, including malware, phishing, and scams | 9.9.9.9 and 149.112.112.112 | 2620:fe::fe and 2620:fe::9 |
These behaviors and addresses are listed in Cloudflare’s resolver documentation and Quad9’s service documentation. Threat blocking is one protective layer, not a guarantee that every harmful domain will be detected or that a device is otherwise protected.
#1 Best Overall
- DUAL-BAND WIFI 6 ROUTER: Wi-Fi 6(802.11ax) technology achieves faster speeds, greater capacity and reduced network congestion compared to the previous gen. All WiFi routers require a separate modem. Dual-Band WiFi routers do not support the 6 GHz band.
- AX1800: Enjoy smoother and more stable streaming, gaming, downloading with 1.8 Gbps total bandwidth (up to 1200 Mbps on 5 GHz and up to 574 Mbps on 2.4 GHz). Performance varies by conditions, distance to devices, and obstacles such as walls.
- CONNECT MORE DEVICES: Wi-Fi 6 technology communicates more data to more devices simultaneously using revolutionary OFDMA technology
- EXTENSIVE COVERAGE: Achieve the strong, reliable WiFi coverage with Archer AX1800 as it focuses signal strength to your devices far away using Beamforming technology, 4 high-gain antennas and an advanced front-end module (FEM) chipset
- OUR CYBERSECURITY COMMITMENT: TP-Link is a signatory of the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s (CISA) Secure-by-Design pledge. This device is designed, built, and maintained, with advanced security as a core requirement.
If you want filtering but prefer Cloudflare
Cloudflare’s Families service is separate from its standard resolver. The 1.1.1.2 / 1.0.0.2 addresses block malware; 1.1.1.3 / 1.0.0.3 block malware and adult content. These options make “Cloudflare has no filtering” an inaccurate generalization: it is the standard 1.1.1.1 service that is unfiltered. Cloudflare lists setup instructions for supported devices and routers in its resolver setup guide.
If you want Quad9 without threat blocking
Quad9 lists 9.9.9.10 as an option without threat blocking. It also lists 9.9.9.11 for threat blocking with EDNS Client Subnet (ECS), and 9.9.9.12 for ECS without threat blocking. Quad9 recommends those ECS variants for users who do not route to the closest service location and want better CDN performance. ECS changes how subnet information is handled, so it is a configuration choice—not a blanket speed or privacy upgrade. See Quad9’s endpoint details before choosing an address.
Rank #2
- Dual-band Wi-Fi with 5 GHz speeds up to 867 Mbps and 2.4 GHz speeds up to 300 Mbps, delivering 1200 Mbps of total bandwidth¹. Dual-band routers do not support 6 GHz. Performance varies by conditions, distance to devices, and obstacles such as walls.
- Covers up to 1,000 sq. ft. with four external antennas for stable wireless connections and optimal coverage.
- Supports IGMP Proxy/Snooping, Bridge and Tag VLAN to optimize IPTV streaming
- Access Point Mode - Supports AP Mode to transform your wired connection into wireless network, an ideal wireless router for home
- Advanced Security with WPA3 - The latest Wi-Fi security protocol, WPA3, brings new capabilities to improve cybersecurity in personal networks
What the providers say about privacy
The providers’ public statements describe different practices, but they are not a head-to-head independent audit. Cloudflare’s April 1, 2026 post says source IP addresses associated with 1.1.1.1 are anonymized and deleted within 25 hours. It also says at most 0.05% of network traffic is randomly sampled, including querying IP addresses, solely for troubleshooting and attack mitigation. These are Cloudflare’s reported practices and figures; the post describes an examination of its privacy commitments. Read Cloudflare’s statement for its account and linked report.
Quad9’s Data and Privacy Policy, version 1.1, published June 24, 2026, says it does not collect or record user IP addresses or another unique individual identifier. The policy also describes aggregate counters and limited telemetry associated with malicious domains, including query labels and timing as well as broad geographic or network-prefix counters. It separately addresses anomalous conditions involving suspected attacks against or through its infrastructure. So “Quad9 collects nothing” would overstate the policy. These are Quad9’s disclosures, not a measured comparison with Cloudflare. The current Quad9 policy provides the details.
Rank #3
- NIGHTHAWK WIFI 6 ROUTER FOR YOUR WHOLE HOME: Delivers fast, reliable WiFi across every room of your apartment or small home for streaming, gaming, video calls, and smart home devices, all running at the same time without slowing each other down.
- WORKS WITH YOUR EXISTING INTERNET SERVICE: Pairs with your existing modem or gateway via ethernet. Compatible with most cable, fiber, DSL, and satellite providers. Some gateways and modem router combos may require bridge mode. No coax needed.
- SET UP AND MANAGE YOUR NETWORK WITH THE NIGHTHAWK APP: Download the free Nighthawk app on iOS or Android for guided setup. Manage WiFi, run speed tests, pause devices, and set up guest networks from anywhere. Active internet required.
- READY FOR THE DEVICES YOU ALREADY OWN: Your phones, laptops, and TVs work right out of the box. WiFi 6 delivers speeds up to 1.8 Gbps across 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands. Backward compatible with WiFi 5 and earlier.
- COVERAGE IN EVERY ROOM: Covers up to 1,500 sq. ft. for up to 20 connected devices. Walls, floors, and interference can reduce range. Larger or multi-story homes may benefit from a NETGEAR Orbi mesh WiFi system.
Encrypted DNS protects the connection, not the query from the resolver
DNS over TLS (DoT) and DNS over HTTPS (DoH) encrypt DNS traffic between your device and the resolver. That helps prevent intermediaries on the route from reading queries in transit; the resolver still receives the domain name it must look up. Cloudflare documents DoT over a TLS-encrypted TCP connection on port 853, supporting TLS 1.2 and 1.3. Quad9 documents DoT, DoH, and DNSCrypt for its services. For Quad9’s secure service, the DoT hostname is dns.quad9.net and the DoH endpoint is https://dns.quad9.net/dns-query. Protocol availability and setup depend on the client or device you configure. See Cloudflare’s DoT explanation and Quad9’s service details.
Cloudflare also describes Oblivious DoH (ODoH) as a way to separate the client IP from the readable query: a proxy sees the client IP but cannot read the encrypted query, while the target resolves the query but sees the proxy IP. That separation depends on the proxy and target not colluding. Cloudflare notes that RFC 9230 is experimental and not endorsed by the IETF; ODoH should not be confused with ordinary DoH. Details are in Cloudflare’s ODoH documentation.
Rank #4
- 𝐅𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞-𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲 𝐖𝐢-𝐅𝐢 𝟕 - Designed with the latest Wi-Fi 7 technology, featuring Multi-Link Operation (MLO), Multi-RUs, and 4K-QAM. Achieve optimized performance on latest WiFi 7 laptops and devices, like the iPhone 16 Pro, and Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra.
- 𝟔-𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦, 𝐃𝐮𝐚𝐥-𝐁𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐖𝐢-𝐅𝐢 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝟔.𝟓 𝐆𝐛𝐩𝐬 𝐓𝐨𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐁𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐰𝐢𝐝𝐭𝐡 - Achieve full speeds of up to 5764 Mbps on the 5GHz band and 688 Mbps on the 2.4 GHz band with 6 streams. Enjoy seamless 4K/8K streaming, AR/VR gaming, and incredibly fast downloads/uploads.
- 𝐖𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 - Get up to 2,400 sq. ft. max coverage for up to 90 devices at a time. 6x high performance antennas and Beamforming technology, ensures reliable connections for remote workers, gamers, students, and more.
- 𝐔𝐥𝐭𝐫𝐚-𝐅𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝟐.𝟓 𝐆𝐛𝐩𝐬 𝐖𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 - 1x 2.5 Gbps WAN/LAN port, 1x 2.5 Gbps LAN port and 3x 1 Gbps LAN ports offer high-speed data transmissions.³ Integrate with a multi-gig modem for gigplus internet.
- 𝐎𝐮𝐫 𝐂𝐲𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 - TP-Link is a signatory of the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s (CISA) Secure-by-Design pledge. This device is designed, built, and maintained, with advanced security as a core requirement.
DNSSEC is a separate security property
DNSSEC validation authenticates DNS data for zones that publish DNSSEC records; it does not encrypt the connection between your device and a resolver. Quad9 announced strict DNSSEC validation across every service endpoint beginning June 15, 2026. That is a distinct consideration from whether a resolver blocks threat-associated domains or supports encrypted transport. See Quad9’s announcement.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteChoose based on the trade-off you actually want
- Choose Quad9 9.9.9.9 if you want DNS-level blocking of domains associated with malicious activity and are comfortable with its published policy and endpoint behavior.
- Choose Cloudflare standard 1.1.1.1 if you want an unfiltered resolver; choose a Cloudflare Families endpoint instead if its malware or malware-plus-adult-content filtering matches your needs.
- Compare privacy disclosures directly if provider data practices are central to your decision. The published statements differ in what they describe and should not be treated as equivalent independent audits.
- Measure locally if speed matters. A meaningful comparison would use the same device and network, a stated test method and date, and repeated measurements; no result here establishes which service is faster for your location.
Before changing a router-wide setting, consider that it affects devices using that router’s DNS configuration. Device-level encrypted DNS settings or apps may use a resolver independently, so changing the router alone may not change every device’s behavior. Configuration instructions vary by operating system and router; use the provider’s setup documentation rather than assuming one universal menu path.
Quick Recap
Best Value
- Dual band router upgrades to 1200 Mbps high speed internet (300mbps for 2.4GHz plus 900Mbps for 5GHz), reducing buffering and ideal for 4K stream
- Full Gigabit Ports - Gigabit Router with 4 Gigabit LAN ports, ideal for any internet plan and allow you to directly connect your wired devices
- Boosted Coverage - Four external antennas equipped with Beamforming technology extend and concentrate the Wi-Fi signals
- MU-MIMO technology - (5GHz band) allows high speeds for multiple devices simultaneously
- Access Point Mode - Supports AP Mode to transform your wired connection into wireless network, an ideal wireless router for home
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
