Technitium DNS Server
Free, open-source DNS server you host yourself, acting as a recursive resolver with ad blocking or as an authoritative server for your own zones.
Our take: For a homelab or small office that wants network-wide ad blocking and proper DNS features in one box, Technitium is hard to beat on price: it costs nothing and gets frequent releases.
Technitium DNS Server is a free, open-source DNS server you run yourself, as a recursive resolver with ad and malware blocking or as an authoritative server for your own zones. It suits homelab users, self-hosters and small IT teams. It costs nothing under the GPLv3 license; you supply the machine and the upkeep.
Free, full-featured DNS server for self-hosters who are happy to run it themselves.
Our score
Reviewed by the Conversion Gems editorial team. Hover a facet to focus it; click to pin.Tap a facet to focus it.
What it is, and why we rate it
One line each. Open a row for detail.
Our takeFor a homelab or small office that wants network-wide ad blocking and proper DNS features in one box, Technitium is hard to beat on price: it costs nothing and gets frequent releases.
Best / not good for
- Homelabs and self-hosters
- Network-wide ad blocking
- Hosting internal DNS zones
- Teams that need vendor SLAs
- Users who don't want to run a server
Friction report
Trade-offs to know before signing up.
- Time to valueInstall on a spare machine or Docker and configure from the web console; expect an hour or so for basic setup.
- Scale breakpointMulti-site or high-availability setups need the clustering feature and more DNS know-how.
- Walled gardenLow: standard DNS protocols, open source code and an HTTP API.
Technitium DNS Server at a glance
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Price | Free, open source (GNU GPLv3); optional Patreon donations |
| Latest version | 15.6.0, released 3 October 2026 |
| Platforms | Windows 7 SP1+, Linux, macOS, Raspberry Pi, Docker |
| Admin | Web console on port 5380, HTTP API |
| DNS roles | Recursive resolver and authoritative server |
| Encryption | DNS-over-HTTPS, DNS-over-TLS, DNS-over-QUIC; DNSSEC validation |
| Extras | Block-list ad and malware blocking, DHCP server, clustering, DNS Apps |
| Support | Email and the /r/technitium subreddit |
From technitium.com/dns and the project's GitHub releases, checked 4 October 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
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