NS1

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Managed DNS and traffic management

From $108/mo flat, billed monthly (free plan available)

Freemium Cloud & Infrastructure Developer Tools

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Tracked since 2025

The Bottom Line

Updated Nov 14, 2026

Price: From $108/mo flat, billed monthly (free plan available). Compare plans

Key facts

NS1 is an intelligent DNS and traffic management platform
It provides fast DNS resolution with traffic steering and analytics
Free tier available, managed DNS plans offer paid tiers

Pros

Enterprise DNS management
Intelligent traffic steering
High availability and performance
API-driven DNS automation
Advanced DNS features

Cons

Enterprise pricing model
Complex for simple DNS needs
Technical expertise required
Now part of IBM
Migration complexity from other DNS

What is NS1?

NS1 provides enterprise DNS and traffic management. DNS infrastructure for demanding applications-global traffic handling at scale. The performance is enterprise-grade. The traffic management is sophisticated. The reliability matters. Organizations with demanding DNS requirements choose NS1 for enterprise traffic management.

Available on: Web

Data compiled by Toolradar Pricing checked Nov 14, 2026 · How we evaluate

Source ns1.com

Key Features

Managed DNS
Traffic management
Filtering
API-first
Enterprise
High availability

Pricing Plans

Free Trial

Pricing checked Nov 14, 2026. Source: ns1.com/pricing, read Nov 14, 2026

NS1 plans and prices, checked November 2026
Plan	Price	Details
Trial	Free	50M DNS queries/month 500 DNS records 20 health check monitor +4 more Show less 10 traffic steering chains 50 HTTPS redirects Cloud Sync Zone versioning
Essentials	From $108.00/month	Growing businesses Fast reliable connections Available on AWS
Standard	From $380.00/month	50-1BN DNS queries/month 1000-10,000 DNS records 2-100 health check monitors +5 more Show less 1-100 traffic filter chains 50 HTTPS redirects Cloud Sync add-on Zone versioning Spike protection (DDoS + NXD)
Premium	Contact us	Scalable authoritative DNS Query volume based pricing Enterprise support +1 more Show less Professional services

Calculate your cost View full pricing

Is NS1 worth the price?

Good value

NS1's pricing structure is fair, offering a generous free Developer tier for basic needs.

The Custom Premium tier caters to enterprise-level demands, making it best for businesses of all sizes, from individual developers to large corporations.

Hidden Costs & Gotchas

Query volume overages on Premium tier

Full NS1 pricing: every plan, hidden costs and alternatives

How NS1's pricing compares

NS1 starts at $108/mo flat for the whole organisation. Its direct competitors are priced on a different basis (per user, or in another currency), so each entry price below is shown with its own unit and currency and is not ranked against the others.

NS1

$108/mo flat, whole organisation, billed monthly

Akamai

$5/mo, billed monthly

Cloudflare

$25/mo, billed yearly

DNSimple

$0.50/user/mo, billed monthly

$10/mo for 20 users

Entry paid plan, monthly price (billing term shown per row), in each tool's own currency. Pricing checked Nov 14, 2026.

Recent pricing updates

Changes we detected on the NS1 pricing page.

Nov 6, 2026 Plans changed: Trial added at Free; Essentials went from $250 to $108 a month; Standard added at $380 a month; Developer removed.

NS1 by the numbers

Toolradar data: NS1's entry paid plan ($108/mo flat, billed monthly) ranks #20 of 30 for price among the Cloud & Infrastructure tools with a verified entry price as a flat team plan, where the median is $44/mo flat. As of Nov 2026.

NS1 compared with 525 Cloud & Infrastructure tools on Toolradar, as of Nov 2026
Metric	NS1	Peer median	Position (1 is best)
Entry paid plan	$108/mo flat, billed monthly	$44/mo flat	#20 of 30 tools priced as a flat team plan, verified price
Free plan	No	54% have one	n/a
Listed as an alternative to	2 tools	3	#266 of 525 (joint)
Compare-page visits, last 30 days	35 visits	34	#95 of 206 (joint) tools with 20+ compare-page visits

Listed as an alternative to: #221 on 2026-10-16 to #266 on 2026-11-11 (rank among 525 tools, 1 is best).

Each position is counted among the tools that have data for that row, as noted under it. A lower entry price ranks higher; prices are read on vendor pages and compared only with tools priced on the same basis. All Cloud & Infrastructure data · How we compute this. Advertising and placement fees are not inputs to any position. Visit counts include visits from every source.

Cite this: Toolradar, “NS1 by the numbers”, Nov 2026.

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Best NS1 Alternatives

Top alternatives based on features, pricing, and user needs.

View full list →

BunnyCDN Paid

Fast and affordable content delivery network

4.9

Akamai Paid

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Cloudflare Freemium

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4.3

KeyCDN Paid

High-performance content delivery network

4.4

DNSimple Paid

Simple and secure DNS management

4.6

Google Cloud DNS Paid

Scalable DNS hosting on Google Cloud

4.2

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Still deciding?

Most buyers shortlist 2 or 3 tools before committing. Pull a side-by-side comparison or browse the full alternatives shortlist below.

All NS1 alternatives 6+ tools ranked, pricing + verdict per pick NS1 vs BunnyCDN Head-to-head: features, pricing, who wins NS1 vs Akamai Head-to-head: features, pricing, who wins NS1 vs Cloudflare Head-to-head: features, pricing, who wins

Explore More

NS1 FAQ

How does NS1 support global traffic handling for demanding applications?

NS1 provides enterprise DNS and sophisticated traffic management capabilities designed for global traffic handling at scale. It offers high availability and performance, ensuring that demanding applications can manage their traffic effectively worldwide.

Which teams benefit most from using NS1?

Teams within organizations with demanding DNS requirements, particularly those managing cloud and infrastructure or developing complex applications, will find NS1 most beneficial. Its API-driven DNS automation and advanced features cater to environments needing enterprise-grade performance and reliability.

How does NS1 compare to Cloudflare for enterprise DNS management?

NS1 is chosen by organizations for its enterprise DNS management and intelligent traffic steering, focusing on sophisticated traffic handling at scale. Cloudflare also offers DNS services, but NS1 emphasizes its advanced DNS features and API-driven automation for demanding application environments.

Can NS1 be automated for DNS configurations?

Yes, NS1 supports API-driven DNS automation, allowing organizations to programmatically manage their DNS configurations. This feature is particularly useful for integrating DNS management into existing development workflows and infrastructure automation.

What kind of trade-offs should be considered when adopting NS1?

Adopting NS1 involves considering its enterprise pricing model and the potential complexity for organizations with only simple DNS needs. It also requires technical expertise for setup and management, and migrating from other DNS providers can be complex.

How is NS1 priced?

NS1 operates on an enterprise pricing model, designed for organizations with demanding DNS requirements. It is a paid product and does not include a permanently free tier.

Does NS1 offer advanced features beyond basic DNS resolution?

Yes, NS1 provides advanced DNS features and sophisticated traffic management capabilities. These include intelligent traffic steering and high availability, which are crucial for demanding applications and enterprise-grade performance.

How does NS1 pricing compare with other Cloud & Infrastructure tools?

NS1's entry paid plan ($108/mo flat, billed monthly) ranks #20 of 30 for price among the Cloud & Infrastructure tools with a verified entry price as a flat team plan, where the median is $44/mo flat. Prices are read on each vendor's own pricing page and compared only with tools priced on the same basis. Source: Toolradar, Nov 2026.

Does NS1 have a promo code or discount code?

As of November 14, 2026, Toolradar has no NS1 promo code, coupon or discount code on file. NS1's own pricing page (https://ns1.com/pricing, read November 14, 2026) does list a free trial, so you can start without a code. Offers change, so confirm the terms at checkout.

Source: ns1.com

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