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DNS hosting and domain management

DNSimple

Developer-focused DNS host and registrar with no base fee on Solo, $0.50 per zone per month, a full API, CLI, Terraform provider and ALIAS records.

Visit dnsimple.com ↗ Alternatives Paid
DNSimple homepage
§1

Overview

DNSimple is a DNS host and domain registrar aimed at developers. Everything in the dashboard is also available through a REST API with official libraries in many languages, a CLI (including an agent-friendly mode) and a Terraform provider. It supports ALIAS records for CNAME-like behaviour at the apex, DNSSEC, CAA records and acting as primary or secondary DNS alongside another provider.

The Solo plan has no base subscription: you pay $0.50 per hosted zone per month, with a query allowance per zone, and limits of one user and 100 records per zone. Teams costs $29 a month for the first seat, raises the record limit to 1,000, adds Okta or Google SSO, domain access control, wildcard Let's Encrypt certificates and a 99% SLA. Enterprise adds vanity name servers, Entra SSO, priority support and an optional 100% SLA.

One-click services connect a domain to common hosting and email providers, and DNSimple automates Let's Encrypt certificates. It is a DNS and domain service only; there is no CDN or WAF.

§2

Pricing and plans

Plan Price What you get
Solo $0 base + $0.50/zone/mo 1 user, 100 records per zone, 50,000 queries/zone included then $0.80 per million, no SLA
Teams $29/mo + $0.50/zone/mo 1 seat included, 1,000 records per zone, SSO (Okta, Google), 99% SLA
Enterprise Custom Zone discounts, Entra SSO, vanity name servers, priority support, 100% SLA available

Domain registration, transfer and renewal are priced per TLD and are not included in the subscription; a DNSimple subscription is required to register domains. Query pricing appears two ways on DNSimple's pages ($0.10 per million per zone on the pricing table, and 50,000 included then $0.80 per million on the home page and help centre); the help centre says Teams includes 500,000 queries per zone. Email forwarding is $2 for 1,000 messages a month on Solo. A 30-day free trial has been offered.

Source: dnsimple.com/pricing · prices as published, excluding tax.

§3

What it does

API, CLI and Terraform
Full REST API with libraries for Ruby, Elixir, Node.js, .NET, Java, PHP and Python, plus a CLI and Terraform provider.
ALIAS records
Virtual record giving CNAME-like behaviour on apex domains.
Secondary DNS
Use DNSimple as secondary to another provider or replicate zones out for redundancy.
DNSSEC
DNSSEC available on all plans.
Certificate automation
Free Let's Encrypt certificates (root and www on Solo, wildcards on Teams).
One-click services
44 templates that configure records for common hosting, email and e-commerce services.
§4

Strengths and limitations

Strengths

  • No base fee on Solo; small accounts pay only per zone.
  • Strong automation: API, CLI, Terraform and many client libraries.
  • Registrar and DNS in one account.
  • Secondary DNS support for multi-provider setups.

Limitations

  • Solo has no SLA, one user and 100 records per zone.
  • Every zone costs $0.50 a month, so many small domains add up.
  • No geo or latency routing (regional records need Teams).
  • Domain registration requires a DNSimple subscription.
§5

Who it suits

Good for

  • Developers managing domains and DNS through code
  • Agencies with many client domains
  • Teams wanting secondary DNS alongside another provider

Look elsewhere if

  • Projects wanting completely free DNS
  • Apps needing advanced traffic steering
§6

Alternatives to DNSimple

Tool From Free option Stages
Amazon CloudFront CDN with bundled WAF and DNS plans
$15/mo Free tier
Cloudflare CDN, DNS, WAF and DDoS protection
$20/mo Free tier
Gcore CDN Pay-as-you-go CDN with DNS and WAF
Usage-based Free tier
Amazon Route 53 Managed DNS and traffic routing
$0.5/mo Paid
INWX Domain registrar
$15.72/yr Paid
easyDNS Managed anycast DNS and registrar
$20/yr Paid

All CDN, DNS and edge security →

§7

Questions

How much does DNSimple cost?

Solo has no base fee and charges $0.50 per hosted zone per month; Teams is $29 a month plus $0.50 per zone.

Does DNSimple support ALIAS records at the apex?

Yes. ALIAS records give CNAME-like behaviour on apex domains.

Does DNSimple have a Terraform provider?

Yes, alongside a CLI and API libraries in several languages.

Does DNSimple offer an SLA?

Teams has a 99% SLA and Enterprise can add a 100% SLA; Solo has none.

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