Overview
NS1 Connect, now part of IBM, is a managed authoritative DNS service built around traffic steering. Instead of static answers, each record can run a filter chain that picks endpoints by geography, health, weights, or real-user performance data, which makes it a DNS-level global load balancer and multi-CDN switch. It runs on a global anycast network of 26 PoPs and carries a 100% SLA.
Self-serve plans start with Essentials at $99 a month for 30 to 80 million queries, 1,000 records, two health monitors and one filter chain. Standard from $349 raises limits and adds zone versioning and DDoS/NXDOMAIN spike protection. Premium is custom and adds secondary DNS and add-ons such as Dedicated DNS, DNS for China and Pulsar RUM-based steering. A 30-day trial is available.
It is managed through an API and infrastructure-as-code tools (Terraform, Ansible), plus Cloud Sync to keep zones in step with Amazon Route 53.
IBM lists customers such as Netlify and Dropbox using NS1 for traffic steering. Add-ons such as DNS Insights, DNS for China and Dedicated DNS are only available with a Premium account and are priced to your needs.
Pricing and plans
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Trial | Free for 30 days | 50M queries, 500 records, 20 monitors, 10 steering chains |
| Essentials | From $99/mo | 30-80M queries, 1,000 records, 2 health monitors, 1 filter chain |
| Standard | From $349/mo | Up to 1B queries, 10,000 records, 100 monitors, zone versioning, spike protection |
| Premium | Custom | Primary and secondary DNS, unlimited redirects, add-ons such as Dedicated DNS, Pulsar RUM |
What it does
- Filter chains
- Per-record traffic steering by geography, health, weights and performance.
- Health monitoring
- Real-time endpoint checks that shift traffic to healthy targets automatically.
- Multi-CDN steering
- Route users between CDNs based on real-time performance (Pulsar RUM add-on).
- Cloud Sync
- Keeps NS1 and Amazon Route 53 zones synchronised (add-on).
- HTTPS redirects
- DNS-integrated HTTPS forwarding with automatic certificate management.
- API-first automation
- Terraform and Ansible integrations and delegated access for application teams.
Strengths and limitations
Strengths
- Advanced traffic steering beyond standard geo DNS.
- 100% SLA on the service.
- Published starting prices and a 30-day trial.
- Suited to multi-CDN and multi-cloud architectures.
Limitations
- Essentials includes only 2 health monitors and 1 filter chain.
- No free plan; paid tiers start at $99 a month.
- Secondary DNS and add-ons such as Dedicated DNS need the custom Premium plan.
- Anycast network of 26 PoPs is smaller than some CDN-based DNS providers.
Who it suits
Good for
- Multi-CDN or multi-cloud deployments
- Companies using DNS as a global load balancer
- Teams automating DNS with Terraform
Look elsewhere if
- Hobby or indie projects
- Teams that only need basic records
Alternatives to IBM NS1 Connect
| Tool | From | Free option | Stages |
|---|---|---|---|
| Azure Front Door CDN, global load balancer and WAF | $35/mo | ||
| CacheFly Throughput-focused CDN | $300/mo | Free tier | |
| DigiCert DNS (DNS Made Easy) Managed DNS with SLA | $300/yr | ||
| Cloudflare CDN, DNS, WAF and DDoS protection | $20/mo | Free tier | |
| Amazon CloudFront CDN with bundled WAF and DNS plans | $15/mo | Free tier | |
| CDN77 Video-focused CDN | $990/mo |
Questions
How much does NS1 Connect cost?
Essentials starts at $99 a month, Standard at $349 a month, and Premium is custom.
Does NS1 have a free trial?
Yes, a 30-day free trial with 50M queries, 500 records and 20 health monitors.
Does NS1 Connect support secondary DNS?
Primary and secondary DNS support is part of the Premium plan.
How many PoPs does NS1 have?
IBM lists 26 anycast PoPs across six continents.
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