DNS services today are much more than simple web address translators. They play a direct role in data protection, browsing speed, and privacy. Between DNS4EU, designed under the impetus of the European Union, and Quad9, a Swiss solution known for its threat blocking, there are real differences.
DNS in Europe: what are the differences in network coverage?
One of the main levers of efficiency for a DNS resolver is the proximity of servers. The less distance a request has to travel, the faster and more reliable the response.
- DNS4EU was built with a regional logic. The servers are only located in EU member countries. According to the consortium in charge of the project, there were more than 25 points of presence at the beginning of 2025, spread across cities like Paris, Berlin, Rome, Madrid, Prague, and Vilnius. The goal: to ensure a DNS response without transit outside the EU.
- Quad9, while having a strong presence in Europe (about 30 points), is also deployed outside, notably in the United States, Asia, and Africa. This can be an advantage for users traveling or working internationally, but it also means that some requests may leave the European perimeter if DNS geolocation is not controlled.
Both services use Anycast, a method that allows a request to be automatically redirected to the nearest DNS node. This reduces the risk of overload or packet loss, but the choice of geographic location remains a strategic advantage for DNS4EU on European territory.
Which DNS service is the fastest in Europe today?
The speed of a DNS depends on network latency, server response time, and DNS cache management capacity.
- DNS4EU shows notable performance thanks to its dense local network. In a series of tests conducted by French users, the average latency was 22 to 27 ms depending on the region. In Germany and Austria, it can drop below 20 ms.
- Quad9, in these same regions, ranges between 28 and 35 ms. This remains fast, but slightly less stable in case of overload or in the presence of multiple nodes in neighboring countries.
Another aspect to consider is cache management. Quad9 has fairly aggressive DNS cache policies to improve responsiveness, but this can cause refresh delays when a site changes its IP address. DNS4EU, on the other hand, applies more moderate TTL rules, which limits this kind of problem but sometimes increases the number of outgoing requests.
Cybersecurity: how do these DNS protect your connections?
DNS is often the first line of defense against threats such as malware, ransomware, phishing, or redirections to fraudulent sites.
- Quad9 uses a database powered by more than 20 partner sources, including IBM X-Force, ThreatSTOP, Abuse.ch, and Cybercrime Tracker. It applies real-time analysis and filters requests to domains listed as dangerous. In 2023, it recorded more than 300 million blocks worldwide, with a false positive rate below 0.1%.
- DNS4EU relies on bases established by national cybersecurity agencies, such as ANSSI (France), BSI (Germany), or CERT-EU. Its filter is designed to comply with EU regulations, particularly in the fight against terrorist or child pornography content, but also sites related to targeted disinformation.
Technically, both services offer adaptive DNS filtering via DNS-over-HTTPS (DoH) or DNS-over-TLS (DoT). This prevents DNS data from being intercepted or modified during transmission.
Privacy: where do your DNS data go?
Privacy is one of the most scrutinized criteria by savvy users.
- DNS4EU guarantees that all DNS requests are processed and stored exclusively within the European Union, in strict compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). No transfer to third countries is made. Storage is temporary, for maintenance or quality control purposes, and subject to regular audits.
- Quad9, although compliant with Swiss data protection law (one of the strictest in the world), does not exclude processing outside the EU in some cases, depending on the access point used. However, it ensures to never store the user’s IP address in an identifiable manner, and to not collaborate with any advertising agency.
Note that both services integrate TLS 1.3 encryption support, preventing the decryption of DNS requests during transit.
Secure DNS: which solution integrates best with your devices?
Accessibility is a major asset for a DNS to be widely adopted. Here are the installation methods according to platforms:
- Windows/macOS: Modification of DNS settings in the local network (IPv4/IPv6).
- DNS4EU: 85.90.90.90 or 2a0f:fc80::
- Quad9: 9.9.9.9 or 2620:fe::fe
- Android/iOS: Adding a private DNS via secure DNS settings.
- DNS4EU: dns.dns4eu.com
- Quad9: dns.quad9.net
- Routers: Configuration in the administration interface.
- Compatible with Mikrotik, OpenWRT, Fritz!Box, etc.
DNS4EU is also in a pilot phase with several European internet providers (Orange, Deutsche Telekom, etc.) for automatic activation via DHCP, without user intervention.
