IBM NS1 Connect vs Bunny DNS
A detailed comparison to help you choose between IBM NS1 Connect and Bunny DNS.
Quick Verdict
3.7/5
IBM NS1 Connect
0 reviews
4.1/5
Bunny DNS
0 reviews
Bunny DNS is rated higher (4.1 vs 3.7). IBM NS1 Connect is a managed authoritative DNS service with anycast routing and automated failover that helps businesses reduce latency and keep applications available. Bunny DNS is a free authoritative DNS service from Bunny.net on a 36+ PoP dual-stack anycast network. No per-query charges — free for up to 500 domains per account with health monitoring and smart records included. Integrated with Bunny CDN.
IBM NS1 Connect Intelligent DNS with advanced traffic steering | Bunny DNS Ultra-fast DNS from the CDN provider | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Rating | 3.7 (0 reviews) | 4.1 (0 reviews)✓ |
| Pricing model | paid | free |
| Starting price | From $99/mo | Free✓ |
| Best for | Enterprises running multi-CDN delivery or global server load balancing who need intelligent DNS traffic steering with a 100% uptime SLA | Bunny CDN users and small teams who want free, feature-rich authoritative DNS with health checks, DNSSEC, and scriptable routing |
| Features | ||
| IPv6 | ||
| DDoS protection | ||
| Automated backups | ||
| Snapshots | ||
| Managed option | ||
| Bare metal | ||
| GPU available | ||
| S3-compatible | ||
| Hourly billing | ||
| Free tier | ✓ | |
| Data-center locations | ||
| Regions | 26 anycast PoPs across 6 continents (NA, SA, EU, APAC, Africa) | — |
| Tags | ||
| Tags | free tierapi access | api access |
| Visit IBM NS1 Connect → | Visit Bunny DNS → | |
IBM NS1 Connect
Pros
- + Most capable traffic steering available: filter chains, health checks, latency/geo/ASN/cost-based routing
- + 100% DNS uptime SLA backed by 26 anycast PoPs across six continents
- + Genuinely API-first with Terraform support and Route 53/S3 Cloud Sync as an exit path
- + Neutrality: not tied to any single cloud or CDN, which fits multi-CDN architectures
Cons
- - Steering is capped at one filter chain on the $99 tier — the useful configuration starts at $349/month
- - No perpetual free tier and overage billed at $75 per 10M-query block on Essentials
- - Filter-chain model has a real learning curve for teams without networking staff
- - IBM ownership adds procurement weight and some product-direction uncertainty
Bunny DNS
Pros
- + Completely free DNS for up to 500 domains with unlimited queries — no metering at all
- + Health-checked failover, weighted record sets, and geographic/latency-based smart records included
- + DNSSEC, edge L3/L4 DDoS mitigation, and per-IP L7 rate limiting at no extra cost
- + Scriptable DNS records let you implement custom routing logic in JavaScript
- + Native Bunny CDN integration (Pull Zone records) plus API, CLI, and easy zone migration
Cons
- - 500-domain account cap with no published overage path for registrar-scale portfolios
- - Smaller ecosystem and third-party tooling than Cloudflare; no registrar or proxy/SSL platform
- - No separate contractual SLA published for the DNS product specifically
- - Advanced scriptable routing ties your DNS logic to Bunny's Edge Scripting platform
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