Cisco OpenDNS vs IBM NS1 Connect comparison

Cisco and IBM are both solutions in the Domain Name System (DNS) Security category. Cisco is ranked #17, while IBM is ranked #8 with an average rating of 8.6. Cisco holds a 2.8% mindshare in DS, compared to IBM’s 2.2% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of Cisco users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of IBM users who would recommend it.

Cisco OpenDNS

Read 2 Cisco OpenDNS reviews

961 Views
961 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

IBM NS1 Connect

Read 17 IBM NS1 Connect reviews

2,655 Views
1,062 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Cisco OpenDNS

IBM NS1 Connect

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between Cisco OpenDNS and IBM NS1 Connect based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out in this report how the two Domain Name System (DNS) Security solutions compare in terms of features, pricing, service and support, easy of deployment, and ROI.

To learn more, read our detailed Cisco OpenDNS vs. IBM NS1 Connect Report (Updated: July 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Cisco OpenDNS vs. IBM NS1 Connect

July 2026

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Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Categories and Ranking

Cisco OpenDNS

Ranking in Domain Name System (DNS) Security

17th

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

7.7

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

IBM NS1 Connect

Ranking in Domain Name System (DNS) Security

8th

Average Rating

9.2

Reviews Sentiment

7.4

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Managed DNS (6th)

Mindshare comparison

As of August 2026, in the Domain Name System (DNS) Security category, the mindshare of Cisco OpenDNS is 2.8%, up from 1.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of IBM NS1 Connect is 2.2%, up from 2.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Domain Name System (DNS) Security Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
IBM NS1 Connect	2.2%
Cisco OpenDNS	2.8%
Other	95.0%

Domain Name System (DNS) Security

Featured Reviews

reviewer1678521

Lead - Global IT Networks at a recruiting/HR firm with 10,001+ employees

A stable solution that can be used for upgrades, vulnerability remediation, configuration, and standardization

I am using the latest version of Cisco OpenDNS. Users should prioritize the challenges that they have before implementing the solution. They need to be very clear about what they are looking for. Those parameters need to be defined, success criteria need to be checked, and then they can proceed with the solution that meets the requirements. Overall, I rate Cisco OpenDNS a nine out of ten.

Read full review

DavidJackson1

Software Engineer at Abbott

Smart routing has improved uptime and performance and enables real-time automated traffic control

The best features IBM NS1 Connect offers, in my opinion, are real-time monitoring, intelligent traffic routing capabilities, and being API driven. The intelligent traffic routing and API-driven features of IBM NS1 Connect have helped my team by allowing routing based on user location, endpoint switching based on latency, and DNS response time. Additionally, IBM NS1 Connect has API integration. IBM NS1 Connect positively impacts my organization by making our website load faster and enhancing the user interface to be more intuitive and user-friendly. It's very economical and cost-effective. I also love it because it saves time through automation, saving around 30% to 35% of our time and also saving man-source. Our application uptime has improved by 40% to 45%. Although there have been a few outages, the service uptime has significantly improved our trust with clients. It is very cost-effective and affordable, hence providing a great return on investment.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"We use Cisco OpenDNS for upgrades, vulnerability remediation, configuration, and standardization."

"The platform is highly stable."

"The best benefits of using IBM NS1 Connect are the performance and availability of the product towards the cloud, and when comparing the performance with other products, I believe it is above par, as it is really helpful and gives me at least a 20 to 30% improvement in functionality."

"In general, I would say that this has been the easiest solution to manage and implement."

"The auto DNS traffic routing helps during deployment or incidents by providing more reliability and faster performance."

"NS1 gives us a nice flat line, because it's always performant and fast and that's what we want to see."

"I couldn't recommend a better product than NS1 for managed DNS and CDN load balancing right now."

"IBM NS1 Connect's API-driven architecture has helped my organization with digital transformation as it is an open standard."

"Monitoring is really important for us. We really care about reliability, and we want to make sure that we can remove some points of presence in our sector and in our edge network really fast when we experience any problems. So, monitoring that NS1 provides for DNS is really important for us."

"Overall, it has helped to improve our end-user experience."

More IBM NS1 Connect pros

Cons

"The platform's DNS database area needs improvement."

"The solution’s dashboard could be improved."

"We care about monitoring and telemetry work, and NS1 provides a pretty good system for monitoring. We can monitor our endpoints and points of presence around the world. If there are any issues, we can easily remove them from our network, but this area needs some improvement because it is not always reliable in NS1. In the past, we had a number of false-positive cases when the monitoring system told us about some problems in our infrastructure that were not true. NS1 is improving the system, and we are constantly talking about this with them. I know that they are releasing a new version of their monitoring system, which is really important for us, but this is a different area where we would expect them to improve."

"I would love to see improvement in the testing capabilities they provide. They have a simulate-filter feature so that you can simulate how your traffic would flow, based on their Filter Chains. I believe that was shut off for quite some time. Having that as a way to test our load-balanced CDN structure would be fantastic."

"Pricing can be more transparent, especially when dealing with tight budgets."

"I would like to see the UI updated to allow me to do finer searches. I would also like to have the ability to get reports that can sort based on various metrics. For example, I would like to be able to say, "Show me the top 10 records by total queries" in an easy-to-digest format."

"The Filter Chain setup is a bit hard to grasp at first."

"The technical support is slow. You raise a PR, and then it takes several weeks for them to respond."

"I believe IBM NS1 Connect can be improved in several ways. The main concern I identified is the cost, which is higher than other solutions despite its uses."

"We would really like them to become a DNS registrar."

More IBM NS1 Connect cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"We pay a yearly licensing fee for the solution."

"The product is expensive yet cost-effective. I rate the pricing an eight out of ten."

"Everything can always be cheaper, but as it is today the pricing is fair."

"The cost of this product is one of the reasons that we chose it."

"From a cost standpoint, it's certainly not the most expensive out there, and it's also not the cheapest, but it does well to balance the cost and the functionality/reliability."

"We pay about $30,000 a month. We used to pay about $20,000 with Dyn every month, for lower volume than we're doing right now, but it had none of the features that we have available with NS1, so it was worth it for us. It seems competitive for us, given that we're doing 4.5 billion requests."

"NS1's pricing is much more aggressive than its competitors in the market and you get more value out of what you pay for it."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Comms Service Provider

22%

Computer Software Company

10%

Construction Company

10%

Retailer

Comms Service Provider

13%

Financial Services Firm

10%

Computer Software Company

10%

University

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	1
Midsize Enterprise	4
Large Enterprise	13

Questions from the Community

Ask a question

Earn 20 points

What needs improvement with NS1 Managed DNS?

The aspect that needs improvement about IBM NS1 Connect is that the integration with AI is not seamless at this moment. That particular portion needs to be re-evaluated. We were able to increase th...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for NS1 Managed DNS?

I have worked on both deployment models of IBM NS1 Connect in the company's environment and in the clouds. I utilize IBM NS1 Connect's Intelligent Traffic Steering feature.

See all answers

What advice do you have for others considering NS1 Managed DNS?

I purchased IBM NS1 Connect through AWS Marketplace. We do use analytical tools built into the product. I rate this product 9 out of 10.

See all answers

Comparisons

Cloudflare vs Cisco OpenDNS

Compared 25% of the time

Cisco Umbrella vs Cisco OpenDNS

Compared 19% of the time

SafeDNS vs Cisco OpenDNS

Compared 10% of the time

Palo Alto Networks DNS Security vs Cisco OpenDNS

Compared 9% of the time

Akamai Edge DNS vs Cisco OpenDNS

Compared 7% of the time

More Cisco OpenDNS Competitors

Cloudflare vs IBM NS1 Connect

Compared 25% of the time

Amazon Route 53 vs IBM NS1 Connect

Compared 18% of the time

Akamai Edge DNS vs IBM NS1 Connect

Compared 11% of the time

Managed DNS Services vs IBM NS1 Connect

Compared 9% of the time

Constellix DNS vs IBM NS1 Connect

Compared 7% of the time

More IBM NS1 Connect Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Domain Name System (DNS) Security

July 2026

Download Cisco OpenDNS product report

Buyer's Guide

IBM NS1 Connect

August 2026

Download IBM NS1 Connect product report

Also Known As

No data available

NS1 Managed DNS, NS1

Overview

Cisco OpenDNS is a network security solution that enhances online security and protects against threats. It effectively blocks malicious websites and prevents malware infections. Easy to implement and manage, it is suitable for organizations of all sizes. OpenDNS provides content filtering and enforces acceptable use policies, ensuring a safe and productive online environment. Its robust security measures, efficient web filtering capabilities, and seamless integration with existing systems make it a valuable tool for comprehensive protection against online threats.

Cisco

IBM NS1 Connect delivers comprehensive DNS management with features like DNSSEC, low latency, and intelligent traffic routing. It integrates seamlessly with automation tools, making it ideal for improving infrastructure management.

IBM NS1 Connect offers a robust DNS management platform combining security, speed, and reliability. Its API-driven functionality allows for seamless integration with Terraform and other tools, enhancing geolocation-aware capabilities and real-time performance monitoring. Smart Domains ensure optimal routing, while Pulsar boosts user experience. Real-time telemetry and intelligent traffic routing minimize load times, contributing to efficient service delivery and application uptime. Recommendations for improvement include enhancing DNS timeout resolutions and providing educational resources for networking novices.

What are IBM NS1 Connect's key features?

DNSSEC: Enhances security by protecting DNS information.
Low Latency: Ensures faster DNS query responses.
API-driven Functionality: Facilitates easy integration with tools like Terraform.
Real-time Telemetry: Provides up-to-date performance insights.
Intelligent Traffic Routing: Directs traffic for optimized user experience.
Pulsar: Enhances performance with smart routing algorithms.
Filter Chains: Offers customizable rules for traffic handling.
Secondary DNS: Ensures redundancy and disaster recovery.

What benefits should users look for?

Cost-effectiveness: Reduces infrastructure costs by leveraging cloud hosting.
Improved Application Uptime: Minimizes downtime with reliable DNS management.
Faster Provisioning: Speeds up infrastructure setup and updates.
Reliable Metrics: Provides accurate performance data for informed decision-making.
Enhanced User Interface: Offers a straightforward navigation experience.

In healthcare, IBM NS1 Connect enhances CDN routing and facilitates efficient DNS management. Financial institutions leverage its geo-load balancing capabilities for secure transaction processing. E-commerce brands use its low latency and automation features to improve website responsiveness and reduce error rates. Telecom companies benefit from its API integration, allowing for seamless upgrades and network optimizations.

IBM

Sample Customers

1. Netflix 2. IBM 3. Deloitte 4. Airbnb 5. Pinterest 6. Box 7. LinkedIn 8. Adobe 9. Spotify 10. Uber 11. Twitter 12. Cisco Systems (the parent company) 13. The New York Times 14. Verizon 15. Coca-Cola 16. General Electric 17. Microsoft 18. Facebook 19. Apple 20. Amazon 21. Google 22. Intel 23. Oracle 24. AT&T 25. Cisco Meraki 26. Salesforce 27. Cisco Webex 28. Cisco Umbrella 29. Cisco Talos 30. Cisco AMP for Endpoints 31. Cisco AnyConnect 32. Cisco Stealthwatch

Avast Software, Bloomberg L.P., BBC, Carfax, CNBC LLC, Deloitte Consulting LLP, Disney Streaming, Dropbox, EBAY Inc, Gannett Media Corp, Salesforce, Wayfair, Workday

Buyer's Guide

Cisco OpenDNS vs. IBM NS1 Connect

July 2026

Free Report: Cisco OpenDNS vs. IBM NS1 Connect

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