An alternative to Cloudflare DNS: Orbit DNS Hosting
Orbit DNS Hosting: anycast authoritative DNS, forward and reverse zones, DNSSEC signing and one console, free for non-commercial use.
What Cloudflare DNS does well
Cloudflare runs one of the largest networks on the internet: data centres in 348 cities, interconnected with over 13,000 networks, with 95% of the world's internet-connected population within 50 ms of one. Its authoritative DNS runs on that network, is available on every plan including the free one, and supports multi-signer DNSSEC.
At a glance
| Item | Orbit DNS Hosting | Cloudflare DNS |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Anycast authoritative DNS, forward and reverse, signed with DNSSEC | Authoritative DNS on Cloudflare's global network, with DNSSEC and multi-signer DNSSEC |
| Who runs it | Hosted on the Orbit anycast network | Hosted by Cloudflare |
| Free option | 5 zones and 50 records, free for non-commercial use | Available on all plans, including the $0 Free plan |
Cloudflare DNS details are from Cloudflare DNS's own page 1, Cloudflare DNS's own page 2 as of 2026-09; terms change, so check there for the current ones.
Where Orbit fits
If you need authoritative DNS at that scale, or DNS as one part of a wide set of Cloudflare services, Cloudflare is the stronger choice. Orbit DNS Hosting is for people who want forward and reverse zones β including reverse zones for the prefixes they announce β alongside Shield, RPKI and a public resolver in one console, run by a non-profit network.