8.8.8.8 vs 9.9.9.9
8.8.8.8 is Google Public DNS; 9.9.9.9 is Quad9. Here's how they compare — and a live test you can run yourself.
The honest verdict
Both Google Public DNS and Quad9 are legitimate, free, encrypted-capable public resolvers — there's no fabricated "winner" here. A globally distributed, extremely reliable resolver. Uses EDNS Client Subnet, which helps CDN routing at a small privacy cost. A security-first non-profit resolver that blocks known malicious domains and keeps no source-IP logs.
The real difference is what each is built for: Google Public DNS leans toward Reliability, Global coverage, CDN locality, while Quad9 leans toward Security, Malware blocking, Privacy. Raw latency depends on your location and ISP, so treat any global speed claim as marketing — the live timers below measure it from your own connection instead.
Feature comparison
| Provider | Primary DNS | No logs | DNSSEC | Malware | Ads | Family |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Google Public DNS | 8.8.8.8 | No | Yes | No | No | No |
| Quad9 | 9.9.9.9 | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
Live head-to-head from your connection
Each button times that operator's encrypted DoH endpoint — a browser can't query the raw
IP 8.8.8.8 or 9.9.9.9 directly, so this is the closest honest measurement of each
resolver from your network. Nothing is fabricated: if a resolver can't be measured this way, the tool says
so instead of guessing a number.
Google Public DNS — 8.8.8.8
Runs in your browser against the resolver's DoH endpoint; nothing is stored. For a full multi-resolver comparison on your connection, use the DNS speed test.
Quad9 — 9.9.9.9
Runs in your browser against the resolver's DoH endpoint; nothing is stored. For a full multi-resolver comparison on your connection, use the DNS speed test.
Which should you pick?
Pick 8.8.8.8 (Google Public DNS) if you want Reliability, Global coverage, CDN locality. Pick 9.9.9.9 (Quad9
) if you want Security, Malware blocking, Privacy.
Keeps a temporary log for a small sample of queries (roughly 24–48h) and permanent anonymized logs. Sends EDNS Client Subnet, which can improve CDN locality but shares part of your network with authoritative servers. Blocks malicious domains using threat intelligence and does not retain source IP addresses. Operated as a Swiss non-profit.
Either way, you can only run one resolver as primary at a time — see the device and router setup guides to switch, or run the full DNS speed test to compare more than just these two.
8.8.8.8 vs 9.9.9.9 — FAQ
Which is faster, 8.8.8.8 or 9.9.9.9?
It depends on your location and network — the honest answer is to measure it yourself. Use the two live timers above to compare Google Public DNS and Quad9 from your own connection; there's no single global winner.
What's the main difference between 8.8.8.8 and 9.9.9.9?
8.8.8.8 is Google Public DNS (Google); 9.9.9.9 is Quad9 (Quad9 Foundation). A globally distributed, extremely reliable resolver. Uses EDNS Client Subnet, which helps CDN routing at a small privacy cost. A security-first non-profit resolver that blocks known malicious domains and keeps no source-IP logs.
Can I use both 8.8.8.8 and 9.9.9.9 together?
You can, but mixing resolvers from two operators means queries are split between them unpredictably, so you lose the consistent behaviour (and any filtering) of a single provider. Pick one as primary and its own paired address as secondary.
Are 8.8.8.8 and 9.9.9.9 safe and free?
Both are legitimate, free public DNS resolvers. Keeps a temporary log for a small sample of queries (roughly 24–48h) and permanent anonymized logs. Sends EDNS Client Subnet, which can improve CDN locality but shares part of your network with authoritative servers. Blocks malicious domains using threat intelligence and does not retain source IP addresses. Operated as a Swiss non-profit.