Why DNS is a privacy tool
Block tracker domains at the DNS layer and the tracking scripts never load — on every device, below the browser and the app.
Every time you visit a website, your device sends a DNS query to translate the domain name into an IP address. Standard DNS is unencrypted, so your ISP sees every site you visit. More importantly, the tracker domains embedded in every website also resolve via DNS.
Block the tracker domains at the DNS level, and the tracking scripts never download. No JavaScript to execute. No pixels to fire. No data to collect. The tracker never loads.
KnytX DNS turns your DNS resolver into a privacy filter. It works at the network level, below the browser, the app, and the operating system. Every device on your network is covered, even ones that can’t run ad blockers: smart TVs, IoT devices, game consoles.
Prevention, not just cleanup
Shield removes data you’ve already leaked; DNS stops new collection at the source. One handles the past, the other the present.
KnytX Shield removes personal data that’s already on broker sites. But new data is collected every day, by trackers, analytics scripts, and ad networks that follow your browsing across the web.
DNS blocking stops that collection at the source. Shield handles the past by removing existing data; DNS handles the present by preventing new collection.
Built by security engineers
We don’t just maintain a blocklist — we track the trackers that disguise themselves as the site to slip past browser blockers.
We don’t just maintain a blocklist. We understand how tracking works — including the trackers that disguise themselves as the site you’re visiting to slip past browser-based ad blockers.
KnytX DNS is built to stay ahead of those tricks. Our blocklist is curated from threat feeds, security research, and our own analysis of tracking infrastructure.
KnytX DNS vs. NextDNS vs. Pi-hole
All three block trackers at the DNS layer; they differ on what runs where, what it costs to maintain, and what happens when protection goes down.
All three block trackers at the DNS layer. The real differences are what runs where, what it costs to keep running, and what happens when your protection goes down.
| KnytX DNS | NextDNS | Pi-hole | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | Hosted resolver service | Hosted resolver service | Self-hosted software you run |
| Hardware required | None | None | Yes — a Raspberry Pi, home server, or always-on device |
| Setup | Change device/router DNS settings, ~2 minutes | Change device/router DNS settings, similar setup | Install, configure, and maintain the software yourself |
| Maintenance | We run and update it | NextDNS runs and updates it | You patch, update, and keep the device powered on |
| If your protection goes offline | Falls back to KnytX’s redundant resolvers | Falls back to NextDNS’s redundant resolvers | Usually falls back to unfiltered DNS; your home device is a single point of failure unless you set a secondary |
| Free tier | Tracker + ad blocking, no card required | Limited free tier (query cap), full features paywalled | Fully free and open source, no query limits |
| Logging | Zero-log by architecture — no persistent query storage | Configurable logging (on by default in some plans) | Logs stored locally on your own device, under your control |
| Encrypted DNS (DoH/DoT) | Yes | Yes | Yes, with additional configuration |
| Ties into a broader privacy product | Yes — feeds your KnytX exposure score and removal priorities | No — standalone | No — standalone |
| Best for | Hosted, zero-maintenance blocking that also informs broker-removal priority | Granular hosted config; happy to pay for full history/analytics | Full local control; you run the hardware, and no third party sees your DNS |
If you want zero third parties and don’t mind running hardware, Pi-hole is genuinely good. If you want hosted blocking that also drives your broker-removal priorities, that’s what KnytX DNS is for. The same data that stops a tracker feeds the exposure score that ranks which broker listings Shield removes first.