10

Leaving for Adguard

Greetings. I've been a long time user of NextDNS, and have decided that due to lack of new features, as well as zero feedback on bug reports, that this project is all but dead. I haven't seen any new features in well over a year, and the proxy app for Windows machines is an absolute joke compared to the competition.

I hope the developers are paying attention, b/c they have made a masterclass on how to lose customers: Zero innovation. Adguard is leaps and bounds better, and allows configuring separate DNS servers (NextDNS would call these "configuration profiles" but it's a much weaker concept in NDNS) and has much better reporting. It also supports QUIC, and is the only vendor to do so.

While NextDNS is a quality product, due to lack of new development and zero input on glaring bugs, you've shown you aren't listening to your customers. I can no longer recommend this service in good faith as well. I am a developer of over 20 years, and am baffled as to what work is actually being done on this product. So long.

59 replies

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    • Dan_B
    • 1 yr ago
    • Reported - view

    Same here..  

    • Pro Subscriber ✅
    • Jorgen_A
    • 1 yr ago
    • Reported - view

    Some thoughts from another long-time developer...

    • 100% agree about their clients. The "state of the art" Windows client is a joke and the CLI wasn't stable for me with constant drops. Now I'm using DNSProxy instead running on my router against NextDNS and not a single issue for months.
    • Quic (DoQ and DoH3) works great with NextDNS and using them right now, so that's not true. 
    • Their latest feature "AI-Driven Threat Detection" is great and only seen in Enterprise-products like Cisco Umbrella (Talos) and DNS-filter. Hoping they soon add the blocklists from HaGeZi (just an approval away on GitHub) to make NextDNS even  better.
    • I evaluated AdGuard DNS a few months ago, but didn't feel it was better in any way for me. Slower servers and their limited selection of blocklists was the only protection. Sent a few questions to their support and got a "generic" answer after 5 weeks. Maybe I will setup their AdGuard Home on a Pi running my own DNS-server in the future.
    • It's a real bummer that their support, ongoing improvements and "unknown roadmap" is what it is. Feels like NextDNS could smoke all competition instead of slowly being catched up by the other players and users are leaving.
      • Hey
      • 1 yr ago
      • Reported - view

      Jörgen I haven't personally had any issues with the windows client, and I would say Adguard has a far worse client if you ask me as I'm on a simplistic mindset, so having more than I actually need for the thing I want to function just seems silly.

      But yeah I agree with everything else, stagnation is inevitable for any service and not to say Adguard DNS is just bad but from my experience I haven't really seen anything truly groundbreaking to care. But I am someone who likes stability and simplicity over everything else.

      Its just that NextDNS should add the basic features that have been requested for a while now like dark mode and control directly from the logs and other stuff that has been requested for a while now.

      I've tried everything from Adguard to ControlD to a few DNS providers that are free with at least a choice of filters like Aha and Rethink, with all the known options for no settings DNS servers as well.

      Tinkering and features are great, but with NextDNS at least for me everything just works, for 1.5+ years now, never had to tinker or do anything with my 7 whitelisted domains (anti-adblock bypasses and general convince) I haven't had to blacklist or whitelist anything.

      DNS is too essential of a service for, I just hope that they keep improving so it's always as good as it is currently. Some additional flash and functionality would be great even if not critical.

    • Pierre_Cartier
    • 1 yr ago
    • Reported - view

    @NextDNS

    Trolls against NextDNS, kind of pathetic. 

    Same message,different pseudo, same person...? 

    https://old.reddit.com/r/nextdns/comments/108yb8o/leaving_it_for_adguard

    https://old.reddit.com/r/nextdns/comments/108u77i/leaving_nextdns_for_adguard

      • RandomThing223
      • 7 mths ago
      • Reported - view

       No ones trolling, its really the only alternative thats decent. 

    • Jon_Knight
    • 1 yr ago
    • Reported - view

    Just joined nextdns but already considering leaving. Tons of issues with latency and service dropping in Seattle area. The only reason I chose nextdns over Adguard was the ability to add Blocklists and allow affiliate links. But the service issues are too much. 

    • Petrm
    • 1 yr ago
    • Reported - view

    Looking for newsletter but have found none. 
    Looking for roadmap but have found none. 
     

    Just a while after I switched from monthly to yearly Nextdns subsciption, I became suddenly tempted to know how the product is doing (improving) for the money, only to be googled to this forum and found this thread. Ironic. 
     

    Calendar reminder set. If nothing happens in this year, it will be enough to see this product as dying from inside and I will look for alternative in order not to be suprised when this website will say some sort of apologize for end of service, one day.
     

    Anyway thanks for the service so far!
     

      • Pierre_Cartier
      • 1 yr ago
      • Reported - view

      Petrm 

      How many softwares / applications give you their development roadmap or even a newsletter...1%?

      Paying for NextDNS allows you to go over 300K queries, nothing else. Why are expecting something else which is not mentioned anywhere?

    • Pierre_Cartier
    • 1 yr ago
    • Reported - view

    Dammit if AdGuard is engaging in such pitiful attempts to smear competitors, it’s one more reason to stay away from it.

      • Hey
      • 1 yr ago
      • Reported - view

      Pierre Cartier I wouldn't say it's just them doing attempts etc, but I don't understand peoples expectations. There is a lack of new features yeah, but everything is meant to stagnant at some point, in a few months to a year the competition is also going to be stuck, it's hard to re-invent the wheel for something so basic and simple.

      As long as it just works, it's good, new features are great, but there is always the quote of "If it ain't broke don't fix it" so I hope that the demand for new features is showing to an extent where they'll implement it new things. Either way though, it's just a new UI with a few more extra tools and some people like that more than others it comes down to preference.

      • Pierre_Cartier
      • 1 yr ago
      • Reported - view

      Hey not here but on Reddit there is also WS fans and o2pb (Windscribe CEO) who is also doing the same thing.  🤷🏻‍♂️

      • Petrm
      • 1 yr ago
      • Reported - view

      Pierre Cartier this claim is not true. It might be hard to distinguish critics from trolls in same forum when the heads are hot.  I am longtime NextDNS user,  not considering a switch. You can check my forum login email to be the same as the account one. 

      I will try to lead more constructive discussion here -  have you considered a roadmap or some sort of email "bump" in case there is anything new to share with users?

      • RandomThing223
      • 7 mths ago
      • Reported - view

       no one’s doing attempts, we’re all users when we got their VPN deals they give you a dns for free, so they have a ton of users.

       

      we’re all sick of next dns is why, plus when you do the math it’s way more expensive vs adguard. 

    • Calvin_Hobbes
    • 1 yr ago
    • Reported - view

    I’d like to see some enhancements but nothing I can’t live without.  There are some third party tools that fill in the gaps.   The backend has been rock solid from my location (US).   I don’t like to see creeping featuritus to the point where I no longer understand the product.   NextDNS is so simple, a caveman can understand it.   

      • K_Whitewind
      • 1 yr ago
      • Reported - view

      Calvin Hobbes (re: the caveman comment) —He says, on an internet help forum that requires modern convenience and the ability to read. Joking of course, I found your comment to be hilarious in its premise but your logic is sound. I actually really like that the backend is stable and it is not filled to the brim with shiny features that aren’t really doing anything for us. If it isn’t broke, don’t fix it. 

    • Mogsy
    • 1 yr ago
    • Reported - view

    They reading. But they dont care. You not paying enterprise level. Leaving soon too. 

      • Pierre_Cartier
      • 1 yr ago
      • Reported - view

      Mogsy This isn't an airport lobby. Nobody cares if you are leaving.

    • Chris.10
    • 8 mths ago
    • Reported - view

    AdGuard is starting to hide DDNS features and IPv4 usage unless you pay 10x the price!  It was fun playing with them, but I'm switching back to NextDNS!

      • Chris.10
      • 8 mths ago
      • Reported - view

       It disappeared for me.  Glad you still have it.

      • RandomThing223
      • 7 mths ago
      • Reported - view

       it’s deduced ips they do that for now DDNS 

    • Idig
    • 8 mths ago
    • Reported - view

    I'M going to review this suggestion as well , for the most part nextdns is working okay but I have issues now and then .... again today seems DNS issues when using DoT on android where I cannot get answers for such as lowes.com going to Ecuador then it clear it self up after making no changes on my network

      • Idig
      • 8 mths ago
      • Reported - view

       hi I  believe I figured this out and posted a reply in my thread 

      I was blocking an api by mistake tld was blocked and that literary took down some apps on phones , why nextdns send to Ecuador I have no idea 

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