What DNS Compare Does
DNS Compare benchmarks DNS resolution speed across your system resolver and popular public DNS services — Cloudflare (1.1.1.1), Google (8.8.8.8), Quad9 (9.9.9.9), and others. It helps identify slow DNS as the source of browsing lag or sluggish application performance.
Why DNS Matters
Every website visit, app connection, and service lookup starts with a DNS query. A slow resolver adds latency to every single request your device makes. The difference between a 5ms resolver and a 150ms resolver is noticeable in daily use — pages load faster, apps feel snappier, and VoIP calls connect more quickly when DNS is fast.
How to Use It
- Open DNS Compare from the sidebar.
- Click Run Comparison — the tool tests multiple resolvers against a set of popular domains.
- Review the results table: each resolver shows average resolution time, fastest and slowest query, and reliability (percentage of successful queries).
Reading the Results
The results table color-codes each resolver's performance:
- Green = fast (under 20ms). Your system resolver should ideally be in this range.
- Yellow = acceptable (20–100ms). This might indicate your ISP's resolver is under load.
- Red = slow (over 100ms). If this is your default resolver, consider switching.
Pay attention to both speed and reliability. A fast resolver that fails 10% of queries is worse than a slightly slower one that succeeds 100% of the time.
Switching DNS
If a public resolver is significantly faster than your system default, you may want to change your DNS settings. On Windows, go to Settings > Network & Internet > your adapter > DNS server assignment and enter the preferred resolver's address.
RockWiFi Pro shows you the data — you decide whether to change. Common fast and reliable options include:
- Cloudflare:
1.1.1.1and1.0.0.1 - Google:
8.8.8.8and8.8.4.4 - Quad9:
9.9.9.9and149.112.112.112
Tips
- Run the test a few times throughout the day. DNS performance varies by time and load.
- If your ISP resolver is consistently slow, switching to Cloudflare or Google DNS is a simple win that requires no hardware changes.
- For enterprise environments, internal DNS servers may be slow because they are overloaded or misconfigured — DNS Compare gives you evidence to take to the network team.
- Use DNS Compare alongside Target Test to determine whether slow resolution is the bottleneck for a specific service.
Still need help?
If you're still experiencing issues, contact us or email support@rockriverresearch.com.