Cloudflare DNS vs. IBM NS1 Connect

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Cloudflare DNS
Score 0.0 out of 10
N/A
Cloudflare DNS is an enterprise-grade authoritative DNS service that provides the industry’s fastest response times, unparalleled redundancy, and advanced security. By leveraging Cloudflare’s global Anycast network across 330+ cities, it ensures that DNS queries are resolved with ultra-low latency while remaining resilient against infrastructure outages and targeted attacks.N/A
IBM NS1 Connect
Score 8.1 out of 10
N/A
IBM NS1 Connect is a managed service for authoritative DNS and traffic steering designed to improve application performance and network resilience.
$99
per month
Pricing
Cloudflare DNSIBM NS1 Connect
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
IBM NS1 Connect Essentials
USD 99*
per month
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Cloudflare DNSIBM NS1 Connect
Free Trial
NoYes
Free/Freemium Version
NoYes
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoYes
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeOptional
Additional DetailsOptions include IBM NS1 CONNECT FREE DEVELOPER ACCOUNT The IBM® NS1 Connect® free developer account showcases IBM's authoritative DNS capabilities, allowing users to start using it in minutes. Although traffic scale is limited, the full API is available for unlimited usage. It can be used in production as a primary or secondary solution. IBM NS1 CONNECT ESSENTIALS Scaled for growing businesses, the Essentials plan offers features to ensure fast, reliable connections to end-users. Available for purchase on IBM.com or AWS. IBM NS1 CONNECT PREMIUM NS1 Connect Premium is for businesses needing scalable authoritative DNS. Pricing is based on query volume and DNS records. Additional services are also priced through query volume. Enterprise plans offer customizable support and professional services. *(Calculated prices are estimates provided for planning purposes only taking into account potential IBM discounts, and are not a formal offer from IBM or an IBM Business Partner. The estimation may reflect the total discounted price. Certain factors such as configuration, add-ons, or additional requirements will affect final price. IBM Business Partners set and provide their own IBM NS1 Price Estimator pricing, and neither IBM nor IBM Business Partners are bound by the provided estimate.)
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Cloudflare DNSIBM NS1 Connect
Best Alternatives
Cloudflare DNSIBM NS1 Connect
Small Businesses
Cloudflare
Cloudflare
Score 8.9 out of 10
Cloudflare
Cloudflare
Score 8.9 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Cloudflare
Cloudflare
Score 8.9 out of 10
Cloudflare
Cloudflare
Score 8.9 out of 10
Enterprises
Google Cloud DNS
Google Cloud DNS
Score 10.0 out of 10
Google Cloud DNS
Google Cloud DNS
Score 10.0 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
Cloudflare DNSIBM NS1 Connect
Likelihood to Recommend
-
(0 ratings)
7.8
(13 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
-
(0 ratings)
9.1
(1 ratings)
Usability
-
(0 ratings)
7.3
(3 ratings)
Ease of integration
-
(0 ratings)
6.4
(1 ratings)
Product Scalability
-
(0 ratings)
7.3
(1 ratings)
User Testimonials
Cloudflare DNSIBM NS1 Connect
Likelihood to Recommend
Cloudflare
No answers on this topic
IBM
where is well suited - in terms of managing high scale application networks which needs to be present and working in lot of regions - so multi-region failover setup - this is a strength of NS1 connect. Where is it less suited - in term of reporting, like visually ibm team needs to work on their UI UX graphs and all that.
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Pros
Cloudflare
No answers on this topic
IBM
  • IBM NS1 Connect provides a comprehensive solution for managing and optimizing traffic steering.
  • It provides solutions like Dedicated DNS, which offers a separate resolution network for authoritative DNS, ensuring maximum uptime even in the face of outages.
  • It utilizes real-time metrics and automated DNS routing decisions to optimize traffic distribution and ensure resilience.
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Cons
Cloudflare
No answers on this topic
IBM
  • User Experience - Please make it more easy to use for Admins
  • Also add some more details in the reference documents
  • Try if they can offer a monitoring tool
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Likelihood to Renew
Cloudflare
No answers on this topic
IBM
The product is very easy to use even for a junior admin new to the job. It has an intuitive interface, logical layout and easy to generate reporting. We have been able to catch configuration errors, DDOS attacks and logging of unusual behavior. We also love how it can be used in a redundant fashion to eliminate downtime
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Usability
Cloudflare
No answers on this topic
IBM
The interface can be better. As of now, it is a bit difficult to manage multiple records at the same time or to test the rules effectively. The data reporting is also not as great as we expect with tools of today’s maturity.
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Alternatives Considered
Cloudflare
No answers on this topic
IBM
Cloudflare offers a very intuitive interface and strong security features, but its DNS traffic management is more opinionated and provides less granular control for complex routing use cases. Akamai is powerful and enterprise‑grade, but it felt heavier and more complex than what we needed for DNS‑focused traffic steering. We ultimately selected IBM NS1 Connect because it struck the right balance between flexibility, intelligence, and control.
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Scalability
Cloudflare
No answers on this topic
IBM
I gave it an 8 because it handles massive datasets and high user concurrency very reliably without significant performance lag. It’s built for enterprise-level growth, but the infrastructure setup for that maximum scale can get quite complex to manage.
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Return on Investment
Cloudflare
No answers on this topic
IBM
  • Enhanced end-user experience as a result of better performance & uptime
  • Easy management - resulting in cutting down in operations cost
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ScreenShots

IBM NS1 Connect Screenshots

Screenshot of the IBM NS1 Connect home page