Two DNS providers that take privacy seriously. Mullvad is backed by a VPN company. Quad9 is a not-for-profit.
Mullvad DNS (194.242.2.2) comes from Mullvad VPN, a company known for its strong privacy stance. They accept cash payments and do not require an email address. Their DNS service reflects that same philosophy. Quad9 (9.9.9.9) is operated by Packet Clearing House, a not-for-profit that focuses on security and privacy.
Both are excellent choices for privacy-conscious users. Both are free. Both support encrypted DNS. But they have different approaches to blocking.
Mullvad does not log any query data. They operate a strict no-logging policy that has been tested in court. Their DNS service is subject to the same no-log policy as their VPN service. If privacy is your absolute priority, Mullvad DNS is about as good as it gets.
Quad9 also has strong privacy. They do not log personal data. Query data is used for threat intelligence but IP addresses are not stored with logs. Quad9 is incorporated in Switzerland, which has strong privacy laws.
Quad9 blocks malware and phishing domains automatically using threat intelligence from over 20 sources. Mullvad DNS does not block any domains. Mullvad's philosophy is that DNS should be neutral. If you want blocking, Mullvad recommends using their service with a separate blocklist tool like Pi-Hole.
Quad9 is generally faster because it has more infrastructure. Mullvad DNS has fewer servers, which means higher latency in some regions. However, Mullvad DNS is still much faster than ISP DNS. The difference between Quad9 and Mullvad is typically 10-30ms depending on location.
Choose Mullvad if: You want absolute privacy with zero logging. You are already a Mullvad VPN customer. You use Pi-Hole or similar tools for blocking.
Choose Quad9 if: You want privacy plus automatic malware blocking. You want faster performance. You prefer a not-for-profit operator.