DNS monitoring is an often underestimated aspect of cybersecurity. It allows you to monitor the connection quality between your local recursive servers and authoritative name servers. By looking at the delay between responses, DNS monitoring software can figure out the quality of the connection.

Here is our list of the best DNS monitoring tools:

1. Atera – EDITOR’S CHOICE A system management platform with DNS monitoring that gives IT teams live visibility, automatic alerts, and performance tracking to help keep DNS services stable. Get a 30-day free trial.
2. Site24x7 DNS Server Monitoring – FREE TRIAL This is a great tool to use if you’re looking for out-of-the-box functionality while keeping customization options open. Start a 30-day free trial.
3. ManageEngine Applications Manager – FREE TRIAL A versatile tool with on-prem and cloud deployments available. Start a 30-day free trial.
4. Paessler PRTG Network Monitor – FREE TRIAL This tool offers you the most customizable approach to monitoring out there, letting you only pay for the sensors you absolutely need. Download the 30-day free trial.
5. SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor An excellent DNS monitoring software giving you excellent customizability, depth, and user experience.
6. Nagios XI A lightweight tool that offers an abundance of plugins to customize your experience
7. Dotcom-Monitor A very easy tool to use with a cleverly designed UI.
8. ThousandEyes A very user-friendly tool with some very creative features.

Keeping track of your DNS servers’ performance lets you find signs of poor performance such as latency or random disconnections extremely quickly. Most tools will also alert you of any issues, lowering the workload of your employees.

The best DNS Monitoring tools

1. Atera – FREE TRIAL

Atera is a system monitoring software letting MSP (managed service providers) remotely support your networks, servers, and apps operating on any of your websites. The tool also features monitoring capabilities, one of which is DNS monitoring.

Main Features

• Straightforward and intuitive UI makes it easy to look at the factors you care the most about
• A great option for SMBs due to the variety of pricing models available
• You can look at a variety of PSA features, making this a great tool to use for helpdesk teams
• Atera can keep track of SLAs and has a tracking option for any ongoing maintenance tasks
• Provides real-time remote monitoring and management of devices to keep network operations stable
• Keeps track of hardware and software assets across the network for easier oversight and control

Why do we recommend it?

We recommend Atera for its user-friendly interface and efficient remote monitoring capabilities. During our evaluation, Atera demonstrated its capability to remotely restart DNS server processes, ensuring uninterrupted network performance without requiring physical intervention, which is a valuable feature for efficient network management.

Atera is a remote monitoring and management system at heart. This means it takes many different tools and bundles them up to let IT experts look at the whole technical architecture of a website or application.

You can run Atera through a mobile app or a browser as a cloud-based service. The tool lets your experts restart DNS server processes, in addition to monitoring them around the clock. Furthermore, Atera will sometimes pick up on what exactly is causing issues with your DNS.

Who is it recommended for?

We recommend Atera for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) looking for a versatile system monitoring and management solution, especially those in need of remote support for networks, servers, and applications.

Atera’s user interface is straightforward and intuitive, making it accessible for beginners. However, it does lack some of the advanced features that experienced users seek, making it more suitable for users with basic to intermediate technical knowledge.

In the technology sector, it supports tech companies in achieving optimal software development and maintaining robust IT infrastructure. Marketing agencies trust Atera for managing client campaigns and safeguarding critical data. In agriculture, Atera aids in monitoring crop data and streamlining processes, while the energy sector relies on it for efficient monitoring of power grids and essential infrastructure.

Atera is priced on a per technician basis, and you can get any of its three editions on a 30-day free trial.

2. Site24x7 DNS Server Monitoring – FREE TRIAL

Site24x7 offers a great DNS monitoring multi-tool, alerting your staff whenever there’s an error or misconfiguration. The biggest issue with solving DNS issues is finding them; thankfully, Site24x7 can check your website starting from over 90 locations around the globe. Not only does the tool check whether your site is visible, but it will also look at the reason for the outage when there is one.

Main Features

• The tool supports network, infrastructure, and accurate user monitoring, all within a single dashboard
• Site24x7 uses real-time data to find devices and create charts, network maps, and inventory reports
• It’s an excellent tool out of the box, without requiring you to customize much
• There’s a free version which can be enough for some SMBs. It works for five or fewer devices or websites

Why do we recommend it?

By receiving immediate alerts and detailed diagnostic information while using Site24x7, we were able to identify and address a DNS issue promptly. In this case, the problem was related to misconfigured DNS records, which were quickly corrected, resulting in improved website availability for users in those affected regions.

The tool runs continuous DNS checks and gives out an alert whenever there’s a DNS error preventing the end-user from reaching your site. The alerts system makes it so that you don’t need to look at a dashboard to find problems constantly. Instead, your technicians can be on various duties and only pay attention to the DNS once the issues have arisen.

Who do we recommend it to?

Site24x7 DNS Server Monitoring offers a user-friendly experience for beginners while providing the flexibility and advanced features required by more experienced users. It’s a tool that can adapt to the user’s skill level, making it suitable for a broad audience.

Site24x7 is an excellent choice for website administrators who want to ensure that their websites remain accessible and responsive to users worldwide. It provides in-depth DNS monitoring and alerts, helping administrators identify and resolve DNS issues promptly.

E-commerce businesses rely heavily on online availability and performance. Site24x7’s DNS Server Monitoring can help e-commerce sites maintain a reliable and fast online shopping experience for their customers.

You can start with a 30-day free trial.

3. ManageEngine Applications Manager – FREE TRIAL

The ManageEngine Applications Manager is one of the most versatile DNS monitoring tools. With both on-prem and cloud deployments available, you can make it so that the tool fits your needs.

Main Features

• Both on-premises and cloud deployments are supported
• The tool creates a map of dependencies between your applications, letting you see how the performance of an application is affecting your business
• There are log monitoring features, giving you a holistic approach to viewing your database health
• The tool automatically detects databases, your server’s hardware, and the devices within your infrastructure

Why do we recommend it?

We thoroughly inspected ManageEngine Applications Manager and it showed a sudden surge in DNS query failures, indicating a potential DDoS attack on our DNS infrastructure. This early warning allowed us to take immediate action, mitigating the attack and ensuring uninterrupted service for our website visitors.

You can look at metrics like Search Value Status, Search Time, Response Time, and many others. These metrics give you a detailed and granular look at your DNS performance. Furthermore, these metrics can be plotted and graphed to have a visual look at your data and see trends that you otherwise might not.

The alerts system is also customizable, letting you set thresholds so that you are only alerted when a specific metric meets it.

Who is it recommended for?

ManageEngine Applications Manager is well-suited for all organizations that rely on critical applications and DNS infrastructure, such as e-commerce platforms, healthcare systems, financial institutions, and any business that demands reliable DNS services.

It’s best suited for users with an intermediate to advanced level of technical expertise in systems and network management, as it offers a comprehensive set of monitoring features that require a solid understanding of IT infrastructure components such as applications, servers, and databases. Beginners will find it initially more challenging to operate effectively.

Software development firms can rely on DNS monitoring to ensure seamless access to development environments and code repositories. Food and beverage businesses can guarantee uninterrupted online ordering and delivery services through DNS monitoring.

Pricing: A free version lets you get five apps or servers monitored. The professional edition goes from $945 for 25 apps or servers up to 250 apps or servers at a price tag of $7,195. There’s also an enterprise edition that goes up to 5000 apps or servers.

Start your ManageEngine Applications Manager 30-day free trial.

4. Paessler PRTG Network Monitor – FREE TRIAL

If you’re familiar with the network monitoring world, you’ll know about the Paessler PRTG Network Monitor. This tool gives you a high-functioning monitoring experience, in addition to helping you check how well your DNS servers are performing. PRTG has a dedicated DNS sensor and monitors it automatically while working on other things.

Main Features

• Autodiscovery features make taking inventory a breeze
• The PRTG uses WMI, SNMP, as well as packet sniffing to find devices and record performance
• It’s straightforward to create customized dashboards and reports
• There are various alert mediums that you can use to make using the PRTG all that much easier
• It’s a highly in-depth software with various features that can enrich the user experience
• With its sensor-based payment structure, you will never pay for features you aren’t using

Why do we recommend it?

Paessler PRTG Network Monitor is recommended for its sensor-based payment structure, we liked how it allowed us to customize our monitoring experience and pay only for the specific sensors we need. It helped us quickly identify and resolve a DNS server performance issue, ensuring uninterrupted service for our users.

The DNS sensor will let you look at your live data or see a historical breakdown over 2,30 or 365 days. The alerts system is also excellent, letting you get alerts through email, SMS, or a myriad of push notifications. This can lower the time it takes to concentrate on the dashboard and get wind of every minor alteration.

Furthermore, you can use this tool for a myriad of other purposes past DNS monitoring. With its sensor-based payment structure, you’re never paying for features you aren’t going to use.

Who do we recommend it to?

PRTG Network Monitor is recommended for IT professionals, network administrators, and businesses of all sizes seeking comprehensive network monitoring solutions. It’s ideal for those who need to ensure network performance, minimize downtime, and promptly address issues to maintain a stable and efficient network environment.

Users should have a moderate level of experience in network administration and monitoring. Familiarity with network protocols, SNMP, and network infrastructure is beneficial. The software’s user-friendly interface simplifies tasks, making it accessible to a broad range of users, from intermediate to advanced IT professionals.

PRTG Network Monitor is useful in telecommunication, transportation, and utility companies, allowing them to monitor their network infrastructure, guaranteeing a stable flow of electricity and minimizing service disruptions.

Pricing: With less than 100 sensors, you won’t need to pay anything for the PRTG. On the other hand, if you need more, you’ll have to opt into one of PRTG’s other pricing schemes. You can look at the software for free using a 30-day free trial.

5. SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor

Made by the reputable SolarWinds company, the SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor is the best DNS monitoring tool on the market. It’s a tool that couples DNS monitoring together with server performance management, giving you an amazing DNS monitoring experience, along with a bit extra.

Main Features

• Auto-discovery finds every device on your network and automatically creates a network topology map and inventory list
• A variety of alert options, as well as scripted remediation capabilities
• Lots of preconfigured settings
• Excellent UI
• Intuitive dashboard with reporting capabilities
• Extremely scalable

Why do we recommend it?

During our assessment, it helped us resolve a slow response time from one of our DNS servers. SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor detected this problem by continuously monitoring the server’s response times to DNS queries.

When the response times exceeded a predefined threshold, the tool alerted us to the issue. This early detection allowed us to take action promptly, optimizing the server’s performance and ensuring smooth DNS resolution for our network users.

A lot of DNS monitoring tools stop at monitoring the quality of your connection, however, the SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor not only keeps track of your connection but also of your hardware’s health. When you test your connection, you can keep track of your DNS server’s response times.

SolarWinds monitors your connection quality by keeping track of how quickly the server responds to your queries and then compares that to a list of pre-set IPs. If the response times are low, the tool will notify you of an issue. You aren’t forced to do everything manually either, since the tool will let you know if your server gets too many requests at once, allowing you to act even while you’re away.

When it comes to hardware health, you can look at the health of your servers based on a variety of elements like its status, CPU, current temperature/fan speed, and many others. If you’re having difficulties with any of these, you’ll see a warning flag crop up.

Who is it recommended for?

We recommend SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor for IT professionals, system administrators, and network managers who need comprehensive DNS monitoring and management tools.

It’s particularly beneficial for large organizations with complex IT infrastructures and multiple DNS servers, as they can benefit from SolarWinds’ scalability and in-depth monitoring capabilities. Managed Service Providers (MSPs) responsible for managing DNS services for multiple clients can use this tool to ensure optimal DNS performance and provide reliable services.

Those overseeing network operations, ensuring seamless DNS resolution, and interested in minimizing downtime can use SolarWinds to proactively monitor and troubleshoot DNS issues.

Professionals responsible for server and application performance can use this tool to monitor the health of DNS servers and their impact on application response times.

With that being said, the SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor is a tool made for enterprises. If you’ve got the funds for it ($2,995 starting price), it’s a highly worthwhile investment. However, if you’re an SMB, you might find that it’s a bit too feature-rich for you. Likewise, non-technical users can struggle, especially with its more advanced functionalities.

SolarWinds Server & Application Monitor comes with an extended 30-day free trial.

6. Nagios XI

Nagios XI is a big name in the network monitoring world; however, they’ve also included an excellent DNS monitor. Nagios XI lets you keep track of queries, servers, and protocols, making it much easier with its DNS Query Nagios XI Monitoring Wizard.

Main Features

• The base installation is very light
• If you want a lot of complexity, you can quickly achieve it using optional features if you want them
• You can conduct both internal and external monitoring through the same tool
• A variety of visualization options
• The free trial is longer than most tools in the industry, sitting at 60 days

Why do we recommend it?

As we delved into its capabilities, Nagios XI helped us detect and resolve a sudden server overload issue due to a surge in concurrent user access during the release of a highly anticipated Linux tutorial series. With Nagios XI’s real-time monitoring, we were alerted to the performance degradation, enabling us to promptly allocate additional server resources, ensuring the successful launch of our tutorials and preventing potential downtime.

The tool was created with fast-paced environments in mind, meaning any DNS issues in your network should be detected within seconds or minutes. This lets you keep your mind off of DNS issues, as you can respond to them immediately in case anything important happens.

One of the biggest reasons Nagios XI is so famous is that it offers a variety of excellent plugins. So naturally, there are also quite a few plugins made to help you with DNS monitoring, such as Check DNS Replacement, check_dyndns_logon, and numerous others.

Who is it recommended for?

Nagios XI is a robust network monitoring tool designed for IT professionals, network administrators, and system engineers who oversee various IT infrastructures. Its feature-rich capabilities cater to businesses of all sizes, ensuring the proactive monitoring and optimization of critical systems, applications, and websites.

Whether you’re managing a small to medium-sized enterprise or a large corporation, Nagios XI can be customized to meet your specific monitoring needs. Users with intermediate to advanced technical knowledge can effectively harness its capabilities, making it an ideal choice for those looking to ensure the reliability and performance of their digital assets and networks.

The only thing holding the Nagios XI back is that it requires virtualization software to run on Windows and its relatively high price when it comes to the enterprise version. However, with that being said, the standard version is more than enough for most firms and is competitively priced.

7. Dotcom-Monitor

If you’re looking for a simple DNS monitoring tool, Dotcom-Monitor might be just the tool for you. The way it works is straightforward- it assesses request times, responds with a DNS trace, and sends you an alert if there are any problems. The DNS trace will then display all of the necessary details such as the duration, start time, Addresses, Aliases, and the Resolving Host.

Main Features

• Extremely simple to use with a clever UI
• Excellent templates for customized alerts
• Monitors your website traffic alongside the supporting infrastructure
• Dotcom-Monitor supports a wide variety of recording options

Why do we recommend it?

By using Dotcom-Monitor to monitor DNS performance, we managed to optimize load times, achieving better user experience. Dotcom-Monitor alerted us to expiring SSL certificates, preventing security risks, and we were promptly informed of broken links, enabling us to fix them swiftly.  It also alerted us when content updates failed, ensuring the latest information was available to users.

Even if you’re not right there to see the DNS trace, you’ll still get an alert with the problem, as well as a link to take a look at the trace right from the alert window. This lets you get directly to damage control and alter config, as you’ll scarcely need to look for the root cause of an issue.

One of the most significant advantages of this software is that it supports a vast variety of records, ranging from AAAA to NS, CNAME, TXT, SPF, and many others. This helps quite a bit with troubleshooting, as you gather much more information than you otherwise would.

Who is it recommended for?

Dotcom-Monitor ensures a user experience that welcomes both novices and experienced professionals. It is a great tool for website owners, e-commerce businesses, IT departments, content managers, security teams, DevOps teams, digital marketers, online service providers, small to large businesses, and web hosting providers.  It ensures uninterrupted website performance, preventing downtime which is crucial for any online presence.

With that being said, it’s relatively high-priced for such a simple tool, with its first package starting at ten targets with 15-minute intervals between checks starting at $16 per month. Its high-end package has 100 marks and a 1-minute interval and sits at $120 a month. If this sounds like what you’re looking for, you can take a 30-day free trial.

8. ThousandEyes

ThousandEyes is the most transparent tool on this list by far. The tool can monitor various apps and servers and look at any connected servers’ availability and resolution times.

Main Features

• Excellent UI and visualization capabilities
• Very user friendly for new users
• VoIP traffic simulations help with replicating common issues
• Streamlined troubleshooting processes

Why do we recommend it?

We deployed ThousandEyes to monitor the accessibility of our website from various global locations, ensuring that users worldwide were able to reach us. By consistently providing a fast and reliable website experience, we gained a competitive advantage in the tech tutorial space, attracting more visitors and retaining a loyal user base.

The tool has maintained great user-friendliness and poured quite a bit into its new user experience. Its autodiscovery features ease off a lot of the pressure that more unique users of DNS monitors might face.

The tool also offers customizable alerts that you can customize based on your DNS and Record mappings. You can customize these alerts based on what you need the screen for, in addition to exporting alerts whenever the need crops up. The alerts can also be exported to make team communication easier.

Who is it recommended for?

ThousandEyes is a helpful asset for IT professionals and network administrators as it offers unparalleled insights into the performance of their online services and networks. With its VoIP traffic simulations and real-time monitoring, it enables them to quickly identify and address common issues, ensuring optimal reliability.

To make the most of ThousandEyes, users should have a foundational understanding of network and application performance monitoring. While it offers user-friendly features, some familiarity with network concepts will help users interpret and act upon the data effectively. More experienced IT professionals will appreciate its advanced capabilities for in-depth analysis and troubleshooting.

There are multiple pricing options, all of which require a quote, and you can also get a free trial.

Closing Words

Some might have noticed we didn’t list BIND 10 as one of the entries in this list, despite it being the most popular DNS monitoring software. We didn’t record it because its popularity is simply a matter of convenience and price. It’s convenient to have because it comes pre-installed with most Unix/Linux installations, it’s free, and it’s open-source. However, it simply doesn’t stack up to most other tools on this list.

All of the tools above are great, and as always, the most important thing is to keep in mind your needs. Our 8th pick might just be your 1st.

What is your favorite DNS monitoring software?

What feature do you wish more DNS monitors incorporated?

Let us know in the comments below!