---
title: "Edge DNS vs Cloudflare DNS"
description: "Compare Edge DNS to Cloudflare DNS: health checks included, geo-routing without an enterprise tier, and the AI DNS Examiner. A fair, detailed comparison."
url: https://edge.network/dns/compare/cloudflare/
---

# Edge DNS vs Cloudflare DNS

[DNS](https://edge.network/dns)

DNS Comparison

# Edge DNS vs Cloudflare DNS

A detailed, fair comparison of Edge DNS and Cloudflare DNS for authoritative DNS hosting.

## How we compare to Cloudflare

Cloudflare runs one of the largest DNS platforms in the world, with over 300
anycast PoPs and free authoritative DNS for unlimited domains. Edge DNS is
also free — up to 50 zones with unlimited records and a million queries a
month per zone, no card required — so for most teams the price of both
providers is the same: nothing.

Where the picture changes is when you need more than the basics. Health checks
cost extra on Cloudflare, and geo-routing is reserved for the Enterprise tier.
On Edge, both are included on every account, alongside the AI DNS Examiner —
automated analysis of your zone configuration that no other provider in this
comparison offers.

Edge DNS is also a genuinely standalone service. It works with any CDN, any
host, and any cloud, so choosing it for DNS never becomes a decision about the
rest of your stack.

### Key Differences

- **Health checks included** – an extra cost on Cloudflare
- **Geo-routing on every account** – Enterprise-only on Cloudflare
- **AI DNS Examiner** – automated analysis of your zone configuration
- **Standalone DNS** – use Edge DNS with any CDN, host, or provider

## Feature Comparison

How Edge DNS and Cloudflare DNS compare feature by feature.

| Feature | Edge | Cloudflare |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Zones Included | Up to 50 | Unlimited |
| Records | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Queries Included | 1M/zone/month | Unlimited |
| Anycast PoPs | 50+ | 300+ |
| Propagation Time |

## What's Included Free

Both providers offer free authoritative DNS. The difference is what sits inside
the free tier: on Cloudflare, advanced features become a paid or Enterprise
conversation; on Edge, they're included.

| Feature | Edge | Cloudflare |
| Authoritative DNS hosting | Free | Free |
| Health checks | Included | Extra cost |
| Geo-routing | Included | Enterprise tier |
| AI zone analysis (DNS Examiner) | Included | Not available |

## When to Choose Edge

Both are excellent DNS providers. Here's when Edge makes more sense.

### You need health checks

Edge includes health checks as standard, so you can route around failing endpoints without buying an add-on.

### You want geo-routing without an enterprise contract

On Cloudflare, geo-routing is reserved for the Enterprise tier. On Edge, every account gets it.

### You want DNS that stands alone

Edge DNS works with whatever sits behind it — any CDN, any host, any cloud. There's no pull towards adopting the rest of a proprietary stack.

Also weighing up AWS? See how
[Edge DNS compares to Route 53](https://edge.network/dns/compare/route53).

## Ready to try Edge DNS?

Create a free account and add your first zone in minutes.

[Get Started with Edge DNS](https://edge.network/account) [View All Comparisons](https://edge.network/dns/compare)