What CleanDNS does

CleanDNS, Inc. is a privately held U.S. software company (founded 2021, headquartered in Yardley, Pennsylvania) that operates a subscription-based DNS abuse intelligence and mitigation platform targeting the domain name ecosystem. The company is built around three integrated components: a core CleanDNS Platform offering Smart Evidence Validation, Rapid Mitigation Engine, Compliance Dashboard, Real-Time Monitoring, and API/integration capabilities (REST/JSON, STIX 2.1, TAXII, IODEF); a Pivot graph-powered investigation engine that correlates domains, IPs, nameservers, registrants, and infrastructure to expose coordinated abuse campaigns; and a Trusted Reporter Network of 75+ verified global cybersecurity entities that supply abuse signals and receive attribution through Trust Index scoring.

The platform serves six primary customer segments — registries and registrars, hosting and infrastructure providers, cybersecurity teams and MSSPs, government and public sector, enterprise organizations, and corporate brand protection companies — with named enterprise customers including Nominet (.uk), AFNIC (.fr), PIR (.org), Tucows, GMO Registry, and Identity Digital. Go-to-market combines direct sales (Contact Sales, Request a Demo, Book a Government Briefing) with self-service and API-first deployment options, supporting portfolios ranging from a few domains to millions. The company claims coverage of 80%+ of internet-delegated domains and 85%+ of delegated TLDs, and holds SOC 2 Type II, GDPR, ISO-27001 alignment, and EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework certifications.

The business model is annual subscription SaaS with quote-based pricing across self-service, hybrid, and fully managed deployment tiers. The company has raised approximately $3.325M across two disclosed rounds (March 2023 and November 2024) and is led by CEO Jeffrey Bedser alongside co-founder/CEO Paul Diaz, COO Rick Hansen, CTO Alan Woods, CLO Rishi Maudhub, and VP Engagement Chris Lewis-Evans, with Ram Mohan serving as Chairman.

Name

CleanDNS

Legal name

CleanDNS, Inc.

Website

https://cleandns.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

CleanDNS is a U.S. SaaS platform that provides DNS abuse intelligence, evidence-based mitigation, and graph-powered investigation tools to registries, registrars, governments, cybersecurity providers, and brand protection organizations globally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

DNS Abuse Mitigation Software

NAICS

Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (518)

SIC

Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370), Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)

akta.pro primary industry

DNS Security & Protective DNS (HDADABAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Resilient DNS, Traffic Management & Global Load Balancing (HDABAIAI), Marketplace & Platform Trust & Safety (Buyer/Seller Abuse) (HDADALAI), Web & Mobile Abuse (Scraping, Scalping, Inventory Hoarding) (HDADALAH)

Keywords

• DNS abuse mitigation
• Domain threat intelligence
• Phishing detection software
• Brand protection services
• Registry security platform

Headquarters

HQ city

Yardley

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. SaaS Platform Subscription: CleanDNS operates as a subscription-based SaaS platform providing DNS abuse intelligence and mitigation services. Offers self-service, hybrid, and fully managed deployment options tailored to organizational workflow requirements. Designed for portfolios ranging from a few domains to millions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

CleanDNS operates a DNS abuse intelligence and mitigation platform that enables registries, registrars, hosting providers, governments, and brand protection teams to detect, validate, manage, and eliminate DNS-related threats such as phishing, malware, brand impersonation, and botnets. The platform aggregates signals from a Trusted Reporter Network of more than 75 verified global sources spanning over 80% of internet-delegated domains and 85% of delegated TLDs, applies evidence-based validation, and accelerates takedown through a Rapid Mitigation Engine. A complementary Pivot investigation engine supports deep graph-based analysis of coordinated abuse campaigns.

Product overview

CleanDNS offers a unified DNS abuse mitigation platform comprising a core abuse management suite and a graph-powered investigation engine called Pivot. The core CleanDNS Platform provides Smart Evidence Validation, Rapid Mitigation Engine, Compliance Dashboard, Real-Time Monitoring & Insights, and API integrations, while the Trusted Reporter Network supplies global abuse signals. Pivot extends the platform by enabling investigators to pivot from single artifacts to full campaign analysis, connecting domains, IPs, hosts, and entities to uncover coordinated abuse networks. Together, these products deliver evidence-based, compliance-driven abuse remediation for registries, registrars, cybersecurity providers, governments, and corporate brand organizations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Pivot: CleanDNS's investigation engine that enables pivot analysis across domains, IPs, nameservers, registrants, and infrastructure to uncover coordinated abuse campaigns.

Products and services

• CleanDNS Platform SaaS platform that enables registries, registrars, hosting providers, governments, cybersecurity teams, and brand protection organizations to detect, validate, and mitigate DNS abuse (phishing, malware, brand impersonation, botnets) at scale. The platform delivers Smart Evidence Validation, Rapid Mitigation Engine, Compliance Dashboard, Real-Time Monitoring & Insights, and API & Integrations.
• Pivot Graph-powered investigation engine offered as a separate product that correlates abuse signals across reporters, domains, and infrastructure to uncover coordinated DNS abuse campaigns. It includes cluster detection, string similarity analysis, temporal pattern analysis, and sinkhole-based forensic data collection for analysts and security teams.
• Trusted Reporter Network Community-driven network of 75+ verified global abuse signal sources that feeds validated abuse reports into the CleanDNS Platform. Provides coverage of 80%+ of internet-delegated domains and 85%+ of delegated TLDs, accessible via REST/JSON API with STIX 2.1, TAXII, and IODEF/RFC5070 support for security teams and reporters.

Quantifiable outcome

• 80%+ of domains delegated on the internet monitored
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

AI capability3 records

Feature11 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• NominetcoreTechnology or IntegrationNominet, operator of the .uk domain registry, is a trusted partner of CleanDNS. The partnership enables Nominet to leverage CleanDNS abuse intelligence and mitigation services for policy-based protection of the .uk namespace.
• AFNICcoreTechnology or IntegrationAFNIC, operator of the .fr and associated French TLDs, trusts CleanDNS for DNS abuse mitigation services. The partnership supports AFNIC's abuse management capabilities across their namespace.
• PIR (Public Interest Registry)coreTechnology or IntegrationPIR (Public Interest Registry), operator of .org and related TLDs, is a trusted partner of CleanDNS for DNS abuse protection.
• TucowscoreTechnology or IntegrationTucows, a major domain name registrar, trusts CleanDNS to help clean up the internet. The partnership provides CleanDNS abuse intelligence and mitigation services across Tucows' registrar operations.
• GMO RegistrycoreTechnology or IntegrationGMO Registry, operator of Japanese TLDs and global domain operations, partners with CleanDNS for DNS abuse intelligence and mitigation services.
• Identity DigitalcoreTechnology or IntegrationIdentity Digital, a leading registry and registrar for new gTLDs, trusts CleanDNS for abuse management across their portfolio of new generic top-level domains.
• Trusted Reporter Network MemberscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner75+ trusted reporters and cybersecurity entities participate in CleanDNS' Trusted Reporter Network, contributing abuse signals that are ingested, enriched, and correlated into actionable intelligence. Reporters receive attribution, credit, signed receipts, leaderboard recognition, Trust Index scores, and Impact Awards.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Farsight Security: Farsight operates the Security Information Exchange and passive DNS infrastructure providing real-time DNS telemetry for abuse detection and threat intelligence — directly comparable to CleanDNS's Pivot engine and reporter-driven intelligence approach.
• PhishLabs (Fortra): PhishLabs provides phishing-specific threat intelligence and takedown services for brands and security teams — directly comparable to CleanDNS's brand protection and DNS abuse mitigation offerings for enterprise customers.
• WhoisXML API: WhoisXML API offers WHOIS, DNS, and domain intelligence feeds to security teams and brand protection firms, overlapping with CleanDNS's domain/registrant/NS analytics for abuse investigation and brand impersonation detection.
• DomainTools: DomainTools provides DNS, WHOIS, and infrastructure intelligence used for threat investigation and abuse research — the closest direct competitor to CleanDNS in serving investigators with pivot-ready DNS data and abuse attribution.
• Bolster: Bolster offers AI-driven brand protection, phishing detection, and takedown automation for enterprises — comparable to CleanDNS's enterprise brand protection segment and Pivot-driven detection capabilities.
• Spamhaus: Spamhaus maintains DNS-based blocklists and threat intelligence widely used by registries, mail providers, and security teams to filter abuse — directly comparable to CleanDNS in mission (abuse mitigation) and buyer base (registries, security vendors).

Broad incumbents

• Akamai: Akamai operates authoritative DNS at internet scale alongside a broad security portfolio including bot/DDoS mitigation and threat intelligence — a broad incumbent whose DNS infrastructure and security stack overlaps with CleanDNS's abuse mitigation capabilities.
• Cloudflare: Cloudflare runs authoritative DNS, registrar services, and a wide security suite including DDoS and bot management — a broad incumbent that competes with CleanDNS for registry-level abuse mitigation and could bundle DNS abuse features into its platform.
• Recorded Future: Recorded Future is a broad threat intelligence platform ingesting DNS, WHOIS, and abuse feeds to deliver security analytics — comparable to CleanDNS at the data/analytics layer for security operations customers, though far broader in scope.

Others

• APWG (Anti-Phishing Working Group): APWG is the leading industry consortium aggregating phishing and online fraud data from reporters worldwide — comparable to CleanDNS's Trusted Reporter Network as a community-driven abuse intelligence source rather than a direct commercial competitor.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses1 record

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cleandns

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about CleanDNS