What Control D does

Control D is a cloud-based DNS filtering platform that blocks malware, phishing, and unwanted content at the DNS resolution layer before connections are established. Founded in 2021 in Toronto, Canada, as a spin-off from Windscribe, the platform supports all modern encrypted DNS protocols (DNS-over-HTTPS/3, DNS-over-TLS, DNS-over-QUIC) and provides native clients across macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, and Android, along with integrations for 12+ router/firmware platforms and 9+ RMM tools. The core technology stack operates on an Anycast network with data storage regions in New York, Amsterdam, and Sydney, and traffic redirection proxy infrastructure spanning 69+ countries.

The product portfolio spans a free public DNS resolver tier, SMB self-serve at $2/endpoint/month, and custom-priced Enterprise, MSP/channel partner, Education, and Non-profit plans. The company serves 100k+ paid customers including 50+ named enterprise accounts such as GitHub, Roy Thomson Hall, Fordham University, and Pennsylvania College of Technology. Revenue mechanics are endpoint-based subscription with no minimums or annual lock-in; channel partners (MSPs and ISPs) operate via multi-tenant dashboards, white-label options, and per-client billing. Go-to-market combines product-led growth (free DNS, 14-day trial) with enterprise field sales for large deployments and channel partnerships for MSP distribution.

The company's value proposition centers on an independently verified 99.98% malware block rate (Nexxwave, 2025), 30-day query log retention on every plan, SOC 2 Type II / ISO 27001 / ISO 27701 compliance certifications, and a unique traffic redirection capability that bypasses geo-restrictions without VPN software. Control D remains privately held and bootstrapped with 11-50 employees, co-founded by Yegor Sak (CEO), Alex Paguis (CTO), and Mark Ulicki (CIO) — the same team behind Windscribe.

Name

Control D

Legal name

CONTROLD, Inc.

Website

https://controld.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Control D is a cloud-based DNS filtering platform that blocks malware, phishing, and content at the network level. Serving enterprises, MSPs, schools, and ISPs with endpoint-based subscription pricing, it leverages Anycast infrastructure and AI-driven threat detection to deliver independently verified high block rates.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Network Security Software

NAICS

Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (518), Computer Facilities Management Services (541513)

SIC

Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)

akta.pro primary industry

DNS Security & Protective DNS (HDADABAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Global Server Load Balancing (GSLB) & DNS Traffic Management (HDAFAHAE), Resilient DNS, Traffic Management & Global Load Balancing (HDABAIAI)

Keywords

• DNS filtering
• Network security
• Content filtering
• Threat protection
• MSP platform

Headquarters

HQ city

Toronto

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Endpoint-based SaaS Subscription: Monthly or annual subscription billed per endpoint (device). No minimums, no annual lock-in. SIEM streaming and API access included on every plan. SMB self-serve at $2/endpoint/month; Enterprise, MSP, and Non-profit plans require custom quotes.
2. Free DNS Service: Free public DNS resolvers with no logging, supporting encrypted protocols. Used as acquisition channel for paid plans. Options include Unfiltered, Malware Protection, Ads & Tracking, Social, Family Friendly, and Advanced profiles.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Control D is a cloud-based DNS filtering platform that blocks malware, phishing, ransomware, and unwanted content at the DNS resolution layer for businesses, MSPs, schools, and individual consumers. The service is delivered via encrypted DNS protocols (DoH, DoT, DoQ, DoH3) over a global Anycast network, with optional traffic redirection through 100+ proxy locations in 69+ countries. It is sold as a per-endpoint SaaS subscription with native clients for all major operating systems, multi-tenant management for service providers, and an AI-powered domain classification system.

Product overview

Control D is a cloud-based DNS filtering platform delivered as a unified product with modular capabilities. The core platform (Control D) provides DNS-level threat blocking and content filtering, available in Organization (business/enterprise) and Personal (individual/family) variants, plus a Free DNS tier. Modular add-on features include Malware Blocking with AI-powered detection, Modern Protocols (DoH/DoT/DoQ/DoH3), Web/Service/Content/Custom Filtering, Multi-Tenancy for MSPs, Data Streaming to SIEM platforms, Analytics with real-time monitoring, Admin Logs for compliance, Traffic Redirection for IP masking, the Barry AI Assistant for support, and Dragonfly for AI-powered domain classification. The platform operates across all major operating systems (Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android) and integrates with routers, browsers, RMM tools, identity providers (Okta, Azure AD, Google Workspace), and SIEM platforms (Splunk, IBM QRadar).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Control D Organization Business and enterprise version of Control D providing DNS-level threat blocking, content filtering, traffic redirection, multi-OS native clients, SIEM streaming, SSO, multi-tenancy, and 30-day query logs. Targets IT and security teams, MSPs, schools, and non-profits with per-endpoint SaaS pricing.
• Control D Personal Individual and family subscription plan offering privacy protection, malware blocking, content filtering, productivity controls, geo-shifting through proxy servers, and parental controls on personal devices and home networks.
• Free DNS Free public DNS resolvers with no logging that block ads and malicious sites without requiring an account. Offers preset protection levels including Unfiltered, Malware Protection, Ads & Tracking, Social, Family Friendly, and Advanced profiles.

Quantifiable outcome

• 99.98% malware block rate, independently verified by Nexxwave 2025
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments9 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration41 records

AI capability4 records

Feature10 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• WindscribecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWindscribe is the sister company of Control D, both founded by three engineers in 2016. Control D was spun off as an independent product from Windscribe's journey. Windscribe is a privacy and security company with a 100M-user network that taught the founders the importance of DNS filtering for online privacy.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• CleanBrowsing: DNS-based content filtering service targeting families, schools, and businesses with CIPA-aligned filtering. Direct overlap in education and family-friendly filtering segments.
• NextDNS: Direct competitor in privacy/security-focused DNS filtering for prosumer and SMB segments. Control D's marketing directly targets NextDNS switchers, citing service redirection and enterprise features NextDNS lacks.
• DNSFilter: Closest direct competitor in protective DNS for MSPs, SMBs, and enterprises. Control D explicitly benchmarks against DNSFilter on block rate (99.98% vs lower), query log retention (30 days vs 6-9 days), and roaming client stability.
• SafeDNS: Cloud-based DNS filtering for businesses, schools, and families with content categorization and malware blocking. Comparable positioning in SMB and education verticals.
• AdGuard DNS: Consumer and prosumer-focused encrypted DNS resolver with ad/tracker blocking. Overlaps with Control D Personal and Free DNS tiers on privacy and ad-blocking use cases.

Broad incumbents

• Cisco Umbrella (OpenDNS): Enterprise incumbent in DNS-layer security, now bundled with Cisco's Secure Access portfolio. Competes on enterprise relationships and breadth rather than price or simplicity.
• Cloudflare Gateway: Cloudflare's DNS filtering sits inside its broader Zero Trust/SASE platform with massive scale and free Magic Transit/Resolver offerings. Competes via bundled pricing and network reach rather than standalone DNS depth.
• Akamai (Enterprise Threat Protector / Guardicore): Edge and security platform with recursive DNS filtering (Secure Internet Access) for enterprises. Competes as a broader platform incumbent rather than a focused DNS-filter vendor.

Emerging players

• Quad9: Non-profit, privacy-focused recursive DNS resolver with strong malware blocking. Competes in the free/public resolver category where Control D's Free DNS tier also operates.

Regional players

• FlashStart: DNS-based web filtering primarily serving ISPs, schools, and resellers, with stronger presence in Europe and Latin America. Comparable in MSP/ISP distribution model though smaller globally.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/controldns

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

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 Control D