PowerDNS
- Company typePrivate
- Founded-
- HeadquartersDen Haag, Netherlands
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What PowerDNS does
PowerDNS, operating through PowerDNS.com B.V. and headquartered in Den Haag, Netherlands, is a long-standing provider of DNS software built on an open-source foundation. Its portfolio centers on three base products released under GPLv2: the Authoritative Server, which answers queries for hosted domains; the Recursor, which resolves queries recursively by consulting other authoritative servers; and DNSdist, a DNS, DoS, and abuse-aware load balancer that supports DoT, DoH, DoQ, and DoH3 encryption. Commercial extensions include Cloud Control (centralized management) and Protect (network security and parental controls), while add-ons span ZoneControl (web-based zone administration), Single Pane of Glass (observability for cloud-native deployments), Lightning Stream (LMDB synchronization via S3), dstore (distributed storage), Recursor Plexus (cross-instance runtime state), DNSdist Defender (anti-tunneling and PRSD protection), and Infrastructure Malware Protection. The company is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Open-Xchange, holds ISO 27001 certification, and operates a global presence anchored by major telecom, ISP, hosting, and enterprise customers such as BT, Allot, and Quad9.
PowerDNS monetizes through tiered annual subscriptions priced by core count for commercial extensions and add-ons (Authoritative Essentials starts at $8,330 annually for up to 24 cores), recurring commercial support agreements that extend coverage beyond community EOL, and professional services for consultation and migration. The go-to-market combines community-led adoption via free open-source downloads and container images with a sales-led motion targeting telecom operators (mobile and cable/broadband), hosting providers, large enterprises, and security vendors that embed PowerDNS into their solutions.
The technical stack supports MySQL/MariaDB, PostgreSQL, SQLite, and BIND zone files; implements DNSSEC and SVCB/HTTPS records with autohints; and exposes an HTTP API for programmatic zone management. Marketing and distribution span GitHub, Docker Hub, the Open-Xchange enterprise registry, the company documentation portal, a blog, LinkedIn, Mastodon, Bluesky, an email newsletter, and analyst/sponsored reports such as the 2026 HardenStance Telco Strategies for Consumer Security study.
PowerDNS firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- PowerDNS
- Legal name
- PowerDNS.com B.V.
- Website
- https://powerdns.com
- Company type
- Private
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
PowerDNS industry classification
Industry- Product category
- DNS Software and Network Infrastructure
- NAICS
- Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (518), Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (5182)
- SIC
- Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)
- akta.pro primary industry
- IP Address Management (IPAM) & DNS/DHCP Management (DDI) (HDAFAGAF)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- DNS Security Appliances (HDAFAFAK), Resilient DNS, Traffic Management & Global Load Balancing (HDABAIAI), DNS Security & Protective DNS (HDADABAF), DNS/DHCP/IPAM (DDI) Services (BPAEAEAK)
Keywords
Where PowerDNS is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Den Haag
- HQ country
- Netherlands
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
PowerDNS business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Commercial Software Licenses and Subscriptions: PowerDNS generates revenue through commercial extensions and add-ons to their open-source products. Commercial offerings include Cloud Control (cloud-based DNS management), Protect (security extension), ZoneControl (DNS zone management), Single Pane of Glass (observability), Lightning Stream (data synchronization), Infrastructure Malware Protection, dstore, Recursor Plexus, and DNSdist Defender. These are sold as annual subscriptions with tiered pricing based on core counts.
- Professional Services: PowerDNS offers consultation, migration, and commercial support services for enterprise customers implementing their DNS solutions.
- Commercial Support Agreements: Annual support commitment with tiered support for major and minor releases. Customers with commercial agreements receive support beyond standard EOL timelines.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | PowerDNS Authoritative Essentials - Entry tier |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels8 records
PowerDNS product offering
Product offeringCore offering
PowerDNS develops and sells open-source and commercial DNS software. Its three open-source base products are the Authoritative Server (answers queries for hosted domains), the Recursor (performs recursive DNS resolution), and DNSdist (a DNS load balancer, cache, and proxy with encryption support). Around these, PowerDNS sells commercial extensions and add-ons (Cloud Control, Protect, ZoneControl, Single Pane of Glass, Lightning Stream, dstore, DNSdist Defender, Recursor Plexus, Infrastructure Malware Protection), plus commercial support and professional services for large-scale operators.
Product overview
PowerDNS offers a comprehensive DNS software portfolio consisting of three open-source base products (Authoritative Server, Recursor, and DNSdist) plus commercial extensions and add-ons. The Authoritative Server provides authoritative DNS answers for hosted domains, while the Recursor handles recursive resolution. DNSdist serves as a load balancer and proxy with encryption support. Commercial extensions include Cloud Control (management) and Protect (security). Add-ons span zone management (ZoneControl), observability (Single Pane of Glass), data synchronization (Lightning Stream, dstore), and security (DNSdist Defender, Infrastructure Malware Protection, Recursor Plexus). The company targets mobile operators, cable/broadband providers, enterprises, and hosting providers with solutions for DNS resolving, domain hosting, parental controls, and malware protection.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- PowerDNS Authoritative Server Open-source, high-performance authoritative DNS nameserver that answers queries for hosted domains. Used by ISPs, mobile operators, hosting providers, and enterprises for reliable, lightning-fast domain resolution with support for multiple backends and DNSSEC.
- PowerDNS Recursor Open-source high-performance recursive DNS resolver that consults other authoritative servers to answer queries about domains it does not host. Designed for ISP, mobile operator, and large-scale resolving deployments.
- PowerDNS DNSdist Open-source DNS-, DoS-, and abuse-aware load balancer that distributes DNS traffic across multiple servers, with caching and encryption support (DoT, DoH, DoQ, DoH3). Targets high-throughput DNS service providers.
- PowerDNS Cloud Control Commercial cloud-based DNS management extension providing centralized control and orchestration of PowerDNS deployments across distributed environments.
- PowerDNS Protect Commercial network security extension providing malware protection, parental controls, and security filtering for DNS traffic on PowerDNS deployments.
- Recursor Plexus Commercial add-on for PowerDNS Recursor that preserves and shares critical runtime state across multiple Recursor instances for high-availability resolving.
- DNSdist Defender Commercial DNS security add-on for DNSdist providing protection against DNS tunneling, PRSD attacks, data exfiltration, DDoS, and command-and-control threats.
- ZoneControl
Quantifiable outcome
- A decade without a Severity 1 support case demonstrates exceptional stability and reliability
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use PowerDNS
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
PowerDNS technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature6 records
PowerDNS partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.
- AllotcoreAllot delivers scalable DNS-based security by integrating PowerDNS with Allot's DNS Secure solution. This partnership enables telecom operators to offer network-based security services powered by PowerDNS technology.
- Quad9coreQuad9 operates a privacy-friendly public DNS resolving service supported by PowerDNS. PowerDNS contributes to Quad9's encrypted DNS service providing privacy-respecting DNS resolution for end users worldwide.
- BTflagshipBT (British Telecom) uses PowerDNS to meet its current broadband as well as future 5G and IoT traffic and security demands. PowerDNS provides BT with 5G-ready DNS infrastructure.
- Open-XchangecorePowerDNS products are distributed through Open-Xchange infrastructure including commercial container registry and integration with Open-Xchange ecosystem for cloud-based DNS management solutions.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
PowerDNS competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- NLnet Labs Unbound: Open-source validating recursive resolver widely used by ISPs and public resolvers, directly comparable to PowerDNS Recursor. Shared DNSSEC, privacy, and high-performance resolver community.
- BIND (ISC): The historic open-source DNS server (authoritative, recursive, and DHCP), competing head-on with PowerDNS Authoritative Server and Recursor. Most direct open-source peer in the DNS engine layer.
- EfficientIP: DDI and DNS security vendor with a strong telecom footprint. Directly comparable to PowerDNS for operator/enterprise authoritative, recursive, and security deployments.
- Knot DNS (CZ.NIC): Open-source authoritative DNS server from CZ.NIC targeting registry and large-scale operators. Comparable to PowerDNS Authoritative Server in performance, DNSSEC, and zone management features.
- BlueCat Networks: Enterprise DDI platform (DNS, DHCP, IPAM) with DNS-security add-ons. Comparable buyer base and product scope to PowerDNS Authoritative + Cloud Control + DNSdist Defender stack.
- NS1 (IBM / Akamai-era lineage): Managed authoritative DNS and traffic steering platform with Lua-style programmable policies, directly comparable to PowerDNS' Lua Records / DNSdist intelligent load-balancing capabilities.
Broad incumbents
- Cloudflare DNS: Operates a global anycast authoritative and recursive DNS network (1.1.1.1) plus DNS security products. Competes with PowerDNS in carrier/enterprise authoritative hosting and DNS-based security, but as part of a much larger edge/security platform.
- Infoblox: Enterprise DDI (DNS, DHCP, IPAM) and DNS-security incumbent. Competes with PowerDNS for enterprise infrastructure DNS and network-based security buyers, with a heavier on-prem/appliance focus.
- AWS Route 53: Managed authoritative and private DNS service inside the AWS cloud. Overlaps with PowerDNS' hosting-provider and enterprise authoritative positioning, but as a hyperscaler-integrated offering.
- Cisco Umbrella (OpenDNS): Cloud-delivered DNS-layer security platform, comparable to PowerDNS Protect / DNSdist Defender. Competes at the carrier and enterprise security layer inside a much larger networking/security portfolio.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
PowerDNS social profiles
Digital presencePowerDNS compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
PowerDNS financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
PowerDNS leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
PowerDNS funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
PowerDNS M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about PowerDNS
What does PowerDNS do?
PowerDNS develops and sells open-source and commercial DNS software. Its three open-source base products are the Authoritative Server (answers queries for hosted domains), the Recursor (performs recursive DNS resolution), and DNSdist (a DNS load balancer, cache, and proxy with encryption support). Around these, PowerDNS sells commercial extensions and add-ons (Cloud Control, Protect, ZoneControl, Single Pane of Glass, Lightning Stream, dstore, DNSdist Defender, Recursor Plexus, Infrastructure Malware Protection), plus commercial support and professional services for large-scale operators.
Is PowerDNS a public or private company?
PowerDNS is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was PowerDNS founded?
PowerDNS was founded in -1. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is PowerDNS based?
PowerDNS is headquartered in Den Haag, Netherlands, in the Europe region.
How does PowerDNS make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Commercial Software Licenses and Subscriptions are the primary driver. The others are professional Services and commercial Support Agreements.
Who are PowerDNS's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are NLnet Labs Unbound, BIND (ISC), EfficientIP, Knot DNS (CZ.NIC), BlueCat Networks and NS1 (IBM / Akamai-era lineage). Broad incumbents are Cloudflare DNS, Infoblox, AWS Route 53 and Cisco Umbrella (OpenDNS).
Does PowerDNS have an API?
Yes. PowerDNS Authoritative Server includes an HTTP API for managing DNS zones, records, and configuration programmatically. The API enables developers to automate zone management, query statistics, and perform operational tasks. Documentation is available at doc.powerdns.com in the HTTP API section. Developer documentation is at doc.powerdns.com/authoritative/http-api/index.html.
What industry is PowerDNS in?
PowerDNS's product category is DNS Software and Network Infrastructure. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HDAFAGAF, IP Address Management (IPAM) & DNS/DHCP Management (DDI), with a secondary code of HDAFAFAK, DNS Security Appliances. Its NAICS code is 518 and its SIC code is 7370.