A DDNS service allows you to connect to your home computer while on the go. These are the top free dynamic DNS providers.
What is a Dynamic Domain Name System? Dynamic DNS (DDNS, DynDNS) allows domain names to be mapped to IP addresses. This allows one web address to point at a changing IP address. This is great for home users as IP addresses can change frequently.
A dynamic DNS is a great way to connect remotely to your computer or to set up a web server at home.
What are the best dynamic DNS alternatives? Do they make sense? This is everything you need to know.
The Best Dynamic DNS Providers Free of Charge
DynDNS was a popular choice for free dynamic DNS services. Are there better alternatives? Let’s take a look at six DNS providers that could be worthy candidates for setting up your home network.
1. Dynu
Dynu’s dynamic DNS allows top-level domains (using a domain of your choosing) and third-level domains. You can grab a subdomain from Dynu.com. No matter where the domain is located, top-level domains work. Dynu, with its ease-of-use features, is undoubtedly the best dynamic DNS service available.
Dynu is a great tool for setting up your Dynu Client. It runs in the background on your computer. The client will update Dynu automatically whenever your IP address changes. This means you never have to worry about Dynu being out of sync.
Dynu offers two-factor authentication via a TOTP application to increase account security. You can also check out the best options to Google Authenticator.
A free account can have up to four subdomains. To unlock 500 subdomains and more advanced Dynu features such as unlimited web redirection, unlimited MX Records, unlimited custom DNS records and DNSSEC, upgrade to a paid account at $9.99 per annum.
2. afraid.org
Fearful.org’s strange name should not scare you. This dynamic DNS service, which also offers free hosting, is easily the best.
Five subdomains are included in the fear.org domain options. If you wish, you can use as many domains as you like and 20 subdomains per one. The account setup is quick and easy. DNS pointing takes just five minutes. There are more than 50,000 domains available thanks to the shared domain pool. You can also get URL redirection free of charge.
Premium accounts start at $5 per monthly and include 50 additional subdomains, unlimited wildcard domains, and three stealth Flags to protect your domains from any sharing mechanism. You can increase your stealth flags and subdomains by purchasing the premium options ($10-25, $50), which are available for an additional $5 per month. Professional branding is also available with the $25 and $50 monthly tiers.
3. DuckDNS
DuckDNS is a free DDNS provider that uses Amazon’s AWS infrastructure. Although its website is very basic, dynamic DNS is a simple service and doesn’t require any extravagance. DuckDNS is a great free service for dynamic DNS.
Despite this, the website’s poor design is indicative of its contents. DuckDNS does only one thing and focuses all its efforts on that. This makes sense when you consider that DuckDNS is run by only two software engineers, even though they have a lot industry experience.
It also has written tutorials to help you set up DuckDNS on different platforms. It supports Windows, OS X, and Linux.
DuckDNS allows accounts to have as many as five subdomains. It also keeps as few of your data as possible, and stores all details in a private database that will not be sold.
4. No-IP
No-IP was DynDNS’s main competitor in the free dynamic DNS market. When DynDNS was down, it was in a strong position to win the crown. It has been slowly shifting towards a premium service over the last few years, however.
Three subdomains are available to free users for a limited number of domain names. These subdomains won’t expire as long you confirm activity at least once every 30 days. Click on the confirmation link for your hostname sent to you seven days before it expires.
No-IP also offers URL forwarding and port forwarding. This can be very useful, depending on the use case. No-IP’s device configuration assistant will guide you through the configuration of Dynamic DNS. No-IP offers a Dynamic Client to keep your hostname current with the latest IP address.
You can upgrade to 25 subdomains with 80+ domain name options for $24.95/year and you will not need to verify activity in order to keep your subdomains. You can also use your own domain by upgrading to the $29.95/year package.
5. Securepoint DynDNS
Although the Securepoint DynDNS website can be difficult to navigate, the free dynamic DNS service it offers is well worth the effort. It offers a free dynamic DNS service that is secure and reliable, which you can see right there on the homepage.
To create a new Securepoint Reseller account, however, you must be a Securepoint Reseller. You can still access your account if you have one.
Securepoint DynDNS allows you to create up 5 hosts as a free user. You can request additional hosts. You can choose from 10 domains to be your base for dynamic DNS addresses. Securepoint DynDNS uses an updated token system to protect your DNS settings. Only the host that has the update token can change dynamic DNS settings. It also supports IPv6 addresses.
It’s quite simple and straightforward. Securepoint is a German company. This won’t have any effect on your ability to use dynamic DNS. However, you will still need to learn basic German.
6. Dynv6
Dynv6 is the most straightforward of all the DDNS services. After signing up and verifying your email, you can start creating your own zones. Dynv6 does not prompt users with explanations of membership options or membership options. Instead, Dynv6 provides API instructions and application instructions after you have created a zone.
Dynv6 is compatible with both IPv4 addresses and IPV6 addresses, just like other options. You can choose from six available domains. However, you have the option of adding your delegated domain to its nameservers.
You can reach us in the DynV6 community section for any questions. We speak English and German. What is DNS and how important it will help you brush up on DNS?
Which Dynamic DNS Service is Right for You?
A dynamic IP address is required if you want to create a web server from a home computer. This could be necessary because your IP address can change at any time. A dynamic DNS allows you one address that can point directly to you, regardless of your actual IP address.
There are many options available for those looking for the best free dynamic DNS. You can find the right service for you if you are flexible and take advantage of different free accounts.