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Repel vs NextDNS: Phone DNS Filter or Cloud DNS for Android?
By the llcloud team 5 min read
The short answer
Pick NextDNS if you want one filtering setup across every phone, laptop and router you own, with cloud analytics and parental controls. Pick Repel if you want filtering and a per-app firewall on your Android phone with nothing sent to a third-party log, or use both: Repel can point Android's Private DNS at NextDNS in one tap.
NextDNS is a cloud DNS service. You point each device at it and it blocks trackers, malware and categories on its servers, free up to 300,000 queries a month. Repel is an Android app that filters DNS on the phone and adds a per-app firewall that leaves your VPN slot free. NextDNS covers all your devices. Repel covers what each app on your phone may do. They work well together.
NextDNS and Repel both block tracker and malware domains, but they sit in different places. NextDNS is a cloud DNS service your devices send lookups to. Repel is an app on your Android phone that filters lookups locally and controls which apps may go online. That changes what each one can see and do. This comparison is as of October 2026 and uses NextDNS's own website and pricing page for its facts.
Repel vs NextDNS at a glance
| Repel | NextDNS | |
|---|---|---|
| Tracker and malware blocking | ✓ (on the phone) | ✓ (on NextDNS servers) |
| Works on laptops, iPhones and routers | ✗ (Android and Android TV) | ✓ |
| Block one app from the internet | ✓ | ✗ |
| Knows which app made each lookup | ✓ | ✗ |
| Uses Android's VPN slot | Filter only, firewall and Private DNS do not | ✗ (uses Private DNS) |
| Parental controls | ✓ (Pro, with PIN) | ✓ |
| Logs | On the phone only | Cloud, 1 hour to 2 years, or off |
| Free tier | Filter, firewall, Private DNS | 300,000 queries a month |
| Paid plan | Pro once for life | Pro by month or year |
| Analytics dashboard on the web | ✗ | ✓ |
Where does NextDNS win?
It works across devices. NextDNS's website says it is supported natively on all major platforms using DNS over HTTPS and DNS over TLS, and every plan, free included, has no device limit. Set it on your phone, laptop, tablet and router and the same blocklists and rules follow you everywhere. Repel only protects the Android phone or TV it runs on.
NextDNS also has a strong web dashboard: real-time logs, analytics, Tracker Insights, threat intelligence feeds, Google Safe Browsing, and parental controls that block categories, enforce SafeSearch and YouTube Restricted Mode, block specific apps and games, and set recreation time. Because the filtering happens on its servers, there is nothing to keep running on your phone and nothing for a battery saver to close.
What can Repel do that NextDNS cannot?
See and control each app. A cloud DNS server only receives a lookup for a domain. It has no idea which app on your phone asked. Repel runs on the phone, so its activity log shows which app looked up which domain, and you can tap an entry to block or allow it, or cut that app off.
That leads to the bigger difference: the firewall. Repel can block any app from the internet with one switch, without root. Pro adds rules for Wi-Fi only, mobile data only, roaming, screen off and bedtime, plus profiles for Home, Work and Travel. The firewall does not use Android's VPN slot, so it runs next to the VPN you already have. Setup is a one-time pairing through Wireless debugging and needs Android 13 or newer.
How does privacy compare?
NextDNS handles your lookups on its servers, so it is a service you trust with that data. It gives you real control over it. You can keep logs from one hour to two years or turn them off, and choose where they are stored: the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom or Switzerland.
Repel's filter runs on the phone and sends nothing to its developer. Allowed lookups go out encrypted with DNS over HTTPS to the server you choose, and the activity log stays on the phone. Repel has no account and no ads, and collects only anonymous usage stats and crash reports, never the sites you visit.
What does each cost?
NextDNS's free plan covers 300,000 queries a month. After that, its pricing page says it keeps answering lookups like a classic non-blocking DNS service until the month resets. A paid Pro plan, billed monthly or yearly, removes the limit, and there are Business and Education plans too.
Repel's free version includes the filter with HaGeZi Light or Pro, the activity log with weekly stats, the app firewall, one-tap Private DNS and hosts mode. Pro is a one-time purchase with no subscription and adds the larger blocklists, your own lists and DNS server, smart firewall rules, per-app domain rules, family mode with a PIN and 30-day stats.
Can you use them together?
Yes, and for many people that is the best answer. Android's Private DNS setting, available from Android 9, sends every lookup to a DNS over TLS server you name. NextDNS is one of the providers in Repel's one-tap Private DNS picker, so Repel can switch the phone to it without you typing a hostname. Then add Repel's app firewall on top. Neither uses the VPN slot. Our Private DNS guide explains how the setting works, and blocking trackers without a VPN walks through the full setup.
Remember the trade-off: with Private DNS pointed at NextDNS, the blocklists are NextDNS's, set on its dashboard. Repel's own lists and per-app domain rules need Repel's filter instead.
Which should you choose?
Choose NextDNS if:
- You want the same filtering on every device and your router.
- You want a web dashboard with analytics and parental controls for the whole household.
- You are comfortable with a cloud service handling your lookups under the log settings you pick.
Choose Repel if:
- You want to block specific apps from the internet without root.
- You want to know which app looked up which domain.
- You want filtering with the log kept on your phone.
- You want a one-time purchase instead of a plan.
Use both if you want NextDNS across your devices and per-app control on your Android phone.
For other options, see Repel vs RethinkDNS, Repel vs Blokada and Repel vs NetGuard. If any filter on your phone keeps switching off by itself, the cause is usually battery management, explained in why Android kills background apps. Repel's firewall and Private DNS keep working with the app closed.
Sources
Questions
Is NextDNS free?
Yes, up to a point. NextDNS's pricing page gives the free plan 300,000 queries a month with no device limit. After that, NextDNS keeps answering lookups like an ordinary DNS server but stops blocking until the next month. A paid Pro plan, billed monthly or yearly, removes the limit. A single busy phone can get close to the free quota, so check your usage.
How do I use NextDNS on Android?
Through Android's Private DNS setting, which needs Android 9 or newer. Put your personal NextDNS hostname into the Private DNS provider hostname field, and the wording differs by phone, so look for Private DNS under network or connection settings. Repel can do this for you in one tap, since NextDNS is one of the providers in its Private DNS picker.
Can NextDNS block an app from the internet?
It can block the domains a service uses, and its parental controls can block specific apps and games such as TikTok or Fortnite. It cannot see which app on your phone made a lookup, so it cannot cut one app off while letting another reach the same domain. That needs an on-phone firewall, which is what Repel's no-root app firewall does.
Does NextDNS keep logs of my lookups?
Only if you want it to. NextDNS lets you keep logs from one hour up to two years, or turn logging off, and choose to store them in the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom or Switzerland. Repel's activity log never leaves the phone, and the app collects only anonymous usage stats and crash reports, never the sites you visit.
Can I use Repel and NextDNS together?
Yes, and it is a good setup. Use Repel's one-tap Private DNS to send the phone's lookups to NextDNS, and use Repel's app firewall to cut chosen apps off. Neither uses the VPN slot, so a VPN app can stay connected too. If you prefer Repel's own filter, you can also set a custom DNS server with Pro.
