Unified DNS vs DNSimple
Purpose-built MSP hosting vs general-purpose DNS hosting
DNSimple is a well-established DNS host and domain registrar used by developers, agencies, and businesses managing their own domains. UDNS Hosting is the authoritative DNS service built into Unified DNS — designed from the ground up for MSPs managing dozens or hundreds of client zones inside the same platform they already use for every other provider.
Quick take: DNSimple is solid, general-purpose DNS hosting for developers and businesses managing their own domains. UDNS Hosting does the same job but built specifically for MSPs — organized by client, no per-zone billing, and synced automatically to your PSA and Hudu documentation.
Why This Comparison Exists
DNSimple is a genuinely capable DNS host. It just wasn't built with a client roster in mind.
Zones live in one flat list, not by client
DNSimple accounts hold every zone the account manages in a single list. There's no client layer above that — no way to pull up "everything for this customer" without relying on naming conventions or a spreadsheet on the side. For an MSP with 40, 100, or 300 client domains, that gap adds up fast every time a tech has to hunt for the right zone.
Per-zone billing complicates client math
DNSimple charges $0.50 per hosted zone per month, on top of a $29/month Teams seat if you need more than one user. That's reasonable for a company managing its own domains, but it means every new client zone is a line item an MSP has to track and pass through, rather than a flat cost already covered by the platform they're paying for.
No PSA or documentation integration
A DNS change on DNSimple stays on DNSimple — there's no automatic sync to a PSA ticket or a Hudu asset page. A tech has to go document the change separately, in a separate system, or it just doesn't get documented.
Activity history isn't the same as restore
DNSimple's activity tracking (30 days on Solo, unlimited on Teams and Enterprise) lets you see what changed and when. It doesn't give you a one-click way to put a deleted record back, or roll a zone back to a snapshot from before a bad change went out. Reading a log and undoing a mistake are two different problems, and only one of them is solved out of the box.
It only manages what it hosts
DNSimple has no visibility into a client's zone hosted anywhere else. UDNS Hosting closes that gap — it's built alongside the multi-provider management Unified DNS already does, so if a client needs to keep a zone on Cloudflare for any reason, an MSP can still manage that zone from the same dashboard. DNSimple doesn't offer that option at all; a zone either lives with them, or it's somewhere they can't touch.
At a Glance
| Feature | UDNS Hosting | DNSimple |
|---|---|---|
| Built For | MSPs managing client DNS | Developers, agencies, businesses managing their own domains |
| Multi-Tenancy | Built-in, organized by client | Flat zone list per account |
| Pricing Model | Flat, domain-count tiers from $100/mo — hosting included | $0.50/zone/mo, plus $29/mo for Teams seats |
| Domain Registration | Not included — works with your existing registrar | Full ICANN-accredited registrar |
| Zones Hosted Elsewhere | Still manageable — Cloudflare, NameSilo, Namecheap, Porkbun, OpenSRS, Azure DNS, and more, from the same dashboard | Not possible — only manages zones it hosts |
| Zone Onboarding | Start blank, scan public DNS, or import a BIND zone file | Manual entry or import from integrated providers |
| DNSSEC | On by default at zone creation, signed on both nameservers | Available, with automatic key rotation |
| Audit Trail & Restore | Full audit log, one-click record revert, pre-change snapshots | Activity history (30-day retention on Solo, unlimited on Teams+) |
| Domain Forwarding | Built-in, with automatic SSL cert provisioning and renewal | HTTPS redirects on Teams and Enterprise plans |
| PSA Integration | HaloPSA, Autotask, Syncro, SuperOps | Not included |
| Documentation Sync | Hudu Asset Layouts | Not included |
| Availability | Generally available | Generally available |
Authoritative DNS hosting built for MSP client workflows
- ✓Multi-tenant by design — zones organized by client, not a flat account-wide list
- ✓No per-zone billing — hosting is included in your Unified DNS plan
- ✓Geographically redundant nameservers (ns1.udns.zone, ns2.udns.zone) with private, sub-second replication
- ✓DNSSEC signs on both nameservers from the moment a zone is created
- ✓Three onboarding paths — start blank, scan public DNS, or import a BIND zone file
- ✓Full audit trail with one-click record revert, not just a history log to read
- ✓Pre-change and pre-delete zone snapshots for full zone restore
- ✓Domain forwarding with automatic SSL cert provisioning and renewal
- ✓Hudu documentation sync and PSA integration with HaloPSA, Autotask, Syncro, and SuperOps
- ✓Same dashboard already managing Cloudflare, NameSilo, Namecheap, Porkbun, OpenSRS, Azure DNS, and more
General-purpose DNS hosting and domain registration
- ✓Full-service ICANN-accredited domain registrar, including .BANK and .INSURANCE
- ✓Anycast DNS network with a long operational track record
- ✓DNSSEC with automatic key rotation
- ✓Secondary DNS support for redundancy alongside another provider
- ✓Deep API with client libraries in Ruby, Go, Node.js, PHP, Python, and more
- ✓44+ one-click integrations with external services
Not included
The Bottom Line
DNSimple is a mature, well-built DNS host with a real registrar behind it, and for a developer or business managing their own domain portfolio, it's a solid choice. But it's a generalist product — zones live in one flat list per account, billed per zone, with no concept of a client. UDNS Hosting solves a different problem: it was built for MSPs who need DNS hosting organized by client, billed as part of a flat platform plan, and living in the same dashboard already tracking every other provider a client's domains might be on — with PSA and documentation sync doing the busywork automatically.
When DNSimple makes sense
DNSimple is a legitimate, well-run product. It's just built for a different buyer.
You need a domain registrar, not just DNS hosting
DNSimple registers and transfers domains directly, including specialty TLDs like .BANK and .INSURANCE. UDNS Hosting doesn't touch registration at all — it hosts DNS for domains that stay wherever they're already registered.
You're managing your own domain portfolio, not client domains
A single company or developer managing their own set of domains doesn't need multi-tenancy. DNSimple's flat zone list and per-zone pricing are a fine fit when there's no client layer to organize around.
You want a long-running Anycast network and a mature API ecosystem
DNSimple has been operating DNS infrastructure for over a decade, with a broad set of official client libraries and a large integration catalog. That track record matters for some buyers more than anything else.
If you're an MSP organizing DNS by client, not by flat zone list, and want that hosting living in the same platform as every other provider you already manage — that's the gap UDNS Hosting fills.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is DNSimple good for MSPs?
DNSimple is a solid DNS host and registrar, but it isn't built for MSPs specifically. Zones sit in one flat list per account with no client layer, billing is per zone rather than a flat plan, and there's no PSA or documentation integration. It's a better fit for a developer or business managing its own domain portfolio than an MSP managing dozens of client zones.
What is UDNS Hosting?
UDNS Hosting is the authoritative DNS service built into Unified DNS. It hosts DNS zones on geographically redundant nameservers (ns1.udns.zone, ns2.udns.zone) with DNSSEC on by default, organized by client rather than as a flat zone list, all inside the same dashboard MSPs already use to manage other DNS providers.
Does UDNS Hosting cost extra per zone?
No. Unlike DNSimple, which charges $0.50 per hosted zone per month, UDNS Hosting is included in your Unified DNS plan at no additional per-zone cost. Pricing is based on total domain count, starting at $100/month for up to 50 domains.
Can I still manage a client's zone hosted on Cloudflare or DNSimple through Unified DNS?
Yes. Unified DNS manages zones hosted on Cloudflare, NameSilo, Namecheap, Porkbun, OpenSRS, Azure DNS, and more from the same dashboard as UDNS Hosting. DNSimple doesn't offer that option — it only manages zones it hosts directly.
Is UDNS Hosting available now?
Yes. UDNS Hosting reached general availability on July 28, 2026, alongside Unified DNS's Terra Incognita release, and is included in every Unified DNS plan at no additional per-zone cost.
DNS hosting that knows whose client is whose.
UDNS Hosting is generally available today, right alongside Unified DNS itself — try it free for a month, or reach out for a walkthrough of UDNS Hosting specifically.
Comparison last updated July 28, 2026. Competitor pricing and features are based on publicly available information at that time and may have changed since — let us know at contact@udns.app if something here is out of date.