# Self-hosted alternatives to SkyDNS

The best self-hosted alternative to SkyDNS is coredns (highest rated, 14 428 stars).

> 1 self-hostable, open-source alternative to SkyDNS, ranked by score.

- [CoreDNS](https://selfhost.directory/project/coredns): CoreDNS is a fast, flexible DNS server and forwarder written in Go, a graduated CNCF project whose nearly all functionality lives in chained plugins.

## Also in DNS

Not listed as SkyDNS alternatives, but from the same category:

- [Technitium DNS Server](https://selfhost.directory/project/technitium-dns-server): Self-hosted, open-source authoritative and recursive DNS server with a web console, DNS sinkhole ad blocking, DoH/DoT/DoQ, and a built-in DHCP server.
- [Unbound](https://selfhost.directory/project/unbound): Self-hosted, open-source DNS resolver that validates, recurses and caches, adding DNS-over-TLS, HTTPS and QUIC, RPZ filtering and DNSSEC privacy features.
- [Numa](https://selfhost.directory/project/numa): Self-hosted DNS resolver as a single binary with ad blocking, DNSSEC, .numa local domains, and REST API for developer overrides.
- [pdns](https://selfhost.directory/project/pdns): PowerDNS is an open-source DNS suite with an authoritative server, a recursive resolver and dnsdist loadbalancer, self-hosted via packages, Docker images or source.
- [AdGuard Home](https://selfhost.directory/project/adguard-home): Self-hosted open-source DNS server blocking ads/trackers network-wide. Supports encrypted DNS, parental controls, safe search, per-client config, DHCP.
- [GoAway](https://selfhost.directory/project/goaway): GoAway is a self-hosted, open-source DNS sinkhole written in Go that blocks ads, trackers, and malicious domains at the network level with a web-based admin dashboard.

All 55 DNS projects: https://selfhost.directory/dns

## About these SkyDNS alternatives

1 open-source, self-hosted alternatives to SkyDNS are listed here, ranked by popularity, maintenance and documentation.

- **Highest rated:** coredns (14 428 GitHub stars, Apache-2.0 license, written in Go)
- **Docker:** 1 of the top 1 ship an official Docker image
- **Recently updated:** coredns v1.15.0 on 2026-10-21

### SkyDNS alternatives compared

| Project | License | Language | Stars | Docker | Setup | Latest release | Score |
|---|---|---|---:|---|---|---|---:|
| [coredns](https://selfhost.directory/project/coredns) | Apache-2.0 | Go | 14 428 | Yes | Moderate | v1.15.0 2026-10-21 | 76 |

---
Source: https://selfhost.directory/alternative-to/skydns