But users can change the DNS server settings on their individual computer or device, bypassing the network's DNS servers. Many companies use DNS settings to block inappropriate content from the network. Once you know which servers are the fastest, you can change the DNS addresses of individual computers by configuring static addresses in their TCP/IP settings, or apply these changes to an entire network by configuring static addresses in your router's WAN/Internet settings. Tests showed a DNS server from NTT was a whopping 1,794.1% faster than the ISP’s default servers. It also lists the addresses for the recommended DNS servers, with the primary being the fastest and the next two best servers as secondary options. In addition to giving you a table and graphical charts of the results, it will tell you which DNS server was the fastest and let you know the percentage of the speed increase compared to your current primary DNS server. If you aren't comfortable with using your browsing history, or for a more general test, you can optionally test against the top 2,000 websites from Alexa, an analytics provider.Īfter testing is complete, namebench will present a report. Using your browsing history, it tests DNS speeds for sites you've already visited, giving you a personalized recommendation for which DNS server would be fastest. Namebench performs testing to find the fastest DNS servers for your particular computer. The namebench utility has this GUI and is also available via a command-line interface. It is available for Windows, Mac OS X and Unix.

To get an idea of which DNS servers are the best for your particular computer or network, consider running some speed tests with namebench, an open-source DNS benchmark utility.

So one DNS server may be fast for one user while not so much for another user, even if on the same network. Remember, DNS speeds vary based upon which websites you visit as well. Among these characteristics: The speed and geographic distance between the network's router and your computer on one end and, on the other, the DNS server used for the domain lookups and the DNS host of the websites you're visiting. Many DNS providers tout their fast speeds, but the rates you see are based upon many different aspects.

Google dns benchmark utility