2 self-hosted dnsmasq alternatives

dnsmasq is a popular proprietary tool in the reverse proxy & gateways space. These open-source apps let you replace dnsmasq with software you host and control yourself.

Best self-hosted dnsmasq alternatives

CoreDNS

Reverse Proxy & Gateways

Flexible, plugin-based DNS server

Replaces BIND, dnsmasq

★ 14.2k Medium setup Apache-2.0

SmartDNS

Reverse Proxy & Gateways

Local DNS server that picks the fastest results

Replaces Pi-hole, dnsmasq

★ 11.2k Medium setup GPL-3.0

Compare dnsmasq alternatives

CoreDNS vs SmartDNS

Switching from dnsmasq

Moving off dnsmasq means trading a managed subscription for a service you run yourself. The payoff is ownership: no per-seat pricing, no vendor lock-in, and full control of your data. Start with the option above that matches your setup-difficulty comfort level — every app links to a detailed specs page and head-to-head comparisons.