DNSFilter vs. Cisco Umbrella: The Smarter Switch

Block threats 10 days before your competitors even know they exist. DNSFilter's AI classifies malicious domains in real time using its own models, not third-party feeds that are already behind.

See every AI tool your team is using, including ones that bypass DNS. CyberSight delivers process-level visibility into AI app usage across your organization. Cisco Umbrella has no equivalent.

Deploy in an afternoon. Manage without a manual. Policy updates take effect in 10–15 seconds. No propagation delays, no documentation rabbit holes.

Catch phishing attacks that slip past URL reputation checks. DNSFilter analyzes page visuals in real time to detect phishing that traditional DNS filtering misses. Cisco Umbrella has no equivalent.

Support that actually answers. DNSFilter has a 98%+ CSAT score to prove it across 120+ verified reviews in the last 90 days. The No. 1 reason customers leave Cisco is support.

Great platform, even greater customer support

It is incredibly easy to get started. The interface is very user-friendly. If you have any issues, the customer support chat is handy. You get connected to an actual human, not just a chatbot.

Compliance Level DNS Filtering

Provides client level installation for DNS filtering when outside of the building. Complements EndPoint and Firewall web filtering by processing all DNS requests through an active filter to help stop malware distribution. We can distribute the product uniquely using RMM to each customer and management and controls are customer unique.

Finally, a DNS filter that actually works!

DNSFilter has proven to be one of the easiest solutions to implement. The intuitive interface makes on-going administration a breeze. We're happy to know our internet security stack is protected and the accurate categorization of traffic has not interfered with approved business functions.

DNS Filtration that just works

I haven't found anything I don't like about DNSFilter. I've never had issues with it or needed to troubleshoot it. It just works and it listens to me. Customer support is extremely responsive, gives quick and concise answers with little to no time wasted.

DNS Filtration that just works

Does what the product claims; good value for the price

We use the product for handling business URL filtering. The DNS look ups are fast and the management of allow/deny lists is pretty easy. Reporting is useful. There are some cool features for granular management at an individual machine level. The price is quite reasonable for what it does. It's pretty much set and forget.

Fast to deploy, protect an entire network in a minute

Good web filtering for all our locations, we also deployed the roaming client to cover our users when they are outside the company network. It is also our first level of defense if there is a threat as the domain might be blocked before our EPP / EDR detect something.

DNSFilter Is A No Brainer. It Cost Less Than Its Competitors And Easy To Setup.

DNSFilter is easy to setup and configure. I was up and running in a day. It works on all OS platforms and doesn't interfere with our end users doing their jobs.

Its raining malware but I wont reach for my Umbrella, but DNS Filter instead

The ease of use and overall ability to block applications, limit search engines, block a number of threat types and add good sites to a whitelist or block a known bad site in a blacklist. Reporting is also the BEST I have seen as it is so easy to find good and bad blocks...allowing you to easily and daily to monitor and update lists as needed.

DNSFilter - A Fast, Easy, And Reliable DNS Filtering Solution

Setup and deployment were super easy. Support has been excellent. Overall, the product is a nice addition to our security stack, blocking threats at the DNS level.

Great platform, even greater customer support

It is incredibly easy to get started. The interface is very user-friendly. If you have any issues, the customer support chat is handy. You get connected to an actual human, not just a chatbot.

Why Teams Switch from Cisco Umbrella to DNSFilter

As of April 2025, Cisco Umbrella's legacy Roaming Clients reached end-of-life. Customers who hadn't migrated were required to move to the Umbrella Roaming module inside Cisco Secure Client. adding complexity, requiring re-deployment, and extending the Cisco ecosystem dependency.

DNSFilter customers avoided that entirely. Our roaming clients have been consistently maintained and evolved — no forced migrations, no surprise architectural changes.

Cisco Wants You on Secure Access. Here's What That Actually Means.

When Cisco ended support for its legacy Roaming Client, it wasn't just a product deprecation. It was a migration path -- directly toward Cisco Secure Access, their SSE platform that bundles DNS security, secure web gateway, ZTNA, cloud firewall, and identity into a single (and significantly more expensive) stack.
For some large enterprises with dedicated security engineering teams and the budget to match, that might be the right call. For many organizations, including those with low complexity requirements, budget restraints and those operating out of a single office, and virtually every MSP -- it isn't.

What DNSFilter gives you instead:

The same DNS security outcomes with faster threat detection, better categorization, instant policy propagation, plus CyberSight's process-level visibility into AI app usage, and an interface your team can actually manage. Deployed in an afternoon, not a quarter. Priced transparently, not negotiated in a multi-year contract.

If Cisco is using your Umbrella renewal conversation as an entry point for a Secure Access pitch, it's worth asking: how much of that platform will you actually configure and use in year one? And what are you paying for the parts you won't?

"The ease of use within the DNSFilter portal and the reliability of their support has allowed us to scale to 10,000 endpoints with confidence. It's a critical layer that provides the visibility our SOC needs to stay proactive."

Rick Dupuis

Senior Technology Solutions Manager, Mainstay Technologies

You’ve Outgrown Cisco Umbrella.

DNSFilter is What Comes Next.

Get up to 6 months of content filtering free when you switch from Cisco Umbrella to DNSFilter.