The most used DNS providers
We track 9 DNS providers. The most used is GoDaddy, found at 245,994 companies as of October 2026, ahead of Amazon Route 53 (81,865) and Namecheap (18,924).
Every domain needs authoritative name servers. Many companies leave DNS with their registrar (GoDaddy, Namecheap) or their CDN; larger ones move to a dedicated or cloud DNS service such as Amazon Route 53 or NS1 for traffic steering, an API and uptime guarantees. Brand-protection registrars like CSC are common at big enterprises.
DNS providers ranked by companies using them
“Share” is each tool's part of all 377,368 matches in this category; a company that uses two tools counts for both.
| # | Tool | Companies | Share | Last 30 days | Most popular with |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 245,994 | 65% | +11−13 | Real Estate (1.5×) | |
| 2 |  Amazon Route 53 | 81,865 | 22% | +25−6 | Software (2.8×) |
| 3 | 18,924 | 5.0% | +305−6 | Internet (2.2×) | |
| 4 | 11,868 | 3.1% | +3−4 | Restaurants (5.1×) | |
| 5 | 8,923 | 2.4% | +15−1 | Government Administration (3.7×) | |
| 6 | 6,189 | 1.6% | +606 | 10,000+ employees (6.9×) | |
| 7 | 1,708 | 0.45% | – | Restaurants (3.3×) | |
| 8 | 1,627 | 0.43% | +39 | 1–10 employees (4.4×) | |
| 9 | 270 | <0.1% | – | Software (2.2×) |
“Most popular with” is the industry or company size where the tool is most over-represented compared with all companies we've scanned. Starts and stops compare two scans done the same way.
Who's gaining and losing customers
How to compare DNS providers
- Uptime record and anycast coverage. DNS outages take everything down at once.
- API and infrastructure-as-code support if your team manages records in code.
- Traffic steering (geo, latency or failover routing) if you run in several regions.
- Registrar lock and brand protection for domains that matter.
How we find DNS providers
DNS providers are the easiest layer to read: a domain's NS records name the provider directly.
Every company on a tool's page links to the record behind the match. DNS is rechecked weekly and websites monthly, so tools a company stops using drop off the list.
DNS FAQ
What are the most popular DNS providers?
As of October 2026, the most popular DNS providers by number of companies using them are GoDaddy (245,994 companies), Amazon Route 53 (81,865 companies) and Namecheap (18,924 companies), according to runsonwhat. GoDaddy alone accounts for 65% of the 377,368 DNS matches runsonwhat has, and the top three together for 92%. 9 DNS providers have at least one confirmed customer.
GoDaddy vs Amazon Route 53: which is more popular?
GoDaddy is more popular: 245,994 companies show public evidence of GoDaddy, against 81,865 for Amazon Route 53 (3.0× as many), according to runsonwhat (October 2026). Namecheap is third with 18,924.
Which DNS providers do small businesses use most?
Among companies with up to 50 employees, the most used DNS providers are GoDaddy (157,246 companies), Amazon Route 53 (34,755 companies) and Namecheap (11,560 companies), according to runsonwhat (October 2026). The counts cover companies with a known headcount; see each tool's page for the full size breakdown.
Which DNS providers do large companies use most?
Among companies with more than 1,000 employees, the most used DNS providers are GoDaddy (5,273 companies), Amazon Route 53 (3,657 companies) and CSC (799 companies), according to runsonwhat (October 2026). Large companies often run more than one tool in a category, so the same company can count for several.
Which DNS providers are most popular in the United States?
In the United States, the most used DNS providers are GoDaddy (129,170 companies), Amazon Route 53 (26,601 companies) and NS1 (7,053 companies), based on companies runsonwhat has located there (October 2026). GoDaddy has 75% of the DNS matches among companies based in the United States.
Which DNS providers are most popular in India?
In India, the most used DNS providers are GoDaddy (27,774 companies), Amazon Route 53 (3,426 companies) and Namecheap (1,052 companies), based on companies runsonwhat has located there (October 2026). GoDaddy has 85% of the DNS matches among companies based in India.
Which DNS providers do IT services companies use?
IT services is the industry with the most DNS matches, and its companies use GoDaddy (24,001 companies), Amazon Route 53 (7,864 companies) and Namecheap (2,205 companies) most, according to runsonwhat (October 2026). Each tool's page breaks its customers down by industry, so you can check where a tool over-indexes.
Which DNS providers are companies adopting right now?
In the 30 days to October 2026, the most new adoptions runsonwhat recorded were for CSC (606 companies), Namecheap (305 companies) and Porkbun (39 companies). A start is counted when a recheck finds a tool that the previous check of the same company, done the same way, did not.
Which DNS providers are losing customers?
In the 30 days to October 2026, more companies stopped than started using GoDaddy (13 stopped, 11 started) and NS1 (4 stopped, 3 started), according to runsonwhat's rechecks. Short-term moves are small next to each tool's total, so read them as signals rather than trends.
How does runsonwhat rank DNS providers?
runsonwhat counts the companies where a public record shows each tool in use and ranks by that count. DNS providers are the easiest layer to read: a domain's NS records name the provider directly. A company counts only when a direct record backs it up. The full method is at https://www.runsonwhat.com/methodology.