DNS0.eu Shuts Down: The End of a Promising EU-Based Privacy DNS Service

It was one of the rare public and privacy-respecting DNS resolvers fully hosted in the European Union. Launched in 2023 by the founders of NextDNS, DNS0.eu quietly disappeared — no homepage, no formal announcement, only a short message confirming the end of service.

For many users who value digital sovereignty and data privacy, this was a disappointment. DNS0.eu represented a transparent, community-driven alternative to global DNS giants like Google, Cloudflare, and OpenDNS — with European hosting, open governance, and a no-tracking policy.

Why Did DNS0.eu Shut Down?

The only official statement on the DNS0.eu website reads:

“The dns0.eu service has been discontinued. We wanted to keep it running, but it wasn’t viable in terms of time and resources.
We recommend switching to DNS4EU or NextDNS.
We sincerely thank all our infrastructure and security partners who made dns0.eu possible.”

No prior warnings, no banners, no farewell blog post — the shutdown happened overnight. The suddenness surprised many in the privacy community.

Behind DNS0.eu were Olivier Poitrey (co-founder of Dailymotion) and Romain Cointepas, both also behind NextDNS. Their goal was clear: to build a sovereign, transparent, and log-free DNS service, hosted entirely within the EU and compliant with GDPR standards.

Technically, DNS0.eu delivered.
It operated 62 servers across 27 European cities, offered an average latency of 12 ms, and supported modern secure DNS protocols — DNS-over-HTTPS (DoH), DNS-over-TLS (DoT), and DNS-over-QUIC (DoQ).

Three configurations were available:

• Base: standard secure DNS without filtering
• ZERO: a hardened version with extra protections
• KIDS: a child-safe mode with parental filters

Yet despite solid infrastructure and strong privacy values, the service relied largely on volunteer time and limited resources. Without sustainable funding, keeping DNS0.eu alive long-term proved impossible.

What to Use After DNS0.eu?

In its farewell note, the team recommended two alternatives — DNS4EU and NextDNS. Both aim to offer privacy-respecting DNS services, but with different philosophies and target audiences.

DNS4EU — The Official EU-Backed Successor

Launched in 2020 with support from the European Commission, DNS4EU seeks to create a sovereign, reliable, and regulation-compliant DNS infrastructure for Europe.
It is operated by a consortium led by the Czech company Whalebone, in collaboration with several national cybersecurity agencies.

DNS4EU offers five configurable profiles depending on user needs:

1. Security filtering – Blocks phishing, malware, and known malicious domains.
2. Security + child protection – Adds content filtering for violence, pornography, or drugs.
3. Security + ad blocking – Combines malware protection with built-in ad filters.
4. Security + child protection + ad blocking – The most restrictive and all-inclusive option.
5. No filtering – A neutral DNS for users who prefer full control.

All modes are available via IPv4, IPv6, DoH, and DoT, ensuring encrypted DNS queries and protection from interception or tampering.

NextDNS — The Customizable Successor

One of DNS0.eu’s co-founders also runs NextDNS, making it a natural successor for those who want more control.
Unlike DNS4EU’s institutional model, NextDNS is a commercial yet privacy-centric platform. It’s free up to a monthly query limit, with paid tiers for advanced or heavy usage.

NextDNS shines in customization. You can tailor every aspect of DNS filtering, including:

• Tracker and ad blocking
• Parental controls
• Blocking by category (e.g., gambling, social media, adult content)
• Custom whitelists and blacklists
• Optional logging (temporary, full, or none)

Profiles can be linked to specific devices using unique IDs or via mobile apps. With most servers hosted in Europe and strong encryption by default, NextDNS offers fine-grained control and fast response times for privacy-conscious users.

Other Privacy-Friendly DNS Alternatives in Europe

If neither DNS4EU nor NextDNS suits your needs, several other independent DNS services still prioritize privacy and transparency:

• Quad9 (Switzerland) – Security-focused DNS blocking malicious domains from multiple intelligence sources, with no query logging.
• FDN (France) – Operated by the historic digital-rights association Fédération FDN. No filtering, no logs, full transparency.
• Digitalcourage DNS (Germany) – Offered by the civil-rights NGO Digitalcourage e.V., promoting censorship-free, tracking-free browsing.
• LibreDNS (Greece) – Maintained by LibreOps, offering GDPR-compliant DNS with or without filtering, and zero data retention.
• DNS.SB (Germany) – Free DNS with high performance and a strict no-logging policy, supporting DoH and DoT without mandatory filtering.

Each of these services has its strengths — whether it’s open governance, European data residency, or advanced security layers — so users can choose based on their privacy and performance priorities.

Conclusion

The disappearance of DNS0.eu marks the end of one of the most promising EU-based privacy DNS initiatives. It showed that building sovereign, transparent, and secure infrastructure is possible — but sustaining it without steady funding is harder.

Fortunately, projects like DNS4EU, NextDNS, and Quad9 continue to carry the torch for privacy-focused internet users across Europe. Choosing one of these services ensures your DNS traffic remains protected, encrypted, and aligned with European data-protection values.