WebTitan has established itself as a comprehensive DNS filtering solution, serving organizations worldwide with its cloud-based web security platform. Operating at the DNS layer, it provides protection against online threats while offering granular content filtering capabilities that help businesses enforce acceptable use policies and maintain productivity.
As DNS security evolves and threats become more advanced, the speed of threat detection and network performance have become the critical differentiators that separate best-of-breed solutions from commodity offerings.
To create this WebTitan review, I've analyzed the platform extensively. I believe it's the ideal choice if:
However, WebTitan might not be the best choice if:
In this case, you should consider DNSFilter: an AI-powered DNS security platform that detects threats 10 days faster than traditional approaches, while offering the world's fastest DNS network and deployment that takes just minutes - perfect for organizations between 1,000-5,000 employees seeking top notch protection.
Because of that, I've included a detailed look at DNSFilter later in this WebTitan review, as the premier alternative for organizations prioritizing proactive threat protection and operational simplicity.
Table of contents:
WebTitan is a cloud-based DNS filtering and web security solution developed by TitanHQ.
The platform operates by redirecting an organization's DNS requests to WebTitan's servers, where they are checked against predefined policies and threat intelligence databases.
The solution supports over 500 million websites in more than 200 languages, with content categorization across 53 predefined categories. Its AI-driven threat intelligence updates continuously, with the vendor stating it processes approximately 300,000 URLs for re-evaluation daily and maintains a database of 3 million malicious sites.
WebTitan has evolved to become part of TitanHQ's broader security ecosystem. The company offers various bundles that combine different TitanHQ products: the "Complete" bundle includes WebTitan DNS filtering alongside separate products for email threat protection (SpamTitan), Microsoft 365 backup and recovery, security awareness training (SafeTitan), and email archiving (ArcTitan).
The platform is designed for businesses of all sizes as well as Managed Service Providers (MSPs) who offer it as a service to their clients. With features like multi-tenancy, white-labeling options, and integration with Active Directory, WebTitan particularly appeals to organizations needing centralized management across multiple locations or clients.
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Pros |
Cons |
|---|---|
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✅ Access to comprehensive TitanHQ security product ecosystem |
❌ Requires managing multiple separate products in bundles |
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✅ Extensive reporting suite with 50+ report templates |
❌ Complex deployment compared to modern alternatives |
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✅ Strong Active Directory and LDAP integration |
❌ Manual domain list management for application blocking |
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✅ Established platform with proven track record since 2009 |
❌ Slower threat detection than AI-first platforms |
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✅ 53 content categories with 200+ language support |
❌ Limited publicly documented PSA integrations |
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✅ Multi-tenant architecture with white-labeling |
❌ Network performance limitations |
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✅ AI-powered threat detection and categorization |
WebTitan's core DNS filtering operates through a redirect mechanism where organizations configure their DNS settings to point to WebTitan's cloud servers.
The platform maintains threat intelligence that updates continuously, processing data to identify malicious URLs and categorize websites.
The system blocks access to websites in several threat categories including malware, viruses, ransomware, phishing, botnets, and spam sites. When a threat is detected, users see a customizable block page. According to third-party research, the platform blocks over 300,000 malware and ransomware websites daily while maintaining a database of 3 million malicious sites.
WebTitan includes SSL/TLS inspection capabilities, decrypting and inspecting HTTPS traffic to identify threats hidden within encrypted connections. This cloud-based inspection aims to prevent performance issues often associated with on-premise SSL inspection appliances.
Source: TitanHQ
The policy management system allows administrators to create multiple distinct policies applied to users, groups, locations, or devices.
Policies are built around the URL database with 53 predefined categories plus 10 additional customizable categories. Administrators can create whitelists and blacklists for specific domains, with the ability to bulk import domains from CSV files.
Source: WebTitan
A unique feature is the "Cloud Keys" capability, which provides temporary bypass codes for policy exceptions. Administrators can generate single or multiple-use keys with time or date controls, allowing authorized users to access normally blocked content without modifying the policy itself.
WebTitan provides a reporting suite marketed as having over 50 predefined reports organized into behavior, trend, blocked, and security categories.
The dashboard offers real-time visibility into DNS requests, showing allowed, blocked, and threat-identified queries with drill-down capabilities.
Reports can be filtered by users, groups, categories, IP addresses, and domains. The platform supports scheduled reporting with automated email delivery in multiple formats. For advanced analysis, WebTitan offers a Data Offload API that allows organizations to download raw DNS request logs for integration with SIEM platforms.
Source: WebTitan
WebTitan's user management integrates with Active Directory through the WebTitan DNS Proxy and WebTitan Active Directory Agent (WADA).
Source: TitanHQ
This integration enables automatic synchronization of users and groups for policy application based on existing organizational structures.
For remote protection, WebTitan offers OTG (On-The-Go) roaming agents for Windows, Mac, and Chromebooks. These agents ensure filtering policies follow users regardless of location, intercepting DNS requests and routing them through WebTitan's network.
While WebTitan provides comprehensive DNS filtering capabilities, several factors deserve consideration when evaluating it against best alternatives. These reflect different approaches to DNS security and organizational priorities.
Deployment and Management Complexity: WebTitan's extensive feature set comes with deployment and ongoing management requirements that may exceed what modern IT teams expect. Organizations accustomed to solutions that deploy in minutes may find WebTitan's setup process more involved, particularly when configuring complex policy hierarchies and Active Directory integrations.
Application Control Approach: WebTitan's content filtering relies on website categories and manual domain list management. In an era where single applications can use hundreds of domains, maintaining blocklists for apps like Discord, Slack, or Microsoft Teams requires ongoing administrative effort. Modern platforms offer one-click application blocking that eliminates this manual maintenance.
MSP Growth Limitations: While WebTitan offers multi-tenancy and white-labeling, it has limited native PSA platform integrations (ConnectWise and Autotask). MSPs looking for organic land-and-expand opportunities may find the platform doesn't offer the seamless growth path that enables starting small and scaling seamlessly.
Source: WebTitan
Threat Detection Speed: Although WebTitan employs AI-driven threat detection, next-generation platforms identify threats significantly faster. Top-tier solutions detect threats 10 days before they appear on traditional threat feeds, providing crucial protection against early stage attacks that blocklist-dependent approaches miss.
Product Bundling vs. Best-of-Breed: TitanHQ's approach of offering multiple security products provides coverage across different vectors but requires managing separate tools. Organizations seeking top notch DNS security without the complexity of multi-product bundles may prefer specialized solutions that excel at their core function.
Network Performance Impact: While WebTitan operates cloud infrastructure, it doesn't claim industry-leading network performance. For organizations where milliseconds matter - particularly those with 1,000-5,000 employees operating across multiple locations - network speed directly impacts productivity and user experience.
DNSFilter represents the evolution of DNS security with an AI-first platform built for the modern threat landscape.
Founded in 2015 by Ken Carnesi, who previously ran an ISP, DNSFilter was built from frustration with existing solutions that were complex, slow to detect threats, or difficult to manage. Today, it protects over 43,000 organizations with a platform that detects threats 10 days faster than traditional approaches while operating the world's fastest DNS network.
DNSFilter's machine learning models analyze domain strings in real-time to assess risk before threats appear on conventional blocklists.
The platform processes over 200 billion DNS queries daily, using this massive dataset to train AI models that identify malicious patterns, including those from Domain Generation Algorithms (DGAs) used by modern malware.
Source: DNSFilter
The Malicious Domain Protection feature identified over 7,000 risky domains not yet on any threat intelligence feeds during testing. The platform identifies 61% more threats than competitors, with domains caught as much as 59 days before appearing elsewhere. This 10-day average advantage provides crucial protection against early threats that common approaches miss entirely.
DNSFilter operates what they position as the world's fastest DNS network, ensuring security doesn't compromise performance.
This speed advantage extends beyond threat detection to the actual network infrastructure itself; critical for organizations between 1,000-5,000 employees where network latency directly impacts thousands of daily operations.
DNSFilter's AppAware feature eliminates the complexity of application blocking by bundling all associated domains under single application identities.
Source: DNSFilter
With over 100 applications pre-configured, administrators can block entire apps or app categories instantly rather than maintaining extensive domain lists.
The feature covers high-risk applications across categories including remote desktop tools, file sharing services, messaging apps, and gaming platforms.
Selecting Microsoft, for example, automatically blocks all Microsoft services including Teams, Office 365, and Azure. AppAware includes dedicated reporting that rolls up domain queries into application views, allowing administrators to take immediate action from reports without navigating to policy settings.
DNSFilter's deployment takes minutes, not hours or days.
This simplicity extends throughout the platform, from initial setup to daily management. Policy configuration, roaming client deployment, and ongoing maintenance all reflect the same philosophy: security shouldn't require complexity. For IT teams managing 1,000-5,000 users, this efficiency translates directly to operational savings and faster protection time.
DNSFilter provides no-cost direct integrations with six major PSA platforms: ConnectWise Manage, Datto Autotask, Halo, SyncroMSP, Kaseya BMS, and Pulseway PSA. These integrations streamline billing and management for MSPs seeking organic growth opportunities.
The MSP dashboard offers centralized management for all client organizations with global policies spanning sub-organizations. White-labeling options allow complete branding, while the partner program provides the flexibility to start small and expand. Small MSPs can begin with minimal investment and grow by adding clients over time with zero friction; a true land-and-expand model.
Source: DNSFilter
Recent acquisitions of Guardian and Zorus signal DNSFilter's commitment to expanding MSP capabilities. The Zorus integration brings endpoint-based web filtering and user behavior analytics specifically designed for the MSP market.
DNSFilter offers approximately 80 different content categories out of the box, including adult content, gambling, shopping, social media, and CSAM.
Organizations can select which categories to block based on their policies, providing more granular control than WebTitan's 53 categories while maintaining the simplicity that defines the platform.
|
Feature |
WebTitan |
DNSFilter |
|---|---|---|
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Threat Detection Speed |
AI-powered threat detection |
AI detects threats 10 days faster |
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Network Performance |
Standard cloud infrastructure |
World's fastest DNS network |
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Deployment Time |
Multi-step configuration process |
Deploys in minutes |
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Application Blocking |
Manual domain lists |
One-click AppAware |
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PSA Integrations |
ConnectWise, Autotask |
6 native integrations |
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Content Categories |
53 categories |
~80 categories |
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Product Approach |
Multi-product ecosystem |
Advanced DNS security |
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Management Complexity |
Extensive configuration options |
Simplified, intuitive interface |
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MSP Growth Model |
Traditional multi-tenancy |
Land-and-expand optimization |
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Ideal Organization Size |
All sizes |
Sweet spot: 1,000-5,000 employees |
The choice between WebTitan and DNSFilter reflects actual differences in approach to DNS security.
Choose WebTitan if you want an established security platform from a vendor that's been in the market since 1999, with the WebTitan product line available since 2009.
It's ideal for organizations that value extensive reporting capabilities with over 50 report templates, need complex policy hierarchies across multiple locations, and prefer working with a vendor offering multiple complementary security products. The platform makes sense when you want the option to expand into email security, backup, and training from the same vendor.
Choose DNSFilter if you prioritize the best DNS security with the fastest threat detection and network performance available.
It's designed for advanced buyers who understand that detecting threats 10 days faster than common approaches represents a real advantage in modern cybersecurity. The world's fastest DNS network ensures security never compromises performance, which is critical for organizations between 1,000-5,000 employees where every millisecond counts.
For MSPs, DNSFilter's land-and-expand model with six native PSA integrations provides the organic growth path that drives long-term success. The platform deploys in minutes and maintains that simplicity throughout daily operations, perfect for modern IT teams who need enterprise-grade protection without enterprise complexity.
See how DNSFilter compares to WebTitan and start your free trial today.
Both platforms provide robust DNS filtering capabilities. Your choice depends on whether you prefer a comprehensive vendor ecosystem with multiple security products or a best-of-breed solution that excels at DNS security through superior threat detection speed, network performance, and operational simplicity.