Edge DNS vs AWS Route 53
Route 53 bills every zone and every query. Edge doesn't.
Route 53 is mature, reliable and woven into AWS. It also charges $0.50 per hosted zone before answering a single query, then meters every lookup. Edge DNS is free for up to 50 zones, and changes land in seconds.
The short version
Where each one is ahead
If everything you run lives in AWS, Route 53's integration is a real convenience. If not, you're paying for it anyway.
Edge is ahead when…
- You manage many domains: Edge has no per-zone fee
- Changes need to land fast: under 5 seconds against around 60
- You want geo-routing without a per-query premium
- You want predictable bills: nothing metered to forecast
Route 53 is ahead when…
- Your stack is all AWS: alias records to ELB, CloudFront and S3
- You need private hosted zones inside a VPC
- You rely on health-check failover today (on Edge's roadmap)
- You need DNSSEC signing now (also on Edge's roadmap)
Feature by feature
Side by side
| Route 53 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | $0.50/zone + usage |
| Zones included | Up to 50 | Pay per zone |
| Records | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Query pricing | 1M/zone/month included | $0.40 per million |
| Geo-routing | Included | $0.70 per million queries |
| Anycast PoPs | 50+ | 50+ |
| Propagation | <5 seconds | ~60 seconds |
| ALIAS records | ||
| API access | ||
| Health checks | Roadmap | $0.50/check/month |
| DNSSEC | Roadmap | |
| AI zone analysis (DNS Examiner) |
Cost scenarios
The monthly bill, by portfolio
Route 53's per-zone and per-query fees compound as you grow. Edge's don't exist.
| Scenario | Route 53 | |
|---|---|---|
| 10 domains, 10M queries/mo | $0 | $9 |
| 50 domains, 50M queries/mo | $0 | $35 |
| 50 domains, 50M geo-routed queries/mo | $0 | $50 |
| 10 health checks | Not yet available | $5/mo |
AWS list prices (us-east-1) at the time of writing: $0.50 per hosted zone for the first 25, $0.10 after; $0.40 per million standard and $0.70 per million geo queries.
Moving from Route 53
Export, import, switch
Replace any AWS alias records with ALIAS or CNAME records pointing at the resource's hostname before you switch.
- 01
Export the hosted zone
List record sets with the AWS CLI, or export BIND with a tool like cli53. - 02
Import and adjust
Import into Edge and turn AWS alias records into ALIAS records on the target hostname. - 03
Switch nameservers
Update the nameservers at your registrar (Route 53 Domains included), then verify on Edge.
Route 53 → Edge
# export the zone as BIND (cli53)
cli53 export example.com > example.com.zone
# import into Edge DNS
edge dns import zone-abc123 \
--file example.com.zone --format bindFAQ
AWS teams ask
Can Edge DNS point at AWS resources?
Yes. Use an ALIAS record at the apex, or a CNAME on subdomains, pointing at the load balancer or CloudFront hostname. Edge resolves it at query time.
Do I have to leave AWS to use Edge DNS?
No. Edge DNS is standalone: your servers, load balancers and buckets can stay exactly where they are.
What about private hosted zones?
Edge DNS is public authoritative DNS. Keep Route 53 private hosted zones for internal VPC names. Many teams run both.
How much would I actually save?
Route 53 costs $0.50 per zone each month for the first 25, plus $0.40 per million queries. Fifty domains with 50M queries is around $35 a month, every month. Try the calculator on our pricing page.
Stop paying rent on your zones
Move one domain, check the answers, move the rest. Free for up to 50 zones. Also comparing Cloudflare? See Edge vs Cloudflare.
Free for everyone with a verified email. No card required.