# DNS Assistant vs Subfinder: side-by-side comparison (2026)

[DNS Assistant](https://cybersectools.com/tools/dns-assistant) is a commercial [external attack surface management](https://cybersectools.com/categories/external-asm) solution by [DNS Assistant](https://cybersectools.com/companies/dns-assistant). [Subfinder](https://cybersectools.com/tools/subfinder) is a free [external attack surface management](https://cybersectools.com/categories/external-asm) solution. Features, integrations, deployment and the company behind each one, side by side.

Need the answer fast? [Best Attack Surface Management Solutions for Business](https://cybersectools.com/shortlists/best-attack-surface-solutions) picks Palo Alto Networks Cortex Xpanse, Microsoft Defender EASM, Mandiant Attack Surface Management and 4 more.

## Side-by-side comparison

| | DNS Assistant | Subfinder |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Commercial | Free |
| Category | External Attack Surface Management | External Attack Surface Management |
| Verified | No | No |
| Deployment type | Cloud | On-Premises |
| Company size fit | SMB, Mid-Market, Enterprise | Startup, SMB, Mid-Market, Enterprise |
| GitHub stars | – | 12,248 |
| Last commit | – | Aug 2025 |
| Company | DNS Assistant | – |
| Headquarters | – | – |

### Use cases and capabilities

| | DNS Assistant | Subfinder |
|---|---|---|
| DNS Security | Yes | – |
| Alerting | Yes | – |
| RBAC | Yes | – |
| Multi Tenancy | Yes | – |
| REST API | Yes | – |
| MFA | Yes | – |
| Configuration Management | Yes | – |
| Misconfiguration | Yes | – |
| Subdomain Enumeration | – | Yes |

### Core features

**DNS Assistant**

10 features listed. Sign in on the page to see them.

**Subfinder**

No features listed.

### Integrations

**DNS Assistant**

3 integrations listed. Sign in on the page to see them.

**Subfinder**

No integrations listed.

## Which one fits you

Based on what each listing shows: deployment, company size, price and open source.

- [DNS Assistant](https://cybersectools.com/tools/dns-assistant) fits if you want a cloud product.
- [Subfinder](https://cybersectools.com/tools/subfinder) fits if you need to run it on your own servers, you are a startup, you need a free product and you want an open-source product.

## DNS Assistant vs Subfinder FAQ

Common questions when comparing DNS Assistant vs Subfinder for external attack surface management.

### What is the difference between DNS Assistant and Subfinder?

**DNS Assistant**: DNS posture mgmt platform for real-time DNS & WHOIS change monitoring. Built by DNS Assistant.

**Subfinder**: Fast passive subdomain enumeration tool.

The table above shows where their features, integrations, deployment and company size fit differ.

### Who makes DNS Assistant and Subfinder?

**DNS Assistant** is made by DNS Assistant founded in 2025-01-01T00:00:00.000Z. **Subfinder** is open-source with 12,248 GitHub stars. The vendor behind a product decides its roadmap, support, and longevity, so check each company's profile before you commit.

### Is DNS Assistant a good alternative to Subfinder?

Often, yes. DNS Assistant and Subfinder are both External Attack Surface Management products. Key differences: DNS Assistant is Commercial while Subfinder is Free, Subfinder is open-source. Use the table above to see where features, deployment and company size fit differ.

## Related comparisons

- [DNS Assistant vs Detectify Surface Monitoring](https://cybersectools.com/compare/detectify-surface-monitoring-vs-dns-assistant)
- [DNS Assistant vs SurfaceDiff](https://cybersectools.com/compare/dns-assistant-vs-surfacediff)
- [DNS Assistant vs Attack Surface Scan](https://cybersectools.com/compare/attack-surface-scan-vs-dns-assistant)
- [Subfinder vs Detectify Surface Monitoring](https://cybersectools.com/compare/detectify-surface-monitoring-vs-subfinder)
- [Subfinder vs SurfaceDiff](https://cybersectools.com/compare/subfinder-vs-surfacediff)
- [Subfinder vs Attack Surface Scan](https://cybersectools.com/compare/attack-surface-scan-vs-subfinder)

## Alternatives to each

- [See all DNS Assistant alternatives](https://cybersectools.com/alternatives/dns-assistant)
- [See all Subfinder alternatives](https://cybersectools.com/alternatives/subfinder)

---

Source: https://cybersectools.com/compare/dns-assistant-vs-subfinder

For AI agents: each product above has its own Markdown page (add .md to its URL, for example https://cybersectools.com/tools/dns-assistant.md). Every CybersecTools shortlist is listed at https://cybersectools.com/shortlists.md.

More on DNS Assistant and Subfinder: funding, momentum, hiring and news, plus the full product and company record, are available through the Mandos MCP Server (paid plans), which connects to AI assistants: https://mandos.io/mcp?utm_source=cybersectools.com&utm_medium=compare-md