Cisco Umbrella Pricing: Cisco Umbrella vs DNSFilter vs dope.security

If you are comparing Cisco Umbrella, DNSFilter, and dope.security on price, compare them on protection level first. Cisco Umbrella and DNSFilter price DNS filtering. dope.security prices a full Secure Web Gateway that runs on the device. DNS-only tools cannot inspect the roughly 95% of web traffic that is now encrypted, so a lower sticker price buys less actual coverage. dope.security starts at $60/device/year with transparent list pricing and full on-device SSL inspection, no proxy detour required.

Here is the first thing to know: you are not comparing three versions of the same product. You are comparing three different levels of protection.

• DNSFilter is DNS filtering, domain-level blocking.
• Cisco Umbrella is DNS filtering with optional proxy and SWG bundles layered on top.
• dope.security is a full Secure Web Gateway (SWG) that runs on the device, not through a proxy point of presence.

That difference drives both the price and what you actually get for it. If you want the category background first, start with what a secure web gateway is, then come back for the numbers.

The short version: pricing at a glance

Here is each option, what it costs, and what that price covers, in plain English:

dope.security

Starts at $60/device/year, roughly $5/user/month, with volume pricing available and an instant try-before-you-buy trial. That buys a full SWG on the endpoint: on-device SSL inspection, URL filtering, Cloud Application Control, Shadow IT discovery, and CASB DLP. You are paying for full web protection and data controls, not just domain blocking.

DNSFilter

Roughly $1.00 to $1.15/user/month for Basic, $2.10 to $2.30 for Pro, and $2.70 to $3.00 for Enterprise, with annual versus monthly billing driving the range and minimum monthly spends required. That buys tiered DNS filtering: roaming clients, AD/SSO, and reporting retention, with add-ons like data export priced separately. Affordable domain-level control, but deep inspection and DLP are not what a DNS-only tool is built to do.

Cisco Umbrella

No public list pricing. Cisco runs a traditional enterprise buying motion: you schedule a call with a partner or Cisco rep for a quote, and the price depends on the package, volume, and term. Packages span DNS Security Essentials and Advantage up to SIG Essentials and Advantage, which add proxy-based SWG, CASB, DLP, firewall, and remote browser isolation in the higher tiers. Worth knowing before you commit: Cisco is steering Umbrella customers toward its newer Secure Access platform, so ask where the product you are buying sits on that roadmap.

The reason there is no hard Umbrella number here is simple: Cisco does not publish one. The buying motion gets complicated fast once add-ons and bundles enter the picture, and you cannot know your real cost until a reseller quotes it.

Why the proxy detour is a hidden cost

Price per user is only half the math. The other half is what each architecture does to every request. DNSFilter and Umbrella DNS answer at the domain layer, and Umbrella's SIG bundles send traffic on a detour to a Cisco point of presence and back before it reaches the internet. That round trip is latency your people feel on every request, and it is the reason a cheap-looking per-user line can still cost you in productivity.

See the detour for yourself. dope.security inspects on the device and flies direct, with no point-of-presence round trip on the way to the internet. Run a live latency test and compare it against a legacy cloud-proxy path on our Fly Direct SWG page, or book a 20-minute demo to see it on your own traffic.

The takeaway: a per-user price that looks low can still add a data-center round trip to everything your team loads. On-device inspection removes that detour entirely.

Apples to apples: how to compare fairly

Think of it as Good, Better, Best, matched to what you actually need:

• Good, DNS-only: block risky domains, light and cheap. DNSFilter Basic or Pro and Umbrella DNS Essentials or Advantage fit here. Remember DNS filtering sees the domain, not the encrypted payload behind it.
• Better, proxy SWG bundles: add proxy-based web inspection, CASB, and DLP. Umbrella SIG Essentials and Advantage live here, priced by quote, with the proxy detour baked in.
• Best, endpoint SWG: full SSL inspection and policy enforcement on the device, with no traffic detour to a proxy point of presence. That is dope.security.

If you only ever need to block bad domains, DNS is fine. The moment you need to see inside encrypted traffic, control which apps and AI tools people use, or stop sensitive files from leaving, you have crossed into SWG territory, and a DNS price is no longer the right comparison. For the deeper version of that argument, see what Cisco Umbrella cannot see in TLS and AI uploads.

Simple example math, so you can budget

Scenario A: 300 people, DNS filtering only

• DNSFilter Pro (middle tier): roughly $2.10 to $2.30 per user per month times 300 times 12, about $7,560 to $8,280/year. Minimum monthly spend applies, but at this size you are well above it.
• Cisco Umbrella DNS (Essentials or Advantage): quote required. Third-party write-ups suggest low single-digit dollars per user per month at volume and longer terms, so plan a placeholder of roughly $2 to $4/user/month, about $7,200 to $14,400/year, for budgeting only until you have a real quote.

Takeaway: for DNS-only, DNSFilter tends to publish the clearest low list prices. Umbrella DNS can be competitive at scale, but you need a reseller quote to know. Either way, you are budgeting for the minimum level of protection.

Scenario B: 500 people, full web protection with data controls

• dope.security: list starts at $60/device/year, so $30,000/year for 500 devices before volume pricing. Assume a 25% volume discount and you are near $22,500/year for URL filtering, Cloud Application Control to govern tools like ChatGPT, on-device SSL inspection, and Shadow IT discovery.
• Cisco Umbrella SIG (SWG, CASB, DLP bundles): cannot be put in this table because there is no public price. Cost varies by package, term, and add-ons, so you are back to a quote.
• DNSFilter: cannot cover this scenario. DNS-only does not do full inspection or DLP, so you would need to bolt on additional tools to match SWG scope.

Takeaway: once you actually need SWG-level controls, file upload rules, app-level policy, and SSL inspection, DNS-only vendors are not in the same comparison as dope.security. And unlike the SIG path, dope.security gets there without a proxy detour or a quote-only price. It is the same move Greylock Partners made when it ditched Cisco Umbrella, going from first proposal to signed contract in 27 days.

Hidden costs to check before you buy

• What is included in the tier: DNSFilter shows exactly which features sit in Basic, Pro, and Enterprise. Umbrella lists what is inside DNS versus SIG packages, but with pricing by quote, so confirm what is bundled before you sign.
• Data export and log retention: DNSFilter lists retention per tier and notes add-on costs like data export. For Umbrella, ask about log retention, SIEM export, and premium support.
• Deployment and operations: proxy SWGs add moving parts, points of presence, tunnels, and exception lists. An endpoint SWG like dope.security keeps enforcement local, which cuts complexity and time. dope.security migrated one Cisco Umbrella customer to 2,000 machines in two days.
• Roadmap risk: ask where your Umbrella package sits relative to Cisco Secure Access, so you are not buying into a product line that is being migrated out from under you.
• Terms: all three discount for larger user counts and longer commitments, so model your real headcount and term.

When each tool makes the most sense

• Pick DNSFilter if your need is basic DNS-level protection at the lowest price and you are fine without deep inspection or DLP.
• Pick Cisco Umbrella if you are already committed to Cisco, want DNS today, and may step up to SIG bundles later, with time budgeted for quotes, deployment, and the Secure Access transition.
• Pick dope.security if you want a full SWG with on-device inspection (no proxy detours), modern data and AI controls, and transparent list pricing you can start with today. See how the gateway works on the dope.SWG product page, and for the data side read our complete guide to data loss prevention.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does Cisco Umbrella cost per user?

Cisco does not publish list pricing for Umbrella. Cost is quoted per user by a Cisco rep or partner and varies by package (DNS Security Essentials or Advantage, or SIG Essentials or Advantage), volume, and term. Third-party estimates put DNS packages in the low single-digit dollars per user per month at scale, but only a reseller quote gives you a real number. dope.security, by contrast, lists at $60/device/year so you can budget without a sales call.

Why is dope.security priced higher than DNSFilter?

Because it is not the same product. DNSFilter is DNS-only, domain-level blocking that is cheaper but lighter. dope.security is a full Secure Web Gateway with on-device SSL inspection, app and file controls, Cloud Application Control, and DLP. You are buying inspection of encrypted traffic and data controls that DNS filtering cannot provide, which is why comparing their per-user prices directly is misleading.

Is DNS filtering enough on its own?

Not for most organizations today. Roughly 95% of web traffic is encrypted, and DNS filtering only sees the domain, not the encrypted payload behind it. It cannot inspect uploads, enforce app-level policy, tell a corporate ChatGPT tenant from a personal one, or stop sensitive data from leaving. Those need SWG-level inspection, which dope.security performs on the device.

Does Cisco Umbrella route my traffic through a data center?

Umbrella's SIG bundles use a cloud-proxy model, so inspected traffic detours to a Cisco point of presence and back before reaching the internet, adding latency on every request. dope.security inspects on the endpoint and flies direct, with no proxy detour, which is why it runs up to 4x faster than legacy proxy SWGs.

Can I start with DNS-only and upgrade later?

Yes. Many teams start on DNS filtering for cost and step up to a full SWG when they need granular controls, file-upload rules, DLP, or app-level policy. With dope.security you can trial the full SWG immediately rather than negotiating a tier upgrade, so the step up is a switch you can test, not a quote you have to wait for.

How does the migration off Cisco Umbrella actually go?

Faster than most teams expect. dope.security deploys as a lightweight agent via MDM tools like Intune, with policy pushed from a single console, and migrated one Umbrella customer to 2,000 machines in two days. Greylock Partners went from first proposal to signed contract in 27 days. See the full walk-through in Cisco Umbrella Replacement: a quick and painless move to dope.security.

The bottom line: the cheapest line item is not the cheapest outcome. Cisco Umbrella and DNSFilter quote you for DNS filtering, and the real coverage, encrypted inspection, app control, and DLP, either sits behind a quote-only SIG bundle with a proxy detour or is not there at all. dope.security prices a full on-device SWG in the open, starting at $60/device/year, and flies direct so you are not paying in latency for what you saved on the invoice. Book a 20-minute demo or start an instant trial to see it on your own traffic.