cnames.dev / compare / entri alternative
Entri alternative
Self-serve API with published per-domain pricing versus Entri's sales-led suite. Pricing is dated — re-verify before deciding.
Entri and cnames.dev both let your SaaS give customers their own domains with SSL. Entri is a broad, sales-led suite — Connect (DNS onboarding), Power (reverse proxy), Secure (SSL), and Sell (in-app domain sales, now with an MCP server). cnames.dev is a focused, self-serve custom domains + SSL API with published pricing. If you want to start today with a credit card and an API key, that difference is the headline.
When to choose which
- Choose Entri if you want the widest DNS-provider auto-configuration coverage today, want to sell domains to your users in-app, and are comfortable with a sales process and higher minimums.
- Choose cnames.dev if you want to self-serve, see the price up front, pay per domain, and get per-tenant isolation, header profiles, and wildcards through a clean API — without booking a demo.
Feature comparison
| Capability | Entri | cnames.dev |
|---|---|---|
| Custom domains + automatic SSL | Yes (Power + Secure) | Yes |
| Self-serve signup + free tier | Sales-led | Yes — free for 25 domains |
| Published per-domain pricing | Quote-based | Yes (~$0.05/domain on Pro) |
| One-click DNS setup | Broadest coverage (Connect) | Domain Connect where supported + manual fallback |
| Per-tenant isolation + header profiles | Available | Built-in |
| Wildcard domains | Yes | Yes |
| Sell domains to users in-app | Yes (Sell) | No |
| Embeddable widget | Yes | Yes (Connect) |
As of July 2026. Entri's plans and product boundaries change — verify on entri.com.
Pricing math (as of July 2026)
Entri's custom-domains offering is quote-based; published plan figures have ranged from about $249/mo to ~$749/mo depending on products and commitment. cnames.dev is a flat $49/mo for up to 1,000 domains (~$0.05/domain) with a free tier for the first 25. For a small or early product, that's the difference between a $0–49 line item and a four-figure annual contract.
What Entri does better
Being straight: Entri's Connect has invested heavily in DNS-provider integrations, so today it can auto-configure records across more registrars out of the box. And Entri Sell — selling domains to your users inside your app — is a whole product line cnames.dev doesn't offer. If domain sales or maximum one-click DNS breadth is your priority, Entri is the stronger fit and we'd say so.
Where cnames.dev fits
cnames.dev is for developers and product teams who want the custom-domain infrastructure — SSL, edge routing, wildcards, per-tenant isolation — as a self-serve API with transparent pricing, and who reach for one-click DNS via the open Domain Connect path rather than a bespoke integration per registrar. It plugs in front of any origin and is priced to scale with you.
Try cnames.dev. One API call per domain, SSL and edge routing included — free for 25 domains. Start free · Docs · All comparisons
Frequently asked questions
What is the main difference between cnames.dev and Entri?
Motion and pricing. cnames.dev is self-serve with published per-domain pricing (free for 25 domains, $49/mo for 1,000). Entri is a sales-led suite; as of July 2026 its custom-domains plans start around $249/mo and can reach ~$749/mo with annual commitments. Entri also sells adjacent products (domain sales, DNS onboarding) that cnames.dev does not.
Does Entri do anything cnames.dev does not?
Yes — today Entri Connect has broader out-of-the-box DNS-provider auto-configuration coverage, and Entri Sell lets you sell domains to users in-app. cnames.dev supports the Domain Connect open protocol for one-click DNS on supported providers and focuses on the proxy/SSL layer rather than domain sales.
Can I get one-click DNS setup with cnames.dev?
Yes, via the embeddable Connect widget and the Domain Connect protocol on supported providers, with a copy-the-records fallback everywhere else. Provider coverage lights up over time.
Is there a free tier?
cnames.dev is free for up to 25 domains with no credit card. Entri is quote/plan-based.