diff --git a/src/apptask.js b/src/apptask.js
index 1fd93ec69..7f90c5290 100644
--- a/src/apptask.js
+++ b/src/apptask.js
@@ -253,7 +253,7 @@ function registerSubdomain(app, callback) {
         async.retry({ times: 200, interval: 5000 }, function (retryCallback) {
             debugApp(app, 'Registering subdomain location [%s]', app.location);
 
-            subdomains.update(app.location, 'A', [ ip ], function (error, changeId) {
+            subdomains.upsert(app.location, 'A', [ ip ], function (error, changeId) {
                 if (error && (error.reason === SubdomainError.STILL_BUSY || error.reason === SubdomainError.EXTERNAL_ERROR)) return retryCallback(error); // try again
 
                 retryCallback(null, error || changeId);
diff --git a/src/cloudron.js b/src/cloudron.js
index f3b58e29b..d0096814c 100644
--- a/src/cloudron.js
+++ b/src/cloudron.js
@@ -453,7 +453,7 @@ function addDnsRecords() {
                 debug('addDnsRecords: will update %j', records);
 
                 async.mapSeries(records, function (record, iteratorCallback) {
-                    subdomains.update(record.subdomain, record.type, record.values, iteratorCallback);
+                    subdomains.upsert(record.subdomain, record.type, record.values, iteratorCallback);
                 }, function (error, changeIds) {
                     if (error) debug('addDnsRecords: failed to update : %s. will retry', error);
                     else debug('addDnsRecords: records %j added with changeIds %j', records, changeIds);
diff --git a/src/dns/caas.js b/src/dns/caas.js
index 43b0b71e3..8192445e6 100644
--- a/src/dns/caas.js
+++ b/src/dns/caas.js
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
 exports = module.exports = {
     add: add,
     del: del,
-    update: update,
+    upsert: upsert,
     getChangeStatus: getChangeStatus,
     get: get
 };
@@ -69,7 +69,7 @@ function get(dnsConfig, zoneName, subdomain, type, callback) {
         });
 }
 
-function update(dnsConfig, zoneName, subdomain, type, values, callback) {
+function upsert(dnsConfig, zoneName, subdomain, type, values, callback) {
     assert.strictEqual(typeof dnsConfig, 'object');
     assert.strictEqual(typeof zoneName, 'string');
     assert.strictEqual(typeof subdomain, 'string');
@@ -77,13 +77,7 @@ function update(dnsConfig, zoneName, subdomain, type, values, callback) {
     assert(util.isArray(values));
     assert.strictEqual(typeof callback, 'function');
 
-    get(dnsConfig, zoneName, subdomain, type, function (error, result) {
-        if (error) return callback(error);
-
-        if (_.isEqual(values, result)) return callback();
-
-        add(dnsConfig, zoneName, subdomain, type, values, callback);
-    });
+    add(dnsConfig, zoneName, subdomain, type, values, callback);
 }
 
 function del(dnsConfig, zoneName, subdomain, type, values, callback) {
diff --git a/src/dns/route53.js b/src/dns/route53.js
index 98d98ca59..127a65a92 100644
--- a/src/dns/route53.js
+++ b/src/dns/route53.js
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ exports = module.exports = {
     add: add,
     get: get,
     del: del,
-    update: update,
+    upsert: upsert,
     getChangeStatus: getChangeStatus,
 
     // not part of "dns" interface
@@ -113,7 +113,7 @@ function add(dnsConfig, zoneName, subdomain, type, values, callback) {
     });
 }
 
-function update(dnsConfig, zoneName, subdomain, type, values, callback) {
+function upsert(dnsConfig, zoneName, subdomain, type, values, callback) {
     assert.strictEqual(typeof dnsConfig, 'object');
     assert.strictEqual(typeof zoneName, 'string');
     assert.strictEqual(typeof subdomain, 'string');
@@ -121,13 +121,7 @@ function update(dnsConfig, zoneName, subdomain, type, values, callback) {
     assert(util.isArray(values));
     assert.strictEqual(typeof callback, 'function');
 
-    get(dnsConfig, zoneName, subdomain, type, function (error, result) {
-        if (error) return callback(error);
-
-        if (_.isEqual(values, result)) return callback();
-
-        add(dnsConfig, zoneName, subdomain, type, values, callback);
-    });
+    add(dnsConfig, zoneName, subdomain, type, values, callback);
 }
 
 function get(dnsConfig, zoneName, subdomain, type, callback) {
diff --git a/src/platform.js b/src/platform.js
index 61cfad961..2c7376c2f 100644
--- a/src/platform.js
+++ b/src/platform.js
@@ -269,7 +269,7 @@ function startMail(callback) {
 
                 // Add MX record
                 var mxRecord = { subdomain: '', type: 'MX', values: [ '10 ' + config.mailFqdn() + '.' ] };
-                subdomains.update(mxRecord.subdomain, mxRecord.type, mxRecord.values, callback);
+                subdomains.upsert(mxRecord.subdomain, mxRecord.type, mxRecord.values, callback);
             });
         });
     });
diff --git a/src/subdomains.js b/src/subdomains.js
index 62ec8e25f..9cd3a92ec 100644
--- a/src/subdomains.js
+++ b/src/subdomains.js
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ module.exports = exports = {
     add: add,
     remove: remove,
     status: status,
-    update: update, // unlike add, this fetches latest value, compares and adds if necessary. atomicity depends on backend
+    upsert: upsert,
     get: get,
 
     SubdomainError: SubdomainError
@@ -88,7 +88,7 @@ function get(subdomain, type, callback) {
     });
 }
 
-function update(subdomain, type, values, callback) {
+function upsert(subdomain, type, values, callback) {
     assert.strictEqual(typeof subdomain, 'string');
     assert.strictEqual(typeof type, 'string');
     assert(util.isArray(values));
@@ -97,7 +97,7 @@ function update(subdomain, type, values, callback) {
     settings.getDnsConfig(function (error, dnsConfig) {
         if (error) return callback(new SubdomainError(SubdomainError.INTERNAL_ERROR, error));
 
-        api(dnsConfig.provider).update(dnsConfig, config.zoneName(), subdomain, type, values, function (error, changeId) {
+        api(dnsConfig.provider).upsert(dnsConfig, config.zoneName(), subdomain, type, values, function (error, changeId) {
             if (error) return callback(error);
 
             callback(null, changeId);