diff --git a/configure b/configure
index daa37e504..63051eca8 100755
--- a/configure
+++ b/configure
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 #! /bin/sh
 # Guess values for system-dependent variables and create Makefiles.
-# Generated by GNU Autoconf 2.71 for unbound 1.20.1.
+# Generated by GNU Autoconf 2.71 for unbound 1.21.0.
 #
 # Report bugs to <unbound-bugs@nlnetlabs.nl or https://github.com/NLnetLabs/unbound/issues>.
 #
@@ -622,8 +622,8 @@ MAKEFLAGS=
 # Identity of this package.
 PACKAGE_NAME='unbound'
 PACKAGE_TARNAME='unbound'
-PACKAGE_VERSION='1.20.1'
-PACKAGE_STRING='unbound 1.20.1'
+PACKAGE_VERSION='1.21.0'
+PACKAGE_STRING='unbound 1.21.0'
 PACKAGE_BUGREPORT='unbound-bugs@nlnetlabs.nl or https://github.com/NLnetLabs/unbound/issues'
 PACKAGE_URL=''
 
@@ -1508,7 +1508,7 @@ if test "$ac_init_help" = "long"; then
   # Omit some internal or obsolete options to make the list less imposing.
   # This message is too long to be a string in the A/UX 3.1 sh.
   cat <<_ACEOF
-\`configure' configures unbound 1.20.1 to adapt to many kinds of systems.
+\`configure' configures unbound 1.21.0 to adapt to many kinds of systems.
 
 Usage: $0 [OPTION]... [VAR=VALUE]...
 
@@ -1574,7 +1574,7 @@ fi
 
 if test -n "$ac_init_help"; then
   case $ac_init_help in
-     short | recursive ) echo "Configuration of unbound 1.20.1:";;
+     short | recursive ) echo "Configuration of unbound 1.21.0:";;
    esac
   cat <<\_ACEOF
 
@@ -1822,7 +1822,7 @@ fi
 test -n "$ac_init_help" && exit $ac_status
 if $ac_init_version; then
   cat <<\_ACEOF
-unbound configure 1.20.1
+unbound configure 1.21.0
 generated by GNU Autoconf 2.71
 
 Copyright (C) 2021 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
@@ -2479,7 +2479,7 @@ cat >config.log <<_ACEOF
 This file contains any messages produced by compilers while
 running configure, to aid debugging if configure makes a mistake.
 
-It was created by unbound $as_me 1.20.1, which was
+It was created by unbound $as_me 1.21.0, which was
 generated by GNU Autoconf 2.71.  Invocation command line was
 
   $ $0$ac_configure_args_raw
@@ -3241,9 +3241,9 @@ ac_compiler_gnu=$ac_cv_c_compiler_gnu
 
 UNBOUND_VERSION_MAJOR=1
 
-UNBOUND_VERSION_MINOR=20
+UNBOUND_VERSION_MINOR=21
 
-UNBOUND_VERSION_MICRO=1
+UNBOUND_VERSION_MICRO=0
 
 
 LIBUNBOUND_CURRENT=9
@@ -3342,7 +3342,7 @@ LIBUNBOUND_AGE=1
 # 1.19.2 had 9:25:1
 # 1.19.3 had 9:26:1
 # 1.20.0 had 9:27:1
-# 1.20.1 had 9:28:1
+# 1.21.0 had 9:28:1
 
 #   Current  -- the number of the binary API that we're implementing
 #   Revision -- which iteration of the implementation of the binary
@@ -24644,7 +24644,7 @@ printf "%s\n" "#define MAXSYSLOGMSGLEN 10240" >>confdefs.h
 
 
 
-version=1.20.1
+version=1.21.0
 
 date=`date +'%b %e, %Y'`
 
@@ -25156,7 +25156,7 @@ cat >>$CONFIG_STATUS <<\_ACEOF || ac_write_fail=1
 # report actual input values of CONFIG_FILES etc. instead of their
 # values after options handling.
 ac_log="
-This file was extended by unbound $as_me 1.20.1, which was
+This file was extended by unbound $as_me 1.21.0, which was
 generated by GNU Autoconf 2.71.  Invocation command line was
 
   CONFIG_FILES    = $CONFIG_FILES
@@ -25224,7 +25224,7 @@ ac_cs_config_escaped=`printf "%s\n" "$ac_cs_config" | sed "s/^ //; s/'/'\\\\\\\\
 cat >>$CONFIG_STATUS <<_ACEOF || ac_write_fail=1
 ac_cs_config='$ac_cs_config_escaped'
 ac_cs_version="\\
-unbound config.status 1.20.1
+unbound config.status 1.21.0
 configured by $0, generated by GNU Autoconf 2.71,
   with options \\"\$ac_cs_config\\"
 
diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index feeaf34c2..c30d931de 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -10,8 +10,8 @@ sinclude(dnscrypt/dnscrypt.m4)
 
 # must be numbers. ac_defun because of later processing
 m4_define([VERSION_MAJOR],[1])
-m4_define([VERSION_MINOR],[20])
-m4_define([VERSION_MICRO],[1])
+m4_define([VERSION_MINOR],[21])
+m4_define([VERSION_MICRO],[0])
 AC_INIT([unbound],m4_defn([VERSION_MAJOR]).m4_defn([VERSION_MINOR]).m4_defn([VERSION_MICRO]),[unbound-bugs@nlnetlabs.nl or https://github.com/NLnetLabs/unbound/issues],[unbound])
 AC_SUBST(UNBOUND_VERSION_MAJOR, [VERSION_MAJOR])
 AC_SUBST(UNBOUND_VERSION_MINOR, [VERSION_MINOR])
@@ -113,7 +113,7 @@ LIBUNBOUND_AGE=1
 # 1.19.2 had 9:25:1
 # 1.19.3 had 9:26:1
 # 1.20.0 had 9:27:1
-# 1.20.1 had 9:28:1
+# 1.21.0 had 9:28:1
 
 #   Current  -- the number of the binary API that we're implementing
 #   Revision -- which iteration of the implementation of the binary
diff --git a/doc/Changelog b/doc/Changelog
index 2bf71067b..64d2a77c3 100644
--- a/doc/Changelog
+++ b/doc/Changelog
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@
 	- Fix CacheFlush issues with limit on NS RRs. Thanks to Yehuda Afek,
 	  Anat Bremler-Barr, Shoham Danino and Yuval Shavitt (Tel-Aviv
 	  University and Reichman University).
+	- Set version number to 1.21.0 for release.
 
 2 August 2024: Wouter
 	- Fix that alloc stats has strdup checks, it stops debuggers from