Pi-hole AlternativesTop Ad Blockers & Privacy Tools like Pi-hole

Alternatives list

1. 

   

   Portmaster

    201 likes

   Free, open-source privacy suite monitoring all network activity, blocking unwanted connections, using trusted filter lists for ads and malware, enforcing DNS-over-TLS, providing custom app and global rules, and supporting advanced privacy management.

   41 Portmaster alternatives

   Cost / License

   • Freemium
   • Open Source (GPL-3.0)

   Application typeApplication types

   • Firewall
   • Network Monitor

   Origin

   • Austria
   • EU

   Platforms

   • Windows
   • Linux

   • Austria
   • EU

   

   

   

   +3

   

   More about Portmaster  

   

   Good alternative?Is Portmaster a good alternative to Pi-hole?

    

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   2comments

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   Portmaster vs Pi-hole Comments

   Negative comment by Kodi Jack · Aug 25, 2025

   Portmaster is a (great) local firewall, pi-hole is a dns-blackhole. Not an alternative in the slightest though.

   Positive comment by IsidroRollandHills · Jun 19, 2020

   It has most the same features regarding a single host, but as it’s a software, you can take it with you wherever you go!

   2 of 2 comments

   

   

   • Portmaster is Freemium and Open SourcePi-hole is Free and Open Source
   • Portmaster is a Firewall Pi-hole is an Ad Blocker
   • Portmaster is DecentralizedPi-hole is not according to our users
2. 

   

   AdGuard

    304 likes

   Ad-blocking solution eliminating intrusive ads and preventing tracking, with malware protection. Filters pop-ups, banners, and more for clean browsing. Works in the background for ad-free surfing, protects data privacy with Spyware filter, and controls ad display in apps.

   137 AdGuard alternatives

   Cost / License

   • Freemium
   • Open Source (GPL-3.0)

   Application typeApplication types

   • Ad Blocker
   • Privacy Tool

   Origin

   • Cyprus
   • EU

   Platforms

   • Mac
   • Windows
   • Android
   • iPhone
   • Chrome OS
   • Android Tablet
   • HUAWEI AppGallery
   • iPad
   • Microsoft Edge
   • Vivaldi
   • Google Chrome
   • Samsung Galaxy Store
   • Safari
   • F-Droid
   • Android TV
   • Yandex Browser
   • Opera
   • Mozilla Firefox

   • Cyprus
   • EU

   

   

   

   +4

   

   More about AdGuard  

   

   Good alternative?Is AdGuard a good alternative to Pi-hole?

    

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   6comments

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   AdGuard vs Pi-hole Comments

   Top Positive Comment by Guest · Aug 28, 2021

   It is an "DNS-level content blocker" too! The software is called "Adguard HOME" and it is very similar to PiHole! It is a little more user friendly in my opinion.

   Top Negative Comment by jmthornton · Aug 9, 2020

   Pi-hole is a DNS-level content blocker, AdGuard is an app.

   Positive comment by RemovedUser · Jul 23, 2022

   Very similar premise with a different admin experience. Can't hurt trying out both in a VM or on Play with Docker to see what you prefer

   3 of 6 comments

   

   

   • AdGuard is Freemium and Open SourcePi-hole is Free and Open Source
4. 

   

   NextDNS

    182 likes

   NextDNS protects you from all kinds of security threats, blocks ads and trackers on websites and in apps and provides a safe and supervised Internet for kids — on all devices and on all networks.

   148 NextDNS alternatives

   Cost / License

   • Freemium
   • Open Source (MIT)

   Application typeApplication types

   • Ad Blocker
   • DNS Resolver

   Origin

   • United States

   Platforms

   • Mac
   • Windows
   • Linux
   • Online
   • Android
   • iPhone
   • Chrome OS
   • BSD
   • iPad
   • UC Browser
   • Vivaldi
   • Google Chrome
   • UniFi Network
   • Safari
   • Yandex Browser
   • Software as a Service (SaaS)
   • OpenWrt
   • Opera
   • Alpine Linux
   • pfSense
   • Mozilla Firefox
   • DD-WRT

   • United States

   

   

   

   +9

   

   More about NextDNS  

   

   Good alternative?Is NextDNS a good alternative to Pi-hole?

    

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   1comment

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   NextDNS vs Pi-hole Comments

   Negative comment by Kodi Jack · Aug 25, 2025

   NextDNS might be nice, but it's SaaS (and US-based on top of it), Pihole is self-hosted. Not a great idea privacy-wise.

   1 of 1 comments

   

   

   • NextDNS is Freemium and Open SourcePi-hole is Free and Open Source
   • NextDNS is Customizable and Security-focusedPi-hole is not according to our users
5. Ad

   

   

   AdGuard

   Ad-blocking solution eliminating intrusive ads and preventing tracking, with malware protection. Filters pop-ups, banners, and more for clean browsing. Works in the background for ad-free surfing, protects data privacy with Spywa...

   https://adguard.com

   Learn More
6. 

   

   simplewall

    215 likes

   Simple tool to configure Windows Filtering Platform (WFP) which can configure network activity on your computer.

   40 simplewall alternatives

   Cost / License

   • Free
   • Open Source (GPL-3.0)

   Application typeApplication types

   • Firewall
   • Network Monitor

   Origin

   • Kazakhstan

   Platforms

   • Windows

   • Kazakhstan

   

   

   

   +2

   

   More about simplewall  

   

   Good alternative?Is simplewall a good alternative to Pi-hole?

    

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   1comment

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   simplewall vs Pi-hole Comments

   Negative comment by Kodi Jack · Aug 25, 2025

   Lovely local firewall, but surely no alternative to a self-hosted DNS-blackhole :)

   1 of 1 comments

   

   

   • simplewall is Free and Open SourcePi-hole is also Free and Open Source
   • simplewall is a Firewall Pi-hole is an Ad Blocker
7. 

   

   RethinkDNS

    68 likes

   An OpenSnitch-inspired firewall and network monitor + a pi-hole-inspired DNS over HTTPS client with blocklists.

   51 RethinkDNS alternatives

   Cost / License

   • Free
   • Open Source (Apache-2.0)

   Application typeApplication types

   • Ad Blocker
   • Firewall

   Origin

   • United States

   Platforms

   • Online
   • Android
   • Android Tablet
   • F-Droid
   • OpenAPK
   • Obtainium

   • United States

   

   

   

   More about RethinkDNS  

   

   Good alternative?Is RethinkDNS a good alternative to Pi-hole?

    
9. 

   

   Control D

    42 likes

   Control D is a modern and customizable DNS service that blocks threats, unwanted content and ads - on all devices. Onboard in minutes, and forget about it.

   Cost / License

   • Freemium
   • Open Source (MIT)

   Application typeApplication types

   • Ad Blocker
   • DNS Resolver

   Origin

   • Canada

   Platforms

   • Mac
   • Windows
   • Linux
   • Online
   • Android
   • iPhone
   • Android Tablet
   • iPad
   • Google Chrome
   • Mozilla Firefox

   • Canada

   

   

   

   +2

   

   More about Control D  

   

   Good alternative?Is Control D a good alternative to Pi-hole?

    
10. 

    

    AdAway

     153 likes

    An ad blocker that uses the hosts file. The hosts file contains a list of mappings between hostnames and IP addresses. When an app requests an ad, that request is directed to 127.0.0.1 which does nothing.

    101 AdAway alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source (GPL-3.0)

    Application typeApplication types

    • Ad Blocker
    • Privacy Tool

    Origin

    • Germany
    • EU

    Platforms

    • Android
    • Android Tablet
    • F-Droid

    • Germany
    • EU

    

    

    

    More about AdAway  

    

    Good alternative?Is AdAway a good alternative to Pi-hole?

     

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    2comments

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    AdAway vs Pi-hole Comments

    Negative comment by Guest · Oct 1, 2020

    Pi-hole is a DNS resolver, AdAway modifies a file on an individual computer rather than block at the DNS level.

    Negative comment by Guest · Sep 25, 2025

    they function fundamentally in very different ways and scopes.

    2 of 2 comments

    

    

    • AdAway is Free and Open SourcePi-hole is also Free and Open Source
11. 

    

    AdGuard Home

     35 likes

    AdGuard Home is a network-wide software for blocking ads & tracking. After you set it up, it'll cover ALL your home devices, and you don't need any client-side software for that.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source (GPL-3.0)

    Application typeApplication types

    • Ad Blocker
    • Privacy Tool

    Origin

    • Cyprus
    • EU

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Self-Hosted
    • FreeBSD
    • Raspberry Pi
    • Cloudron
    • Snapcraft
    • Docker

    • Cyprus
    • EU

    

    

    

    More about AdGuard Home  

    

    Good alternative?Is AdGuard Home a good alternative to Pi-hole?

     

    |

    1comment

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    AdGuard Home vs Pi-hole Comments

    Positive comment by Guest · Oct 20, 2021

    it runs slim as a docker container on my Synology

    1 of 1 comments

    

    

    • AdGuard Home is Free and Open SourcePi-hole is also Free and Open Source
    • AdGuard Home is CustomizablePi-hole is not according to our users
12. 

    

    Technitium DNS Server

     11 likes

    Technitium DNS Server is an open source tool that can be used as a personal local DNS server for privacy & security. It includes Ad blocking feature combined with DNS-over-TLS and DNS-over-HTTPS support.

    29 Technitium DNS Server alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source (GPL-3.0)

    Application type

    • Ad Blocker

    Origin

    • India

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux

    • India

    

    

    

    More about Technitium DNS Server  

    

    Good alternative?Is this a good alternative to Pi-hole?

     

    |

    5comments

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    Technitium DNS Server vs Pi-hole Comments

    Top Positive Comment by Guest · May 16, 2019

    It works exactly like Pi-Hole and is a full fledged DNS Server and not just a DNS proxy. Works on Windows, macOS, Linux and Raspberry Pi. Plus it gives much more features like DNS-over-HTTPS and DNS-over-TLS for using public DNS resolvers and also allows you to host your own service using these protocols.

    Positive comment by pili · Dec 8, 2020

    Works exactly as pihole, very lightweight, easy to use. But, better than pihole IMO because it does not has to be installed on another device dedicated to it, you can install it on the same computer that is doing the requests. Less community than pihole but the dev is very reactive, and it is quite easy to use !

    Positive comment by Guest · Nov 26, 2019

    It's actually an alternative, most of the others are browser based ad blockers.

    3 of 5 comments

    

    

    • Technitium DNS Server is Free and Open SourcePi-hole is also Free and Open Source
13. 

    

    Blokada

     112 likes

    Blokada is the popular ad blocker and privacy app for Android and iOS. It's being supported and actively developed by the amazing open source community.

    105 Blokada alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Open Source (MPL-2.0)

    Application typeApplication types

    • Ad Blocker
    • Privacy Tool

    Origin

    • Sweden
    • EU

    Platforms

    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    • WireGuard

    • Sweden
    • EU

    

    

    

    More about Blokada  

    

    Good alternative?Is Blokada a good alternative to Pi-hole?

     

    |

    4comments

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    Blokada vs Pi-hole Comments

    Negative comment by Guest · Apr 11, 2019

    It is a good combination in addition to Pi-hole. But is a client software, which run on Android devices only. It cannot protect unsupported systems (e.g. smart phone, smart TV).

    Negative comment by Guest · Oct 18, 2020

    Blokada should not be considered an alternative to Pi-hole due to the different implementations of the software, Pi-hole is installable on to external devices such as a device that is directly connected to the router like a Raspberry Pi whilst Blokada is specifically installed on an Android device

    Negative comment by jmthornton · Aug 9, 2020

    Pi-hole is a DNS-level content blocker, Blokada is a browser plugin.

    3 of 4 comments

    

    

    • Blokada is Freemium and Open SourcePi-hole is Free and Open Source
14. 

    

    OpenSnitch

     47 likes

    GNU/Linux firewall enabling interactive outbound network filtering, outbound application control, blocking of ads and malware domains, centralized GUI node management, input policy configuration, SIEM integration, real-time alerts, and user-level rule customization.

    41 OpenSnitch alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source (GPL-3.0)

    Application typeApplication types

    • Firewall
    • Network Monitor

    Origin

    • Italy
    • EU

    Platforms

    • Linux

    • Italy
    • EU

    

    More about OpenSnitch  

    

    Good alternative?Is OpenSnitch a good alternative to Pi-hole?

     
15. 

    

    Privoxy

     60 likes

    Privoxy is a non-caching web proxy with advanced filtering capabilities for enhancing privacy, modifying web page data and HTTP headers, controlling access, and removing ads and other obnoxious Internet junk.

    62 Privoxy alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    • Ad Blocker

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux

    

    Good alternative?Is Privoxy a good alternative to Pi-hole?