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

Alternatives list

1. 

   

   Portmaster

    190 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.

   36 Portmaster alternatives

   Cost / License

   • Freemium
   • Open Source (GPL-3.0)

   Application types

   • Firewall
   • Ad Blocker

   Origin

   • Austria
   • EU

   Platforms

   • Windows
   • Linux

   

   

   

   +3

   

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   Is Portmaster a good alternative to Pi-hole?

    

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   2comments

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   Portmaster vs Pi-hole Comments

    

   Kodi Jack

   Negative comment•Aug 25, 2025

   0

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

   IsidroRollandHills

   Positive comment•Jun 19, 2020

   2

   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!

   

   

   • Portmaster is Freemium and Open SourcePi-hole is Free and Open Source
   • Portmaster is DecentralizedPi-hole is not according to our users
2. 

   

   AdGuard

    287 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.

   126 AdGuard alternatives

   Cost / License

   • Freemium
   • Open Source (GPL-3.0)

   Application types

   • Ad Blocker
   • Privacy Tool

   Origin

   • Cyprus
   • EU

   Platforms

   • Mac
   • Windows
   • Android
   • iPhone
   • Chrome OS
   • Android Tablet
   • iPad
   • Vivaldi
   • Google Chrome
   • Safari
   • Yandex Browser
   • Opera
   • Mozilla Firefox
   • Snapcraft
   • Microsoft Edge
   • Android TV

   

   

   

   +4

   

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   6comments

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   AdGuard vs Pi-hole Comments

    

   Top Positive Comment

   Guest

   Aug 28, 2021

   4

   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.

   Review by a new / low-activity user.

   Top Negative Comment

   jmthornton

   Aug 9, 2020

   1

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

   RemovedUser

   Positive comment•Jul 23, 2022

   1

   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

   Review by a new / low-activity user.

   Show more comments

   3 of 6 comments

   

   

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

   

   NextDNS

    166 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.

   141 NextDNS alternatives

   Cost / License

   • Freemium
   • Open Source (MIT)

   Application types

   • Ad Blocker
   • Privacy Tool

   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

   

   

   

   +9

   

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   1comment

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   NextDNS vs Pi-hole Comments

    

   Kodi Jack

   Negative comment•Aug 25, 2025

   1

   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.

   

   

   • 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

   

   

   Total Adblock

   Block unwanted ads for faster browsing with Total Adblock. Remove banners, pop-ups, and video ads. SAVETIME by decreasing data usage and improving privacy while prolonging battery life. Easy iOS setup requires a paid account, off...

   http://www.totaladblock.com

   Learn More
6. 

   

   simplewall

    209 likes

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

   38 simplewall alternatives

   Cost / License

   • Free
   • Open Source (GPL-3.0)

   Application types

   • Firewall
   • Network Monitor

   Origin

   • Kazakhstan

   Platforms

   • Windows

   

   

   

   +2

   

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   1comment

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   simplewall vs Pi-hole Comments

    

   Kodi Jack

   Negative comment•Aug 25, 2025

   0

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

   

   

   • simplewall is Free and Open SourcePi-hole is also Free and Open Source
7. 

   

   RethinkDNS

    63 likes

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

   46 RethinkDNS alternatives

   Cost / License

   • Free
   • Open Source (Apache-2.0)

   Application types

   • Ad Blocker
   • Firewall

   Origin

   • United States

   Platforms

   • Online
   • Android
   • Android Tablet
   • F-Droid

   

   

   

   +5

   

   More about RethinkDNS  

   

   Is RethinkDNS a good alternative to Pi-hole?

    
8. 

   

   AdAway

    147 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.

   95 AdAway alternatives

   Cost / License

   • Free
   • Open Source (GPL-3.0)

   Application types

   • Ad Blocker
   • Privacy Tool

   Origin

   • Germany
   • EU

   Platforms

   • Android
   • Android Tablet
   • F-Droid

   

   

   

   More about AdAway  

   

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   2comments

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   AdAway vs Pi-hole Comments

    

   Guest

   Negative comment•Oct 1, 2020

   6

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

   Review by a new / low-activity user.

   Guest

   Negative comment•Sep 25, 2025

   0

   they function fundamentally in very different ways and scopes.

   Review by a new / low-activity user.

   

   

   • AdAway is Free and Open SourcePi-hole is also Free and Open Source
10. 

    

    Control D

     38 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.

    29 Control D alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Open Source (MIT)

    Application types

    • Ad Blocker
    • DNS Resolver

    Origin

    • Canada

    Platforms

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

    

    

    

    +2

    

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11. 

    

    AdGuard Home

     31 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.

    12 AdGuard Home alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source (GPL-3.0)

    Application types

    • Ad Blocker
    • Privacy Tool

    Origin

    • Cyprus
    • EU

    Platforms

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

    

    

    

    More about AdGuard Home  

    

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    1comment

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    AdGuard Home vs Pi-hole Comments

     

    Guest

    Positive comment•Oct 20, 2021

    2

    it runs slim as a docker container on my Synology

    Review by a new / low-activity user.

    

    

    • 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. 

    

    Blokada

     108 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.

    98 Blokada alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Open Source (MPL-2.0)

    Application type

    • Ad Blocker

    Origin

    • Sweden
    • EU

    Platforms

    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad

    

    

    

    +2

    

    More about Blokada  

    

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    4comments

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    Blokada vs Pi-hole Comments

     

    Guest

    Negative comment•Apr 11, 2019

    11

    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).

    Review by a new / low-activity user.

    Guest

    Negative comment•Oct 18, 2020

    7

    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

    Review by a new / low-activity user.

    jmthornton

    Negative comment•Aug 9, 2020

    3

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

    Show more comments

    3 of 4 comments

    

    

    • Blokada is Freemium and Open SourcePi-hole is Free and Open Source
13. 

    

    Technitium DNS Server

     9 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.

    27 Technitium DNS Server alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source (GPL-3.0)

    Application type

    • Ad Blocker

    Origin

    • India

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux

    

    

    

    More about Technitium DNS Server  

    

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    5comments

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    Technitium DNS Server vs Pi-hole Comments

     

    Top Positive Comment

    Guest

    May 16, 2019

    9

    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.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.

    pili

    Positive comment•Dec 8, 2020

    0

    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 !

    Guest

    Positive comment•Nov 26, 2019

    6

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

    Review by a new / low-activity user.

    Show more comments

    3 of 5 comments

    

    

    • Technitium DNS Server is Free and Open SourcePi-hole is also Free and Open Source
14. 

    

    OpenSnitch

     43 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.

    38 OpenSnitch alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source (GPL-3.0)

    Application types

    • Firewall
    • Network Monitor

    Origin

    • Italy
    • EU

    Platforms

    • Linux

    

    More about OpenSnitch  

    

    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.

    59 Privoxy alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    • Ad Blocker

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux

    

    Is Privoxy a good alternative to Pi-hole?