Pi-hole AlternativesTop Ad Blockers and other similar apps like Pi-hole

Pi-hole is described as 'Block ads for all your devices without the need to install client-side software. The Pi-hole blocks ads at the DNS-level, so all your devices are protected' and is a very popular Ad Blocker in the web browsers category. There are more than 25 alternatives to Pi-hole for a variety of platforms, including Linux, Windows, Android, Mac and iPhone apps. The best Pi-hole alternative is Portmaster, which is both free and Open Source. Other great apps like Pi-hole are AdGuard, simplewall, NextDNS and AdAway.

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Pi-hole alternatives are mainly Ad Blockers but may also be Firewalls or Privacy Tools. Filter by these or use the filter bar below if you want a narrower list of alternatives or looking for a specific functionality of Pi-hole.

Pi-hole

139

Ad Blocker
Free • Open Source

Block ads for all your devices without the need to install client-side software. The Pi-hole blocks ads at the DNS-level, so all your devices are protected.

More about Pi-hole

Pi-hole alternatives page was last updated Dec 13, 2024

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Portmaster
114 likes
Portmaster is a free and open-source privacy suite that puts you back in charge of your computer.
29 Portmaster alternatives
License model
Freemium • Open Source
Application types
Ad Blocker
Firewall
Platforms
Windows
Linux
+3
Properties
Privacy focused
Features
Firewall
Network Tools
Application Firewall
Block Trackers
DNS Resolver
Ad-free
No Tracking
No registration required
Dark Mode
DNS over HTTPS
Website Monitoring
Spam Filter
Built-in VPN
Dns
End-to-End Encryption
No Coding Required
WireGuard
Malware Analysis
No Logs
Portmaster VS Pi-hole
Is Portmaster a good alternative to Pi-hole?
Comments about Portmaster as an Alternative to Pi-hole

IsidroRollandHills
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!
Positive comment •Jun 19, 2020
2
- Most users think Portmaster is a great Pi-hole alternative.
- Portmaster is the most popular Windows & Linux alternative to Pi-hole.
- Portmaster is the most popular Open Source & free alternative to Pi-hole.
- Portmaster is Freemium and Open SourcePi-hole is Free and Open Source
- Portmaster is Privacy focusedPi-hole is not according to our users

AdGuard
238 likes
AdGuard is the best way to get rid of intrusive ads and online tracking, and to protect your computer from malware. Make your web surfing faster, safer and more comfortable with AdGuard!.
119 AdGuard alternatives
License model
Freemium • Open Source
Application types
Ad Blocker
Privacy Tool
Platforms
Mac
Windows
Android
iPhone
Chrome OS
Android Tablet
iPad
Vivaldi
Google Chrome
Safari
Yandex Browser
Opera
Mozilla Firefox
+3
Properties
Privacy focused
Lightweight
Features
Built-in Ad-blocker
Pop up blocker
DNS over HTTPS
DNS-over-TLS
Custom DNS
Block Trackers
No Logs
No Tracking
Dark Mode
Ad-free
No registration required
Anonymous Proxy
End-to-End Encryption
AdGuard VS Pi-hole
Is AdGuard a good alternative to Pi-hole?
Comments about AdGuard as an Alternative to Pi-hole

Guest
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 positive comment •Aug 28, 2021
3
jmthornton
Pi-hole is a DNS-level content blocker, AdGuard is an app.
Top negative comment •Aug 9, 2020
2
RemovedUser
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
Positive comment •Jul 23, 2022
1
Show more comments
3 of 6 comments
- Some users think AdGuard is a great Pi-hole alternative, some don't.
- AdGuard is the most popular Android, Mac, iPhone, iPad & Android Tablet alternative to Pi-hole.
- AdGuard is Freemium and Open SourcePi-hole is Free and Open Source
- AdGuard is Privacy focused and LightweightPi-hole is not according to our users

simplewall
172 likes
Simple tool to configure Windows Filtering Platform (WFP) which can configure network activity on your computer.
33 simplewall alternatives
License model
Free • Open Source
Application types
Firewall
Network Monitor
Platforms
Windows
+2
Properties
Lightweight
Privacy focused
Features
Firewall
Ad-free
Portable
Built-in Firewall
Outbound firewall
No registration required
No Tracking
Block Trackers
Built-in timer
Dark Mode
Works Offline
simplewall VS Pi-hole
Is simplewall a good alternative to Pi-hole?

Ad
AdGuard
AdGuard is the best way to get rid of intrusive ads and online tracking, and to protect your computer from malware. Make your web surfing faster, safer and more comfortable with AdGuard!.

https://adguard.com
Learn More
NextDNS
102 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.
138 NextDNS alternatives
License model
Freemium • Open Source
Application types
Ad Blocker
Privacy Tool
Platforms
Mac
Windows
Linux
Online
Android
iPhone
Chrome OS
BSD
iPad
UC Browser
Vivaldi Browser
Google Chrome
Ubiquiti UniFi
Safari
Yandex.Browser
Software as a Service (SaaS)
OpenWrt
Opera
Alpine Linux
pfSense
Firefox
DD-WRT
+9
Properties
Customizable
Privacy focused
Features
DNS Resolver
DNS Server
DNS over HTTPS
DNS-over-TLS
Parental Control
Real-time analytics
Data analytics
DNSSEC
Dns
Block Trackers
Ad-free
Malware Analysis
No Logs
Dark Mode
Two-factor Authentication
NextDNS VS Pi-hole
Is NextDNS a good alternative to Pi-hole?
- Almost everyone thinks NextDNS is a great Pi-hole alternative.
- NextDNS is the most popular Web-based & SaaS alternative to Pi-hole.
- NextDNS is Freemium and Open SourcePi-hole is Free and Open Source
- NextDNS is Customizable and Privacy focusedPi-hole is not according to our users

AdAway
130 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.
96 AdAway alternatives
License model
Free • Open Source
Application types
Ad Blocker
Privacy Tool
Platforms
Android
Android Tablet
F-Droid
Properties
Lightweight
Privacy focused
Features
Block Trackers
Dark Mode
Ad-free
No Tracking
Extensible by Plugins/Extensions
AES-256 Encryption
No registration required
No Logs
Traffic Monitoring
File Hosting
AdAway VS Pi-hole
Is AdAway a good alternative to Pi-hole?
Comments about AdAway as an Alternative to Pi-hole

Guest
Pi-hole is a DNS resolver, AdAway modifies a file on an individual computer rather than block at the DNS level.
Negative comment •Oct 1, 2020
6
- Some users think AdAway is a great Pi-hole alternative, some don't.
- AdAway is Free and Open SourcePi-hole is also Free and Open Source
- AdAway is Lightweight and Privacy focusedPi-hole is not according to our users

RethinkDNS
34 likes
An OpenSnitch-inspired firewall and network monitor + a pi-hole-inspired DNS over HTTPS client with blocklists.
41 RethinkDNS alternatives
+5
License model
Free • Open Source
Application types
Ad Blocker
Firewall
Platforms
Online
Android
Android Tablet
F-Droid
Properties
Privacy focused
Lightweight
Features
No Root Required
Block Trackers
DNS over HTTPS
Firewall
Dns
Ad-free
Bypass Censorship
Dark Mode
No registration required
No Tracking
No Logs
RethinkDNS VS Pi-hole
Is RethinkDNS a good alternative to Pi-hole?

Blokada
102 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.
91 Blokada alternatives
+2
License model
Freemium • Open Source
Application type
Ad Blocker
Platforms
Android
iPhone
Android Tablet
iPad
Properties
Lightweight
Privacy focused
Features
No Root Required
Switch DNS servers
Custom DNS
Block Trackers
No registration required
No Tracking
Ad-free
Dark Mode
Blokada VS Pi-hole
Is Blokada a good alternative to Pi-hole?
Comments about Blokada as an Alternative to Pi-hole

Guest
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 •Oct 18, 2020
7
jmthornton
Pi-hole is a DNS-level content blocker, Blokada is a browser plugin.
Negative comment •Aug 9, 2020
3
Guest
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 •Apr 11, 2019
11
Show more comments
3 of 4 comments
- Some users think Blokada is a great Pi-hole alternative, some don't.
- Blokada is Freemium and Open SourcePi-hole is Free and Open Source
- Blokada is Lightweight and Privacy focusedPi-hole is not according to our users

Technitium DNS Server
7 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.
25 Technitium DNS Server alternatives
License model
Free • Open Source
Application type
Ad Blocker
Platforms
Mac
Windows
Linux
Technitium DNS Server Features
Portable
DHCP Server
DNS Server
Custom DNS
Graphical User Interface
DNS Proxy
Website testing
Technitium DNS Server VS Pi-hole
Is this a good alternative to Pi-hole?
Comments about Technitium DNS Server as an Alternative to Pi-hole

Guest
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.
Top positive comment •May 16, 2019
9
pili
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 •Dec 8, 2020
0
Guest
It's actually an alternative, most of the others are browser based ad blockers.
Positive comment •Nov 26, 2019
6
Show more comments
3 of 5 comments
- Almost everyone thinks Technitium DNS Server is a great Pi-hole alternative.
- Technitium DNS Server is Free and Open SourcePi-hole is also Free and Open Source

AdGuard Home
16 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.
10 AdGuard Home alternatives
License model
Free • Open Source
Application type
Ad Blocker
Platforms
Mac
Windows
Linux
Self-Hosted
FreeBSD
Raspberry Pi
Cloudron
Properties
Privacy focused
Lightweight
Features
DNS Server
DNS Proxy
Block Trackers
Ad-free
Dark Mode
No registration required
No Logs
No Tracking
AdGuard Home VS Pi-hole
Is AdGuard Home a good alternative to Pi-hole?
Comments about AdGuard Home as an Alternative to Pi-hole

Guest
it runs slim as a docker container on my Synology
Positive comment •Oct 20, 2021
2
- Almost everyone thinks AdGuard Home is a great Pi-hole alternative.
- AdGuard Home is the most popular Self-Hosted alternative to Pi-hole.
- AdGuard Home is Free and Open SourcePi-hole is also Free and Open Source
- AdGuard Home is Privacy focused and LightweightPi-hole is not according to our users