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

The best open source alternative to Pi-hole is AdGuard. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 25 alternatives to Pi-hole and many of them is open source so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting open source alternatives to Pi-hole are Portmaster, NextDNS, simplewall and RethinkDNS.

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Alternatives list

  1. AdGuard icon

    AdGuard

     301 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.

    130 AdGuard alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Chrome OS
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    • Microsoft Edge
    • Vivaldi
    • Google Chrome
    • Safari
    • Android TV
    • Yandex Browser
    • Opera
    • Mozilla Firefox
    • F-Droid
    • HUAWEI AppGallery
    • Samsung Galaxy Store
    AdGuard screenshot 1
     
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    6
    AdGuard vs Pi-hole Comments
    Top Positive Comment
    Guest
    5

    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
    jmthornton
    0

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

    RemovedUser
    Positive
    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

    3 of 6 comments
    • AdGuard is Freemium and Open SourcePi-hole is Free and Open Source
  2. Portmaster icon

    Portmaster

     197 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.

    38 Portmaster alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Linux
    Dashboard PMv1.4
     
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    2
    Portmaster vs Pi-hole Comments
    Kodi Jack
    Negative
    0

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

    IsidroRollandHills
    Positive
    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
  4. NextDNS icon

    NextDNS

     177 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.

    145 NextDNS alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Open Source (MIT)

    Application types

    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
    NextDNS screenshot 1
     
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    1
    NextDNS vs Pi-hole Comments
    Kodi Jack
    Negative
    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
    Screenshot
    AdGuard icon
    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 icon

    simplewall

     213 likes

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

    38 simplewall alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Windows
    Main Window
     
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    1
    simplewall vs Pi-hole Comments
    Kodi Jack
    Negative
    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
  9. AdAway icon

    AdAway

     152 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.

    97 AdAway alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Android
    • Android Tablet
    • F-Droid
    AdAway screenshot 1
     
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    2
    AdAway vs Pi-hole Comments
    Guest
    Negative
    6

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

    Guest
    Negative
    0

    they function fundamentally in very different ways and scopes.

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

    Control D

     41 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.

    32 Control D alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Open Source (MIT)

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • iPhone
    • Android
    • iPad
    • Android Tablet
    • Google Chrome
    • Mozilla Firefox
    • Online
    Control D screenshot 1
     
  11. AdGuard Home icon

    AdGuard Home

     32 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.

    13 AdGuard Home alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Self-Hosted
    • FreeBSD
    • Raspberry Pi
    • Cloudron
    • Snapcraft
    • Docker
    AdGuard Home screenshot 1
     
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    1
    AdGuard Home vs Pi-hole Comments
    Guest
    Positive
    2

    it runs slim as a docker container on my Synology

    • 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 icon

    Blokada

     110 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.

    101 Blokada alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    • WireGuard
    Blokada screenshot 1
     
    |
    4
    Blokada vs Pi-hole Comments
    Guest
    Negative
    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).

    Guest
    Negative
    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

    jmthornton
    Negative
    3

    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
  13. Technitium DNS Server icon

    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.

    29 Technitium DNS Server alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    Technitium DNS Server screenshot 1
     
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    5
    Technitium DNS Server vs Pi-hole Comments
    Top Positive Comment
    Guest
    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.

    pili
    Positive
    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
    6

    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
  14. OpenSnitch icon

    OpenSnitch

     45 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.

    39 OpenSnitch alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Linux
    OpenSnitch screenshot 1
     
  15. Privoxy icon

    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.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
     
12 of 25 Pi-hole alternatives