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

The best open source alternative to Pi-hole is Portmaster. 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 AdGuard, NextDNS, simplewall and RethinkDNS.

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Pi-hole alternatives page was last updated Nov 10, 2025

Portmaster
185 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.
37 Portmaster alternatives
Cost / License
Freemium
Open Source (GPL-3.0)
Application types
Firewall
Ad Blocker
Origin
Austria
EU
Platforms
Windows
Linux
+3
Is Portmaster a good alternative to Pi-hole?

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2comments
Portmaster vs Pi-hole Comments

Kodi Jack
Negative commentAug 25, 2025
0
Portmaster is a (great) local firewall, pi-hole is a dns-blackhole. Not an alternative in the slightest though.
IsidroRollandHills
Positive commentJun 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
AdGuard
283 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.
125 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
Is AdGuard a good alternative to Pi-hole?

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6comments
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 commentJul 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.
3 of 6 comments
AdGuard is Freemium and Open SourcePi-hole is Free and Open Source
NextDNS
161 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
Is NextDNS a good alternative to Pi-hole?

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1comment
NextDNS vs Pi-hole Comments

Kodi Jack
Negative commentAug 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
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
simplewall
206 likes
Simple tool to configure Windows Filtering Platform (WFP) which can configure network activity on your computer.
37 simplewall alternatives
Cost / License
Free
Open Source (GPL-3.0)
Application types
Firewall
Network Monitor
Origin
Russia
Platforms
Windows
+2
Is simplewall a good alternative to Pi-hole?

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1comment
simplewall vs Pi-hole Comments

Kodi Jack
Negative commentAug 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
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
Is RethinkDNS a good alternative to Pi-hole?
AdAway
146 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
Is AdAway a good alternative to Pi-hole?

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2comments
AdAway vs Pi-hole Comments

Guest
Negative commentOct 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 commentSep 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
Control D
35 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
Is Control D a good alternative to Pi-hole?
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 type
Ad Blocker
Origin
Cyprus
EU
Platforms
Mac
Windows
Linux
Self-Hosted
FreeBSD
Raspberry Pi
Cloudron
Is AdGuard Home a good alternative to Pi-hole?

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1comment
AdGuard Home vs Pi-hole Comments

Guest
Positive commentOct 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
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
Is Blokada a good alternative to Pi-hole?

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4comments
Blokada vs Pi-hole Comments

Guest
Negative commentApr 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 commentOct 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 commentAug 9, 2020
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
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
Is this a good alternative to Pi-hole?

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5comments
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 commentDec 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 commentNov 26, 2019
6
It's actually an alternative, most of the others are browser based ad blockers.
Review by a new / low-activity user.
3 of 5 comments
Technitium DNS Server is Free and Open SourcePi-hole is also Free and Open Source
OpenSnitch
43 likes
OpenSnitch is a GNU/Linux application firewall.
37 OpenSnitch alternatives
Cost / License
Free
Open Source (GPL-3.0)
Application types
Firewall
Network Monitor
Origin
Italy
EU
Platforms
Linux
Is OpenSnitch a good alternative to Pi-hole?
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?

12 of 23 Pi-hole alternatives

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

Alternatives list

Portmaster

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Portmaster vs Pi-hole Comments

AdGuard

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AdGuard vs Pi-hole Comments

NextDNS

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NextDNS vs Pi-hole Comments

simplewall

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simplewall vs Pi-hole Comments

RethinkDNS

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AdAway

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AdAway vs Pi-hole Comments

Control D

Cost / License

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AdGuard Home

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AdGuard Home vs Pi-hole Comments

Blokada

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Blokada vs Pi-hole Comments

Technitium DNS Server

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Technitium DNS Server vs Pi-hole Comments

OpenSnitch

Cost / License

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Privoxy

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