Pi-hole vs AdGuard Home: which network ad blocker to run
Both block ads for every device in your house from one small box. They differ in how they handle the DNS lookups that leave it.
Pi-hole and AdGuard Home both block ads and trackers for every device on your network by refusing to answer DNS lookups for ad domains. Pick AdGuard Home if you want encrypted DNS (DNS-over-HTTPS or DNS-over-TLS) built in with no extra software. Pick Pi-hole if you want to pair it with Unbound, a recursive resolver its docs walk you through, so no single DNS company sees your full browsing history. Neither can block YouTube video ads, because those come from the same domains as the videos.
How a network ad blocker works
Every time a phone, laptop, or TV loads a page, it first asks a DNS server to turn names like example.com into addresses. Pi-hole and AdGuard Home sit in that spot. When a device asks for a domain on a block list, they answer with nothing, so the ad or tracker never loads. Pi-hole's own docs call this a DNS sinkhole.
Because it happens at the network level, nothing gets installed on the devices. You set your router to hand out the blocker's address as the DNS server, and every device that joins your Wi-Fi uses it. That includes smart TVs and other gadgets where you can't install an ad blocker at all.
Pi-hole vs AdGuard Home compared
| Pi-hole | AdGuard Home | |
|---|---|---|
| License | EUPL, open source | GPLv3, open source |
| Runs on | Linux (Debian, Ubuntu, Raspberry Pi OS, Fedora, Alpine, and others) | Linux, Windows, macOS, FreeBSD, OpenBSD, Docker, Snap |
| Minimum hardware | 512 MB RAM, 2 GB free disk (4 GB recommended) | Not stated in its docs |
| Encrypted upstream DNS | Needs add-on software such as dnscrypt-proxy | Built in: DNS-over-HTTPS, DNS-over-TLS, DNSCrypt |
| Serves encrypted DNS to your devices | No, needs add-on software | Yes, DNS-over-HTTPS and DNS-over-TLS |
| DHCP server | Built in, optional | Built in, optional |
| Parental controls and safe search | Parental controls through extra block lists; no built-in safe search | Built in |
| First-run setup | Installer in the terminal, then a web page | Setup wizard in the browser |
AdGuard Home's README has a comparison table saying HTTPS for Pi-hole's admin page needs a manually configured lighttpd. That is out of date: Pi-hole v6 serves its web interface from its own built-in web server on ports 80 and 443.
My verdict: AdGuard Home is the easier way to get encrypted DNS. Pi-hole with Unbound lets you stop trusting any DNS company, at the cost of some slower first lookups.
Pi-hole with Unbound
A normal Pi-hole forwards every lookup it can't answer from its cache to an upstream provider such as your ISP, Google, or Cloudflare. That provider sees every domain your household visits. Pi-hole's docs ask "Whom can you trust?" and answer with Unbound, a recursive resolver that runs on the same device.
With Unbound, your Pi-hole asks the DNS root servers, then the servers for .com or .net, then the site's own name servers. No single server sees your full list of lookups. Per Pi-hole's Unbound guide, the first lookup under a top-level domain it hasn't seen yet can take up to a second, and later lookups are cached. For the current commands and config, follow that guide.
- 1Test that your network can reach a DNS root server directly. Pi-hole's guide warns that some ISPs and home routers intercept port 53, which breaks Unbound in confusing ways.
- 2Install Unbound on the Pi-hole machine and configure it to listen only for Pi-hole.
- 3Test that Unbound answers lookups.
- 4In Pi-hole, set Unbound as the custom upstream DNS server and remove every other upstream server.
Skip the old cloudflared method for DNS-over-HTTPS. Pi-hole's docs now say Cloudflare deprecated the feature it relies on, and Pi-hole advises against new installs. For encrypted upstream DNS on Pi-hole, its docs cover dnscrypt-proxy instead.
Installing Pi-hole or AdGuard Home
- 1Give the machine a fixed address. Pi-hole's docs say it needs a static IP, and a DHCP reservation on your router is fine.
- 2Install Pi-hole or AdGuard Home with the project's installer. For the current commands, follow Pi-hole's install docs or AdGuard Home's getting started guide. Pi-hole's README suggests downloading its installer and reading it before you run it. The installer offers StevenBlack's Unified Hosts List as a starting block list.
- 3Set an admin password.
- 4In your router's DHCP settings, set the DNS server to the blocker's address. If the router won't let you, both projects can run their own DHCP server. Turn off the router's first.
- 5Reconnect a device, load a site with ads, and check the blocker's dashboard for blocked queries.
Do not run both on the same machine. Each needs port 53, and Pi-hole's docs say any other DNS server on the box must be turned off.
Does Pi-hole block YouTube ads?
No, and neither does AdGuard Home. AdGuard's own FAQ lists YouTube and Twitch ads among the things a DNS-level blocker cannot block, because "any ad that shares a domain with content cannot be blocked by a DNS-level blocker." The same goes for sponsored posts inside social media feeds.
A DNS blocker still stops banner ads on websites, tracking and telemetry domains, and ads in apps that load them from separate ad servers.
Best Raspberry Pi for Pi-hole
Pi-hole needs only 512 MB of RAM, so almost any Pi works. The $15 Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W has exactly 512 MB, but it is Wi-Fi only with no Ethernet port. I'd pick a wired Pi instead, because every lookup in your house goes through this box. A 1 GB Raspberry Pi 4 lists at $35 and a 1 GB Raspberry Pi 5 at $45. My Raspberry Pi server guide covers the rest of the lineup.
You don't need a Pi at all: any machine running a supported Linux works, and AdGuard Home also runs on Windows, macOS, and in Docker.
DNS privacy and your bitcoin
Your DNS lookups are a list of every exchange, wallet backend, and block explorer you visit, and by default that list goes to your ISP. Running Unbound keeps the full list off any one company's servers. AdGuard Home's encrypted upstream hides it from your ISP but hands it to the DNS provider you choose.
DNS is only the first leak. When you look up your own transaction on a public block explorer, that site sees which transaction you care about. Running Mempool on a home server against your own Bitcoin node keeps those lookups inside the house. See my node guide and Bitcoin privacy basics.
Frequently asked questions
Is AdGuard Home better than Pi-hole?
It is easier if you want encrypted DNS, since DNS-over-HTTPS and DNS-over-TLS are built in, along with parental controls. Pi-hole is the better fit if you plan to add Unbound so no DNS provider sees all your lookups, and the two block the same kinds of ads.
Does Pi-hole block YouTube ads?
It can't. YouTube serves its ads from the same domains as its videos, so a DNS blocker can't remove one without the other. AdGuard's FAQ says the same about AdGuard Home.
What are the best Pi-hole block lists?
Start with the default the installer offers, StevenBlack's Unified Hosts List. Add more lists only when you see something specific getting through, because every extra list adds domains you may later need to allow again.
Can I run Pi-hole and AdGuard Home at the same time?
Not on the same machine. Both need port 53 for DNS. If you want to compare them, put each on its own device and point one test device at each.
Can I use Pi-hole when I am away from home?
Yes. Tailscale documents a setup where you add the Pi-hole as your tailnet's DNS server. Your phone then blocks ads on any network without exposing the Pi-hole to the internet. Follow that guide for the current steps.