AdGuard Home and Pi-hole are the two main self-hosted DNS-level ad blockers. They do similar things via different implementations. For users choosing between them, the right answer depends on specific preferences.
Quick verdict
For users who want the more polished modern interface and built-in DoH/DoT support: AdGuard Home.
For users who want the most-established platform with the largest community: Pi-hole.
For users uncertain: try AdGuard Home first; switch to Pi-hole if it does not meet your needs. Both products are free; the cost of trying both is your time.
What each is
Pi-hole is a community-developed open-source DNS server with built-in ad blocking. Started in 2014. Architected as a collection of components (FTL daemon for DNS, lighttpd web server for the dashboard, dnsmasq for some functionality). Mature, well-documented, large community.
AdGuard Home is an open-source DNS server with ad blocking from AdGuard, the company that makes the commercial AdGuard browser extensions and apps. Released open source in 2018. Single Go binary; simpler architecture.
Both are free. Both are actively maintained. Both run on similar hardware (Raspberry Pi, NAS, small VPS, any small Linux server).
What AdGuard Home does well
DoH and DoT support is built in for both upstream and downstream. Pi-hole supports these only with additional configuration via Cloudflared as a sidecar.
The single-binary deployment is simpler. One Go binary versus Pi-hole’s multiple components.
The dashboard is more visually current. Cleaner aesthetic, faster page loads, more thoughtful information density.
The configuration via API is more straightforward. Pi-hole’s API has improved but AdGuard Home’s is more cohesive.
The blocklist categorizations are well-curated and update frequently.
The documentation is good and English-first.
What Pi-hole does well
The community is meaningfully larger. Reddit, GitHub, forums all have more activity. When you hit a problem, someone has documented the answer.
The plugin and integration ecosystem is broader. Third-party tools, dashboards, monitoring integrations all exist for Pi-hole.
The maturity matters. Pi-hole has been around since 2014 and has handled essentially every edge case the community has surfaced. Edge case fixes propagate quickly.
The pre-built integrations into popular platforms are more mature. Synology packages, Home Assistant integrations, various NAS-specific deployments are all more polished for Pi-hole.
The Pi-hole-on-Raspberry-Pi setup is documented in extreme depth. Setting up your first Pi-hole is one of the most-documented self-hosting tasks on the internet.
Side by side
| Feature | AdGuard Home | Pi-hole |
|---|---|---|
| Architecture | Single Go binary | Multiple components (FTL + lighttpd + dnsmasq) |
| DoH/DoT support | Built in | Requires Cloudflared sidecar |
| Dashboard polish | More modern | Functional but dated |
| Community size | Smaller, growing | Largest in this category |
| Documentation | Good, English-first | Extensive, multiple languages |
| Blocklist defaults | AdGuard’s curation | Community-driven (StevenBlack list common default) |
| Memory usage | 100-200 MB | 100-300 MB |
| Setup complexity | Simpler | Mature, more options |
| Plugin ecosystem | Smaller | Larger |
| API quality | More cohesive | Functional |
For most users, both products do the same job. The choice is preference rather than substantive difference.
Use cases where AdGuard Home wins
You want a single-binary deployment with simpler architecture.
You want built-in DoH/DoT support without the Cloudflared sidecar dance.
You value the more polished dashboard.
You are starting fresh and have no existing Pi-hole investment.
Use cases where Pi-hole wins
You want the largest community for troubleshooting and resources.
You depend on specific Pi-hole-only integrations or plugins.
You have existing Pi-hole configurations or expertise.
You are using a deployment that has Pi-hole-specific support (specific NAS packages, etc.).
Migration between them
Migration from one to the other is possible but not seamless. Each maintains its own database format, blocklist subscriptions, and configuration.
Practical migration approach:
- Export your custom blocklists and allowlists from the source product.
- Install the destination product fresh.
- Subscribe to similar default blocklists on the new product.
- Re-import your custom rules manually.
- Run both in parallel for a few days to compare behavior.
- Switch your network DNS to point at the new product.
- Decommission the old product after a few weeks of confidence.
Total migration time: 2-4 hours of active work, plus a few days of parallel operation.
A specific recommendation
For users new to network-level DNS blocking: AdGuard Home is the slightly easier starting point. Single-binary deployment, built-in DoH/DoT, polished dashboard.
For users who have run Pi-hole for years and find it adequate: do not migrate just for the sake of it. Pi-hole continues to work fine.
For users specifically wanting the largest community and broadest ecosystem: Pi-hole.
For users uncertain: try AdGuard Home first (it is faster to set up). If it does not meet your needs, try Pi-hole.
Related: Setting up Pi-hole on a Raspberry Pi 5, Self-hosting Adguard Home