Pi-hole runs on essentially any Linux box. The Raspberry Pi family is the most popular host because of low cost, low power consumption, and small form factor. But “buy a Raspberry Pi” is not specific enough advice; the various Pi models have meaningful differences for the Pi-hole use case. This guide covers which Pi for what scenario.
The candidates
Several Raspberry Pi models are reasonable for Pi-hole:
Raspberry Pi 5 (8 GB or 4 GB RAM): the current flagship. Significant performance improvement over Pi 4. About $80-90 for the board.
Raspberry Pi 4 Model B (any RAM): mature, well-tested, still in production. About $45-75 depending on RAM.
Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W: very small, very cheap, runs Pi-hole adequately for small households. About $15.
Raspberry Pi 400: keyboard form factor, more like a small desktop. About $80.
Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4 with carrier board: for users wanting industrial form factor. About $50-100 for the module plus carrier.
What Pi-hole actually needs
Pi-hole’s resource requirements are genuinely modest:
- 50-100 MB of RAM for Pi-hole itself
- 1-3 percent CPU on a Raspberry Pi 4 for typical household DNS load
- 4-8 GB of disk space for OS plus Pi-hole plus query log database
- Network port that can handle your peak DNS query rate (almost any modern Pi can)
For a typical household with 20 active devices generating 5,000-15,000 DNS queries per hour, any Raspberry Pi from Zero 2 W upward is sufficient.
The decision criteria are not raw Pi-hole performance; they are the secondary factors.
When Pi 5 is the right choice
You want the latest hardware that will be supported for many years.
You plan to run additional services beyond Pi-hole on the same device (Tailscale exit node, AdGuard Home parallel install, small file server, Home Assistant, etc.).
You want the fastest hardware-accelerated TLS for DoH or DoT upstream queries.
You want USB 3.0 throughput for an external SSD as your primary storage.
You have a reliable power supply (Pi 5 wants 5V/5A, more than older Pis).
About $90-130 total cost (board, microSD/SSD, case, power supply).
When Pi 4 is the right choice
You want a mature, well-tested platform with extensive documentation.
You have power supply constraints (Pi 4 runs on standard 5V/3A USB-C, more compatible with random USB chargers).
You want the lowest cost per Pi running multiple services.
You are buying multiple Pis for redundant Pi-hole setups across your network.
About $60-100 total cost.
When Pi Zero 2 W is the right choice
You only need Pi-hole for a small household (under 10 devices).
You want the absolute smallest form factor (the Zero 2 W is the size of a domino).
You want the lowest power consumption (under 2W idle).
You want the cheapest option ($15 plus accessories).
The Zero 2 W is the budget choice. Performance is sufficient for Pi-hole’s needs but limited; you should not run other significant services alongside.
About $25-40 total cost.
When Pi 400 is the right choice
You want a tinker-friendly device that is also a working keyboard.
You will use the device for occasional desktop tasks beyond Pi-hole.
You like the keyboard form factor.
About $80-100 total cost.
This is unusual. Most Pi-hole users do not need the keyboard form factor; the standard Pi or Zero is more practical.
Storage considerations
The default approach is microSD card. SanDisk Extreme or Samsung Pro Endurance are reliable choices, around $15 for 32-64 GB. Adequate for Pi-hole.
The upgrade path is USB 3.0 SSD (on Pi 4 or Pi 5). External 240 GB SSD plus enclosure is around $40-60. Significantly faster than microSD, more reliable for long-term operation, prevents the SD-card-failure mode that occasionally takes down Pi-hole installs.
For Pi 5 specifically: NVMe HAT plus M.2 NVMe drive. Around $30 for HAT plus $30-60 for drive. Best storage performance for the Pi platform.
For users running Pi-hole long-term: invest in SSD storage. SD card failure is the most common Pi-hole downtime cause.
Power supply
Use the official Raspberry Pi power supply matched to your model. The “any USB charger will work” approach causes mysterious bugs.
For Pi 5: official 27W USB-C PSU (5V/5A).
For Pi 4: official 15W USB-C PSU (5V/3A).
For Pi Zero 2 W: any 5V/2.5A micro-USB charger.
A small UPS (APC Back-UPS 600VA at $80) prevents brief power outages from interrupting the Pi-hole. For households where DNS uptime matters, this is worth the cost.
Case
Any case that fits your model works. The aluminum-heatsink cases for Pi 4 and Pi 5 (Argon NEO, Flirc cases) provide passive cooling and look nice. About $20-30.
The Pi 5 runs hotter than Pi 4 and benefits from passive cooling more. The Pi Zero 2 W runs cool enough that any case works.
Total cost matrix
| Configuration | Pi cost | Storage | Case | PSU | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pi 5 + SSD + UPS | $90 | $50 SSD | $25 | $12 | About $180 + $80 UPS |
| Pi 4 + microSD | $60 | $15 SD | $15 | $10 | About $100 |
| Pi 4 + SSD | $60 | $50 SSD | $15 | $10 | About $135 |
| Pi Zero 2 W minimal | $15 | $15 SD | $10 | $8 | About $50 |
For most households: Pi 4 with USB SSD is the right balance. Reliable, cheap enough, well-documented.
For households where Pi-hole is critical infrastructure: Pi 5 with SSD plus UPS.
For minimum-budget tinkering: Pi Zero 2 W with microSD.
A specific recommendation
For most readers wanting Pi-hole on dedicated hardware: Raspberry Pi 4 (4 GB) with USB SSD storage. Reliable, well-supported, around $135 total. The Pi 4 platform has years of documentation, large community, and predictable behavior.
For users who want the latest hardware and may add services: Raspberry Pi 5 (8 GB) with NVMe SSD HAT. About $180 total.
For users who only need basic Pi-hole and want cheap: Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W with microSD. About $50 total.
For users with existing NAS or home server: do not buy a Pi. Run Pi-hole as a Docker container on existing hardware.
Related: Setting up Pi-hole on a Raspberry Pi 5, 13 things I wish someone had told me before self-hosting