Pi-hole vs AdGuard Home: DNS Ad Blocking

Pi-hole vs AdGuard Home comparison. Two leading DNS-based ad blockers. Setup, features, performance, encryption support, and which to choose for your network.

AdGuard Home is the more modern choice with built-in DoH/DoT encryption and a cleaner UI. Pi-hole has the larger community and more mature ecosystem. Both block ads equally well at the DNS level.

Features Compared

FeaturePi-holeAdGuard Home
DNS-over-HTTPSVia addon✓
DNS-over-TLSVia addon✓
Per-client FilteringVia groups✓
Blocklist Management✓✓
Encrypted DNS UpstreamVia config✓
Web Interface✓✓
API Access✓✓
Raspberry Pi Support✓✓
Parental Controls✗✓
Query Log Retention24h defaultConfigurable

Pi-hole Pros

  • Larger and more established community
  • More third-party blocklists and tools
  • FTL DNS engine is very fast and lightweight
  • Excellent documentation and tutorials
  • Works great on Raspberry Pi

Pi-hole Cons

  • DNS encryption requires separate setup (cloudflared)
  • Web UI feels dated
  • No built-in parental controls
  • Less frequent updates compared to AdGuard

AdGuard Home Pros

  • Built-in DoH and DoT — no extra setup needed
  • Cleaner, more modern web interface
  • Per-client filtering out of the box
  • Native parental control features
  • Handles encrypted DNS queries directly

AdGuard Home Cons

  • Smaller community than Pi-hole
  • Fewer third-party tools and integrations
  • Uses more RAM than Pi-hole
  • Less mature documentation

Winner: AdGuard Home — AdGuard Home wins for most users with built-in encrypted DNS, per-client filtering, and a modern UI. Pi-hole is the safer choice if you value the larger community and extensive documentation.

FAQ

  • Do these block YouTube ads?

    No. DNS-level blockers cannot block ads served from the same domain as content (like YouTube, Twitch). Use a browser extension for those.

  • Can I use both together?

    Not recommended. Pick one — running both creates DNS conflicts and adds unnecessary complexity.

  • Which uses less resources?

    Pi-hole uses less RAM (~30MB vs ~80MB). Both are lightweight enough for a Raspberry Pi.

  • Can I use either with a VPN?

    Yes. Both work with WireGuard, Tailscale, and other VPNs. Configure VPN clients to use the DNS blocker as their DNS server.