AdGuard Home is a network-level DNS filter: it blocks ads, trackers, and malicious domains for every device that uses it, without software installed on those devices.

How it compares to Pi-hole

The two solve the same problem and the practical differences are real. AdGuard Home ships as a single Go binary with encrypted DNS built in: it can serve DNS-over-HTTPS, DNS-over-TLS, and DNS-over-QUIC to clients, and use them upstream, without additional components. Pi-hole needs extra pieces for the equivalent. AdGuard Home’s interface is more modern and its per-client rules more granular; Pi-hole has a longer history and a larger community of guides.

Either is a good choice. If encrypted DNS matters to you, AdGuard Home gets there with less assembly.

Features beyond blocking

Per-client configuration lets one device bypass filtering entirely while another gets stricter rules, which is how parental controls are implemented. Safe search enforcement, scheduled blocking, custom DNS rewrites for naming internal machines, and a query log with per-client breakdown are all included.

Deployment considerations

Run it on hardware that is always on, since DNS failure looks like total internet failure to everyone in the house. Two instances configured as primary and secondary DNS in DHCP removes the single point of failure and makes reboots uneventful.

Note that some devices and browsers use hardcoded DNS or DNS-over-HTTPS to bypass local resolvers; blocking outbound port 53 and known DoH endpoints at the firewall is what makes filtering actually comprehensive.

Mobile management

AdGuard Home Remote on iOS and Droidhole on Android handle the common tasks, particularly pausing filtering when a site breaks.

License

AdGuard Home is released under the GNU General Public License v3.0.

Links

• Repository