Self-hosted alternatives to Pi-hole
Want network-wide ad blocking DNS (Pi-hole is already self-hosted; these are alternatives) without handing your data to Pi-hole? These 5 self-hosted apps run on your own server. Cheapest estimated hosting starts at about $3.5/month.
About Pi-hole: Open-source network-wide ad blocker (already self-hosted).
| App | Health | Stars | License | Docker | RAM (est.) | From |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| blocky direct | Active | 7.1k | Apache-2.0 | ✓ | 512 MB | $3.5/mo |
| Numa direct | Active | 2k | MIT | ✓ | 512 MB | $3.5/mo |
| Maza ad blocking direct | Maintained | 1.9k | Apache-2.0 | – | 512 MB | $3.5/mo |
| AdGuard Home | Active | 38.5k | GPL-3.0 | ✓ | 1 GB | $5/mo |
| Technitium DNS Server | Active | 10.3k | GPL-3.0 | ✓ | 1 GB | $5/mo |
The options in detail
1. blocky
Fast and lightweight DNS proxy as ad-blocker for local network with many features (alternative to Pi-hole).
Active Last commit 2026-11-09. 10+ releases in the past year. Latest release v0.36.0 (2026-11-09). Needs roughly 512 MB RAM. How to run it →
2. Numa
Ad-blocking DNS resolver with DNSSEC-validating recursive resolution, DoH/DoT/Oblivious DoH, ephemeral overrides, and local service domains, in a single Rust binary (alternative to Pi-hole, AdGuard Home, NextDNS).
Active Last commit 2026-11-09. Latest release v0.25.0 (2026-10-23). Needs roughly 512 MB RAM. How to run it →
3. Maza ad blocking
Local ad blocker. Like Pi-hole but local and using your operating system.
Maintained Last commit 2026-08-14. Needs roughly 512 MB RAM. How to run it →
4. AdGuard Home
User-friendly ads & trackers blocking DNS server.
Active Last commit 2026-11-09. 10+ releases in the past year. Latest release v1.0.0-b.2 (2026-11-05). Needs roughly 1 GB RAM. How to run it →
5. Technitium DNS Server
Authoritative/recursive DNS server with ad blocking functionality.
Active Last commit 2026-11-04. Latest release v15.6.2 (2026-10-17). Needs roughly 1 GB RAM. How to run it →
Why self-host instead of Pi-hole?
- Own your data — it lives on a server you control, with backups you decide on.
- Predictable cost — a small VPS often replaces per-seat pricing for a whole team or family.
- No lock-in — open-source licenses let you keep running the software even if a vendor disappears.
The trade-off: you are responsible for updates, backups and security. Pick an app marked Active (a commit in the last 90 days) and with Docker support for the easiest ride.
Browse related categories
Other alternatives guides
Pi-hole is a trademark of its owner; this site is not affiliated with it. Listings come from the community-maintained awesome-selfhosted list.