AdGuard Home
User-friendly ads & trackers blocking DNS server.
AdGuard Home vs Pi-hole
Two self-hosted DNS apps, compared on the facts we track: GitHub popularity and activity, license, language, Docker images and a rough hosting estimate.
Side by side
| AdGuard Home | Pi-hole | |
|---|---|---|
| Description | User-friendly ads & trackers blocking DNS server. | Blackhole for Internet advertisements with a GUI for management and monitoring. |
| GitHub stars | 38,476 | 61,968 |
| Forks | 2.6k | 3.4k |
| Open issues (incl. PRs) | 1.3k | 33 |
| Commits (12 months) | 244 | 264 |
| Last activity | 2026-11-09 | 2026-11-06 |
| Latest release | v1.0.0-b.2 (2026-11-05) | v6.5 (2026-10-17) |
| Maintenance health | Active | Active |
| License | GPL-3.0 | EUPL-1.2 |
| Language / platform | Docker | Shell, PHP, Docker |
| Docker Hub image | – | – |
| Docker pulls | – | – |
| Est. server size | ~1 GB, 1 vCPU | ~1 GB, 1 vCPU |
| Est. hosting from | $5/mo | $5/mo |
| Categories | DNS | DNS |
| Links | Website · Source | Website · Source |
What the numbers say
- Pi-hole is more popular on GitHub: 62k stars vs 38.5k for AdGuard Home.
- AdGuard Home published a release more recently (v1.0.0-b.2 on 2026-11-05; Pi-hole's latest is v6.5 on 2026-10-17).
- AdGuard Home is licensed under GPL-3.0, Pi-hole under EUPL-1.2.
- Pi-hole is written in Shell, PHP; the language of AdGuard Home is not listed upstream.
- Deployment options listed upstream: AdGuard Home: Docker; Pi-hole: Docker.
Summary: Pi-hole leads on GitHub popularity. The right choice depends on the features you need — read both project descriptions and docs.
This summary is generated from GitHub, Docker Hub and awesome-selfhosted data as of 2026-11-15. It does not rate features or quality.
Frequently asked questions
Is AdGuard Home or Pi-hole more popular?
Pi-hole has more GitHub stars (61,968 vs 38,476 for AdGuard Home, as of 2026-11-15). Stars measure interest, not quality.
Which is more actively maintained, AdGuard Home or Pi-hole?
Commits in the last 12 months: AdGuard Home 244, Pi-hole 264. The last recorded activity was 2026-11-09 for AdGuard Home and 2026-11-06 for Pi-hole. Our health labels: AdGuard Home is “Active”, Pi-hole is “Active”.
What licenses do AdGuard Home and Pi-hole use?
AdGuard Home: GPL-3.0. Pi-hole: EUPL-1.2.
Can I run AdGuard Home and Pi-hole with Docker?
We did not detect a Docker Hub image for either app. The upstream listing mentions Docker as a deployment option for AdGuard Home and Pi-hole. Check each project's documentation for install options.
Read more
Pi-hole
Blackhole for Internet advertisements with a GUI for management and monitoring.
Browse all self-hosted DNS apps.