Pi-hole vs Blokada

Pi-hole8.7Visit Blokada8.4Visit

Higher score Pi-hole #5 in Ad Blocking Software 8.7/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 0 of 4 features Visit Pi-hole

vs

Blokada #8 in Ad Blocking Software 8.4/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 0 of 4 features Visit Blokada

• Pi-hole fits best

  Network-wide self-hosted blocking

• Blokada fits best

  Free multi-platform DNS-based blocking

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Side by side

Feature	Pi-hole 8.7/10 Visit ↗	Blokada 8.4/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	8.7	8.4
Ranking	#5 in Ad Blocking Software	#8 in Ad Blocking Software
Best for	Network-wide self-hosted blocking	Free multi-platform DNS-based blocking
Pricing model	Free	Free plan + paid
Starting price	Free plan	Free plan
Free plan	✓	✓
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Self-hosted, Cloud	Cloud, Mobile
Platforms	Web, Linux	Web, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android
Support	Community, Docs	Live chat, Community, Docs
Built for	Solo, Small business, Mid-market	Solo, Small business, Mid-market
Features Pi-hole 0/4 · Blokada 0/4
App blocking	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Tracker blocking	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Custom filters	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Element picker	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Specs
Platform coverage	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Device limit	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Filter-list control	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Our review
Pros	Blocks ads and content across a network through DNS filtering Supports regex rules, subscribed lists, allowlists and denylists Adds query logs, long-term statistics, DHCP and group policies	Free, open-source on-device blocking with Blokada 5 Supports desktop, mobile, Linux, web and major browsers Custom blocklists, exceptions, allowlists and activity statistics
Cons	Requires self-hosting on supported Linux systems or Docker Administration requires DNS configuration and technical setup Paid SaaS plans and device limits are not part of its model	No cookie-popup controls Free on-device blocking with Blokada 5 is for Android The WireGuard VPN is an optional service
Our verdict	Pi-hole is free, open-source DNS filtering software for administrators who want to block unwanted domains across an entire network. It runs on supported Linux distributions, hardware such as Raspberry Pi devices, or Docker, with… Read the review →	Blokada is a suite of privacy applications focused on blocking ads and trackers through DNS filtering. It is suited to people who want a free, open-source option with coverage across Android, iOS, Windows, macOS, Linux and modern browsers.… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• Pi-hole — where it wins

  • Blocks ads and content across a network through DNS filtering
  • Supports regex rules, subscribed lists, allowlists and denylists
  • Adds query logs, long-term statistics, DHCP and group policies

  Where it doesn't

  • Requires self-hosting on supported Linux systems or Docker
  • Administration requires DNS configuration and technical setup
  • Paid SaaS plans and device limits are not part of its model

• Blokada — where it wins

  • Free, open-source on-device blocking with Blokada 5
  • Supports desktop, mobile, Linux, web and major browsers
  • Custom blocklists, exceptions, allowlists and activity statistics

  Where it doesn't

  • No cookie-popup controls
  • Free on-device blocking with Blokada 5 is for Android
  • The WireGuard VPN is an optional service

• Pi-hole8.7/10 · Free plan

  A free, open-source DNS filter for controlling unwanted domains across a network.

  Visit Pi-holeFull verdict →
• Blokada8.4/10 · Free plan

  A flexible, open-source DNS blocker with broad platform coverage and a focused feature set.

  Visit BlokadaFull verdict →