Pi-hole vs CIRA DNS Firewall

Pi-hole9.0Visit CIRA DNS Firewall8.8Visit

Higher score Pi-hole #3 in Internet Filtering Software 9.0/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 1 of 3 features Visit Pi-hole

vs

CIRA DNS Firewall #5 in Internet Filtering Software 8.8/10 Pricing on request ✓ 2 of 3 features Visit CIRA

• Pi-hole fits best

  Free self-hosted network ad and content blocking

• CIRA DNS Firewall fits best

  Threat-focused DNS protection

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Side by side

Feature	Pi-hole 9.0/10 Visit ↗	CIRA DNS Firewall 8.8/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.0	8.8
Ranking	#3 in Internet Filtering Software	#5 in Internet Filtering Software
Best for	Free self-hosted network ad and content blocking	Threat-focused DNS protection
Pricing model	Free	Paid
Starting price	Free plan	Pricing on request
Free plan	✓ (best)	—
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Self-hosted, Cloud	Cloud, Desktop, Mobile
Platforms	Web, Linux	Web, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android
Support	Community, Docs	Email, Phone, Docs
Integrations	2 integrations	3 integrations
Built for	Solo, Small business, Mid-market	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Pi-hole 1/3 · CIRA DNS Firewall 2/3
Custom blocklists	✓	✓
Safe search controls	Not checked yet	✓ (best)
Filtering schedules	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Specs
Device limit	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Activity reports	Advanced	Advanced
Platform support	Alpine, Armbian OS, Debian, CentOS Stream, Fedora, Raspberry Pi OS, Ubuntu; Docker and network DNS environments	Android, iOS, Windows, macOS, ChromeOS and network DNS environments
Our review
Pros	Blocks ads and unwanted domains across an entire network Supports custom lists, regex rules, groups and privacy controls Includes DNS logs, long-term statistics, DHCP and an API	Blocks malware, phishing, ransomware and botnet domains at the DNS layer Combines category rules, URL controls, SafeSearch and custom block pages Supports remote-device protection, reporting and SIEM integrations
Cons	Requires self-hosted administration on supported Linux or Docker Does not provide broader SafeSearch enforcement Lacks time-based filtering schedules	Uses a contact-sales pricing model Does not offer a free plan Off-network coverage requires clients for supported remote devices
Our verdict	Pi-hole is free, open-source DNS filtering software for administrators who want to block unwanted domains across a network. It runs on supported Linux distributions, Raspberry Pi OS and Docker, with a web interface, command-line… Read the review →	CIRA DNS Firewall is a cloud-based DNS security and internet filtering service for businesses, schools, universities, municipalities and other organizations. It blocks malicious domains, phishing, malware and botnet activity before users… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• Pi-hole — where it wins

  • Blocks ads and unwanted domains across an entire network
  • Supports custom lists, regex rules, groups and privacy controls
  • Includes DNS logs, long-term statistics, DHCP and an API

  Where it doesn't

  • Requires self-hosted administration on supported Linux or Docker
  • Does not provide broader SafeSearch enforcement
  • Lacks time-based filtering schedules

• CIRA DNS Firewall — where it wins

  • Blocks malware, phishing, ransomware and botnet domains at the DNS layer
  • Combines category rules, URL controls, SafeSearch and custom block pages
  • Supports remote-device protection, reporting and SIEM integrations

  Where it doesn't

  • Uses a contact-sales pricing model
  • Does not offer a free plan
  • Off-network coverage requires clients for supported remote devices

• Pi-hole9.0/10 · Free plan

  Free, open-source network blocking for self-hosted administrators.

  Visit Pi-holeFull verdict →
• CIRA DNS Firewall8.8/10 · Pricing on request

  Centralized DNS protection with content controls, reporting and off-network coverage.

  Visit CIRAFull verdict →