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Head-to-head · Internet Filtering Software

Pi-hole vs Fortra Secure Web Gateway

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 3 checks side by side
Higher score Pi-hole #3 in Internet Filtering Software 9.0/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 1 of 3 features Visit Pi-hole
Fortra Secure Web Gateway #7 in Internet Filtering Software 8.6/10 Pricing on request ✓ 1 of 3 features Visit Fortra

Pi-hole leads on 0 checks, Fortra Secure Web Gateway on 0, and 3 are even. Who comes out ahead on the 3 yes/no, price and count checks where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.

Our verdict

  • Highest scorePi-hole · 9.0/10
  • Free planonly Pi-hole

Pi-hole scores higher on our rubric for internet filtering software: 9.0 against 8.6 out of 10; our editors rank them #3 and #7.

Pi-hole is the better fit for free self-hosted network ad and content blocking. Fortra Secure Web Gateway is the better fit for secure web gateway and content inspection.

  • Pi-hole fits best

    Free self-hosted network ad and content blocking

  • Fortra Secure Web Gateway fits best

    Secure web gateway and content inspection

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Side by side

Feature Pi-hole 9.0/10 Visit ↗ Fortra Secure Web Gateway 8.6/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 9.0 8.6
Ranking #3 in Internet Filtering Software #7 in Internet Filtering Software
Best for Free self-hosted network ad and content blocking Secure web gateway and content inspection
Pricing model Free Paid
Starting price Free plan Pricing on request
Free plan ✓ (best) Not checked yet
Free trial — —
Deployment Self-hosted, Cloud Cloud, Self-hosted
Support Community, Docs Email, Live chat, Phone, Tickets
Integrations 2 integrations 5 integrations
Built for Solo, Small business, Mid-market Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Pi-hole 1/3 · Fortra Secure Web Gateway 1/3
Custom blocklists ✓ (best) Not checked yet
Safe search controls Not checked yet Not checked yet
Filtering schedules Not checked yet ✓ (best)
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 Network proxy, hardware appliance, software image, AWS, Azure, VMware
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
  • Real-time URL categorization plus malware and anti-spyware scanning
  • Granular policies by organization, department, group, or individual
  • DLP, deep inspection, redaction, HTTPS inspection, and auditing
Cons
  • Requires self-hosted administration on supported Linux or Docker
  • Does not provide broader SafeSearch enforcement
  • Lacks time-based filtering schedules
  • Pricing is handled through a contact-sales process
  • Deployment centers on proxy, appliance, cloud, or virtualized environments
  • Its enterprise gateway scope may exceed smaller filtering requirements
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 →

Fortra Secure Web Gateway is an enterprise web-security gateway for controlling internet access and protecting organizational data. It is designed for administrators who need centralized filtering across web traffic, web applications, and…

Read the review →
  1. Pi-holeInternet Filtering Software 9.0Free plan
  2. Fortra Secure Web GatewayInternet Filtering Software 8.6Pricing on request

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

  • Fortra Secure Web Gateway — where it wins

    • Real-time URL categorization plus malware and anti-spyware scanning
    • Granular policies by organization, department, group, or individual
    • DLP, deep inspection, redaction, HTTPS inspection, and auditing

    Where it doesn't

    • Pricing is handled through a contact-sales process
    • Deployment centers on proxy, appliance, cloud, or virtualized environments
    • Its enterprise gateway scope may exceed smaller filtering requirements
  • Pi-hole9.0/10 · Free plan

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

    Visit Pi-holeFull verdict →
  • Fortra Secure Web Gateway8.6/10 · Pricing on request

    An enterprise gateway for deep web filtering, inspection, policy control, and data protection.

    Visit FortraFull verdict →

More comparisons

All internet filtering software comparisons → · Full ranking →

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Last updated · How we research and update