Comparisons
Pi-hole vs AdGuard Home: Best DNS Filter for IoT
An in-depth comparison of Pi-hole and AdGuard Home as DNS-level filters for IoT networks, covering setup, encrypted DNS, blocklists, and smart home privacy.
Quick answer: Pi-hole or AdGuard Home for IoT DNS filtering?
AdGuard Home is the better choice for most smart home deployments in 2026. It ships as a single binary with built-in DNS-over-HTTPS, DNS-over-TLS, and DNS-over-QUIC support, a faster modern UI, and native per-client filtering — all without external dependencies. Pi-hole remains excellent if you want the largest blocklist community and are comfortable with its dnsmasq-based architecture.
Executive Summary
DNS filtering is the first line of defense for smart home privacy. Every time an IoT device resolves a domain — whether to phone home to a telemetry server, check for firmware updates, or establish a cloud connection — that query passes through your DNS resolver. Intercepting and filtering these queries at the network level blocks tracking, telemetry, and ad-serving domains before a TCP connection is ever established.
Pi-hole and AdGuard Home are the two dominant self-hosted DNS filtering platforms. Pi-hole launched in 2014 and built a massive community around its dnsmasq/FTLDNS engine and curated blocklist ecosystem. AdGuard Home arrived in 2018 with a ground-up Go implementation, built-in encrypted DNS support, and a single-binary deployment model that eliminates dependency management1.
Both platforms can be paired with Unbound for fully recursive DNS resolution — eliminating reliance on any third-party resolver like Google (8.8.8.8) or Cloudflare (1.1.1.1). This combination provides maximum privacy: your DNS queries never leave your network except as direct root-server lookups2.
Bottom line: AdGuard Home offers a more complete out-of-the-box experience with encrypted DNS and per-client controls. Pi-hole offers the deepest blocklist ecosystem and community knowledge base. Either platform dramatically improves IoT privacy over the default DNS configuration of any consumer router.
Core Feature Comparison
The architectural differences between Pi-hole and AdGuard Home trace back to their origins. Pi-hole was built as a Linux-native solution using dnsmasq (later FTLDNS, a Pi-hole fork of dnsmasq) for DNS resolution, lighttpd for the web UI, and a SQLite database for query logging. AdGuard Home was designed from the start as a portable Go binary with an embedded web server, embedded DNS resolver, and YAML-based configuration3.
For IoT network operators, the features that matter most are: DNS query filtering, encrypted DNS support, per-client policies, DHCP capabilities, resource efficiency, and integration with upstream firewalls like OPNsense or pfSense.
| Feature | Pi-hole v6.x (2026) | AdGuard Home v0.108+ (2026) |
|---|---|---|
| DNS engine | FTLDNS (dnsmasq fork) | Built-in Go resolver |
| Deployment | Linux packages, Docker | Single binary, Docker, Snap |
| Web UI framework | PHP + lighttpd | Embedded Go web server |
| DNS-over-HTTPS (DoH) | Via Cloudflared/Unbound sidecar | Built-in (server + client) |
| DNS-over-TLS (DoT) | Via Stubby/Unbound sidecar | Built-in (server + client) |
| DNS-over-QUIC (DoQ) | Not supported natively | Built-in |
| Per-client filtering | Limited (group management) | Native per-client rules |
| Blocklist format | Hosts files, ABP-style | Hosts files, ABP-style, regex |
| DHCP server | Yes (dnsmasq) | Yes (built-in) |
| Regex filtering | Yes | Yes (plus advanced rewrite rules) |
| API | Comprehensive REST API | Comprehensive REST API |
| RAM usage (idle) | ~60–100 MB | ~30–50 MB |
| Community blocklists | Largest ecosystem | Growing, compatible with Pi-hole lists |
| Configuration format | Various config files | Single YAML file |
Pi-hole v6 (released late 2025) brought significant improvements including a refreshed web interface, improved group management, and better API coverage. However, the fundamental architecture remains dnsmasq-based, which means encrypted DNS support still requires external sidecars4.
Encrypted DNS: Why It Matters for IoT Privacy
Standard DNS queries travel in plaintext over port 53. Any device on your network — or any upstream ISP — can observe, log, and even modify these queries. For smart home privacy, this is a critical vulnerability: your ISP can see every domain your cameras, hubs, and sensors resolve, building a detailed profile of your device behavior.
Encrypted DNS protocols solve this by wrapping DNS queries in encryption:
| Protocol | Port | Transport | Privacy level | Smart home relevance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard DNS | 53 | UDP/TCP plaintext | None | Default on all IoT devices |
| DNS-over-TLS (DoT) | 853 | TLS | High | Identifiable as DNS traffic |
| DNS-over-HTTPS (DoH) | 443 | HTTPS | Very high | Hidden in normal web traffic |
| DNS-over-QUIC (DoQ) | 853/8853 | QUIC | Very high | Low latency, Android 11+ support |
AdGuard Home supports all three encrypted protocols natively — as both a server (accepting encrypted queries from clients) and as a client (sending encrypted queries to upstream resolvers). This means you can run AdGuard Home as your network’s encrypted DNS server and have it forward queries to Unbound or a trusted upstream via DoH/DoT5.
Pi-hole requires external software to achieve the same result. The common setup is Pi-hole → Cloudflared (DoH proxy) → upstream resolver, or Pi-hole → Unbound (with DoT to root servers). This works reliably but adds deployment complexity and another process to maintain.
The encrypted DNS challenge for IoT devices is that many of them — particularly Google Home, Chromecast, and Amazon Echo — hardcode their own DNS servers (typically 8.8.8.8 or 8.8.4.4) and ignore DHCP-assigned DNS settings entirely. To force these devices through your Pi-hole or AdGuard Home instance, you need firewall rules that intercept and redirect DNS traffic6:
- Port 53 redirect: NAT all outbound port 53 traffic from the IoT VLAN to your DNS filter’s IP
- DoH blocking: Block outbound port 443 to known DoH server IPs (dns.google, cloudflare-dns.com) from the IoT VLAN
- DoQ blocking: Block outbound port 853 and 8853 from the IoT VLAN
Both OPNsense and pfSense support these NAT redirect rules. See our internet-blocking guide for firewall rule templates.
Pairing with Unbound for Maximum Privacy
The highest-privacy DNS configuration pairs either Pi-hole or AdGuard Home with Unbound running as a recursive resolver. In this setup, DNS queries are resolved by directly querying the authoritative root servers and TLD nameservers — no third-party recursive resolver (Google, Cloudflare, Quad9) ever sees your queries7.
The architecture works like this:
- IoT device sends DNS query to Pi-hole/AdGuard Home (via DHCP-assigned DNS)
- Pi-hole/AdGuard Home checks the query against blocklists
- If not blocked, the query is forwarded to Unbound on localhost
- Unbound performs iterative resolution starting from root servers
- The resolved IP is cached and returned to the device
| Configuration | Third-party resolver sees queries? | ISP sees queries? | Latency (first query) | Latency (cached) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Default (ISP DNS) | ISP resolver: yes | Yes (plaintext) | 10–30 ms | 1–5 ms |
| Pi-hole/AGH → Cloudflare DoH | Cloudflare: yes | No (encrypted) | 15–40 ms | 1–5 ms |
| Pi-hole/AGH → Unbound recursive | No | Partial (root queries visible) | 50–200 ms | 1–5 ms |
| Pi-hole/AGH → Unbound → DoT to root | No | No | 80–250 ms | 1–5 ms |
The tradeoff is first-query latency. Recursive resolution is slower than forwarding to a nearby anycast resolver like Cloudflare. However, with Unbound’s aggressive caching and prefetching enabled, the practical impact is minimal for smart home devices that repeatedly query the same domains.
Both Pi-hole and AdGuard Home integrate seamlessly with Unbound. For Pi-hole, set Unbound as the sole upstream DNS server in Settings → DNS. For AdGuard Home, configure 127.0.0.1:5335 (or whatever port Unbound listens on) as the upstream DNS server in Settings → DNS Settings8.
Setup and Deployment Options
Both platforms run on a wide range of hardware, from a Raspberry Pi Zero to a dedicated server. The deployment method you choose depends on your existing infrastructure and preference for container management.
Raspberry Pi deployment
Pi-hole was originally designed for the Raspberry Pi and remains the reference deployment target. Installation is a single command: curl -sSL https://install.pi-hole.net | bash. AdGuard Home is equally simple on a Pi: download the ARM binary, run the setup wizard, and it is listening within minutes.
Docker deployment
Both platforms publish official Docker images. Docker is the recommended deployment method if you already run containers for Home Assistant, NVR software, or other smart home services. It provides isolation, easy updates, and reproducible configuration.
| Deployment aspect | Pi-hole (Docker) | AdGuard Home (Docker) |
|---|---|---|
| Image | pihole/pihole:latest | adguard/adguardhome:latest |
| Config persistence | /etc/pihole/, /etc/dnsmasq.d/ | /opt/adguardhome/conf/, /opt/adguardhome/work/ |
| Required ports | 53 (DNS), 80 (UI), 67 (DHCP optional) | 53 (DNS), 3000→80 (UI), 853 (DoT), 443 (DoH) |
| Memory footprint | ~100–150 MB container | ~50–80 MB container |
| Update method | docker pull + recreate | docker pull + recreate |
Firewall integration
Both OPNsense and pfSense can run DNS filtering directly as plugins, eliminating the need for a separate device. OPNsense offers os-adguardhome-maxit as a community plugin, and Unbound is built into both platforms as the default DNS resolver. However, running DNS filtering on the firewall itself increases CPU load during high-query periods. For households with 30+ IoT devices generating thousands of queries per hour, a dedicated Raspberry Pi or Docker container is the cleaner separation of concerns9.
Blocklist Ecosystem and Filtering Capabilities
Blocklists are the core of DNS filtering effectiveness. Both platforms use the same foundational format — hosts files and AdBlock Plus (ABP) syntax — making most blocklists cross-compatible.
Pi-hole’s community has built the largest blocklist ecosystem in the self-hosted DNS space. The default installation includes Steven Black’s unified hosts list (~170,000 domains), and the community maintains curated lists for specific categories: IoT telemetry, smart TV tracking, social media trackers, and malware domains. The Pi-hole subreddit (r/pihole) and Discourse forum are active sources for list recommendations and false-positive troubleshooting10.
AdGuard Home supports the same blocklist formats plus its own AdGuard-syntax filters, which allow more granular rules including URL-path filtering and CSS element hiding (relevant for DNS-level browser ad blocking, less so for IoT). AdGuard also maintains its own curated filter lists that are optimized for its engine.
| Blocklist source | Domains blocked | IoT relevance | Compatible with |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steven Black’s unified hosts | ~170,000 | High (includes telemetry) | Both |
| OISD (big) | ~350,000 | High | Both |
| Hagezi Multi Pro | ~300,000 | Very high (IoT-focused categories) | Both |
| AdGuard DNS filter | ~50,000 | Medium | AdGuard Home (native), Pi-hole (hosts format) |
| Firebog curated lists | Varies per list | High (IoT-specific lists available) | Both |
| Developer Dan’s IoT list | ~10,000 | Very high (IoT-specific) | Both |
For IoT-specific blocking, the most effective approach is layering a general-purpose list (OISD or Hagezi Multi Pro) with a targeted IoT telemetry list. This catches both common ad/tracking domains and the device-specific telemetry endpoints that smart home gadgets use for data exfiltration11.
One area where AdGuard Home has a clear advantage is per-client filtering. You can assign different blocklist profiles to different devices or device groups. For example, you might apply aggressive blocking to IoT cameras and sensors while using a lighter list for a smart TV that needs access to streaming CDN domains. Pi-hole’s group management achieves a similar result but requires more manual configuration through the admin interface12.
DNS filtering platform privacy comparison
| Product | Cloud required | Local storage | Mandatory account | Offline control | Score / 10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AdGuard Home | No | Full (local YAML + DB) | No | Full | 9.0 |
| Pi-hole | No | Full (local SQLite) | No | Full | 8.5 |
| Cloudflare Gateway (free) | Yes | No (cloud logs) | Yes | None | 4.0 |
| Router built-in DNS (ISP) | Yes | No | ISP account | None | 2.0 |
IoT DNS Filtering Deployment Checklist
- Choose deployment target: Raspberry Pi, Docker container, or firewall plugin (OPNsense/pfSense).
- Install Pi-hole or AdGuard Home and complete initial setup wizard.
- Add blocklists: start with OISD or Hagezi Multi Pro plus an IoT-specific telemetry list.
- Configure Unbound as a recursive resolver on localhost for maximum DNS privacy.
- Set your DNS filter as the DHCP-assigned DNS server for all VLANs.
- Create firewall NAT rules to redirect port 53 traffic from IoT devices that hardcode external DNS (Google Home, Chromecast, Echo).
- Block outbound DoH (port 443 to known DoH IPs) and DoT/DoQ (port 853) from the IoT VLAN to prevent DNS bypass.
- Configure per-client or group filtering policies for different device categories (cameras vs. smart TVs vs. sensors).
- Enable query logging and review the top queried and blocked domains weekly for anomalies.
- Set up automatic blocklist updates (daily or weekly) to keep filter lists current.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I run Pi-hole and AdGuard Home together?
Technically yes — you can run them on different ports and use one as the primary and the other as a secondary DNS server. However, this creates split-brain DNS behavior where some queries bypass one filter entirely. The recommended approach is to pick one platform and configure it as the sole DNS resolver for your network, paired with Unbound for recursive resolution.
Will DNS filtering break my smart home devices?
Some devices may lose cloud-dependent features if their telemetry or API domains are blocked. Local-only functionality (Zigbee, Z-Wave, local HTTP control) is never affected by DNS filtering. Start with a moderate blocklist, monitor the query log for blocked domains that correlate with device issues, and whitelist specific domains as needed. Both Pi-hole and AdGuard Home make whitelisting straightforward from the query log view.
How do I force Google Home and Chromecast to use my DNS filter?
Google devices hardcode 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4 as DNS servers and ignore DHCP settings. Create a NAT redirect rule on your firewall that intercepts all outbound port 53 traffic from the IoT VLAN and redirects it to your Pi-hole or AdGuard Home IP. Additionally, block outbound DoH traffic to dns.google (8.8.8.8:443, 8.8.4.4:443) to prevent encrypted DNS bypass.
Does AdGuard Home support DNS-over-QUIC for Android devices?
Yes. AdGuard Home natively supports DNS-over-QUIC (DoQ), which Android 11 and later can use as a private DNS provider. This provides encrypted DNS with lower latency than DoH or DoT, making it ideal for mobile devices on your home network. Configure the DoQ endpoint in Android Settings → Network → Private DNS.
How much does DNS filtering reduce network traffic from IoT devices?
DNS filtering typically blocks 15–40% of DNS queries from IoT devices, depending on the device type and blocklist coverage. Aggressive telemetry senders like smart TVs and voice assistants see the highest block rates. The actual bandwidth savings are modest (DNS queries are small), but the privacy impact is significant — each blocked query represents a telemetry or tracking connection that never establishes.
Primary Sources
| ID | Title / Description | Direct URL |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pi-hole official documentation | docs.pi-hole.net |
| 2 | AdGuard Home GitHub repository and wiki | github.com/AdguardTeam/AdGuardHome |
| 3 | Unbound DNS resolver documentation | nlnetlabs.nl/projects/unbound |
| 4 | Pi-hole v6 release announcement | pi-hole.net/blog |
| 5 | AdGuard Home encrypted DNS configuration guide | github.com/AdguardTeam/AdGuardHome/wiki/Encryption |
| 6 | Google devices hardcoded DNS behavior analysis | labzilla.io |
| 7 | Unbound + Pi-hole recursive DNS setup guide | docs.pi-hole.net/guides/dns/unbound |
| 8 | OISD blocklist project | oisd.nl |
| 9 | Hagezi DNS blocklists | github.com/hagezi/dns-blocklists |
| 10 | DNS-over-QUIC specification (RFC 9250) | datatracker.ietf.org/doc/rfc9250 |
Conclusion
DNS filtering is one of the highest-impact, lowest-effort privacy upgrades for any smart home network. Both Pi-hole and AdGuard Home are proven platforms that block IoT telemetry, tracking domains, and ad-serving infrastructure at the network layer — before any device data leaves your home.
AdGuard Home is the stronger recommendation for new deployments in 2026. Its single-binary architecture, native encrypted DNS support, per-client filtering, and lower resource footprint make it the more complete solution out of the box. Pi-hole remains a top-tier choice for users who value its mature blocklist community, extensive documentation, and battle-tested dnsmasq engine.
Whichever platform you choose, pair it with Unbound for recursive resolution, deploy firewall rules to force stubborn devices through your filter, and block encrypted DNS bypass paths. This three-layer approach — DNS filtering, recursive resolution, and firewall enforcement — provides comprehensive DNS privacy for your entire smart home.
For related topics, explore our guides on blocking smart home devices from internet access, setting up a separate VLAN for smart home devices, and securing your NAS for remote access without the cloud.
Footnotes
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AdGuard Home initial release and architecture overview — GitHub AdguardTeam ↩
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Unbound recursive resolution privacy model — nlnetlabs.nl ↩
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Pi-hole FTLDNS architecture documentation — docs.pi-hole.net ↩
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Pi-hole v6 release notes and feature changelog — pi-hole.net ↩
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AdGuard Home encrypted DNS server and client configuration — GitHub wiki ↩
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Google Home and Chromecast hardcoded DNS behavior — labzilla.io ↩
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Unbound + Pi-hole recursive DNS setup — docs.pi-hole.net ↩
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AdGuard Home upstream DNS configuration with Unbound — GitHub wiki ↩
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OPNsense DNS plugin ecosystem — docs.opnsense.org ↩
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Pi-hole blocklist community and curation — Reddit r/pihole ↩
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Hagezi DNS blocklists IoT-specific categories — GitHub hagezi/dns-blocklists ↩
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AdGuard Home per-client filtering documentation — GitHub wiki ↩