Pi-hole has long been such a popular choice when it comes to network-wide ad blocking for so long that it’s easy to forget that alternatives do exist. I recently gave one such alternative, AdGuard, a try and decided to make the switch permanently. Here I’ll explore the five key reasons why AdGuard won me over in the AdGuard vs Pi-hole matchup.
Content
- Built-In DNS over HTTPS (DoH) Support
- OPNsense Compatibility
- User-Friendly Interface
- Better Home Assistant Integration
- Excellent Third-Party Mobile Remotes
Built-In DNS over HTTPS (DoH) Support
DNS over HTTPS (DoH) is a useful protocol that can protect your online activities from prying eyes and potential man-in-the-middle attacks by encrypting your DNS queries, which are the questions your computer asks to find out where websites are located. Without encryption, these questions can be seen and even changed by others, like hackers or your internet service provider.
With AdGuard, enabling DoH or DoT is as simple as toggling a switch in the user interface and configuring your SSL certificate, which you can buy from a Certificate Authority (CA) or get for free from “Let’s Encrypt CA.
On the other hand, Pi-hole, while powerful in its own right, doesn’t natively support this protocol. To achieve the same level of privacy with Pi-hole, you’d need to install and configure additional DNS resolvers or forwarders, which can be a daunting task for less tech-savvy users.
OPNsense Compatibility
OPNsense is an open-source, FreeBSD-based firewall and routing platform that’s gained popularity among network enthusiasts and professionals alike. While Pi-hole doesn’t offer native support for this platform, AdGuard can be set up quite easily within the OPNsense environment. This compatibility was a significant factor in my decision to switch, as it allowed me to consolidate my network management and ad-blocking solution into a single, cohesive system.
Setting up AdGuard on OPNsense is a straightforward process that involves a few key steps. You’ll need to configure your DNS settings in OPNsense’s System Settings and adjust the DHCP settings. Once these preparations are complete, you can activate AdGuard Home from the Services menu and finalize the setup through its web interface.
User-Friendly Interface
I personally find the user interface of AdGuard to be more intuitive and easier to navigate compared to Pi-hole.
The AdGuard interface is neatly divided into main tabs: Dashboard, Settings, Filters, Query Log, and FAQ. This logical organization makes it simple to find and adjust the settings you need. The Dashboard, which is visible in the image above, provides a comprehensive overview of your network’s activity at a glance. It displays key statistics like the number of DNS queries, blocked requests, and even breaks down the top clients and domains.
That’s not to say that the Pi-hole interface is unintuitive – it isn’t. It’s just that it does have a bit of a learning curve and some options require digging to find.
Better Home Assistant Integration
I use Home Assistant to control and monitor various aspects of my smart home. When it comes to integrating network-wide ad blocking with Home Assistant, I found that AdGuard Home offers a more comprehensive and user-friendly experience compared to Pi-hole.
AdGuard’s Home Assistant integration provides a wider range of sensors and switches, giving you more granular control over your ad-blocking setup. While Pi-hole’s integration is functional, offering basic statistics and the ability to disable the service temporarily, AdGuard takes it a step further.
With AdGuard, you get sensors for DNS queries, blocked queries, safe browsing stats, and even average response times. The integration also creates switches for individual features like Filtering, Safe Browsing, and Parental Control. This level of detail allows for more sophisticated automations and monitoring within your Home Assistant setup.
Moreover, AdGuard’s integration includes actions that let you manage filter subscriptions directly from Home Assistant. This means you can create automations to add, remove, enable, or disable filter lists based on time of day or other triggers – a feature not available with Pi-hole’s integration.
Excellent Third-Party Mobile Remotes
Network-wide ad blocking can only truly succeed in a household when it doesn’t become a source of frustration for family members. This is where AdGuard really shines with its fantastic third-party remote apps available on both the App Store and Google Play Store.
With just a few taps, you can toggle filtering on or off, enable safe browsing, or check out detailed statistics about your network’s activity. Sure, similarly capable mobile remote apps are also available for Pi-hole, but the AdGuard options I’ve tested are more polished and feature-rich.
So, these are my reasons for making the switch from Pi-hole to AdGuard for network-wide ad blocking. The built-in DoH and DoT support, OPNsense compatibility, user-friendly interface, better Home Assistant integration, and excellent third-party mobile remotes have all contributed to a more seamless and effective ad-blocking experience in my home.
It’s worth noting that while I’ve focused on comparing AdGuard and Pi-hole, these aren’t the only options available for network-wide ad blocking. There are other solutions out there that might better suit your specific needs, and NextDNS is a good example that you should also explore if you’re looking for the best Pi-hole alternative.
Image credit DALL-E. All screenshots by David Morelo.
David Morelo –
Staff Writer
David Morelo is a professional content writer in the technology niche, covering everything from consumer products to emerging technologies and their cross-industry application. His interest in technology started at an early age and has only grown stronger over the years.
Subscribe to our newsletter!
Our latest tutorials delivered straight to your inbox
Sign up for all newsletters.
By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy and European users agree to the data transfer policy. We will not share your data and you can unsubscribe at any time. Subscribe