Self-Hosted DNS Blacklist Management: Pi-hole vs AdGuard Home vs Technitium DNS Server

DNS blacklist management is the practice of maintaining and deploying blocklists that prevent devices on your network from resolving domains associated with advertising, tracking, malware, and other unwanted content. Rather than installing ad blockers on every individual device, a DNS-level solution blocks unwanted traffic at the network perimeter — protecting every connected device, including smart TVs, IoT sensors, and mobile devices that cannot run traditional ad-blocking software.

In this guide, we compare the three leading self-hosted DNS servers with built-in blacklist management capabilities: Pi-hole, AdGuard Home, and Technitium DNS Server. Each offers a different approach to blocklist management, from Pi-hole’s gravity-based list merging to AdGuard Home’s rule filtering engine and Technitium’s zone-level blocking.

Why Manage DNS Blacklists at the Network Level?

Network-level DNS blocking provides comprehensive protection without requiring software installation on individual devices. Every device that uses your DNS server — phones, tablets, smart TVs, IoT devices, and guest devices — automatically benefits from the blocklists.

Key advantages include:

• Zero-config client protection: No app installation needed on any device
• Centralized management: Update blocklists once and all devices are protected
• Network-wide analytics: See which domains are being blocked across your entire network
• Bandwidth savings: Blocked requests never reach your internet connection
• Privacy protection: Prevents tracking domains from collecting data about your household or organization

For broader DNS infrastructure management, see our DNS management web UI guide and DNS sinkhole deployment guide.

Pi-hole

Repository: pi-hole/pi-hole · Stars: 50,000+ · Language: PHP/Shell

Pi-hole is the most widely deployed self-hosted DNS ad blocker. It uses a “gravity” system that merges multiple blocklists into a single database, providing fast lookups with minimal overhead. Its web interface offers detailed query logging, blocklist management, and real-time network analytics.

Key Features

• Gravity database: Merges all blocklists into a single SQLite database for fast lookups
• Regex filtering: Supports regular expression patterns for advanced blocking rules
• Whitelist/blacklist management: Granular control over individual domains and patterns
• Group management: Assign different blocklist profiles to different client devices
• FTL engine: Fast Telemetry Logging provides real-time query statistics and caching

Docker Compose Deployment

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version: "3.8"
services:
  pihole:
    image: pihole/pihole:latest
    container_name: pihole
    ports:
      - "53:53/tcp"
      - "53:53/udp"
      - "80:80/tcp"
    environment:
      TZ: "UTC"
      WEBPASSWORD: "your-admin-password"
    volumes:
      - ./etc-pihole:/etc/pihole
      - ./etc-dnsmasq:/etc/dnsmasq.d
    restart: unless-stopped
    cap_add:
      - NET_ADMIN

Blocklist Management

Pi-hole manages blocklists through its gravity system. The default blocklists include StevenBlack’s unified hosts, but you can add hundreds of community-maintained lists:

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# Update gravity (merge all blocklists)
pihole -g

# Add a new blocklist
pihole -a adlist add https://raw.githubusercontent.com/blocklistproject/Lists/master/ads.txt

# Check gravity database size
sqlite3 /etc/pihole/gravity.db "SELECT COUNT(*) FROM gravity;"

# List all configured adlists
pihole -a adlist

Recommended blocklist categories for comprehensive protection:

• Ads: StevenBlack unified, OISD, EasyList
• Tracking: Energized Blu, 1Hosts Lite
• Malware: URLHaus, Phishing Army
• Adult content: StevenBlack social, BigDargon adult

AdGuard Home

Repository: AdguardTeam/AdGuardHome · Stars: 25,000+ · Language: Go

AdGuard Home is a modern DNS server written in Go with built-in ad and tracker blocking. Unlike Pi-hole’s gravity database approach, AdGuard Home uses a rules-based filtering engine that supports not just domain blocking but also DNS response rewriting, client-specific filtering, and upstream DNS provider management.

Key Features

• Rule-based filtering: Supports hosts file syntax, AdGuard filter syntax, and regular expressions
• Per-client configuration: Different filtering rules for different devices on your network
• DNS-over-HTTPS and DNS-over-TLS: Encrypted upstream DNS to protect against ISP snooping
• DNS rewriting: Rewrite DNS responses for custom local domain resolution
• Query log with full retention: Configurable query logging with detailed filtering statistics

Docker Compose Deployment

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version: "3.8"
services:
  adguard:
    image: adguard/adguardhome:latest
    container_name: adguardhome
    ports:
      - "53:53/tcp"
      - "53:53/udp"
      - "80:80/tcp"
      - "443:443/tcp"
      - "853:853/tcp"
      - "3000:3000/tcp"
    volumes:
      - ./adguard-work:/opt/adguardhome/work
      - ./adguard-conf:/opt/adguardhome/conf
    restart: unless-stopped

Blocklist Configuration

AdGuard Home supports multiple filter list formats and can auto-refresh blocklists on a schedule:

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# filters.yaml (auto-generated from web UI)
filters:
  - enabled: true
    url: "https://adguardteam.github.io/HostlistsRegistry/assets/filter_1.txt"
    name: "AdGuard DNS filter"
    refresh: 24h
  - enabled: true
    url: "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/StevenBlack/hosts/master/hosts"
    name: "StevenBlack Unified"
    refresh: 24h
  - enabled: true
    url: "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/oisd-nl/blocklists/main/hosts.txt"
    name: "OISD Blocklist"
    refresh: 168h

Custom filtering rules using AdGuard syntax:

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# Block a specific domain
||example-tracker.com^

# Block with regex
/^ad[0-9]+\.example\.com$/

# Allow specific subdomain
@@||ads.example.com/allowed-path^

Technitium DNS Server

Repository: TechnitiumSoftware/DnsServer · Stars: 8,000+ · Language: C#

Technitium DNS Server is a full-featured authoritative and recursive DNS server with built-in ad blocking capabilities. Unlike Pi-hole and AdGuard Home, which are primarily DNS forwarders with blocking, Technitium provides complete DNS server functionality including zone management, DNSSEC validation, and DNS-over-QUIC support.

Key Features

• Full DNS server: Authoritative and recursive DNS in a single application
• Block list support: Import hosts file format and custom block lists
• DNSSEC validation: Built-in DNSSEC validation for secure DNS resolution
• DNS-over-QUIC: Next-generation encrypted DNS protocol support
• Self-signed certificate management: Automatic TLS certificate generation for encrypted DNS

Docker Compose Deployment

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version: "3.8"
services:
  technitium:
    image: technitium/dns-server:latest
    container_name: technitium-dns
    ports:
      - "53:53/tcp"
      - "53:53/udp"
      - "5380:5380/tcp"
    environment:
      - DNS_SERVER_DOMAIN=dns.local
      - DNS_SERVER_ADMIN_PASSWORD=your-admin-password
    volumes:
      - ./dns-config:/etc/dns
    restart: unless-stopped

Blocklist Management

Technitium DNS Server uses a zone-based blocking approach. Blocked domains are configured as DNS zones that return NXDOMAIN or a custom IP address:

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# Via the web interface at http://server:5380:
# 1. Navigate to Tools > Block List
# 2. Add blocklist URLs (hosts file format)
# 3. Configure refresh interval
# 4. Apply changes

# Blocklist sources (same as Pi-hole):
# https://raw.githubusercontent.com/StevenBlack/hosts/master/hosts
# https://raw.githubusercontent.com/oisd-nl/blocklists/main/hosts.txt
# https://raw.githubusercontent.com/PolishFiltersTeam/KADhosts/master/KADomains.txt

For advanced blocking with response rewriting, Technitium supports DNS zones that return custom A records:

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# Block and redirect to local info page
# Zone: ads.example.com
# A record: 192.168.1.100 (your local info page)

Comparison Table

Choosing the Right DNS Blacklist Solution

Choose Pi-hole if you want the simplest, most battle-tested DNS ad blocker with the largest community. Its gravity system is fast and reliable, and the massive ecosystem of tutorials, blocklists, and community support makes it the safest choice for most home networks.

Choose AdGuard Home if you need advanced filtering rules, encrypted upstream DNS, and a modern web interface. The rule-based filtering engine is more flexible than Pi-hole’s gravity approach, and the built-in DNS-over-HTTPS/TLS support eliminates the need for separate encryption proxies.

Choose Technitium DNS Server if you need a full-featured DNS server with authoritative zone management, DNSSEC validation, and DNS-over-QUIC support. It is the most complete DNS solution of the three, suitable for organizations that need more than just ad blocking. For DNS-over-QUIC specific deployment, see our DNS-over-QUIC guide.

FAQ

How many blocklists should I use?

More is not always better. Using 10-15 well-maintained blocklists provides excellent coverage without significant performance impact. Overly aggressive blocklists can cause false positives, breaking legitimate websites and services. Start with StevenBlack unified hosts and OISD, then add specialized lists for malware or adult content as needed.

Does DNS-level blocking break websites?

Occasionally. Some websites embed content from CDN domains that are also used for advertising. If a website breaks after enabling DNS blocking, check the query log to identify which domain was blocked, then add it to your whitelist. Both Pi-hole and AdGuard Home have detailed query logs that make troubleshooting straightforward.

Can I use Pi-hole and AdGuard Home together?

Yes, but it is usually unnecessary. Both provide DNS forwarding with blocking, so running both adds complexity without significant benefit. Instead, choose one as your primary DNS server and use the other’s blocklists if needed. Some advanced users run AdGuard Home as the primary resolver with DNS-over-HTTPS and configure Pi-hole as a local upstream for additional blocking.

How do I keep blocklists updated automatically?

Pi-hole updates blocklists via pihole -g which can be scheduled in cron. AdGuard Home has built-in auto-refresh scheduling configured per-filter in the web interface. Technitium DNS Server supports automatic blocklist refresh through its web UI. A daily refresh interval is recommended to catch newly registered malicious domains.

Does DNS blocking replace antivirus software?

No. DNS blocking prevents connections to known malicious domains but does not protect against all threats. It cannot detect malware delivered through legitimate websites, phishing attacks that use newly registered domains not yet on blocklists, or attacks that do not require network connectivity (like USB-based malware). DNS blocking is one layer of a defense-in-depth strategy.

What is the difference between a blocklist and a sinkhole?

A blocklist is a list of domains to block. A sinkhole is the mechanism that enforces the block — when a blocked domain is queried, the sinkhole returns a non-routable IP address (like 0.0.0.0) or a custom landing page. Pi-hole’s gravity engine and AdGuard Home’s filter engine are both sinkhole implementations that use blocklists as their input data.