Software Alternatives & Reviews

dnsmasq VS Pi-hole

Compare dnsmasq VS Pi-hole and see what are their differences

dnsmasq logo dnsmasq

Dnsmasq is a lightweight, easy to configure DNS forwarder and DHCP server.

Pi-hole logo Pi-hole

Pi-hole is a multi-platform, network-wide ad blocker.
  • dnsmasq Landing page
    Landing page //
    2019-04-03
  • Pi-hole Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-07-12

dnsmasq

Categories
  • Security & Privacy
  • Ad Blockers
  • Block Ads
  • Monitoring Tools
Website thekelleys.org.uk
Details $

Pi-hole

Categories
  • Security & Privacy
  • Ad Blockers
  • Threat Detection And Prevention
  • Web Browsers
Website pi-hole.net
Details $

dnsmasq videos

DHCP Server Setup with Dnsmasq

More videos:

  • Review - Quick Configs Ubiquiti - DNSMASQ & DHCP
  • Review - DD-WRT DNSMasq Setup and Local DNS

Pi-hole videos

Block EVERY Online Ad with THIS - Pi-Hole on Raspberry Pi

More videos:

  • Review - I tried Pi-Hole for the first time... (DNS level Ad Blocker)
  • Review - Pi-hole -- Worth it? Gotchas?

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to dnsmasq and Pi-hole)
Security & Privacy
4 4%
96% 96
Ad Blockers
7 7%
93% 93
Monitoring Tools
16 16%
84% 84
File Management
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare dnsmasq and Pi-hole

dnsmasq Reviews

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Pi-hole Reviews

22 NextDNS Alternatives
Pi-hole App contains an informative web interface that shows stats on all the domains being queried on the network that you are using. Pi-hole - Network-wide Ad Blocking is a signifying ad-blocking platform that helps its global users to block all the harmful and unhealthy advertisements on your online networks. You can run Pi-hole in a container or deploy it right to...

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Pi-hole seems to be a lot more popular than dnsmasq. While we know about 1185 links to Pi-hole, we've tracked only 5 mentions of dnsmasq. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

dnsmasq mentions (5)

  • Working on Multiple Web Projects with Docker Compose and Traefik
    This seems like an improvement over my current solution in that it can keep multiple projects open simultaneously and route to each of them, but does add more complexity to the setup. I'm using Dnsmasq (https://thekelleys.org.uk/dnsmasq/doc.html) to map anything at .lo to the currently running project, like so:
      brew install dnsmasq.
    - Source: Hacker News / 6 months ago
  • easiest way to setup internal DNS routing?
    I would use a simple dns proxy like Blocky if you want adblocking or dnsmasq if you don't. Source: about 1 year ago
  • Frustrated with the hardware I own
    The pervious setup was much the same except the lab was under the UDMP without another gateway. I used UnifiOS to create networks(vLANs) and trusted that segregation to work. It did not. As I progressed in my home lab, I went through a few hypervisors and settled on EXSi and vSphere. 100% overkill but that is what labbing is for right? Again progressing through and adding things like windows AD and many Home... Source: over 1 year ago
  • Can I use a custom dns entry to get to my local dev site?
    If you can handle all these, then the easiest way to setup a local dev DNS is dnsmasq. You can install it via HomeBrew. Source: over 1 year ago
  • Is there any way to boot an operating system over PXE?
    If you are still interested, I heartily suggest using dnsmasq to do the dhcp/tftp/PXE service. I’ve used it on airgapped networks to boot systems and install a base Linux OS or run diagnostic tools. Source: about 2 years ago

Pi-hole mentions (1185)

  • Ask HN: For what purposes do you use a Raspberry Pi?
    Pi-hole to block ads and tracking for my less technically savvy relatives https://pi-hole.net/. - Source: Hacker News / about 1 month ago
  • Runs on your OpenWrt box: AdGuard Home is network-wide blocking ads and tracking
    I ran a competing project[0] on my home network for a few years before I discovered NextDNS[1]. What I lost in performance (requests don't leave my house) I gained in portability: ALL my devices can take advantage – at home and away – and time-saved. PiHole works 90% of the time, but when it did stop working, I'd have to spend a bit of time fixing it. At $20/year, I simply couldn't compete with NextDNS. Note: This... - Source: Hacker News / about 2 months ago
  • YouTube Says It Has More Than 100M Premium and Music Subscribers
    Can the piHole help us eliminate bandwidth wasting ads on TV's? https://pi-hole.net/. - Source: Hacker News / about 2 months ago
  • Higher fees, more ads: streaming cashes in by using the old tactics of cable TV
    It definitely IS an option, but at the network level. https://pi-hole.net/ It runs on damn near everything, and is a DNS level adblocker for the whole network. - Source: Hacker News / 3 months ago
  • In 2024, please switch to Firefox
    I recently switched to Wipr [0]. It’s dead simple to use, and will auto update its filter lists in the background. Adguard [1] is a decent free option. I also use a Pi-hole [2] on my network. [0] https://kaylees.site/wipr.html [1] https://adguard.com/en/adguard-safari/overview.html [2] https://pi-hole.net/. - Source: Hacker News / 3 months ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing dnsmasq and Pi-hole, you can also consider the following products

BIND - BIND is by far the most widely used DNS software on the Internet.

NextDNS - Block ads, trackers and malicious websites on all your devices.

PowerDNS - PowerDNS offers open source DNS software, services, and support.

Blokada - The best ad blocker for Android. Free and open source.

Unbound - Unbound is a validating, recursive, and caching DNS resolver.

AdGuard - Surf the Web Ad-Free and Safely. Shield up!