shouldiuse.io

New check

Comparison

Pi-hole vs NextDNS

Pi-hole lands on Depends, and NextDNS lands on Worth it.

NextDNS

nextdns.io

Worth it
Confidence: Medium

Buy if you're an individual or household wanting network-wide ad, tracker, and malware blocking with deep configuration.

Read the full report

Pi-hole versus NextDNS
ComparePi-holeNextDNS
VerdictDependsWorth it
Best forHomelab hobbyistsPrivacy-conscious individuals
Who it's not forNon-technical users who want plug-and-playAnyone expecting VPN-level privacy . DNS filtering doesn't hide traffic or IP
PrivacyPopular open-source blocker, but 2026 brought several CVEs including RCE . you must patch it yourself, fast.⁷No public CVEs found in sources reviewed; one reported abuse of a public NextDNS config for iCloud theft scams.14
Support qualityCommunity forums only; no paid supportNo direct support evidence found
Public sentimentHome users praise the network-wide blocking and dashboard, but some have moved to self-hosted alternatives.Users praise NextDNS's effectiveness and configurability, but a vocal minority reports slowdowns, trust concerns, and migration to AdGuard or Control D.16
Biggest gotchaIf the Pi goes down, home DNS can fail until you fix it.Free tier hard-caps 300,000 queries/month; busy households or small offices will exceed it11

Pick Pi-hole when

  • Homelab hobbyists
  • Privacy-focused households
  • Whole-home ad blocking
  • Spare-Raspberry-Pi owners

When Pi-hole is not a fit

  • Non-technical users who want plug-and-play
  • Businesses needing vendor support or compliance
  • People who won't patch a self-hosted server
  • Anyone unwilling to troubleshoot DNS outages

Pick NextDNS when

  • Privacy-conscious individuals
  • Households wanting kid-safe filtering
  • Whole-network ad blocking across devices
  • Tinkerers wanting granular DNS control

When NextDNS is not a fit

  • Anyone expecting VPN-level privacy . DNS filtering doesn't hide traffic or IP
  • Enterprises needing SLAs, audits, and dedicated support
  • Networks whose ISPs block third-party DNS
  • Light users fine with free AdGuard DNS

Sources

  1. Pi-hole - Network-wide Ad Blocking (official)pi-hole.net
    official
  2. Still worth it? : r/piholereddit.com
    review
  3. The Beauty Of Having A Pi-hole | Denden.dev
    review
  4. A $15 Raspberry Pi Zero 2W does Pi-hole better than any spare PCxda-developers.com
    review
  5. Forget about Pi-hole, I switched to this more powerful self-hosted alternativehowtogeek.com
    review
  6. Ad blocker Pi-hole: Update patches highly risky security vulnerabilitiesheise.de
    security
  7. CVE-2026-35520: Pi-hole FTL Engine RCE Vulnerabilitysentinelone.com
    security
  8. Pi-hole: Details, Reviews, Pricing, & Featurescheckthat.ai
    review
  9. NextDNS - The new firewall for the modern Internetnextdns.io
    official
  10. PSA: Do NOT pay for nextdns subscription unless you're ...reddit.com
    review
  11. Why does NextDNS only have 300.000 per month?help.nextdns.io
    official
  12. NextDNS is $20 and stands ... (HN discussion)news.ycombinator.com
    review
  13. Why does NextDNS feel slower than Adguard DNSreddit.com
    review
  14. Urgent abuse report: malicious NextDNS configuration for iCloud theft scamshelp.nextdns.io
    security
  15. Mozilla announces NextDNS joining Cloudflare as second Firefox DNSfacebook.com
    news
  16. NextDNS Customer Reviewsca.trustpilot.com
    review