Best self-hosted dns
[DNS](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domain_Name_System) servers and management tools with advertisement blocking functionality, primarily aimed at home or small networks.
We track 6 self-hosted dns projects. The median health score in this category is 76, against 3 projects rated healthy or better and none currently flagged as at risk. The table below is ordered by health score, not popularity — the most starred project in a category is frequently not the best maintained one.
| # | Project | Health | Activity | Stars | Built with | Last release |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | AdGuard Home User-friendly ads & trackers blocking DNS server. | Healthy · 77 | 37k | Docker | 18 Aug 2026 | |
| 2 | Technitium DNS Server Authoritative/recursive DNS server with ad blocking functionality. | Healthy · 76 | 10k | Docker, C# | 26 Sept 2026 | |
| 3 | blocky Fast and lightweight DNS proxy as ad-blocker for local network with many features (alternative to Pi-hole). | Healthy · 76 | 7k | Go, Docker | 5 Sept 2026 | |
| 4 | Pi-hole Blackhole for Internet advertisements with a GUI for management and monitoring. | Steady · 64 | 61k | Shell, PHP | 6 Jul 2026 | |
| 5 | Numa Ad-blocking DNS resolver with DNSSEC-validating recursive resolution, DoH/DoT/Oblivious DoH, ephemeral overrides, and lo | Steady · 60 | 1.5k | Rust, Docker | 15 Sept 2026 | |
| 6 | Maza ad blocking Local ad blocker. Like Pi-hole but local and using your operating system. | Slowing · 37 | 1.9k | Shell | — |
Which one should you run?
If you want the safest bet on longevity, AdGuard Home is the best-maintained project in this category right now at 77/100. Technitium DNS Server is the closest runner-up (76/100) — see the side-by-side comparison.
A health score measures whether a project is alive and shipping. It does not measure whether it has the feature you need. Use it to rule options out, then compare on features.