blocky
Fast and lightweight DNS proxy as ad-blocker for local network with many features (alternative to Pi-hole).
blocky vs Pi-hole
Two self-hosted DNS apps, compared on the facts we track: GitHub popularity and activity, license, language, Docker images and a rough hosting estimate.
Side by side
| blocky | Pi-hole | |
|---|---|---|
| Description | Fast and lightweight DNS proxy as ad-blocker for local network with many features (alternative to Pi-hole). | Blackhole for Internet advertisements with a GUI for management and monitoring. |
| GitHub stars | 7,090 | 61,667 |
| Forks | – | 3.4k |
| Open issues (incl. PRs) | – | 37 |
| Commits (12 months) | 298 | 262 |
| Last activity | 2026-11-04 | 2026-10-17 |
| Latest release | v0.35.0 (2026-09-05) | v6.5 (2026-10-17) |
| Maintenance health | Active | Active |
| License | Apache-2.0 | EUPL-1.2 |
| Language / platform | Go, Docker | Shell, PHP, Docker |
| Docker Hub image | – | – |
| Docker pulls | – | – |
| Est. server size | ~512 MB, 1 vCPU | ~1 GB, 1 vCPU |
| Est. hosting from | $3.5/mo | $5/mo |
| Categories | DNS | DNS |
| Links | Website · Source | Website · Source |
What the numbers say
- Pi-hole is more popular on GitHub: 61.7k stars vs 7.1k for blocky.
- blocky has more recent repository activity (2026-11-04 vs 2026-10-17).
- Pi-hole published a release more recently (v6.5 on 2026-10-17; blocky's latest is v0.35.0 on 2026-09-05).
- blocky is licensed under Apache-2.0, Pi-hole under EUPL-1.2. blocky's license is permissive; Pi-hole's is copyleft (changes you distribute must stay open).
- blocky is written in Go; Pi-hole in Shell, PHP.
- Deployment options listed upstream: blocky: Docker; Pi-hole: Docker.
- Our rough hardware estimate is lighter for blocky (~512 MB server) than Pi-hole (~1 GB); this is an estimate from the stack and category, not a benchmark.
Summary: blocky leads on recent activity; Pi-hole leads on GitHub popularity. The right choice depends on the features you need — read both project descriptions and docs.
This summary is generated from GitHub, Docker Hub and awesome-selfhosted data as of 2026-11-05. It does not rate features or quality.
Frequently asked questions
Is blocky or Pi-hole more popular?
Pi-hole has more GitHub stars (61,667 vs 7,090 for blocky, as of 2026-11-05). Stars measure interest, not quality.
Which is more actively maintained, blocky or Pi-hole?
Commits in the last 12 months: blocky 298, Pi-hole 262. The last recorded activity was 2026-11-04 for blocky and 2026-10-17 for Pi-hole. Our health labels: blocky is “Active”, Pi-hole is “Active”.
What licenses do blocky and Pi-hole use?
blocky: Apache-2.0. Pi-hole: EUPL-1.2. blocky's license is permissive; Pi-hole's is copyleft (changes you distribute must stay open).
Can I run blocky and Pi-hole with Docker?
We did not detect a Docker Hub image for either app. The upstream listing mentions Docker as a deployment option for blocky and Pi-hole. Check each project's documentation for install options.
Read more
Pi-hole
Blackhole for Internet advertisements with a GUI for management and monitoring.
Browse all self-hosted DNS apps.