AdGuard Home vs Blocky: Which DNS Ad Blocker?

Quick Verdict AdGuard Home is the better choice for most users. It has a clean web UI, built-in encrypted DNS (DoH/DoT/DoQ), DHCP, per-client settings, and parental controls — all ready to use out of the box. Choose Blocky if you prefer YAML-based configuration, want the absolute smallest footprint, or manage your infrastructure as code. Overview AdGuard Home is a network-wide ad blocker and DNS server with a polished web interface. It was built as a modern alternative to Pi-hole and includes encrypted DNS, DHCP, and per-client filtering natively. Developed by AdGuard, the company behind the commercial AdGuard ad blocker. Blocky is a minimalist DNS proxy written in Go, configured entirely via a YAML file. No web UI, no DHCP — just DNS proxying, ad blocking, and caching with the smallest possible footprint. Designed for the infrastructure-as-code crowd. Feature Comparison Feature AdGuard Home Blocky Web UI Yes (polished) No Configuration Web UI + YAML config YAML file only DNS-over-HTTP