Alternatives to Blocky
Fast Go DNS proxy for homelabs
Blocky ranks #2 of 6 in Network ad blockers, with an Alt Score of 90. It is licensed under Apache-2.0, free from Free and available on Linux, Windows and macOS. 9 of 9 checklist rows are verified against a public source.
Home and small-network admins who want ad- and tracker-blocking DNS for every device on their network, without relying on per-device apps or browser extensions.
A single self-hosted Go binary that blocks ads and trackers via configurable blocklists, allowlists, and regex rules, with DNS caching and prefetching for faster lookups. It supports modern encrypted DNS (DoH, DoT, DoQ, DoH3) alongside plain UDP/TCP, plus DNSSEC validation and per-client/group configuration. Prometheus metrics, Grafana dashboards, and query logging are built in, with no telemetry or data collection by the project itself.
Blocky sits between client devices and upstream DNS resolvers, filtering, caching, and optionally rewriting queries before forwarding them on. It runs stateless (no database), configured entirely through a YAML file, and ships as a single binary or Docker/Kubernetes deployment.
Why people leave Blocky
Dashed reasons are sourced facts; the rest are opinions. Vendors can dispute.
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Ranked alternatives
Ordered by Alt Score. Click any score to see the breakdown.
Feature comparison
Rows come from the Network ad blockers checklist (13 rows). Human-verified cells only. ? means the value has not been verified.
| Network ad blockers checklist | Blocky | AdGuard Home | ControlD | NextDNS | Pi-hole | Technitium |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | ||||||
| Starts at | ||||||
| License | ||||||
| Platforms | ||||||
| DNS-level blocking | ||||||
| Self-hostable | ||||||
| Blocklist management | ||||||
| Per-device policies | ||||||
| DoH / DoT support | ||||||
| Query logging & dashboard | ||||||
| Whitelisting UX | ||||||
| Parental controls | ||||||
| Open source |
Every fact and feature listed for Blocky is verified against its own pages. Each alternative is sourced on its own page.
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Pricing model Free verified 2026-07-08
Blocky is a DNS proxy and ad-blocker for the local network written in Go
https://0xerr0r.github.io/blocky/latest/ -
Starts at Free verified 2026-07-08
Blocky is a DNS proxy and ad-blocker for the local network written in Go
https://0xerr0r.github.io/blocky/latest/ -
Platforms Linux, Windows, macOS verified 2026-07-08
Single Go binary; runs on any OS Go supports.
Supports x86-64, ARM, and MIPS architectures -> runs fine on Raspberry PI and OpenWrt routers
https://0xerr0r.github.io/blocky/latest/ -
Status active verified 2026-07-08
tag_name": "v0.33.0", "published_at": "2026-06-30T08:22:25Z""
https://api.github.com/repos/0xERR0R/blocky/releases/latest -
License Apache-2.0 verified 2026-07-08
Apache License Version 2.0, January 2004
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/0xERR0R/blocky/main/LICENSE -
DNS-level blocking Yes verified 2026-07-08
Blocking of DNS queries with external lists (Ad-block, malware) and allowlisting
https://0xerr0r.github.io/blocky/latest/ -
Self-hostable Yes verified 2026-07-08
Single binary Stateless (no database, no temporary files)
https://0xerr0r.github.io/blocky/latest/ -
Blocklist management Yes verified 2026-07-08
Blocky can use lists of domains and IPs to block (e.g. advertisement, malware, trackers, adult sites)
https://0xerr0r.github.io/blocky/latest/configuration/ -
Per-device policies Yes verified 2026-07-08
You can define, which blocking group(s) should be used for which client in your network
https://0xerr0r.github.io/blocky/latest/configuration/ -
DoH / DoT support Yes verified 2026-07-08
Blocky supports DNS resolvers with following network protocols: tcp+udp, https (DoH), tcp-tls (DoT), quic (DoQ).
https://0xerr0r.github.io/blocky/latest/configuration/ -
Query logging & dashboard Partial verified 2026-07-08
Query logging built-in; dashboard via external Grafana (no native web UI).
Blocky can optionally export metrics for Prometheus. Example Grafana dashboard definition as JSON
https://0xerr0r.github.io/blocky/latest/prometheus_grafana/ -
Whitelisting UX Yes verified 2026-07-08
If the same group has both allow/denylists, allowlists take precedence.
https://0xerr0r.github.io/blocky/latest/configuration/ -
Parental controls Partial verified 2026-07-08
No dedicated feature; via client groups + schedules.
Definition of allow/denylists per client group (Kids, Smart home devices, etc.)
https://0xerr0r.github.io/blocky/latest/configuration/ -
Open source Yes verified 2026-07-08
Apache License Version 2.0, January 2004
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/0xERR0R/blocky/main/LICENSE
FAQ
Yes. AdGuard Home, ControlD and NextDNS have a free tier or are fully free. Free-tier limits in the comparison table are verified and dated.
AdGuard Home, Pi-hole and Technitium — every license claim links its source.