# Free alternatives to NextDNS

> NextDNS (Pro) costs $19.90 a year. Free alternatives: AdGuard Home, Pi-hole and Blocky. Data checked 2026-10-17.

- Page: https://stoprenting.dev/apps/nextdns/
- Category: Networking (https://stoprenting.dev/categories/networking/)
- Vendor: NextDNS
- Plan: Pro
- Price: $1.66/month, $19.90/year
- Billing: monthly or yearly
- Price quote from the vendor's page: "Pro For personal and close family use. Unlimited queries ... $1.99/month or $19.90/year Save 17%"
- Price source: https://nextdns.io/pricing (checked 2026-10-17)

## Alternatives

### AdGuard Home

- Website: https://adguard.com/adguard-home/overview.html
- Repository: https://github.com/AdguardTeam/AdGuardHome (37,496 stars, last push 2026-10-16)
- License: GPL-3.0
- Open source: yes, OSI-approved license
- Type: server app
- Linux: self-hosted server; web UI
- Self-hostable: yes
- Note: Covers devices away from home only if you run it on a public server or connect back over a VPN.
- More: https://stoprenting.dev/alternatives/adguard-home/
- Checked: 2026-10-17

### Pi-hole

- Website: https://pi-hole.net
- Repository: https://github.com/pi-hole/pi-hole (61,308 stars, last push 2026-10-17)
- License: unknown
- Open source: not verified
- Type: server app
- Linux: self-hosted server; web UI
- Self-hostable: yes
- Note: Filters only your home network unless you connect back over a VPN; NextDNS works anywhere out of the box.
- More: https://stoprenting.dev/alternatives/pi-hole/
- Checked: 2026-10-17

### Blocky

- Website: https://0xERR0R.github.io/blocky/
- Repository: https://github.com/0xERR0R/blocky (7,039 stars, last push 2026-10-16)
- License: Apache-2.0
- Open source: yes, OSI-approved license
- Type: server app
- Linux: self-hosted server; web UI
- Self-hostable: yes
- Note: Configured through files with no web dashboard, and away from home it only covers you over a VPN.
- More: https://stoprenting.dev/alternatives/blocky/
- Checked: 2026-10-17

## FAQ

### Is there a free alternative to NextDNS?

Yes. The 3 free alternatives are AdGuard Home (open source, GPL-3.0), Pi-hole (License unknown, license not verified) and Blocky (open source, Apache-2.0).

### How much does NextDNS cost?

NextDNS's Pro plan costs $1.66 a month, which is $19.90 a year (monthly or yearly). Source: the official pricing page at nextdns.io, checked Oct 17, 2026.

### Which NextDNS alternatives run on Linux?

AdGuard Home (self-hosted server; web UI), Pi-hole (self-hosted server; web UI) and Blocky (self-hosted server; web UI).

### Can you self-host a NextDNS alternative?

Yes. AdGuard Home, Pi-hole and Blocky run on your own server.

### Are these NextDNS alternatives open source?

Pi-hole's license couldn't be verified automatically. AdGuard Home (GPL-3.0) and Blocky (Apache-2.0) are open source.

---
Source: Stop Renting (https://stoprenting.dev). Methodology: https://stoprenting.dev/methodology/