head to head · open source
AdGuardHome vs DnsServer
AdGuardHome has 36,973 GitHub stars, 2,521 forks, 1,253 open issues and last shipped yesterday. DnsServer has 9,921 stars, 785 forks, 187 open issues and last shipped 7 days ago. AdGuardHome leads on adoption by 273% (36,973 vs 9,921 stars). AdGuardHome is written in TypeScript under GPL-3.0; DnsServer is written in C# under GPL-3.0. AdGuardHome has attracted 7% as many forks as stars, DnsServer 8%. AdGuardHome was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 5 topic tags (dns, dns-over-https, dns-over-quic, dns-over-tls), so they are genuine substitutes rather than adjacent tools.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
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Side by side
| AdGuardHome | DnsServer | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 37K | ★ 9.9K |
| License | GPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | C# |
| Last push | 2026-09-18 | 2026-09-12 |
| Forks | ⑂ 2.5K | ⑂ 785 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick AdGuardHome if
- You weight community size — 37K stars and counting
- You want the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick DnsServer if
- You want the DnsServer feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches C#
- You evaluated both and DnsServer fits your workflow better
About AdGuardHome
AdGuard Home is a free and open source, network wide DNS server that blocks ads and trackers for every device on a network, aimed at self hosters, homelab operators, and network administrators who want filtering without installing client side software on each device.
read the full AdGuardHome overview →
About DnsServer
Technitium DNS Server is an open source, cross platform authoritative and recursive DNS server written in C under GPL 3.0, aimed at anyone who wants to self host DNS resolution for privacy and security — a home network on a Raspberry Pi, or an organisation that needs encrypted DNS, network wide block lists, and centralised management.
read the full DnsServer overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is AdGuardHome or DnsServer more popular?
AdGuardHome has 36,973 GitHub stars and DnsServer has 9,921. AdGuardHome has the larger community by that measure.
Are AdGuardHome and DnsServer free?
Both are open source. AdGuardHome is licensed under GPL-3.0 and DnsServer under GPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between AdGuardHome and DnsServer?
AdGuardHome is written in TypeScript and DnsServer in C#. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, AdGuardHome or DnsServer?
Choose AdGuardHome if you want the larger community (36,973 stars) or its GPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose DnsServer if its feature set, stack or GPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.