head to head · open source
AdGuardHome vs Kathara
AdGuardHome has 37,226 GitHub stars, 2,534 forks, 1,253 open issues and last shipped 3 days ago. Kathara has 645 stars, 86 forks, 16 open issues and last shipped yesterday. AdGuardHome leads on adoption by 5,671% (37,226 vs 645 stars). AdGuardHome is written in TypeScript under GPL-3.0; Kathara is written in Python under GPL-3.0. AdGuardHome has attracted 7% as many forks as stars, Kathara 13%. Kathara was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee.
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 | Kathara | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 37K | ★ 645 |
| License | GPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Written in | TypeScript | Python |
| Last push | 2026-10-02 | 2026-10-04 |
| Forks | ⑂ 2.5K | ⑂ 86 |
| 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 Kathara if
- You want the Kathara feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You evaluated both and Kathara 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 Kathara
Kathará is a lightweight, container based network emulation system for network engineers, students, and researchers who need to build, test, and demonstrate virtual networks on Docker or Kubernetes.
read the full Kathara overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is AdGuardHome or Kathara more popular?
AdGuardHome has 37,226 GitHub stars and Kathara has 645. AdGuardHome has the larger community by that measure.
Are AdGuardHome and Kathara free?
Both are open source. AdGuardHome is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Kathara under GPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between AdGuardHome and Kathara?
AdGuardHome is written in TypeScript and Kathara in Python. 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 Kathara?
Choose AdGuardHome if you want the larger community (37,226 stars) or its GPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose Kathara if its feature set, stack or GPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.