State of Pi-hole Ad Blocking 2026

How much does Pi-hole actually block?

Most ad-blocker tests report a single percentage with no methodology, and most were built for browser extensions rather than DNS-level blockers like Pi-hole, so they give Pi-hole a false negative. We built a 103-request battery that fires real requests at real ad networks, trackers, fingerprinting scripts, pop-under networks, and DNS-over-HTTPS bypass endpoints, then measures which ones actually resolve. The table below is the aggregate result across common configurations, measured July 2026.

What the 103 tests actually measure

The battery is split across six pillars so a score reflects real coverage rather than a single ad network. The categories:

• Ad networks — DoubleClick, Google Ads, Amazon, Taboola, Outbrain, and dozens of regional networks.
• Trackers & analytics — Google Analytics, Facebook Pixel, Hotjar, and session-replay tools.
• Fingerprinters — canvas, WebGL, and audio fingerprinting scripts that DNS blocking cannot see.
• Pop-under & rotating networks — the high-rotation domains that outrun static blocklists.
• DNS-over-HTTPS bypass — 12 attempts to resolve blocked domains over encrypted DoH, straight past your Pi-hole.
• Same-domain telemetry — first-party endpoints apps use to phone home over HTTPS.

Why does Pi-hole miss so many requests?

Pi-hole is a DNS sinkhole: it can only refuse to answer a domain lookup. That is powerful and fast, but it is blind to anything that never asks it a question. Four structural gaps account for almost every miss in the data above:

1. Fingerprinting runs in the browser, not over DNS, so a canvas or WebGL fingerprint never touches Pi-hole.
2. DNS-over-HTTPS bypasses it entirely — a browser doing its own encrypted lookups ignores your network DNS. This is the single largest gap, and it is why the two configurations that blocked DoH scored highest.
3. Same-domain ads and telemetry load from the same host as legitimate content, so sinkholing the domain would break the site.
4. Rotating pop-under networks spin up new domains faster than static blocklists update.

Is Pi-hole or AdGuard Home better?

In this benchmark AdGuard Home (81/103) edged out default Pi-hole (71/103), but the gap is entirely down to default blocklist selection, not architecture — both are DNS-level blockers with identical blind spots. Load Pi-hole with a comparable blocklist (HaGeZi Pro++) and it matches or beats AdGuard Home's default. The tool matters less than the layers you add around it.

What is the best ad-blocking setup?

The data is unambiguous: layering beats any single tool. Pi-hole plus a browser extension reached 91%. The only configuration that blocked everything also blocked DNS-over-HTTPS at the network edge. If you run Pi-hole and want to close the gap without ripping out your stack: add a browser content blocker (uBlock Origin), block DoH at your firewall, and load a stronger blocklist. That combination moves most setups from the high 60s into the 90s.

Methodology

1. Each configuration was pointed at the 103-request battery under identical network conditions.
2. A request counts as blocked only if it fails to resolve or load; a request that returns any payload counts as a miss.
3. Categories are weighted equally by request count, not by perceived severity, so the score reflects raw coverage.
4. Browser-layer configurations were tested in a clean profile with only the named extension installed.
5. The battery is re-run and this page is re-dated as networks and blocklists change. Figures reflect the July 2026 run.

// data license: the benchmark figures on this page may be reused under CC BY 4.0 with a link back to piholekiller.com. Methodology and raw test list available on request. Figures reflect the July 2026 test run and are updated as networks change.