3proxy vs AdGuard Home
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted reverse proxy & gateways options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
3proxy
Tiny multi-protocol proxy server suite
VS
AdGuard Home
Network-wide DNS ad and tracker blocker
| Feature | 3proxy | AdGuard Home |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Reverse Proxy & Gateways | Reverse Proxy & Gateways |
| License | BSD-3-Clause | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | C | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 16 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source, docker | docker, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 5,379 | ★ 35,977 |
| First released | 2002 | 2018 |
| Replaces | Squid | Pi-hole, NextDNS |
Why pick each one
Choose AdGuard Home if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 36k GitHub stars
Frequently asked questions
Is 3proxy or AdGuard Home better?
AdGuard Home is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider 3proxy if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are 3proxy and AdGuard Home free and open-source?
Yes. 3proxy is licensed under BSD-3-Clause and AdGuard Home under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run 3proxy and AdGuard Home with Docker?
3proxy: yes. AdGuard Home: yes.