AdGuard Home vs ctrld
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted reverse proxy & gateways options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
AdGuard Home
Network-wide DNS ad and tracker blocker
VS
ctrld
Flexible DNS forwarding proxy with per-client policy
| Feature | AdGuard Home | ctrld |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | ≈5-minute setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 99 · Excellent | 82 · Excellent |
| Category | Reverse Proxy & Gateways | Reverse Proxy & Gateways |
| License | GPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | TypeScript | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 37,045 | ★ 899 |
| First released | 2018 | 2022 |
| Replaces | Pi-hole, NextDNS | NextDNS |
What are AdGuard Home and ctrld?
AdGuard Home
AdGuard Home is a network-wide software for blocking ads and trackers that operates as a DNS server with a web dashboard and filtering rules. It is self-hosted to protect all devices on a network.
- Network-wide ad blocking
- Encrypted DNS support
- Web dashboard
- Parental controls
ctrld
ctrld is an open-source DNS forwarding proxy from Control D that supports DNS-over-HTTPS, custom routing and per-client policies. It is self-hosted as a single binary on routers and servers.
- Encrypted DNS forwarding
- Per-client policies
- Custom routing
- Single binary
AdGuard Home vs ctrld: key differences
AdGuard Home is written in TypeScript, while ctrld is built with Go. Licensing differs — GPL-3.0 for AdGuard Home versus MIT for ctrld. Ctrld is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 128 MB for AdGuard Home. AdGuard Home is the more established project (first released 2018), while ctrld arrived in 2022. AdGuard Home has the considerably larger community, at 37,045 GitHub stars versus 899. AdGuard Home lists first-class Docker deployment; ctrld does not.
Why pick each one
Choose AdGuard Home if…
- Easy setup and dashboard
- Encrypted DNS support
- Per-client controls
Watch out for
- Cannot block YouTube ads
- Needs network DNS changes
Choose ctrld if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Written in Go
- Tiny footprint — runs in 64 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is AdGuard Home or ctrld better?
AdGuard Home is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider ctrld if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are AdGuard Home and ctrld free and open-source?
Yes. AdGuard Home is licensed under GPL-3.0 and ctrld under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run AdGuard Home and ctrld with Docker?
AdGuard Home: yes. ctrld: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, AdGuard Home or ctrld?
ctrld has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 128 MB for AdGuard Home. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.