AdGuard Home vs Duck DNS
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?
AdGuard Home
Network-wide DNS ad and tracker blocker
VS
Duck DNS
Duck DNS is a free Dynamic DNS service
| Feature | AdGuard Home | Duck DNS |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Reverse Proxy & Gateways | Reverse Proxy & Gateways |
| License | GPL-3.0 | free |
| Language | TypeScript | Shell |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary | docker, one-click |
| GitHub stars | ★ 35,977 | ★ 375 |
| First released | 2018 | 2023 |
| Replaces | 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
Choose Duck DNS if…
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- One-click install on common self-host platforms
- Written in Shell
Frequently asked questions
Is AdGuard Home or Duck DNS better?
Neither is universally better. AdGuard Home has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are AdGuard Home and Duck DNS free and open-source?
Yes. AdGuard Home is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Duck DNS under free. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run AdGuard Home and Duck DNS with Docker?
AdGuard Home: yes. Duck DNS: yes.