Blocky vs SmartDNS
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?
Blocky
Fast DNS proxy and ad-blocker for local networks
VS
SmartDNS
Local DNS server that picks the fastest results
| Feature | Blocky | SmartDNS |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Reverse Proxy & Gateways | Reverse Proxy & Gateways |
| License | Apache-2.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | Go | C |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 6,844 | ★ 11,183 |
| First released | 2019 | 2018 |
| Replaces | Pi-hole, AdGuard Home | Pi-hole, dnsmasq |
Why pick each one
Choose Blocky if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 6.8k GitHub stars
Choose SmartDNS if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Mature project with 11.2k GitHub stars
- Written in C
- Tiny footprint — runs in 64 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Blocky or SmartDNS better?
Neither is universally better. SmartDNS has the larger community, while Blocky is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Blocky and SmartDNS free and open-source?
Yes. Blocky is licensed under Apache-2.0 and SmartDNS under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Blocky and SmartDNS with Docker?
Blocky: yes. SmartDNS: check the project docs for container support.