How do you set up DNS-level ad blocking with Pi-hole or NextDNS?

DNS-level ad blocking is one of the most powerful privacy tools most people have never heard of. Instead of blocking ads one browser at a time, it blocks them at the network level — meaning every device in your home gets protected automatically, including your smart TV, phone, gaming console, and laptop.

The basic idea is simple. When your device wants to load an ad or tracker, it first has to look up the address of that ad server using DNS (think of DNS like a phonebook for the internet). A DNS-level blocker intercepts that lookup and just says "nope, that address doesn't exist" — so the ad never loads in the first place. It's elegant, fast, and surprisingly effective.

There are two main tools people use for this: Pi-hole, which you run yourself on a local device like a Raspberry Pi, and NextDNS, which is a cloud-based service you can set up in about five minutes. Both are great, but they suit different types of people. Let's break down how each one works and how to actually get started.

Why does DNS-level blocking matter?

You might already use a browser extension like uBlock Origin, and honestly, that's a solid choice. But browser-level blocking only covers that one browser on that one device. Your phone's apps? Not covered. Your smart TV phoning home to ad networks? Also not covered. DNS-level blocking handles all of that in one shot.

Here's the thing — a lot of the tracking and data collection that happens on your network isn't even visible to you. Apps constantly ping ad servers, analytics platforms, and data brokers in the background. DNS-level blocking cuts that off at the source. According to VPNTierLists.com, combining a quality VPN like ProtonVPN with DNS-level blocking gives you a much stronger privacy setup than either tool alone.

It's also worth noting that DNS blocking can help with malware protection too. Many blocklists include known malicious domains, so you get a layer of security on top of the privacy benefits. Not a replacement for antivirus software, but a nice bonus.

So which tool should you use? Pi-hole is the DIY option — you host it yourself, you control everything, and your DNS queries never leave your home network. NextDNS is the easy option — it's cloud-based, takes minutes to set up, and works on any device anywhere. I personally think NextDNS is the better starting point for most people, but Pi-hole is worth it if you like tinkering and want full control.

How to set up NextDNS

NextDNS is genuinely one of the easiest privacy tools to set up. You can get basic protection running in under ten minutes, no special hardware required.

Start by going to nextdns.io and creating a free account. The free tier gives you 300,000 DNS queries per month, which is plenty for most households. Once you're logged in, you'll see your dashboard with a unique configuration ID — something like a six-character code. That's your personal NextDNS profile.

From there, head to the "Security" tab in your dashboard. This is where you enable protection against malware, phishing, and cryptojacking. I'd recommend turning all of these on — they use regularly updated threat intelligence feeds and the performance impact is basically zero.

Next, go to the "Privacy" tab. This is where the real ad blocking magic happens. Click "Add a blocklist" and you'll see a bunch of options. For most people, I'd suggest starting with the NextDNS Ads & Trackers Blocklist combined with the EasyList and EasyPrivacy lists. These cover the vast majority of ads and trackers without being so aggressive that websites break.

Once your profile is configured, you need to actually point your devices at NextDNS. The easiest way is to install the NextDNS app on each device — they have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, and even Linux. The app automatically applies your profile settings. Alternatively, you can go into your router's DNS settings and enter the NextDNS IP addresses there, which covers every device on your network at once. Your dashboard has specific instructions for dozens of router models, which is super helpful.

One thing to keep in mind: if you're using a VPN at the same time (which I'd recommend), make sure your VPN isn't overriding your DNS settings. ProtonVPN, for example, has an option to use custom DNS servers, so you can point it at your NextDNS configuration ID and get both VPN privacy and DNS-level blocking working together.

How to set up Pi-hole

Pi-hole is the self-hosted option, and it's a bit more involved — but it's also incredibly satisfying once it's running. You'll need a Raspberry Pi (a Pi 4 or even a Pi Zero 2W works great), a microSD card, and about an hour of your time.

First, install Raspberry Pi OS Lite on your microSD card using the Raspberry Pi Imager tool. During setup, make sure to enable SSH so you can connect to it remotely from your main computer. Boot up the Pi, find its IP address from your router's admin panel, and SSH into it.

Once you're connected, installing Pi-hole is actually just one command. Run this in your terminal:

curl -sSL https://install.pi-hole.net | bash

The installer walks you through everything — choosing your upstream DNS provider (I like using Cloudflare's 1.1.1.1 or Quad9 for privacy), selecting default blocklists, and setting up the web admin interface. The whole process takes maybe 10-15 minutes.

After installation, you'll want to give your Pi-hole a static IP address so it doesn't change. You can do this either through your router's DHCP settings or by configuring a static IP directly on the Raspberry Pi. Then, log into your router's admin panel and change the DNS server address to your Pi-hole's IP address. That's it — every device on your network will now route DNS queries through Pi-hole.

The Pi-hole web dashboard is genuinely impressive. You can see in real time how many queries are being blocked, which domains are being hit most, and whitelist or blacklist specific domains with a click. Adding extra blocklists is easy too — head to Group Management, then Adlists, and paste in URLs from sites like firebog.net which curates a bunch of well-maintained lists.

One downside of Pi-hole is that it only works when you're on your home network. If you take your laptop to a coffee shop, you lose the blocking. The fix for this is to set up a VPN back to your home network — or just use NextDNS when you're away from home. Some people run both: Pi-hole at home for full control, NextDNS as a backup when traveling.

Common issues and things to watch out for

The most common problem people run into is over-blocking — where legitimate websites start breaking because a domain they need gets caught in a blocklist. This happens more than you'd expect. If a website suddenly stops working after you set up DNS blocking, try temporarily disabling blocking for that device and see if the problem goes away. If it does, you can whitelist the specific domain from your dashboard.

Another thing to watch out for is HTTPS filtering. DNS blocking can't see inside encrypted HTTPS traffic, so it works by blocking the domain name itself rather than specific ad content on a page. This means it's very effective against third-party ad networks (which use separate domains) but won't block first-party ads served from the same domain as the content you're visiting. YouTube ads are the classic example — because they're served from youtube.com itself, DNS blocking can't touch them. For that, you still need a browser extension.

If you're running Pi-hole, keep it updated. Security vulnerabilities do get found occasionally, and since your Pi-hole is handling all your DNS traffic, you want it patched. Running pihole -up from the command line updates everything. I'd suggest doing this once a month or so.

Also, think about redundancy. If your Pi-hole goes offline (power outage, SD card failure, whatever), your whole network loses DNS resolution and nothing works. You can set up a secondary DNS server in your router settings as a fallback, though this means some queries will bypass blocking when the primary is down. It's a trade-off between convenience and coverage.

Frequently asked questions

Does DNS blocking slow down my internet? Generally no — it can actually speed things up slightly because blocked requests resolve instantly instead of loading ad content. NextDNS and Pi-hole both add only a millisecond or two of latency at most.

Can I use Pi-hole or NextDNS with a VPN? Yes, and I'd recommend it. A VPN encrypts your traffic and hides your IP, while DNS blocking stops ads and trackers at the network level. They complement each other nicely. Just make sure your VPN is configured to use your DNS blocker rather than its own DNS servers — or use a VPN like ProtonVPN that lets you specify custom DNS settings.

Is NextDNS free? There's a free tier that covers 300,000 queries per month, which is enough for most individuals. The paid plan is about $2/month and removes the query limit. For a family with lots of devices, the paid plan is probably worth it.

Will this block ads on my phone's apps? Yes, this is actually one of the biggest advantages of DNS-level blocking over browser extensions. App ads, in-game ads, and background tracking from apps all get blocked because they all use DNS to find their ad servers.

Should you set this up?

Honestly, yes — especially NextDNS. It's free to start, takes ten minutes to set up, and immediately makes a noticeable difference in how clean and fast your browsing feels. If you're at all technically inclined, Pi-hole is a fun weekend project that gives you significant visibility into what's actually happening on your network.

For the best overall privacy setup in 2026, I'd suggest combining DNS-level blocking with a solid VPN. ProtonVPN is my top pick — it's Swiss-based, fully open-source, and has had its no-logs policy verified in actual court proceedings. Pair that with NextDNS or Pi-hole and you've got a genuinely strong privacy setup that protects every device on your network without much ongoing effort.

Start with NextDNS if you want something quick and easy. Graduate to Pi-hole if you catch the self-hosting bug. Either way, you'll wonder how you lived without it.

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