Datante vs Pi-hole vs NextDNS: Which Fits Your Home?

Want fewer tracking and unwanted connections from your smart TV, phone and other home devices? Datante, Pi-hole and NextDNS can all help. The main difference is how much you want to set up and manage yourself—not whether one product can promise perfect privacy.

The short answer: choose Pi-hole if you enjoy running your own equipment. Consider NextDNS if you want a hosted service with many settings to choose from. Consider Datante if you want guided router setup, maintained filtering choices and straightforward household controls.

This comparison is written by Datante, not an independent reviewer. We checked official product documentation and Datante's current features. We did not run a speed test or a head-to-head blocking test, and we are not claiming Datante blocks more than either alternative.

First, what does DNS filtering mean?

DNS stands for Domain Name System. Think of it as an address book: a device asks where a website or service lives before connecting. A DNS filter can refuse to give an address for a known tracking, advertising or harmful domain. A domain is a name such as example.com.

Put the filtering settings on a compatible router—the box connecting your home to the internet—and devices using those settings can benefit without a separate app on each one. All three options can support home-network filtering. That is not unique to Datante.

Pi-hole: your equipment, your control

Pi-hole is free, open-source software. Open source means its code is available for people to inspect. You run it on suitable equipment, such as a small computer, and direct your home DNS requests through it. You do not have to buy a Raspberry Pi specifically.

Its strength is local control. You choose how to run it and which blocking lists to use. A blocking list is a collection of website addresses the filter should refuse. Pi-hole also has a dashboard and can filter requests outside a browser, including requests from smart TVs.

The trade-off is ownership of the upkeep. You are responsible for keeping the computer working, installing software updates and sorting out configuration problems. Pi-hole can refresh its lists automatically; it does not require you to edit every rule by hand.

Good fit: someone who enjoys a home technology project and wants direct control. If that describes you, Pi-hole can be a sensible choice. See Pi-hole's official overview and equipment and network requirements.

NextDNS: a hosted service with flexible settings

NextDNS runs the DNS service for you on its servers. You do not need to keep a small DNS computer running at home. It supports router and individual-device setups, with filtering settings you can customize.

That matters for a fair comparison: NextDNS already removes the hardware and server-software maintenance associated with a self-hosted Pi-hole. It is not accurate to describe NextDNS as needing constant manual updates. You still choose your settings and may need to adjust them if something you use stops working.

Good fit: someone who wants a hosted service and likes choosing their own filtering options. Its device apps can also help away from home. Read NextDNS's explanation of its differences from Pi-hole.

Datante: guided setup and fewer everyday decisions

Datante focuses on making home filtering easier to understand and use. Follow guided router instructions, choose Essential, Standard or Maximum filtering, and use a plain-language dashboard to review activity. Datante maintains its filtering rules, so you do not run a DNS server or maintain a home filtering box.

• Guided setup: follow the router steps rather than build your own filtering server.
• Managed filtering: choose a level instead of assembling a collection of lists.
• Simple recovery controls: allow a particular domain or pause filtering if a service needs troubleshooting.
• Convenient Remote controls: pause for 5, 15, 30 or 60 minutes, or until you turn filtering back on.

Here, “no maintenance” means no DNS server, operating system or filtering lists for you to maintain. It does not mean your home network will never need attention. A new router, changed settings, a service outage or a wrongly blocked address can still require a check.

Good fit: a household that wants help getting started and simple ongoing controls rather than a new technology project. You are paying for that guided, managed experience—not a guarantee that every unwanted connection will be stopped.

The quick comparison

Also considering AdGuard? AdGuard DNS provides hosted filtering without a home server, while AdGuard Home runs on equipment you manage. Its browser extensions and device apps are separate products with different coverage. Datante focuses on guided router setup and maintained household filtering levels. Read Datante vs AdGuard: Which Fits Your Home? for the full comparison.

• Where it runs: Pi-hole runs on equipment you manage. NextDNS and Datante use hosted DNS services.
• Who handles server upkeep: you do for a self-hosted Pi-hole; the service handles it for NextDNS and Datante.
• Everyday approach: Pi-hole emphasizes local control; NextDNS offers configurable hosted filtering; Datante emphasizes guided home setup and simple filtering levels.
• Cost: Pi-hole software is free, but equipment and your time still matter. Check each service's current plans rather than assuming hosted filtering costs the same.
• Privacy trade-off: local control and hosted convenience are different choices. Pi-hole still forwards allowed lookups to an upstream DNS service. Read the privacy policy for whichever services receive your requests.

Where does a VPN fit?

VPN means virtual private network. It carries covered traffic through an encrypted connection to a VPN service. Encryption helps prevent others along that part of the journey from reading the traffic. DNS filtering has a different job: deciding which named destinations a device can look up.

A VPN can be useful. One installed only on a laptop does not automatically cover a TV, but a router VPN may cover other home devices. Some VPNs also include ad or threat blocking. The useful question is which devices and features your particular setup covers—not whether VPNs are good or bad.

Datante does not replace a VPN or hide every connection from your internet company. A VPN may use its own DNS service instead of your router's DNS. Check your configuration before assuming Datante and your VPN are filtering the same traffic.

What none of these choices can promise

DNS filtering cannot block every ad, inspect every video or message, or fix a security flaw in a device. It can miss connections using a different DNS service, a remembered address or a numerical address directly. It can also block something you wanted. Keep device software updated and keep a way to undo setup changes.

Datante's device-family clues are also not a list of uniquely identified physical devices. A “Samsung” traffic group, for example, does not prove which of two Samsung TVs made a request.

Common questions

Should I switch if Pi-hole or NextDNS already works for me?

Not necessarily. If you understand your setup and are happy with it, there may be no reason to switch. Datante is worth considering when you want a more guided household experience or less responsibility for running local equipment.

Will router setup cover every device automatically?

Only devices whose requests use that setup. A phone on cellular data, a separate DNS setting or a VPN can take a different route. That limitation applies to router-based DNS filtering generally.

Does managed mean I never have to check anything?

No. It means the service handles the filtering infrastructure. You still control your router, choose your settings and check problems when they arise.

Choose the amount of work you want to own

Choose Pi-hole for a hands-on local setup. Consider NextDNS for flexible hosted filtering. Choose Datante if guided router setup, maintained filters and straightforward home controls are what you want.

Want the managed approach? See Datante's current plans and trial details. For more background, read what your internet provider can see or how browser tools differ from home-network filtering.