Compare Pi-hole and Uptime Kuma on pricing, features, platforms, and ratings — both DevOps tools, Free vs open-source pricing to decide which fits your team.
At a Glance
Pi-hole
Uptime Kuma
Primary category
DevOps
DevOps
Rating
Not documented
Not documented
Pricing model
Free
open-source
Starting price
Free
Free
Free plan
Not documented
Yes
Free trial
Not documented
Not documented
Platforms
Not documented
Web, Windows
Team collaboration
Not documented
Not documented
AI features
Not documented
Not documented
Public API
Yes
Not documented
Pricing Compared
Starting price reflects the lowest paid tier, not the full cost for every team size or usage level.
Pi-hole
Self-Hosted — Free N/A
Uptime Kuma
Open Source — Free n/a
Pros & Cons
Pi-hole
Pros
Completely free and open source with no subscription required
Blocks ads and trackers network-wide, covering devices that cannot run browser extensions
Runs well on inexpensive, low-power hardware like a Raspberry Pi
Large, active community maintaining blocklists and documentation
Web dashboard gives clear visibility into network-wide DNS activity
Can double as a DHCP server, simplifying home network setups
Cons
Does not block ads embedded within the same domain as the content itself (e.g. some in-app ads)
Requires basic networking knowledge to configure DNS or DHCP settings correctly
A single Pi-hole instance is a single point of failure for network DNS unless a backup is configured
Some sites detect and work around DNS-level ad blocking, requiring blocklist maintenance
No official commercial support channel since it is a volunteer-run project
Uptime Kuma
Pros
Completely free and open source with the MIT License and no feature restrictions
Supports a very wide range of monitor types compared to many commercial competitors
Large, active GitHub community with frequent updates and over 88,000 stars
Modern, fast, reactive dashboard with light and dark mode
Extensive notification integrations covering more than 90 services
Cons
Requires self-hosting and ongoing server maintenance, unlike managed SaaS monitoring tools
No official managed cloud version from the core maintainer, so uptime of the monitor itself depends on the user's own infrastructure
Advanced enterprise features like SLA reporting and team role management are more limited than commercial alternatives
Community support model rather than dedicated paid support channels
Use Cases
Pi-hole
Home network ad blocking — Home users install Pi-hole on a Raspberry Pi or home server to block ads and trackers across every device on their home Wi-Fi network.
Homelab and self-hosting infrastructure — Self-hosting enthusiasts run Pi-hole alongside other self-hosted services as part of a broader homelab DNS and network management setup.
Small office network protection — Small offices deploy Pi-hole to reduce ad and tracker traffic across office devices without purchasing a commercial ad-blocking appliance.
Uptime Kuma
Self-hosted website monitoring — Individuals and small teams monitor their websites and APIs for downtime without paying for a SaaS monitoring subscription.
Home lab and NAS monitoring — Home lab enthusiasts run Uptime Kuma alongside other self-hosted services to track their availability on a home server or NAS.
Public status pages for services — Teams publish a status page built on Uptime Kuma to communicate uptime and incidents to their users transparently.