PingKit vs Pi-hole
These solve genuinely different problems, so the honest answer up front: Pi-hole is a piece of network hardware, PingKit is an app in your pocket. A lot of people who ask "which one" end up wanting both.
Pi-hole is free, open-source software you install on a Raspberry Pi (or any always-on Linux box) that acts as a DNS sinkhole - every device on your network that uses it as a resolver gets ads and trackers blocked before a connection is even made, across apps, smart TVs, consoles, and IoT firmware. PingKit doesn't run on anything - it's an iPhone app whose DNS Lookup tool queries any domain against whatever resolver you're on and shows you the raw answer and timing. We make PingKit, so weigh that, but Pi-hole's numbers below are checked against its own current documentation.
What Each One Actually Is
| Capability | PingKit (DNS Lookup) | Pi-hole |
|---|---|---|
| What it does | Diagnoses DNS - queries records, times resolution | Filters DNS - blocks ads/trackers network-wide |
| Runs on | Your iPhone, on demand | Dedicated always-on hardware (Pi, NAS, Docker) |
| Blocks ads in apps, smart TVs, consoles | Not offered | Yes, network-wide |
| Setup effort | Download, done | Flash an OS, install, configure your router's DNS |
| Cost | Free (Guardian adds unrelated features, $2.99/mo) | Free software, ~$50-100 hardware + electricity |
| Raw record lookup (A/AAAA/MX/TXT/NS/CNAME) | Yes | Query log only, not general-purpose lookup |
| Works away from home | Yes, any network | Only devices using it as resolver |
| Other network tools bundled | 18 more - port scan, WiFi analyzer, uptime, and more | Not offered - DNS blocking only |
Where Pi-hole Wins
If you want every device on your home network - not just your iPhone, but your smart TV, your kid's tablet, your game console - blocking ads and trackers automatically, Pi-hole is built for exactly that and does it for free. It's open source with over 56,000 GitHub stars, no subscription, ever. The tradeoff is upfront effort: you need hardware that stays powered on, and you're the one maintaining it. PingKit doesn't attempt any of this - it has no blocking capability at all.
Where PingKit Wins
Pi-hole tells you what it blocked. It doesn't tell you whether your DNS is actually resolving quickly, or let you look up an arbitrary domain's MX or TXT records from your phone while you're troubleshooting something on the go. That's what DNS Lookup is for, alongside Ping Test to benchmark resolver speed directly - see our fastest DNS server guide for the method. And unlike Pi-hole, PingKit works on any network you're on, not just the one behind your Pi.
The honest recommendation: if you already run Pi-hole, keep it - PingKit isn't a replacement. Use PingKit's LAN Scanner to spot the Pi-hole box itself on your network, and DNS Lookup to spot-check that it's resolving cleanly. If you don't run Pi-hole and don't want dedicated hardware, PingKit's DNS Lookup won't block anything, but our Best DNS Servers for iPhone guide covers filtering resolvers like NextDNS and AdGuard DNS that need no hardware at all.
Which Should You Choose?
- Want network-wide ad/tracker blocking and don't mind running hardware: Pi-hole. PingKit doesn't do this.
- Want to check if DNS resolution itself is fast and correct, on the go: PingKit's DNS Lookup and Ping Test.
- Already run Pi-hole: Keep it, and use PingKit alongside it to verify and troubleshoot.
- Want the rest of a network toolkit regardless: Download PingKit free - 19 tools, DNS Lookup is one of them.
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