# openpencil vs Pi-hole

> Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.

| | openpencil | Pi-hole |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 73/100 | 87/100 ✓ |
| Rank in category | #2 of 7 in Design | #1 of 41 in DNS |
| GitHub stars | 9 415 | 61 545 ✓ |
| Stars, last 30 days | +814 ✓ | +483 |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 14 ✓ | 6 |
| Latest release | v0.16.0 · 14 Oct 2026 | v6.5 · 17 Oct 2026 ✓ |
| Setup | Easy ✓ | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | No | Yes ✓ |
| License | MIT | Other |
| Main language | Typescript | Shell |

## Which one should you pick?

Pi-hole scores 87/100 against 73/100 for openpencil, so it is the safer default.

openpencil ships more often: 14 stable releases in the past year, against 6 for Pi-hole.

If you want the quickest setup, openpencil is easier to run; Pi-hole needs more configuration.

## Details

- [openpencil](https://selfhost.directory/project/openpencil) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/openpencil.md)
- [Pi-hole](https://selfhost.directory/project/pi-hole) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/pi-hole.md)

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Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/openpencil-vs-pi-hole