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SmartDNS vs Technitium DNS Server: catalog facts
SmartDNS	Technitium DNS Server
Free Free to use, with source code published on GitHub.	Free Free and open source under the GPL.
Linux, Self-hosted	Windows, macOS, Linux, Self-hosted
Picks the fastest upstream answer rather than the first reply Supports DoT, DoH, DoQ and DoH3 upstreams	Authoritative and recursive in one server, so it hosts your zones and resolves everything else Blocks ads and malware for every device on the network without per-device setup
Main readme is in Chinese, with a separate English version Needs manual configuration with no graphical interface	Considerably more complex than Pi-hole if all you want is ad blocking Running your own DNS means DNS outages become your problem
Downloadable app, Self-hosted	Self-hosted, Downloadable app
Closed source	Open source
License not stated	License: GPL-3.0
No account needed	No account needed
Not stated if it works offline	Works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 23, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 21, 2026

Catalog facts only. Anything “not stated” is unconfirmed. Check full listings for details.