Honest comparison

Not another DNS filter.

Pi-hole, NextDNS, AdGuard, Cloudflare Family — they all block ads or adult sites. None of them were built around the question that mattered most: how do we protect the human mind from a market that monetises attention?

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FeatureGuardinoPi-holeNextDNSCloudflareAdGuard
Setup time
From signup to protected device
60 seconds1–2 hours5 minutes2 minutes3 minutes
Plug-and-play (no self-hosting)
No Raspberry Pi or Linux server required
Ad & tracker blocking
Adult content filtering
Mind Shield — attention manipulation blocking
Dopamine loops, dark patterns, infinite scroll triggers
Family Shield — per-child profiles
Different rules for different members of the household
Digital Focus mode
Schedule distraction blocks for deep work
Zero-log privacy guarantee
We don't keep DNS queries longer than you ask us to
Encrypted DNS (DoH + DoT)
Mobile setup with QR code
Designed for non-technical parents
Starting price (consumer plan)
$0Free (DIY)$1.99/mo$0$2.49/mo

Comparison reflects publicly documented feature sets at the time of writing. All competitor names are trademarks of their respective owners. We respect what these tools do well — we just wanted a different one.

Four reasons

Why people switch to Guardino.

Built around the attention crisis

Every competitor started as an ad-blocker or family content filter. We started by asking: why is the average teenager sleeping less, focusing less, and feeling worse? Our blocklists target the design patterns themselves, not just the ads.

Engineered for non-technical users

Pi-hole asks you to flash a Raspberry Pi. We ask you to scan one QR code. Five-year-olds set up Disney+ — your defence against manipulation should be at least that easy.

Per-person, not per-network

A six-year-old and a forty-year-old need different rules. Our DNS profiles bind to people, not router MAC addresses, so the protection follows your daughter to the babysitter's wifi.

A company that profits when you use us less

Most consumer tech wants more of your time. We want less. We charge a flat fee, never sell data, never gamify engagement. Our incentive is your peace, not your attention.

See it for yourself.

The Free plan covers a single device with full Mind Shield. No card. No commitment. Set it up in a minute and feel the difference within a day.

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