Comparison

PiHelper vs AdGuard Home Remote

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

PiHelper

Easily connect to and manage your Raspberry Pi or Linux machine remotely. Monitor system resources, control GPIO pins, and access an SSH terminal. Browse and manage files with SFTP and perform server actions like rebooting.

Highlights
  • Real-time system monitoring (CPU, memory, disk, temp)
  • Interactive GPIO control
  • Full SSH terminal experience
  • SFTP file browser with upload/download
  • Remote reboot and halt server
  • Custom command execution
Features
Read full description

Get started with PiHelper: https://medium.com/swlh/using-pihelper-to-monitor-and-manage-raspberry-pis-9a24065febed PiHelper lets you connect and manage your Raspberry Pi or Linux machine easily. - Monitor CPU, memory, disk usage, processes and/or temperature statics in realtime. - GPIO Colorful pinout. Tap to change GPIO mode and output. - SSH Terminal Realtime shell with full xterm experience. - SFTP / File browser Browse files and directories. Easy upload, download, rename and delete. - Single tap to reboot / halt server. Custom commands are also supported. - Multi-language support: -- English -- 中文 -- 日本語 -- Русский (Thanks to Sergey Britov) -- Deutsche (Thanks to Daniel Wolf) -- Français (Thanks to Dorian Eydoux) -- Lietuvis (Thanks to Ernestas Kardzys) Report issue: - Email: pihelper@outlook.com - Twitter: @shaqian629 Notes: - Public/Private key authentication only supports RSA keys. - To use the GPIO tool with RPi 4, please upgrade wiringPi to 2.52+: cd /tmp wget https://project-down­load­s.­dro­gon.net/wiring­pi-lat­est.deb sudo dpkg -i wiring­pi-lat­est.deb Reference: http://wiring­pi.­com/wiring­pi-up­dat­ed-to-2-52-for-the-rasp­ber­ry-pi-4b/

About

AdGuard Home Remote

Easily manage your AdGuard Home instance from your mobile device. Control filtering, view detailed statistics, and manage clients, filters, and DNS settings. Offers Live Activity and widgets for quick access.

Highlights
  • Control filtering and safe browsing
  • View statistics and query logs
  • Manage clients and filters
  • Live Activity and widgets
  • Manage DHCP and DNS settings
  • Siri Shortcuts and iCloud sync
Features
Read full description

Monitor and manage your AdGuard Home from your iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and Apple TV. Check protection, understand your network activity, and control filtering in seconds. *Everything at a Glance* See protection status, statistics, top clients, and top domains on a clear dashboard. Quickly control Protection, Rule Filtering, Safe Browsing, Parental Filtering, and Safe Search. *Understand Your DNS Activity* Explore detailed charts and inspect requests in the searchable, filterable Query Log. Review clients, domains, response details, filtering status, and DNSSEC information—or jump directly from a chart to matching requests. *Control It Your Way* Use Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets, Live Activities, Controls, and Siri Shortcuts to check and control AdGuard Home without digging through menus. *Made for Every Apple Device* Enjoy a native experience designed specifically for iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and Apple TV, with iCloud sync keeping your instances available across devices. == Features: - Clear dashboard with server status and quick protection controls - Control Protection, Rule Filtering, Safe Browsing, Parental Filtering, and Safe Search - Detailed statistics with interactive charts, top clients, and top domains - Searchable and filterable Query Log with request, response, filtering, and DNSSEC details - Jump from Dashboard charts directly to matching Query Log requests - Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets, Live Activities, Controls, and Siri Shortcuts - See available AdGuard Home updates and start updates from the app - Share your AdGuard Home statistics as a graphic - Sync instances between iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch using iCloud - Native support for iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS - Clean, modern interface built entirely with SwiftUI With AdGuard Home Remote Pro: - Add unlimited AdGuard Home instances - Remove Statistics and Query Log limits - Follow queries in real time with Live Log - Create custom presets for temporarily changing protection - Manage clients, including filtering settings, blocked services, and tags - Manage filters, blocklists, allowlists, and custom filtering rules - Manage DHCP and DNS settings, including static leases and DNS rewrites - Control AdGuard Home using interactive widgets - Configure an Away Connection for access outside your home network - Control where instances appear with Instance Visibility - Receive notifications and alarms - Send URLs to AdGuard Home using the Share Extension - Unlock the full Apple TV experience - Quickly extend temporary protection changes with 'Add 5 min' - Customize the app tint and choose alternative app icons - Request access to Pro TestFlight beta releases Pro is available as a one-time purchase, supports Family Sharing, and includes future Pro features. Your purchase also supports the app's continued development. == Note: AdGuard Home Remote is an independent third-party app and is not affiliated with AdGuard. For more information about AdGuard Home, visit https://adguard.com/adguard-home/overview.html.

Screenshots

PiHelper4 screens
AdGuard Home Remote4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: AdGuard Home Remote at 4.7 against PiHelper's 4.1. AdGuard Home Remote also leads on update cadence (every 9 days vs every 5 months) and review sentiment (79% vs 64%). PiHelper's advantage is iOS requirement (8.0 vs 17.0). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. PiHelper sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and AdGuard Home Remote sells 5 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

AdGuard Home Remote holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.1. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 255 and 300 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 64% of PiHelper's written reviews are positive against 79% of AdGuard Home Remote's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

PiHelper ships an update every 5 months, AdGuard Home Remote every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
PiHelper versus AdGuard Home Remote: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPiHelperAdGuard Home Remote
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.1 (255 ratings)4.7 (300 ratings) — better
Positive reviews64.3% of reviews78.6% of reviews — better
Number of ratings255300 — better
Update frequencyEvery 5 monthsEvery 9 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS8.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size24 MB65 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developer茜 沙RocketScience IT

Customer experience

PiHelper

All ratings247 ratings
Positive76.9%
Neutral6.1%
Negative17.0%
Written reviews157 reviews
Positive64.3%
Neutral8.3%
Negative27.4%

AdGuard Home Remote

All ratings298 ratings
Positive93.3%
Neutral2.3%
Negative4.4%
Written reviews145 reviews
Positive78.6%
Neutral6.2%
Negative15.2%

User reviews

PiHelper

From 255 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 💻 Convenient remote management
  • 📊 Useful monitoring features
  • 🔑 SSH and SFTP access
  • 🚀 Clean and intuitive UI
  • 💰 Reasonable pricing

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Compatibility issues with newer OS versions
  • 🔒 Unreliable authentication methods
  • 🖥️ Terminal interface limitations
  • 🔄 Abandoned by developers
  • ⚠️ Potential security concerns

AdGuard Home Remote

From 300 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Clean, intuitive, and user-friendly interface
  • 🚀 Fast and responsive app performance
  • 💼 Comprehensive feature parity with web interface
  • 📱 Excellent multi-instance management
  • 💰 Fair one-time purchase pricing model

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Instance configuration frequently lost/forgotten
  • 🐛 App crashes and freezes on tab switching
  • ❌ Missing blocklist management features from web portal
  • ❌ Cannot click log entries to view query details
  • ❌ Limited customization for dashboard refresh rates

Bugs and requests

PiHelper

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Inability to connect to Raspberry Pis
  • Clipboard data being accessed
  • Terminal crashes and text wrapping issues
  • Inaccurate CPU and GPU usage reporting
  • Incompatibility with newer SSH ciphers

Requested features

5 requests
  • Support for Raspberry Pi 5
  • Temperature monitoring in Fahrenheit
  • Ability to clear RSA keys
  • Network and disk usage monitoring
  • Offline notification alerts

AdGuard Home Remote

Reported bugs

14 issues
  • Instance configuration lost after app restart or updates
  • Tab switching causes app freezes and lag
  • Live Log entries flash briefly then return to list
  • Top clients entries display briefly then close
  • URL window opens and closes immediately
Show 9 more
  • App cannot reach instance despite successful connection test
  • Pause schedules deleted when modifying blocklists
  • In-app purchase not initiating for pro version
  • App crashes on iOS 16+ without local network permission prompt
  • iCloud sync causing session persistence issues
  • GL-inet device login failure with static URL configuration
  • watchOS error 'watchos_no_instancea_headline'
  • Custom filter rules editing still broken
  • Use private reverse DNS resolvers toggle not syncing with web UI

Requested features

19 requests
  • Blocklist management from available web portal lists
  • Click-to-view query details in Live Log
  • Average processing time metric on dashboard
  • Processing time widget support
  • Device blocking and parental control features
Show 14 more
  • Client grouping and rule assignment
  • Customizable dashboard refresh intervals
  • Backup/restore configuration functionality
  • Device rename functionality
  • Upstream server performance metrics
  • Custom headers support for advanced users
  • Siri Shortcuts integration
  • macOS configuration backup/download
  • Vietnamese language support
  • Technitium DNS app equivalent
  • Apple TV app version
  • Hostname-based client reporting
  • Server selection per settings page
  • Hide inaccessible servers option

In-app purchases

1 purchases

PiHelper

One-time1
  • Remove Ads$0.99
5 purchases

AdGuard Home Remote

One-time5
  • Small Tip$1.99
  • Medium Tip$3.99
  • Large Tip$7.99
Show 2 more
  • AdGuard Home Remote Pro$11.99
  • Huge Tip$17.99

Questions

Is PiHelper free?
PiHelper is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is AdGuard Home Remote free?
AdGuard Home Remote is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, PiHelper or AdGuard Home Remote?
AdGuard Home Remote is rated higher. PiHelper averages 4.1 out of 5 from 255 ratings, while AdGuard Home Remote averages 4.7 from 300 ratings.
Do PiHelper or AdGuard Home Remote have ads?
Neither PiHelper nor AdGuard Home Remote shows ads.
Which is updated more often, PiHelper or AdGuard Home Remote?
PiHelper ships an update every 5 months, and AdGuard Home Remote every 9 days. Most recently, PiHelper was updated on November 2, 2026 and AdGuard Home Remote on November 3, 2026.

Other comparisons