If you’ve set up Pi-hole expecting a clean, ad-free browsing experience, you may have noticed something frustrating: Reddit promoted posts still appear in your feed. After all, Pi-hole is supposed to block ads at the network level—so why do Reddit’s sponsored posts keep slipping through? The answer lies in how modern advertising works, especially on platforms that tightly integrate ads into their core infrastructure.
TL;DR: Pi-hole blocks ads by filtering domains at the DNS level, but Reddit serves promoted posts from the same domains as regular content. Because of this, blocking those domains would also block Reddit entirely. Promoted posts are blended into Reddit’s feed and delivered as native content, making them almost impossible for Pi-hole to distinguish. For full Reddit ad blocking, you’ll need additional tools like browser-based content blockers.
To understand why this happens, let’s take a closer look at how Pi-hole works—and why Reddit’s advertising model presents a unique challenge.
How Pi-hole Actually Blocks Ads
Pi-hole works as a DNS sinkhole. In simple terms, it blocks ads by preventing your device from resolving certain domain names. When your device tries to load an ad from a known advertising domain, Pi-hole intercepts the DNS request and stops it.
The process looks like this:
- Your device requests content from a website.
- The website tries to load external resources (ads, tracking scripts, etc.).
- If those resources are hosted on domains in Pi-hole’s blocklist, the request is denied.
- The ad never loads.
This approach works exceptionally well for:
- Traditional banner ads served from third-party domains
- Tracking scripts from analytics providers
- Malicious domains and known ad networks
- Smart TV or mobile app ads that rely on external servers
However, Pi-hole has one major limitation: it can only block entire domains. It cannot inspect or selectively filter specific parts of a webpage.
Why Reddit Promoted Posts Are Different
Reddit doesn’t serve its promoted posts like traditional third-party banner ads. Instead, promoted posts are:
- Native (they look like regular Reddit posts)
- Integrated directly into the feed
- Served from Reddit’s own domains
This makes all the difference.
When you browse Reddit, your device communicates primarily with domains like:
- reddit.com
- www.reddit.com
- gateway.reddit.com
- preview.redd.it
Promoted posts are delivered through the same infrastructure as normal posts. From a DNS standpoint, there’s no clear separation between an ad and a genuine post.
If Pi-hole were to block the domain serving promoted posts, it would effectively block all Reddit content. There’s no domain-level distinction for it to act upon.
The Difference Between Network-Level and Browser-Level Blocking
This is where many users get confused. Pi-hole operates at the network level, while tools like uBlock Origin operate at the browser level.
Network-Level Blocking (Pi-hole)
- Blocks entire domains via DNS
- Works across all devices on your network
- Does not inspect page structure or HTML elements
- Cannot distinguish between different types of content from the same domain
Browser-Level Blocking (uBlock Origin, AdGuard Extension)
- Analyzes page structure (HTML, CSS, JavaScript)
- Can remove specific elements based on rules
- Can hide sponsored posts by targeting CSS classes or labels
- Works only in the browser where it’s installed
Promoted Reddit posts are embedded within the page markup. Browser extensions can examine the structure of the page and hide elements labeled as “Promoted.” Pi-hole cannot.
How Reddit Designs Promoted Posts to Blend In
Reddit’s advertising model relies on native advertising. These ads are intentionally designed to look and behave like regular posts.
They:
- Appear in your main feed
- Allow comments and voting
- Use similar formatting as user posts
- Load via the same APIs and endpoints
Technically, they’re just entries in the feed marked with a “Promoted” tag.
Since they’re delivered through Reddit’s core API responses, blocking them would require selectively filtering the JSON data returned by Reddit’s servers—not something DNS filtering can accomplish.
Why Blocking Reddit Domains Isn’t a Solution
Some users try adding Reddit-related subdomains to Pi-hole’s blacklist. This usually leads to:
- Broken images
- Videos failing to load
- Infinite loading spinners
- The entire Reddit site failing to function
Because Reddit’s front-end is powered by dynamic API calls (especially the modern redesign and mobile app), blocking certain subdomains can break essential site functionality.
In short: you can’t surgically remove promoted posts at the DNS level without damaging the rest of the platform.
The Reddit Mobile App Complication
The problem becomes even more pronounced on the Reddit mobile app.
The app:
- Uses encrypted HTTPS connections
- Communicates directly with Reddit APIs
- Bundles content and ads together in responses
Unlike browsing in a desktop browser with extensions, the app offers no simple way to filter content visually. Pi-hole only sees encrypted domain requests—it cannot inspect or modify the encrypted payload.
Even advanced network inspection tools would struggle, due to HTTPS encryption and certificate pinning in many modern apps.
Can You Block Reddit Promoted Posts at All?
Yes—but not with Pi-hole alone.
Here are the realistic options:
1. Use a Browser with Content Blocking Extensions
Extensions like:
- uBlock Origin
- AdGuard Browser Extension
- Brave Browser’s built-in Shields
These tools use filter lists that specifically target Reddit’s promoted content markers.
2. Use Old Reddit (Sometimes)
Some users report fewer promoted posts using the older Reddit interface (old.reddit.com), especially with strong content blockers. However, ads still exist—they may just be easier to filter.
3. Subscribe to Reddit Premium
Reddit Premium removes ads officially. If you want a completely clean experience without workarounds, this is the guaranteed method.
4. Third-Party Clients (Where Available)
Historically, third-party Reddit apps removed ads. However, due to API changes, most popular third-party clients have shut down or introduced fees. This is no longer a universal solution.
The Bigger Trend: Why More Ads Are Becoming “Unblockable”
Reddit isn’t unique. Many major platforms—including:
- X (formerly Twitter)
- YouTube
serve ads from the same domains as their main content.
This shift toward first-party ad delivery is intentional. It:
- Defeats DNS-based ad blockers
- Reduces reliance on third-party ad networks
- Makes ads harder to distinguish mechanically
As online advertising evolves, network-wide blockers like Pi-hole face increasing limitations against “walled garden” platforms.
Common Misconceptions
“Pi-hole isn’t working.”
It probably is. It’s likely blocking thousands of third-party trackers and ads—just not Reddit’s native ones.
“There must be a hidden Reddit ad domain.”
If there were, it would already be widely documented and blocked. Reddit intentionally integrates ads into core services.
“Maybe I need better blocklists.”
Blocklists help for traditional ads but won’t solve first-party ad delivery.
The Realistic Role of Pi-hole
Pi-hole remains incredibly valuable for:
- Blocking smart TV ads
- Cleaning up news sites
- Stopping tracking scripts
- Improving page load speeds
- Protecting privacy across devices
But it’s important to understand its scope. Pi-hole is a network-level domain blocker, not a page content filter.
Expecting it to remove Reddit’s promoted posts is like expecting a firewall to edit the text inside a webpage—it’s simply not built for that.
The Bottom Line
Pi-hole isn’t failing when Reddit promoted ads appear—it’s encountering a design limitation. Because Reddit serves ads from the same domains as its core content, DNS-based blocking cannot isolate and remove them. Promoted posts are integrated directly into Reddit’s feed and API responses, making them indistinguishable at the network level.
If your goal is a completely ad-free Reddit experience, the solution lies in browser-level content filtering or an official subscription—not in expanding your Pi-hole blocklists.
Understanding this distinction helps set realistic expectations and highlights something important about today’s internet: as platforms consolidate control over content and delivery, traditional network-based ad blocking becomes less effective against tightly integrated advertising ecosystems.
Still, that doesn’t mean Pi-hole isn’t worth using. It just means that when it comes to Reddit’s promoted posts, the battle is happening one layer higher than DNS.