Blocking ads on our phones is way harder than it should be so I figured I'd make some recommendations. These are not the only options out there, just the ones that I know and have used.
Please note that browser-level and system-level adblocking are complementary; you'll have the best experience if you use both of them together as they each block different things in different places. If you want a basic idea of how effective your combined adblocking setup is, you can visit this website in your mobile browser.
Lastly, there is some additional advice/info under the readmore if you're curious (EDIT: updated March 2025 to add more adblocking options for iOS and to add info about sideloading altered versions of social media apps that don't contain ads on Android and iOS).
Android
Browser-Level
uBlock Origin (for Firefox)
System-Level (works in all apps, not just browsers)
AdGuard
Blokada 5 (completely free version) OR Blokada 6 (has some newer features but they require a subscription)
iPhone/iPad
Browser-Level
AdGuard (Safari extension; free for basic browser-level blocking, requires a subscription or one time purchase of âlifetimeâ license for custom filters)
1Blocker (Safari extension from an indie developer; can enable one built-in or custom filter list for free, requires a subscription or one time purchase of âlifetimeâ license for enabling multiple filter lists and updating filter lists to the latest version automatically)
Wipr 2 (one time purchase from indie developer; simplest option to use, but also the least configurable. Best if you are looking for one time set and forget and donât need any custom filters. Note that it does not have a system-level blocking option)
System-Level (works in all apps, not just browsers)
AdGuard (requires subscription or one time purchase of âlifetimeâ license for system-level blocking)
1Blocker (can activate without a subscription, but requires subscription or one time purchase of âlifetimeâ license to enable system-level blocking AND browser-level blocking simultaneously)
AdGuard DNS only (this is free and does not require the AdGuard app, BUT I would only recommend it for advanced users, as you can't easily turn it off like you can with the app. Credit to this Reddit thread for the DNS profile)
Some additional info: browser-level blocking is a browser addon or extension, like you might be used to from a desktop computer. This inspects the HTML code returned by websites and searches for patterns that identify the presence of an ad or other annoyance (popup videos, cookie agreements, etc.). System-level blocking is almost always DNS-based. Basically whenever an app asks your phone's OS to make a connection to a website that is known for serving ads, the system-level blocker replies "sorry, I don't know her đ€·ââïžđ " and the ad doesn't get downloaded. This works in most places, not just a browser, but be warned that it might make your battery drain a little faster depending on the app/setup.
Each of those types of blocking has strengths and weaknesses. System-level DNS blocking blocks ads in all apps, but companies that own advertising networks AND the websites those ads are served on can combine their services into the same domain to render DNS blocking useless; you canât block ads served by Facebook/Meta domains without also blocking all of Facebook and Instagram as well because they made sure their ads are served from the same domain as all the user posts you actually want to see. Similarly, browser-level blocking can recognize ads by appearance and content, regardless of what domain theyâre served from, so it can block them on Instagram and Facebook. However, it needs to be able to inspect the content being loaded in order to look for ads, and thereâs no way to do that in non-browser apps. Thatâs why using both together will get you the best results.
These limitations do mean that you canât block ads in the Facebook or Instagram apps, unfortunately, only in the website versions of them visited in your browser. It also means ads served by metaâs/facebookâs ad network in other apps canât be blocked either (unless you're one of the rare beasts who doesn't use facebook or instagram or threads, in which case feel free to blacklist all Meta/FB domains and watch your ads disappear đ; I'm jealous and in awe of you lol).
One note: some apps may behave unpredictably when they can't download ads. For example, the Tumblr app has big black spaces where the ads are, and sometimes those spaces collapse as you scroll past them and it messes up scrolling for a few seconds (UPDATE: looks like the scrolling issue may have actually been a Tumblr bug that they have now fixed, at least on iOS). Still way less annoying than getting ads for Draco Malfoy seduction roleplay AI chatbots imo though. And honestly *most* apps handle this fairly gracefully, like a mobile game I play just throws error messages like "ad is not ready" and then continues like normal.
One final note: on Android, you may actually be able to find hacked versions of Metaâs apps that have the ad frameworks removed. In some cases they are a little janky (unsurprisingly, apps donât always take kindly to having some of their innards ripped out by a third-party), and they are often out of date. BUT in return you get an Instagram app with no ads whatsoever, and some of them even add additional features like buttons for saving IG videos and photos to your phone. However, use these apps at your own risk, as there is functionally no way to validate the code that the third-parties have added or removed from the app. Example altered IG app (I have not vetted this altered app, it's just a popular option): link.
It is technically possible to install altered apps on iOS as well, but Apple makes it much, much harder to do (unless you are jailbroken, which is a whole different ballgame). I'm not going to cover sideloading or jailbreaking here because even I as a very techy person eventually grew tired of messing with it or having to pay for it. If you're interested you can read more about the different ways to do sideloading on iOS here.
last night we have mounted adguard (alternative to pi-hole) via home-made server to block spying and ads across our entire network. This morning we turned on our LG smart tv and just staying in home screen, and later opening youtube, during 20 minutes netfix (??) sent more queries than google did through the entire night
For as long as I can remember, one of the first things I ever do on a brand new device is install an ad blocker. Ads are so intrusive, a security risk, and just make using the internet a huge pain. Using someone elseâs computer with no ad blocker is a jarring experience. My idea of a perfect ad blocker is the kind you only have to look at once, when you set it up. I want minimal interaction and I want it to take care of me no matter what strange part of the internet I might find myself in. I recently made the switch to the Safari browser on Mac, and I was a little annoyed by how difficult it was to find such an ad blocker for it. After trying several options, none very good I might add, I realized I already had an excellent ad blocker that I trusted and met my needs on my iPhone â AdGuard.
AdGuard is incredible. Once it was set up, I no longer had to interact with it again. I made some minor adjustments to the filtering rules, nothing too crazy and super easy to do, but that was it. All the ads that were cluttering my favorite sites were no longer there, and I could finally watch YouTube videos without ads interrupting me every few minutes.
Sometimes, I buy stationery products overseas so I occasionally frequent some Japanese and Chinese commerce websites. When I did this the first time, I got a little notification from AdGuard informing me that it would be applying ad-filtering rules for that language. I love it! This is the kind of interaction I will accept, where my ad blocker tells me, âHey, just letting you know Iâm still protecting you, even if you didnât set up filters for this language.â Then the pop-up goes away and that the first and last time I saw it. Perfect!
If youâre ever in need of good ad blocker, I highly recommend you take a look at AdGuard. AdGuard offers a number of advantages to users, including an improved browsing experience, increased privacy, reduced data usage, improved security, customization options, and ease of use. These benefits make AdGuard an appealing choice for anyone looking to enhance their online experience and protect themselves from potential threats.
Does anybody know how to block in-site ads on Etsy? I've got both UBlock Origin AND AdGuard AdBlocker on Firefox mobile, and the damn ads still appear in my searches.
Explain to me like I'm tech illiterate, because I am
Hiding the âGet the Tumblr appâ Button in Safari for iOS
I'm not a fan of the "Get the Tumblr app" prompt that I see in Safari when browsing Tumblr blogs on my iPhone. To hide this notice, I downloaded another free iOS app, Adguard. Upon launching Adguard, I tap User Filter. Then I tap the plus sign in the upper right to add a new filter. A text box appears to enter a rule, and I enter this text...
tumblr.com##.app-cta-button
...then tap Done. Adguard takes up to 30 seconds update your filters for Safari. Now you can browse Tumblr blogs in Safari without the "Get the Tumblr app" button.
