Ad-blocking has long been a cat-and-mouse game between us filthy pirates and the online advertising industry, backed by behemoths like Facebook, Google and Amazon. You wouldn’t think, but it tends to be a rather polarizing topic, with both proponents and opponents sticking very passionately to their guns.
Why Ad-block
In the mid to late 00s, the internet was still a sort of wild west. The days of Limewire and early YouTube. Yes ads existed, including the dreaded pop-ups, but everyone agreed they were a nuisance. No one in their right mind ever defended them, except maybe for marketers and executives.
I remember making the decision nearly two decades ago that television is “old tech” that I’m ready to leave behind. One of the main reasons for that was the ad breaks, but also the scheduled programming and overall lack of control over the experience. The internet and digital media had come to change all that. I can watch what I want, when I want, without interruption. And if I must be interrupted, I can pause and rewind. It was glorious.
Until Google came along and made ads cool. No, really. Ads have gotten embraced to ridiculous levels now. It’s universally accepted that ads are what powers the internet. It’s how you monetize your website, app, or game. That’s the reality, and it’s silly to think otherwise.
Why block ads? Because they manipulate us. They rob us of our time, our attention spans, our self-esteem and self-control. They’re using everything they know about us to sell us stuff they think we care about. They’re annoying when they get it wrong, and terrifying when they get it right.
Why not block ads? Content creators. The mom and pops of the internet. YouTubers, website owners, artists, Twitch streamers, podcasters. They need to eat too, right? Well, this argument is rather manipulative, because most ways of supporting content creators financially are done through a platform. YouTube and Twitch aren’t charities. Of course they take a cut. Unless the creators try to go “independent” with a service like Patreon or OnlyFans that still take a cut, albeit a smaller one.
Personally, I block ads because I reject the premise that advertising is the best or even the only way we can fund things. It’s a moral and philosophical disagreement that I can’t budge on. And the more of us that block ads, the more they are forced to rethink the online economy.
So how do you join us on the ad-free side of the internet?
AdGuard
If you like to get your hands dirty with configurations and DNS setup and all that, feel free to skip this section. But for the average lay person or technophobe to enjoy the benefits of ad-block, AdGuard offers a quick and easy solution to block ads on all your devices (yes, including YouTube ads. DNS-level ad-block is the “set it and forget it” option. For only $18/year you get rid of ads on up to 20 of your devices using this link or my promo code CARLSINCLAIR_DNS_40.
If you want more control over what ads get blocked, you can use the AdGuard app. Unlike DNS-level solutions, the app is more flexible. Say you landed on a website that forces you to disable ad-block. It’s a lot easier to turn off the AdGuard app temporarily than to undo your entire DNS setup. If you use this link or my promo code CARLSINCLAIR_30, you get the full premium version of the AdGuard app on 3 of your devices for $30/year, or 9 devices for $66/year.
For those in the market for a [VPN solution](), AdGuard has you covered there as well. For $57/year you get to protect your internet traffic on up to 10 devices. That’s ad-block, privacy, and security all in one package, for the whole family. Use this link or my promo code CARLSINCLAIR_VPN_80 to lock in this price for 2 years.
Browser Ad-block
Of course, browser extensions have been the number one way to block ads on PC for a very long time. Now you might not realize this, but they work on your phone too.
The easiest way to stop seeing ads is by using a different browser. On both Android and iOS you can get a whole assortment of privacy-friendly chrome alternatives. Most of them are open-source and include built-in ad-block. All Firefox-based browsers have add-on support on both Android and iOS, allowing you to use ad-blocking extensions. If you prefer a Chromium-based approach, Cromite is a great option for Android.
DNS Ad-block
Now that ads are gone from your web browsing experience, what about other apps? Mobile apps are notoriously riddled with ads. The easiest way to block ads system-wide is by blocking the domains they come from. You can do that by adding those domains to your system’s hosts file, which is like a universal blocklist. On Android devices, this requires root. As an added bonus, you also end up saving on battery life and reducing your data usage since ads are no longer being loaded.
As a workaround, we can achieve the same effect by monitoring web traffic and blocking anything coming from a blacklisted domains. That’s traditionally been done using a VPN service, since that’s the only way to monitor traffic without root access.
The catch with this approach is that you can’t use another VPN service at the same time to mask your identity. This problem is compounded if you want to use other features that also normally require a VPN service, like setting up a custom DNS or a firewall to block certain apps from accessing the internet.
2023 Update:
Android and iOS now allow you to set a custom DNS system-wide. iOS only lets you do it inside Wi-Fi settings, but on Android it applies to celular data as well. All you have to do is go into your device’s network settings and set the DNS to dns.adguard.com. This approach isn’t as customizable as using a dedicated app, but you can set it and forget it.
AdGuard DNS
AdGuard gets around all of these problems by changing your system’s DNS server. Think of DNS like a phonebook that translates domains into physical IP addresses. If the DNS responds that adserver.com points at a non-existent IP address, ads can’t load.
AdGuard is open-source and available for all devices. The free version is pretty limited though, so if you’re going to sign up for a paid subscription please consider supporting my content by using one of my affiliate links or promo codes. They are very affordable for the amount of convenience, privacy, and security they provide. As an added bonus, I get a small kickback.
On Android, you need to have root access in order to change the system’s DNS So without root, AdGuard works using a VPN, preventing you from using a VPN service for safety and privacy (unless you’re using their VPN). iOS doesn’t have this problem.
Blokada
For a while, Blokada was my ad-block recommendation for the less tech-savvy. It’s available for both Android and iOS but obviously, like AdGuard, you shouldn’t download it from the Google Play Store. Blokada uses the traditional VPN approach to block ads, but also allows you to set a custom encrypted DNS. They also recently added parental control features and a traditional (paid) VPN service that protects your identity online. Another all-in-one solution.
Android Ad-block
NetGuard
NetGuard is a firewall first, if you have a need for that. It allows you to block specific apps from accessing WiFi or mobile data, or both. You can also feed it a list of hosts to block, and even set a custom DNS within it. No VPN service or fancy DNS encryption features. But it’s a great all-in-one solution that solves several problems at once, while still allowing you to use a separate VPN service.
iOS Ad-block
DNSCloak
DNScloak is a great security tool for iOS. It blocks ads using a custom DNS and even supports DNS encryption features like DNScrypt, DoH and DNSSEC. That’s not an easy feat on a highly restricted platform like iOS.
Update 2024:
DNSCloak recently disappeared from the App Store with no announcement or explanation.
Wipr
Wipr is a dedicated “annoyance blocker” for iOS. That’s ads, trackers, crypto miners and even cookie notices. It costs a couple of bucks though and offers zero customization.
DNSecure
DNSecure is a relatively new player on the market. It’s fairly basic and only allows you to change your DNS. The selling point is DNS encryption, which iOS lacks native support for.
YouTube Ad-block
Keep in mind that ad-blocking is never foolproof. It’s an on-going cat-and-mouse game. Whatever ad-block solution you decide to go with, you might have false positives or false negatives. Ad-blockers can also sometimes mess with the functionality of certain websites.
YouTube is notorious for staying ahead of ad-block solutions. Understandably, since that’s Google’s entire business model. Keeping your ad-block solution and filters up to date can help, but a dedicated solution for YouTube is more effective. I’ve compiled dedicated lists for privacy-friendly YouTube Alternatives and privacy-friendly YouTube Music Alternatives.
If you’re tired of running, you can always sign up for YouTube Premium. As much as I hate to admit it, I don’t mind that YouTube benefits from my Premium subscription. For better or worse, YouTube remains the number one stop on the internet for both consumers and content creators. I want to encourage this market leader to keep finding ways to monetize and support their business without resorting to ads or backroom deals with news agencies.