Free Software Collection
Free Ad Blockers
Ad blocking happens in three places, each with different reach. A browser extension sees page content and can remove ad elements served from the same domain, but only inside that one browser. DNS filtering runs on your local network and covers TVs, phone apps and consoles at once, but it only sees domain names, so ads from the same domain as the content get through. The third route is a different client — watch video in NewPipe and the ad module never loads. Since Chrome moved to Manifest V3, the blocking APIs available to extensions have narrowed, and the full uBlock Origin can no longer be installed on Chrome, leaving only the more limited uBlock Origin Lite. To keep full blocking, move to a Firefox-based browser or to Brave or Cromite, which build blocking into the browser itself.
9 curated recommendations
Selection Criteria
- Open source, with blocking rules and code open to inspection.
- No paid "acceptable ads" whitelist funded by advertisers.
- Blocking happens on your device or your own server, and browsing history is not sent to a third party.
- Works out of the box, with no account required.
Recommended Tools
uBlock Origin
A fast, memory-light blocker for ads and trackers — install and breathe
- Open Source
- No Ads
- No Tracking
- No Sign-up
Privacy Badger
No blocklists — it watches which trackers follow you across sites
- Open Source
- No Ads
- No Tracking
- No Sign-up
Firefox
An open-source browser built by a nonprofit that protects privacy by default
- Open Source
- No Ads
- No Tracking
- No Sign-up
LibreWolf
Firefox with every phone-home path removed
- Open Source
- No Ads
- No Tracking
- No Sign-up
Brave
A Chromium browser with ad blocking built into the engine
- Open Source
- No Sign-up
- Cross-platform
Cromite
A Chromium fork for Android with ad blocking built in
- Open Source
- No Ads
- No Tracking
- No Sign-up
AdGuard Home
Network-wide ad blocking, with encrypted DNS thrown in
- Open Source
- No Ads
- No Tracking
- Offline
Pi-hole
One device, and every screen in the house loses its ads
- Open Source
- No Ads
- No Tracking
- Offline
NewPipe
Watch on Android with no ads, background playback and no account
- Open Source
- No Ads
- No Tracking
- No Sign-up
FAQ
- One tool on a computer — which?
- Firefox with uBlock Origin. Ads, trackers, cryptominers and malware sites are blocked by default at low resource cost. If you would rather not configure anything, LibreWolf ships with uBlock Origin preinstalled and telemetry, sponsored tiles and Pocket recommendations removed. Privacy Badger is a sensible addition: it spots cross-site trackers by behaviour and catches what lists miss, though it does not block ads itself.
- What if I need a Chromium browser?
- Brave. Its Shields blocking is built into the browser, so Manifest V3 limits on extensions do not apply, and Chrome Web Store extensions still install. Note that Brave shows sponsored tiles on the new-tab page by default, which can be switched off in settings, and Brave Rewards is opt-in. On Android, Cromite is another option — Google service connections stripped out, blocking built in — but it is not on the Play Store; get it from the official site or F-Droid.
- How do I block ads in phone apps and on a smart TV?
- DNS filtering. Put Pi-hole or AdGuard Home on an always-on machine at home, point the router's DNS at it, and every device is covered. Pi-hole for a Raspberry Pi and the largest pool of guides; AdGuard Home for encrypted DNS, parental controls, or running on Windows or macOS. One of the two is enough. If that machine goes down, nothing in the house can resolve names, so set a fallback DNS in the router.
- Why can DNS filtering not stop pre-roll video ads?
- Pre-roll ads often come from the same domain as the video itself, and DNS filtering only sees domain names. On a computer, uBlock Origin in the browser handles them. On Android, NewPipe loads none of the official client libraries, so there are no pre-roll or mid-roll ads; it also plays in the background and downloads locally, with no account. When the platform changes its interface it can break for a while until a new release fixes it.