What ad blocker do you prefer?

TidBITS Talk
21

Another vote for Wipr here.

2 Likes
22

I use 1Block for iOS and macOS.

I also have AdGuard DNS set on my router.

23

Can you please explain why you use AdGuard DNS?

Thank you.

1 Like
24

Hello! In my case I use uBlock Origin in Zen and Brave, for Safari on the Mac and iOS, 1Block is very good. I also use Little Snitch on my Mac with the DNS Encryption option turned on.

25

It block ads, trackers, malware, at a DNS/domain level for all devices on my network. Whether or not they can/do use an adblocker. Think of it as remote managed adblock.

https://adguard-dns.io/en/public-dns.html

My use for an iOS adblocker is for a second level of blocking, and for hiding page elements/customization.

3 Likes
26

I have NextDNS installed on both my iPhone and MacBook Air, and that is set up to block most ads and trackers at the network level.

For browsing, I use Vivaldi which has its own built-in ad-blocking and tracker-blocking. On the MacBook Air, I also have uBlock Origin Lite and Privacy Badger extensions installed in Vivaldi, though those are mostly for monitoring purposes and fixing a few problem sites.

1 Like
27

This is quite interesting to me. It appears AdGuard even offers a free service with public DNS servers that filter ads, etc. You said though you had it set on your router. I looked at mine, but I didnā€™t see any way to install anything on it. Itā€™s just a standard off-the-shelf TP-Link router, so maybe Iā€™m missing something, or maybe you have something more sophisticated.

In looking into this (DNS settings), I found I have another problem. Not sure if this needs a new thread, but I found to my surprise that clicking the ā€œDetailsā€¦ā€ button in Settings > WiFi > [my network] doesā€¦nothing! No details appear anywhere. I found a few references to this out there, so off to implement those suggestions. But I thought Iā€™d mention it in case anyone here has seen the problem and knows of a simple fix.

28

I am a big fan of DNS-based malvertising blocking. For many years, Iā€™ve used Pi-Hole. Itā€™s not designed to run on your router (though I think some people do), but on just about any low-end hardware you might have. As the name suggests, it was originally targeted to a Raspberry Pi. Itā€™s free, open-source software so there are no subscription fees. It does a good job (for me) of blocking ads in apps and embedded browsers and on devices on which you cannot install conventional adblockers.

You do lose blocking when you leave your own home network, though itā€™s possible to set up a Pi-hole + Wireguard VPN so you can take your Pi-hole protection with you when you travel.

1 Like
29

Question: do any of the AdGuard users here have concerns about the level of system access it requires? Iā€™m asking because some people on the message boards on MacRumors have concerns about AdGuard, both the software and the company.

1 Like
30

I seem to recall a post here on TidBits about a block list for use with Little Snitch, but canā€™t seem to find it. Anyone with a better memory than me have info??

31

Perhaps this one. I donā€™t know anything else about it.

32

This is it. I just set/use (not install) their DNS server addresses on my router, which means any device that accesses the internet via my router benefits from a connection free of ads, trackers, malware.

1 Like
33

Would you please post links to examples?

Thank you.

34

I donā€™t use AdGuardā€™s software/apps, just their DNS servers. No ā€œsystem accessā€ required. Their DNS block lists are auditable on github.

2 Likes
35

For at least the paid level of service[1], isnā€™t there some sort of authentication that is a privacy concern? Even at the free level, couldnā€™t AdGuard track users based on the requesting IP address (which doesnā€™t change often except for users of iCloud Private Relay)?

  1. Free level is limited to 300K DNS resolutions per month. ā†©ļøŽ

36

Does the free service include the option to use any of the three encrypted connections:

  1. DNS-over-HTTPS,
  2. DNS-over-TLS, or
  3. DNS-over-QUIC
37

Just to restate that I donā€™t have an AdGuard account, install any of their software/apps, or pay them anything.

I simply use DNS server addresses provided by AdGuard, whereas you might use Google (8.8.8.8), Cloudflare (1.1.1.1), or your router defaults (commonly calling back to the manufacturer country of origin).

Could AdGuard log my data? Yes. Do they? Not as far as I am aware, outside of what the declare in their policy (temporarily for performance and caching). Do Google or Cloudflare? I donā€™t know. Do I have anything in my DNS requests I really need to be kept private? I doubt it.

Also surely weā€™re using iOS ā€œlimit address trackingā€, ā€œprivate WiFi addressā€, etc. and a multitude of the other privacy enhancing tools at our disposal.

Yes.

https://adguard-dns.io/en/public-dns.html

Option 2: Configure AdGuard DNS manually:

  • DNS-over-HTTPS
  • DNS-over-TLS
  • DNS-over-QUIC
  • DNSCrypt
  • Plain DNS

Check out their code/lists

1 Like
38

Can you temporarily bypass that? I ask because I know there are a few pages where I need to turn off some of my blockers to get the page to actually work properly. These are legit pages of companies I do want to do business with so deactivating for a short period of time while I interact with their site seems reasonable to me. But how would you deal with this if youā€™re blocking not by browser plugin but via DNS setting on your router? I guess you could always reconfigure the router on the fly but since that usually requires reboot, likely not the quickest or most elegant workaround.

39

I too would need a solution to this. Just an idea, maybe you could use the Cloudflare app ā€Ž1.1.1.1: Faster Internet on the App Store

40

Iā€™ve honestly never had to.

Itā€™s easy enough to check if this is actually a real problem for you. Rather than a hypothetical one.