You don’t need to search for ads online. They find you.
In some ways that’s a good thing. The fact is, ads are what funds most of the sites that you visit—and sometimes, thanks to all those trackers and cookies, they can even make you aware of products you actually want.
But, most of the time, ads are a straight up nuisance. They interrupt your videos, slow down your browser, pollute your peripheral vision with distracting drivel, and even put your data at risk.
It’s no surprise that ad blockers have become increasingly popular over the years. By intercepting ads before they can reach your browser, these lifesaving tools can make being online an infinitely more enjoyable experience.
But which one should you choose? Should you go for wealth of features, ease of use, security, effectiveness, or value for money?
Only you can answer that, but here are our top five ad blocker picks for a variety of uses.
Overall: Surfshark Cleanweb
Surfshark CleanWeb is a powerful ad-blocking tool that offers comprehensive protection against ads, trackers, and malicious content. Available across Mac, Windows, Android, and iOS, it blocks pop-ups, banners, and phishing attempts, and includes features like a cookie pop-up blocker, data breach alerts, and a private search engine for unbiased results.
CleanWeb performs well on platforms like Amazon Prime, Hulu, and Spotify, though some ads may slip through on Twitch. The CleanWeb 2.0 Chrome extension excels in ad-blocking tests, removing YouTube and Facebook ads, and offers customizable whitelisting for specific sites.
With Surfshark subscription starting at just $2.19/month for unlimited devices, CleanWeb enhances your browsing experience while offering a 30-day money-back guarantee.
For Apple Users: Wipr
Most of the ad blockers on this list are available on PC and Mac, but if you’re an Apple loyalist then Wipr might just be the one for you.
Available exclusively on iOS and macOS, Wipr is a highly effective ad blocker for everything from YouTube ads to pop ups, including those pesky GDPR notices. It even resizes pages to account for the gaps left by the display ads it has eliminated.
Best of all, Wipr is only $1.99 to download and keep.
Free: uBlock Origin
Wipr may only cost $1,99, but you know what’s even cheaper? $0.00.
That’s exactly how much uBlock Origin costs. Available exclusively as a browser extension (sorry, not desktop or mobile app), uBlock Origin works with pretty much every browser you can name in 36 different languages.
Not bad for a freebie.
Social Media: AdLock
Get ready to be shocked. Social media buttons on websites contain trackers that allow social media companies to monitor your online activity, even if you don’t interact with them directly.
Ever feel like the dice are loaded against your online privacy? They are, but AdLock is a pretty good equalizer. While it blocks ads like any other ad blocker, it specializes in those tricky social media trackers.
YouTube: Total AdBlock
Most of us can tune out the ads that litter almost every page of the internet. It’s much harder to ignore the ones that make you wait to watch a YouTube video, or the ones that keep breaking the flow by barging in mid-stream.
For those, Total AdBlock is your friend. While there are plenty of ad blockers that can handle pesky pop-ups, Total AdBlock is just about the most effective for simulating the YouTube Premium experience.
