Best ad blockers for iPhone and iPad in 2024

iPhones and iPads are capable of blocking very basic and simplistic ads while browsing online. However, to fully secure your device and data that’s simply not enough. Many of the ads we encounter on websites can be malware threats that the built-in ad blockers can’t successfully block.

An ad blocker for iPhone or iPad is the best tool to combat these malicious ads. A reliable tool will not only block regular pop-ups or stop YouTube video ads, but it will be able to block image ads, trackers, and others. In addition, a truly reliable ad blocker will also help protect from other types of cyber threats.

To provide you with only the best ad blockers for iPhone or iPad, we tested the providers’ abilities to block different types of ads, trackers, and other malicious threats. We also check for additional features that the providers offer, the platforms they are compatible with, and the price.

Top 5 best ad blockers for iPhones and iPads for 2024

1. Total AdBlock – overall best ad blocker for iPhone in 2024
2. Surfshark CleanWeb – excellent ad blocker with a top-rated VPN for iPhone
3. Atlas VPN Shield – mobile device-focused ad blocker
4. Proton VPN NetShield – budget-friendly ad blocker for iOS devices
5. Avast Secure Browser – customizable ad blocker for iPhone and iPad

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What to look for in the best ad blocker for iPhone and iPad?

When selecting the best ad blocker for your iPhone or iPad, you should look for:

• Various ad blocker. Whether it's popups, banners, fake close-ups, or other ads a reliable ad blocker will manage to block all of these malicious ads. In addition, the web pages you’re trying to access will load much faster with all these ads blocked.
• Tracker blocker. Some ad blockers automatically block trackers, while others allow you to customize this choice. However, you should always select to enable this feature and protect your browsing activity, and make it more private. Since trackers follow your moves online.
• Whitelisting feature. This provides the ability to customize on which websites you’ll see ads. It’s especially useful when you wish to support your favorite creators' pages, so you can exclude those sites and then still see ads on them.
• Platform compatibility. Top-rated ad blockers will work with different devices or browsers since you most likely own different devices that you’d like to protect from malicious ads. So, choose the providers that support different OS and, ideally, have browser extensions as well.

The best iPhone ad blockers – our detailed list

Finding a reliable ad blocker can be difficult. Don’t think that the only purpose of an ad blocker is just to remove the annoying pop-up ads that you get whenever browsing on your iPhone or iPad.

There’s much more that you should be wary of while browsing online, like tracking ads, malicious links, or spam. This is why we selected and tested some of the most popular ad blockers to come up with the Top 5 best ad blockers for iPhone list.

The ad blockers in our list ensure your security online, since they not only block ads, but protect from malicious links and sites, prevent tracking, and other threats you face while browsing.

1. Total Adblock – best ad blocker for iPhone and iPad

Visit Total AdBlock

Total Adblock is our best-rated ad blocker that contains a wide range of filters that successfully block different types of ads. In addition, it is a part of the TotalAV security suite, one of the best antivirus providers on the market. So, you’ll get the finest protection from malicious and targeted ads.

Features: You will get the Whitelisting feature, so you can customize which sites you want to allow ads on, since some websites won’t load without ads. Also, Total Adblock has filters for privacy, that prevents tracking, social media, security, to protect from malicious URLs and spam, and more.

Test results: We’ve tested Total AdBlocker with AdBlock Tester, where it was scored very highly, the only ads that weren’t stopped were GIFs and static images. During other tests, this ad blocker managed to block even invisible trackers. Lastly, it successfully blocked YouTube ads in the app and the Safari browser, which is the built-in iPhone browser.

Compatibility: You can get Total AdBlock by downloading it from the App Store. It has a Safari extension, which allows you to customize the way your browser works. Also, even though there’s no app for macOS, it has browser extensions that work with Safari, Chrome, Edge, and others.

Price: Total AdBlocker premium subscription costs $1.59/month. In addition, there’s a 14-day money-back guarantee and a 7-day free trial. Alternatively, you can purchase the TotalAV Total Security package for $49.00/year to get the ad blocker with the antivirus suite.

For more information about the full security package, check out our Total Adblock review.

2. Surfshark CleanWeb – excellent ad blocker with a top-rated VPN for iPhone

Visit Surfshark Adblock

Surfshark is an excellent and secure top-rated VPN provider that comes with an ad blocker called CleanWeb included. Not only does Surfshark CleanWeb block malicious ads and malware, but this tool will also better your browsing experience online, make browsing speedier, and protect your sensitive information online.

Features: The Surfshark CleanWeb ad blocker saves your mobile data and reduces loading times for smoother browsing experience. Also, with the ad blocker you can block ads, pop-ups, banners, video ads, cookie consent pop-ups, trackers, and malware. In addition, there’s a bypass list to select what sites can show you ads.

Test results: Surfshark CleanWeb scored highly with the AdBlock tester. This provider didn’t block Google Analytics tools, GIFs, static images, and didn’t pass the error monitoring tests. However, it successfully protects from tracking ads, invisible trackers, and blocked YouTube ads in the app and browser.

Compatibility: Surfshark is compatible with all of the popular OS and FireTV. The CleanWeb browser extension is available on Chrome, Firefox, and Edge.

Price: Surfshark ad blocker comes as a part of a very budget-friendly VPN package. The whole subscription costs only $2.19/month, provides unlimited simultaneous connections, and a risk-free 30-day money-back guarantee.

To learn more about the security package that includes an ad blocker, check our Surfshark CleanWeb review.

3. Atlas VPN Shield – mobile device-focused ad blocker

Visit Atlas VPN

Atlas VPN offers one of the most reliable ad blockers for your iPhone or iPad with their Shield feature. This ad blocker will protect your data online and secure you from malicious ads, malware, phishing attacks, and other cyber threats.

Features: Shield comes with a VPN subscription and requires a VPN connection to work. The ad blocker will protect you from malware, phishing, cryptojacking, and others. It will also prevent visitors from visiting malicious websites. Additionally, it will list all the trackers that have been noted and blocked.

Test results: The AdBlock tester marked Atlas VPN Safe Browser as a reliable option. This provider didn’t pass the Google Analytics tools, GIFs, flash banner, and error monitoring tests. However, it does offer partial blocking of tracking ads and invisible trackers and successfully blocks YouTube ads in the app and Safari browser.

Compatibility: You can get the Atlas VPN app on iOS, macOS, Android, and Windows devices. There are no browser extensions available.

Price: To get the Shield feature you will need to choose the premium paid subscription of Atlas VPN, which costs $1.64/month. With one subscription you can cover an unlimited number of devices and will also get a 30-day money-back guarantee.

For more information about the full feature package head over to our detailed Atlas VPN review.

4. Proton VPN NetShield – budget-friendly ad blocker for iOS devices

Visit ProtonVPN

Another reliable ad blocker for your iOS devices comes with a Proton VPN subscription and is called NetShield. This is a great feature for blocking ads and trackers, preventing malware threats, and browsing YouTube ad-free.

Features: NetShield is Proton VPN’s built-in ad blocker feature. It blocks ads, trackers, and malware threats, works with DNS blocking, and increases browsing speeds. There’s not much customization that you can do to decide what pages can still show you ads.

Test results: We tested this tool with the AdBlock tester and the results were impressive. The only points of concern were the Google Analytics tools, GIFs and static images, and error monitoring tests, which this ad blocker failed. Also, with Proton VPN ad blocker you’ll only be able to block YouTube ads in the app.

Compatibility: Unfortunately, there are no browser extensions available. So, this VPN is compatible only with Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS devices as an application.

Price: NetShield ad blocker comes with a Proton VPN subscription, which allows for 10 simultaneous connections for only $4.99/month. In addition, you also get a 30-day money-back guarantee to safely try out this product for yourself.

To learn more about this VPN provider, head over to our Proton VPN review.

5. Avast Secure Browser – customizable and feature-rich ad blocker for iPhone and iPad

Visit Avast Secure Browser

Avast ad blocker comes with the Secure Browser feature. This is a customizable ad blocker that not only allows you to pick the strictness of ad blocking but also permits you to tailor what sites you wish to see ads on.

Features: Avast Secure Browser works by script blocking the ads. You can customize blocking modes – Basic, Balanced, and Strict Blocking. You will also get the Whitelisting feature to pick which sites can show you ads, Web shield, secure DNS over TLS, and others.

Test results: During the AdBlock tester, Avast was rated very highly both on Balanced and Strict modes. However, this ad blocker did fail to block error monitoring, struggled with pop-unders and direct link ads. It also didn’t block YouTube ads in the browser.

Compatibility: Avast Safe Browser is only compatible with different OS versions, including macOS, iOS, Android, and Windows. There are no browser extensions available to use, since the ad blocker only works on the Avast Safe Browser.

Price: You can either get the limited free version or invest to get more features in the paid subscription, which costs $4.58/year. In addition, you’ll get a risk-free 30-day money-back guarantee.

It is important to mention, that recently Avast was fined for tracking and collecting user data, so if you're worried for your security, Avast might not be the best choice for you. Learn more about other Avast antivirus features in our Avast antivirus review.

How we selected and tested iPhone ad blockers

To select only the best ad blockers for your iPhone or iPad, we ran several tests to ensure the capabilities of these tools. Here are the main points:

• Independent testing. We tested the providers with the AdBlocker Tester (adblocker-tester.com) to see how well they perform with blocking different ads.
• In-house testing. We tested the providers by loading a website with plenty of different types of ads, including pop-ups, push notifications, video ads, and others.
• Blocking tracking ads. With coveryourtracks.org we’ve checked 3 main points: blocking tracking ads, blocking invisible ads, and protecting from browser fingerprinting. These features allow advertisers to identify you easier, so it was important to pick only those blockers who manage to prevent these ads.
• Social media ad blocking. Whether it was YouTube, Facebook, or any other social media sites, we selected the ad blockers that were capable of blocking video ads, pop-ups, and other.
• Compatibility. A reliable ad blocker will work on more than just one device. So, we selected only those ad blockers that cover different OS. Also offers browser extensions for the best user experience.
• Features. The best-rated ad blockers need to not only block those annoying pop-ups, but offer additional features. We selected those that provided the Whitelisting, to tailor what sites can still show you ads. In addition, whether they block ads on DNS or script level, script level being the better option, or how easy they are customized.

Why do you need to block ads on your iPhone?

Here we present you with the most important reasons why you should block ads on your iPhone:

• Speed up website loading time. Ad blockers will prevent your browser from downloading harmful, spammy scripts, adware, or even malware that can lag your connection speed.
• Secure your activity online. You may encounter malicious ads that can target sensitive information. With an ad blocker, you can block those ads and, therefore, enjoy a more secure browsing experience.
• Prevent unwanted advertisements. Blocking ads online can be a controversial take, but you, as a user, should have control over the content that you interact with or have it pushed upon you.
• Save your iPhone battery and mobile data. Pages that are filled with ads will take a lot longer to load and will require more power from your device to function. By removing the ads, the loading experience will take less energy and mobile data.

Eliminate intrusive ads on iPhone and iPad with Total Adblock

Tired of unwanted ads on your iOS devices? Protect your online activity and avoid trackers as well as annoying pop-ups with Total Adblock. This top ad blocker keeps you safe from malware and effectively eliminates all types of ads.

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• Works with iOS devices
• Whitelisting feature
• 7-day free trial

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How to block YouTube ads on iPhone and iPad

YouTube ads are some of the most commonly encountered ads in our daily lives. With so many active users that flock to YouTube’s platform, it’s no surprise that many companies seek to advertise themselves on there and in turn shill a lot of funds to have their products appear before viral videos.

However, the sad part is that the majority of YouTube video ads are nonsensical, they are spammy, malicious, and annoying for the users. The worst part is that some of those ads are unskippable as well, so you end up stuck watching, if you’re lucky, a useless 30 seconds video.

That’s why it’s a popular inquiry to search for the best YouTube ad blocker for your iPhone. So, after installing a reliable ad blocker you can enjoy ad-free videos on the YouTube app and browser.

Blocking ads on YouTube is not that difficult. All you need to get is a reliable ad blocker. Our top suggestion for the best YouTube ad blocker for iPhone is TotalAdblock. We’ve tested this provider and can assure you that it works with the app version and Safari browser, and successfully blocks video ads.

Next, you’ll just simply have to follow our guide on how to enable content blocking on your iOS devices, and there you have it – enjoyable ad-free YouTube streaming!

How to turn on ad blocker on iPhone and iPad

To block ads while using your iPhone or iPad, you will need to make a few extra steps than just downloading an ad blocker. For this to work, you’ll need to enable Content blockers on your device.

Worry not, we have prepared a quick and clear guide for you, on how to block ads on your iOS device. All you have to do is follow these steps:

1. Download and install the ad-blocking app from the App Store. Our top suggestion is Total Adblock, now 80% OFF

2. Open iOS Settings.
3. Find and click on Safari.

4. Depending on the iOS model, go to Extensions or Content Blockers.

5. Switch on all Content blockers.

6. Now you can enjoy browsing ad-free on your iPhone!

Are free ad blockers for iPhones safe?

We do not recommend picking free ad blockers for your iPhone. Many free ad blockers can be malware themselves. In addition, most can fail to block pop-ups, banners, and YouTube video ads that can waste your precious bandwidth and battery energy.

This is why you should invest in paid ad blocker instead. By selecting a reliable provider you can be certain that it won’t collect your data with the intent to sell it to third parties.

In addition, paid subscriptions block ads more reliably, including pop-ups or YouTube video ads, for example. Also, they are highly unlikely to infect your device with malware.

Furthermore, you get a lot of customization opportunities and access to the customer support team if any issues arise. So, it’s better to invest in a paid ad blocker for an overall more secure and better experience online.

Instead of a free ad blocker, we suggest picking Total Adblock – our number one rated app. This is the most secure and reliable ad blocker. Not only does it block a variety of different ads, but also removes trackers to protect your information online, improves the page loading time, and saves your mobile data and iPhone battery life.

Conclusion

Ad blockers are not only useful for combating annoying pop-ups or irritating video ads on YouTube. They are also a great tool to protect yourself from malicious online threats targeting your iOS device and your personal data.

Total Adblock is our best-rated ad blocker for iPhone and iPad right now. It supports different OS and browser extensions, blocks different types of ads successfully, including social media ads and YouTube video ads. Overall, this is one of the most secure and well-performing ad blockers for iPhone on the market right now.

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