The Best Ad Blockers for iPhone 2024

Ad blockers can make browsing on your iPhone faster, safer, and less annoying by blocking ads and trackers. With so many options to choose from, it can be tricky to find the best ad blocker for your iPhone that fits your needs.

In this detailed guide, we’ll cover the top ad blockers available for iOS, how they work, key features to look for, and provide tips on how to choose the right one for you. Whether you want an ad blocker focused on speed, privacy, custom filters or across multiple devices, we’ve tested the top options to recommend the best for every need.

How Do Ad Blockers for iPhone Work?

Ad blocker apps work by using filters to block requests from ad networks and tracking domains when you browse the web on Safari or in apps. When enabled, the ad blocker will stop ads, popups, autoplaying videos, and other annoying or malicious content from loading on webpages and apps.

This makes pages load faster, saves data usage, and improves privacy by preventing companies from tracking your online activity to serve targeted ads. It also blocks malvertising attempts that spread malware through tainted ads.

Some ad blockers like 1Blocker offer additional blocking capabilities for things like social media widgets, comments, and adult content. Others like AdGuard integrate advanced filters that can block entire elements like Facebook’s newsfeed but leave the rest of the site intact.

For iPhone, ad blockers come in the form of downloadable apps. After installing from the App Store, they will run in the background and function as an extension to filter requests in Safari and other apps. Some require additional setup like enabling Safari extensions in iOS settings.

Benefits of Using an Ad Blocker on iPhone

There are many benefits that come with using an ad blocker on your iPhone:

• Faster page loading: By removing data-heavy ads and trackers, pages will load significantly faster. This saves you time and reduces data usage.

• Less annoyance: Blocking intrusive ads, autoplaying videos, and popups makes for smoother browsing. You can customize filters to block the annoyances you specifically don’t want to see.

• Improved privacy: Ad blockers shut down hidden trackers that follow you across sites to build profiles and serve targeted ads. This prevents companies from collecting as much data on your online activity.

• Enhanced security: Malicious ads are a common vector for spreading malware. An ad blocker protects you by preventing these threats from loading in the first place.

• Save battery life: With fewer resources being used in the background to load ads and process trackers, your battery will last longer between charges.

• Remove clutter: Ad-free pages are much cleaner and easier to read without excessive ads competing for your attention.

Factors to Consider When Choosing an iPhone Ad Blocker

With many options to choose from, here are some key factors to consider when picking the best ad blocker for your iPhone:

• Compatibility: Make sure the ad blocker works on iOS and blocks ads effectively in Safari mobile and in apps. Extensions that only work on desktop browsers won’t help.

• Custom filters: Look for options to fine-tune blocking with custom filters for ads, trackers, social media, cookies, and other nuisances. This allows greater control.

• Privacy features: If privacy is a priority, choose an ad blocker that focuses on blocking more trackers. Some even offer additional protection like hiding your IP address.

• Performance impact: You want an ad blocker that speeds up and doesn’t slow down your web browsing experience. Look for ones proven to be light on system resources.

• Extra features: Consider any bonus features like firewalls, anti-malware scanning, parental controls, or even VPN access if you want an all-in-one privacy solution.

• Price: Ad blockers range from free to paid subscriptions. Free options work well enough for basic ad blocking while paid tiers unlock more advanced functionality.

• Cross-device support: For seamless browsing across devices, choose an ad blocker that works across iOS, Android, Windows, and major browsers.

The 6 Best Ad Blockers for iPhone

Based on extensive testing and research, we recommend these top 6 ad blockers for effectively blocking ads on iPhone:

1. 1Blocker – Best Overall for iOS

Price: Free version with premium from $2.99/mo

1Blocker is our top pick for the best ad blocker on iPhone. Developed specifically for Safari mobile, it consistently blocks ads, trackers, and annoyances on websites. The intuitive iOS app makes it easy to customize filters.

We like 1Blocker for its:

• Powerful default filters that block ads, trackers, widgets, popups, and harmful sites.

• Ability to toggle specific filters on and off which is great for fine-tuning.

• Seamless compatibility across iOS and macOS devices.

• Extra features in premium version like blocking direct links to apps and an advanced firewall.

• Slick minimal design that’s enjoyable to use.

The major downside is 1Blocker only works on Apple devices. But for iPhone users who want a seamless ad blocking experience customized for Safari mobile, 1Blocker is hands down the best choice.

Get 1Blocker

2. AdGuard – Best for Custom Filters

Price: Free or premium from $9.99/year

AdGuard stands out for offering users unmatched control and customization over blocking filters compared to other ad blockers. The flexible iOS app combined with an enormous filter list makes it easy to block just what you want.

Highlights include:

• Over 50 filter categories to precisely block anything from ads, trackers, and social media to entire website elements.

• Ability to create custom user filters using filter syntax for advanced fine-tuning.

• No speed or performance impact during our testing thanks to efficient coding.

• Available across all major platforms and browsers for seamless usage.

The main drawback with AdGuard is the advanced features require more technical knowledge. But for those who want extreme blocking customization, AdGuard is the best iPhone ad blocker.

Get AdGuard

3. AdBlock Plus – Best Free Option

Price: Free

For a free ad blocker option, AdBlock Plus consistently tops the charts. It excels at basic ad blocking in Safari mobile plus easy whitelisting sites you want to support.

Key features:

• Quickly blocks ads from loading on websites visited in Safari.

• Lets you whitelist specific sites and channels where you don’t mind seeing ads.

• Lightweight app has minimal impact on browser performance.

• Available as a free browser extension on all major desktop browsers as well.

The compromise is you don’t get advanced features offered in premium ad blockers. But as a free option, AdBlock Plus works great.

Get AdBlock Plus

4. AdBlock – Best for Beginners

Price: Free or paid premium $9.99/year

AdBlock makes it easy for beginners to start enjoying an ad-free web immediately with their iPhone. It automatically blocks ads the moment you install the app.

We like AdBlock for:

• One-click installation that works right away to remove ads.

• Seamless usage across iOS, Android, Windows, Mac, and all browsers.

• Pausing/unpausing ad blocking as needed with a click.

• Paying a low annual fee unlocks advanced ad blocking capability and custom filters.

The simplicity comes at the cost of less configurability for filtering compared to other ad blockers. But it’s a small price to pay for effortless usage.

Get AdBlock

5. Total Adblock – Best for YouTube Ads

Price: Free or paid premium $9.99/year

Total Adblock makes watching ad-free YouTube videos possible on iPhone by sharing videos to its app. This workaround blocks all YouTube ads seamlessly.

Highlights include:

• Opening YouTube videos in Total Adblock strips all video ads, banners, popups.

• Quickly blocks ads on websites in Safari with a single toggle.

• Strong privacy protection blocks the most trackers during testing.

• Premium protection available via one TotalAV subscription.

The only limitation is the free version doesn’t block ads on as many sites as premium blockers. But it excels at removing YouTube video ads.

Get Total Adblock

6. Safariblocker+ – Best Free Safari-only Blocker

Price: Free

If you just want a simple free ad blocker exclusively for Safari on iPhone, Safariblocker+ is a great pick. Despite being developed by a lone developer, it competes surprisingly well in ad blocking capabilities.

Key advantages include:

• Blocks effectively even on free tier with frequent filter updates.

• Light-weight extension made solely for Safari.

• Easy to use with minimal configurable options.

• Completely open-source code you can review.

Downsides are no advanced features or cross-device support. But Safariblocker+ nails the basics for free.

Get Safariblocker+

How to Choose the Best Ad Blocker for Your iPhone

All the ad blockers covered excel at removing ads on iPhone. But choosing the right one depends on your specific needs and priorities.

Here are some key questions to ask yourself when deciding:

• Is cross-device support important? If you want to block ads across your iPhone, Android, PC and apps seamlessly, choose a multi-platform ad blocker like AdGuard.

• Do you watch lots of YouTube? Total Adblock makes YouTube ad-free viewing easy by opening videos in its app.

• Is privacy your top concern? Ad blockers like 1Blocker with lots of anti-tracking filters will secure your data most.

• Do you want to fine-tune filters? AdGuard has the most advanced customization options for blocking.

• Is an easy to use set-and-forget option ideal? AdBlock requires the least configuration for simple blocking.

• Is paying for premium features worthwhile? Paid tiers unlock extra functions though free ad blockers work decently.

Also check app store reviews for factors like resource usage, quality of customer support, frequency of updates, and localization for your language.

How to Set Up an Ad Blocker on Your iPhone

Installing an ad blocker on your iPhone only takes a few minutes. Follow these steps:

1. Install the ad blocker app from the iOS App Store. Popular options include 1Blocker, AdGuard, AdBlock, etc.

2. Open the Settings app and select Safari.

3. Tap on Extensions, then toggle on the ad blocker app extension.

4. Restart Safari for changes to take effect. The ad blocker will now start filtering ads and trackers automatically.

5. Open the ad blocker app to customize filters and configure any additional options offered like whitelisting sites.

That’s all it takes to start enjoying an ad-reduced browsing experience on your iPhone! Take some time to experiment with different filter options to optimize the ad blocking to your preferences.

Enjoy An Ad-Free Browsing Experience

Using an ad blocker is a no-brainer upgrade that will make your iPhone browsing faster, more private, and aggravation-free. Hiding invasive ads leads to a much better user experience.

We highly recommend giving one of the top-rated ad blocker options above a try to block ads across Safari, YouTube, social media, and other apps. Our top recommendation is 1Blocker which combines excellent default blocking with easy customization.

Whichever ad block app you choose, your web browsing days will certainly be brighter once you’re empowered to block annoying ads.