is there an app that blocks ads?

If you want it free with nothing to set up

Brave is a free web browser with a built-in ad and tracker blocker called Shields, which is on by default for every site. Per its UK App Store listing, it blocks banner ads, pop-ups and ads that play before and during videos. Brave calls itself free and open source, and it runs on Windows, Mac, Linux, Android and iOS. The trade for that simplicity is that it only blocks ads in Brave. Your other apps, and any other browser you use, carry on as before. Paid extras such as Firewall + VPN and a paid tier of its Leo AI are in-app purchases, with Firewall + VPN at £9.99 per month on the UK App Store, but you do not need them for the blocking.

Ad blocking keeps pages clean; hiding your traffic is a different job, and that means a VPN. People tend to assume a free one is a trap. The page on a free online VPN says where that's partly true: which options have no data cap, which ones cap you, and what each free plan covers.

If you use Firefox

uBlock Origin is a free, open-source browser extension that blocks ads and other unwanted content using community filter lists. Its developer says it works best on Firefox, its README says no donations are sought, and it is also available on Firefox for Android. The cost is the same browser limit as Brave, plus a bigger one. Its README says Manifest V2 extensions were removed from the Chrome Web Store on 31 August 2026 and Edge is moving away from them. It is still listed for Firefox, Edge and Opera, and the README points to a separate uBlock Origin Lite, but if you use Chrome, full uBlock Origin is no longer in its store.

If you want ads blocked inside other apps and games

AdGuard makes ad blocking apps for Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, Linux and browsers. It says its Android app blocks ads across browsers, games and other apps without root access. That reach costs effort and money. AdGuard says its free Android version can't filter apps, so blocking inside apps and games needs the paid version, which has a 14-day trial, and the full Android app is installed as an APK from AdGuard's own site. On iOS, the free version covers Safari ad blocking and basic privacy protection with no account needed; app protection via DNS and advanced YouTube blocking need Pro. Pro has a 7-day free trial, and on the UK App Store it is £2.99 per month for Personal Monthly or £29.99 for Personal Annual. AdGuard's own site showed us euro prices, with a Personal licence covering 3 devices and Family 9.

If you want every device covered

NextDNS is a DNS service that blocks ads and trackers on websites and in apps, on any device you point at it. Even the free tier allows unlimited devices and all features. The catch is the allowance: 300,000 queries a month, and after that NextDNS keeps answering but stops blocking. NextDNS says all its prices are in euros, which matters if you budget in pounds. On the UK App Store, Pro is an in-app purchase at £2.99 for Pro Monthly or £29.99 for Pro Yearly.

If you want open source on Android

Blokada makes open-source privacy apps for Android and iOS: an ad blocker, a VPN and parental controls. Blokada 5 is free, open source and, in Blokada's words, "free forever". It works for all apps and browsers on Android and needs no root. Blokada calls it its older version, and you download it as an APK for Android rather than from an app store. Blokada 6 (cloud) and Blokada Plus (VPN) are separate options whose prices we could not see on Blokada's homepage, so do not assume the free version's terms carry over.

If you've got your ads sorted and you're wondering what else your phone can quietly do for you, there's a neighbouring question that comes up a lot. It's about recording phone calls, and the answer is yes, with built-in options on newer iPhones and Android, plus a couple of apps. What works depends on your country and device, which that guide goes through.

When paying is worth it

The main dividing line is this. A browser or extension, such as Brave or uBlock Origin, only blocks ads in that browser. If you want blocking across apps, you need AdGuard's paid version, Blokada or a DNS service like NextDNS. That is what you give up by choosing the easiest options.

The clearest case for paying is NextDNS Pro, at €1.99 per month or €19.90 per year. It is worth it once a household goes past 300,000 queries a month, since the free tier then stops blocking. On iPhone, AdGuard Pro is the step up if you want blocking beyond Safari.

YouTube says blocking its ads violates its Terms of Service, and it may block video playback if you keep using an ad blocker. AdGuard's iOS listing says it blocks ads in Safari including YouTube, and Brave says Shields stops video ads, but neither changes what YouTube says it may do.

According to uBlock Origin's README, Chrome removed the remaining Manifest V2 extensions from its store on 31 August 2026, so full uBlock Origin is no longer available from the Chrome Web Store.

The AdGuard Android app comes as an APK from AdGuard's site rather than from the app store, so you install it yourself.