At the time of increasingly annoying and intrusive ads, ad-blocking apps are pertinent to ensure a quality browsing experience. With the proliferation of smartphones and internet penetration across the world, most people are yet to realize that they are carrying around tracking devices, that have turned them into commodities.
Whether you’re playing games, watching videos, or just casually surfing, non-sensical irrelevant ads are the biggest bane on the internet. Fortunately, there are hundreds of third-party apps available for Android that safely get rid of annoying and malicious ads on the device. In this post, we discuss the top 12 best ad-block apps you can consider installing on Android devices.
AdBlock Plus
Arguably the most popular ad-block app on this list, AdBlock Plus works on both rooted and non-rooted devices. It works in the form of an extension in the background and blocks ads without any user intervention. You just need to download and set it up once and it keeps working on its own to keep you free from any distractions.
The app comes with different functionality for rooted and non-rooted devices. If you have a rooted Android device, it filters all the traffic coming to you. It also has a different way of working for different Android versions. However, you can find instructions about its installation and use on the official website.
AdLock
AdLock is another well-founded option when it comes to blocking annoying advertisements on your Android device. It prevents ads on different apps and browsers to improve load times, maintain privacy and enhance the experience. It uses a local VPN to filter traffic and eliminate any requests from malicious or phishing sites to protect users from any threats.
The app works as a standalone program on your phone and uses filters to block popups, ads, and auto-playing videos to facilitate secure browsing, and speed up loading times. You can try the app for free on Android before purchasing it for an ad-free experience on your smartphone.
AdGuard
An ad/popup blocker is a great way to get rid of ads popping up on browsers. For Android, there are several tools that help, one of the best being AdGuard. It is a simple tool designed to take care of most of the ads you may encounter to ensure a clean and ad-free mobile experience. The app works effectively by running a background service to filter web traffic.
AdGuard is available for multiple platforms and works without root on Android. It comes with a nice user interface that makes it easy to use. The free version of the app blocks ads on the browser only, though you can subscribe to get access to additional features. AdGuard can also block ads appearing in games. It also offers features like integrated VPN configuration, firewall configuration, protection against phishing and malware.
Currently, this ad-blocker is not available on the Play Store and needs to be downloaded as an .apk file from the website. It offers a content blocker that you can download from the Google Play Store on your Android.
AdAway
Another amazing choice for Android ad-blocking, AdAway is a free, open-source app for rooted devices, that functions on the file level of the host. It is a simple ad blocker that employs modified host files to send ad requests to nowhere to be able to block them.
The app allows using custom and modified host files and even lets you download the basic one. As these files are stored as read-only on Android, you need a root for this app to work.
AdAway does a great job at redirecting ads and blocking gaming pop-ups, advertisements, and other distractions. The app also gives you the option to whitelist and blacklist addresses to be able to customize what ads are displayed and what is blocked. The only downsides of this app are that you need to download it from F-Droid and you need root access.
Block This
Though not the most popular ad-block app on the list, Block This is open-source and effective software that you can use for free on Android. The app uses a similar VPN-style functionality like AdGuard and AdBlock Plus to help you get rid of annoying apps on smartphones. However, Block This replaces filtering with DNS blocking.
The developers say this method has a much lower power & data consumption as compared to other apps as most of the work is already accomplished before the data reaches the device.
The ad-block Android app not only helps stay away from distractions in the form of ads but also allows browsing safely by eliminating malware. It provides a safe browsing experience from the mobile browser. Also, it strives to improve the loading time and lower data consumption when you surf the internet from your browser.
Using Block This is incredibly simple, with a ‘One Click’ setup. There are no complicated settings except for activating the app upon start-up. While it is completely free to use, you can support the app in multiple ways if you are happy with the experience.
TrustGo Ad Detector
TrustGo Ad Detector is a powerful Android app that works in two ways. It not only blocks ads displayed by different apps through popular advertisement networks but also protects the privacy of users, preventing any data or identity leakages. It is a part of the TrustGo family of Antivirus & Security solutions, and is capable of identifying ads from more than 100 networks. It can be downloaded for free on Android devices from the Play Store.
This ad detector employs some of the most advanced technologies to block different types of malicious attacks and annoying ads on various applications and browsers. It identifies threats in the form of push notifications, screen shortcuts, and others, and blocks them effectively to protect your privacy and security. The app also lets users adjust some configuration settings to suit their convenience with the user-friendly interface.
AdShield AdBlocker
Another powerful ad-block app on the list is AdShield AdBlocker that uses highly advanced technology to deliver an ad-free browsing experience on the Android platform. Designed specifically keeping small screen devices in mind, the app has a minimalist design that integrates seamlessly with the experience. It is available for free download on the Google Play Store.
AdShield strives to be a modern content blocker right from its interface to the core functionality. It adopts the Android design language and offers several new technologies like an adaptive dark mode, browser extension, and custom DNS. The DNS changer supports mobile connections and Wi-Fi and works as a plug-in to facilitate a distraction-free video experience.
A unique feature of this ad-block app is the Dark Mode which is a part of its carefully designed user interface that strives to improve the overall experience. This Android 10 mode provides a sleek and unified look with adjusted textures and colors. With its powerful DNS interception, the app can block almost every ad on every webpage. You can even use it to block social media, porn, and gambling sites.
AppBrain Ad Detector
AppBrain Ad Detector, as the name suggests, is a free Ad-block app for Android devices that comes with smart functionality to detect ads. It is aimed at helping you free your smartphone from ads and spyware. It detects all the annoyances across installed apps in the form of spam ads, push notifications, spyware, and apps that threaten privacy. It thus protects your privacy while giving you an ad-free experience.
AppBrain does not remove anything from your device automatically but detects adware and other content and allows you to remove them. It also helps you understand what sources they come from and their underlying networks. The strength of this app lies in its ability to detect more than 70 different aspects of apps on your phone to keep you safe and protected.
The Ad Detector can identify any attempts to access your messages, contacts, location, or accounts and detect social SDKs like Twitter and Facebook. It also notifies you of any malicious push notifications that put spam icons on your screen and other privacy-related concerns. It takes care of all the unwanted notifications on your device and tries to limit distractions in your mobile experience.
AdFree Android
Another free ad-block app available for Android phones and tablets, AdFree Android is designed by a reputed company with impressive features. It can be downloaded for free on your Android smartphone to start enjoying an ad-free experience. The app is capable of blocking different types of ads appearing on various apps and browsers.
AdFree works on a distinct concept to block ads on Android. It cancels all the requests made to unknown hostnames that serve ads. The tool works on all the apps installed on the phone and two of the most used Android browsers – Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome. It also allows the users to tweak some of the settings like the IP address. You can decide whether you want to use the default or custom IP address.
AdBlock Fast
Marketed as the fastest ad-blocking service for Android, AdBlock Fast offers 8 times accelerated webpage loading with the use of the technology. It executes seven filtering rules for ad-blocking to render fast loading and consume lesser resources than other ad-blockers. With a small number of filtering rules, the app can run faster than most other software with much lesser disk space.
With AdBlock Fast, you can not just get rid of annoying ads on apps and browsers but also improve your device performance by several times. It does so by minimizing the use of memory and processor. It can be downloaded for Android and employed in Samsung Internet from the Extensions option. It can also be installed as a standalone app on the device to block ads from other applications.
Blokada
A powerful open-source program aimed at blocking ads on Android, Blokada works across all the applications running on your device. It is popular as a privacy app as well and helps block malware, trackers, and threats along with annoying ads. The secure, free, open-source software is a one-stop aid for efficiently blocking ads and protecting the privacy of the device.
Blokada works for all the browsers and apps on Android and requires no root. The Premium version of the app even uses an advanced VPN protocol to hide IP addresses and encrypt network activity. With strong encryption, the app protects your information in real-time to provide the highest level of protection. You also get access to other useful VPN features like changing location, hiding identity, and unblocking geo-restricted content.
The app does not track or share any of the information or network activity of any user. It even saves data usage and optimizes the performance of your device. You can download the app’s free version from Google Play Store to avail basic ad-blocking features or upgrade for an affordable fee to enjoy premium security features.
MinMinGuard
MinMinGuard is another good Adblock app available for free for Android devices. Like other popular ad-blocking tools, this app also restricts advertisements from different apps. It is an open-source app that you can access on the Github platform for free. What makes this app different from other ad-blockers is its ability to remove empty space created by ads.
While conventional ad-removing tools only block the ad content, the space occupied by the ads remains unused. MinMinGuard is designed to remove the blank space successfully to extend and improve user experience. Such functionality helps boost your Android performance.
Moreover, the app does not use any virtual private network and thus saves on battery and data consumption. It also comes with settings to let users block ads on specific apps to suit their needs and preferences.
Conclusion
We hope this list of ad-block apps for Android helps you pick the best tool to get an ad-free experience on your device. Consider the features of the apps to shortlist the ones that suit your needs and preferences and get the one that fulfills your requirements the best!