How to Block Ads on Every Device

Ad blockers improve your browsing experience by removing banner ads, pop-ups, video ads, and tracking scripts. A typical web page loads 50% to 80% faster with an ad blocker because ad-related resources (images, scripts, tracking pixels) often account for more data transfer than the actual content.

Desktop Browsers: uBlock Origin

uBlock Origin (free, open source) is the gold standard browser extension for ad blocking. Install it from the Chrome Web Store, Firefox Add-ons, or Microsoft Edge Add-ons page. After installation, it works immediately with default filter lists that block 99% of ads on most websites.

uBlock Origin consumes significantly less memory than alternatives like AdBlock Plus because it uses a more efficient filtering engine. On a browser with 10 open tabs, uBlock Origin uses about 50 MB of RAM compared to 200 to 300 MB for AdBlock Plus.

Mobile Browsers

iPhone Safari: Go to Settings, Safari, Extensions, and install a content blocker like 1Blocker (free basic version) or AdGuard (free). Safari content blockers work at the operating system level, blocking ads across all websites visited in Safari.

Android Chrome: Chrome on Android does not support ad-blocking extensions. Switch to Firefox for Android, which supports uBlock Origin, or use the Brave browser (Chromium-based with built-in ad blocking). Samsung Internet browser also supports ad-blocking extensions.

DNS-level blocking: Cloudflare’s 1.1.1.1 app (free) includes a “Block Malware and Adult Content” mode that blocks ad-related domains at the DNS level, working across all apps and browsers on the device.

Network-Level Blocking: Pi-hole

For technically inclined users, Pi-hole is a free, open-source DNS sinkhole that blocks ads across every device on your home network. Install it on a Raspberry Pi ($35 hardware) or any Linux computer. Configure your router to use the Pi-hole as its DNS server, and every device connected to your Wi-Fi automatically gets ad blocking, including smart TVs, streaming devices, and game consoles that do not support browser extensions.

Pi-hole blocks ads that are embedded in apps (not just web browsers), including mobile games, streaming apps, and smart TV interfaces. It blocks about 15% to 30% of all DNS queries on a typical home network, illustrating how much of your internet traffic is ad and tracking-related.

Whitelisting Sites You Support

If you want to support specific websites that rely on ad revenue, add them to your ad blocker’s whitelist. In uBlock Origin, click the extension icon and click the large blue power button to disable blocking on the current site. This allows ads to load on that site while maintaining blocking everywhere else.

The Ethics of Ad Blocking

Some websites depend on advertising revenue to fund free content. Blocking their ads reduces their income and threatens the sustainability of free internet content. The counterargument is that modern advertising is invasive, tracks users across the web, consumes excessive bandwidth, and occasionally distributes malware through compromised ad networks. A balanced approach: use ad blockers as a default for privacy and security, and whitelist specific sites whose content you value and want to support. Many sites also offer subscription options that remove ads while providing direct revenue that is more sustainable than advertising anyway.

Another consideration is that ad-blocking actually improves security. Malvertising (malware distributed through legitimate advertising networks) is a growing threat. In 2023, Google removed 5.5 billion ads that violated its policies, many of which contained malicious redirects. An ad blocker provides an additional security layer that even antivirus software does not fully cover.

Bottom Line

Install uBlock Origin on desktop browsers and Brave or Firefox on mobile for immediate ad blocking. For whole-network blocking including smart TVs and apps, set up Pi-hole on a Raspberry Pi. Pages load 50% to 80% faster, data usage drops by 30% to 50%, and tracking across the web is significantly reduced.