10 Free Tools to Block Annoying Ads

Article by George Norman (Cybersecurity Editor)

on 27 Sep 2016

Nobody likes ads, and for good reason. They’re annoying, they’re distracting, they waste bandwidth, they eat up system resources. And worse of all, they’re downright dangerous (sometimes).

It’s no wonder that ad blocking is on the rise. More and more people turn to ad blocking tools because they’re fed up with it. Ad blocking tools like the 10 free ones listed below.

1. Ad Muncher for Windows



For some 15 years, Ad Muncher was shareware. That all ended in the fall of 2014, when the ad blocker was set free. So what happened in the 2 years since?

The good news is that Ad Muncher still gets filter list updates. The bad news is that it hasn’t received any program updates since… well, about the time it became free. And in further bad news, Ad Muncher doesn’t work as well as it used to. It still catches ads, but not all of them and not all the time.

Download Ad Muncher for Windows right here on FindMySoft. Learn more about Ad Muncher.


2. Kaspersky AdCleaner for iOS and Safari



Kaspersky’s AdCleaner app for iOS blocks ads, popups, autoplays, and trackers. By doing so, it keeps your browsing habits private, it helps the browser load pages faster, and it extends your iPhone’s or iPad’s battery life. That’s on top of keeping annoying ads at bay, of course.

Get Kaspersky AdCleaner from Apple’s App Store.
Learn more about Kaspersky Ad Cleaner.


3. Anvi AD Blocker Ultimate for Windows



Anvisoft updating Anvi Ad Blocker Ultimate to version 3.2 was a big deal. Not because the update improved the application’s performance, but because it made all features available for free. Since the release of version 3.2, Anvi Ad Blocker Ultimate is free for everyone.

Download Anvi AD Blocker Ultimate for Windows right here on FindMySoft. Learn more about Anvi AD Blocker Ultimate.


4. F-Secure AdBlocker for iOS and Safari



The nice Finns at F-Secure have several free tools to offer, including one that will block ads when you’re surfing the web on your iPhone or iPad. I am, of course, talking about the appropriately named F-Secure AdBlocker. It blocks online advertising that slow down your web browsing and it saves bandwidth by not downloading intrusive ads.

Get F-Secure AdBlocker from Apple’s App Store.
Learn more about F-Secure AdBlocker.


5. AdBlock for Chrome, Safari, and Opera



AdBlock boasts about having more than 40 million users and promises that you’ll never have to see an ad again while surfing the web. Including YouTube ads.

AdBlock is available as an extension for Chrome, Safari, and Opera. Learn more about Adblock.


6. Adblock Browser for iOS and Android



Eyeo’s best-known product is AdBlock Plus, the ad blocking extension that’s available for a lot of browsers, including Firefox, Chrome, Safari, Opera, Edge, Internet Explorer, Yandex Browser, and Maxthon Cloud Browser.

But I’ve decided that I’m not going to feature AdBlock Plus on this list, opting instead for Adblock Browser, the ad blocking mobile browser that’s available for Android and iOS.

Get Adblock Browser for Android and iOS from their respective app stores. Learn more about Adblock Browser and Adblock Plus.

And don’t forget that AdBlock Plus wants to show you, one of its 100 million users, acceptable ads. “The Acceptable Ads Platform helps publishers who want to show an alternative, nonintrusive ad experience to users with ad blockers by providing them with a tool that lets them implement Acceptable Ads themselves,” said Till Faida, co-founder of Adblock Plus.


7. Brave browser for desktop and mobile



Brendan Eich co-founded the Mozilla project, Mozilla Foundation and Mozilla Corporation; he also served as Mozilla’s CEO until April 2014. That intro is necessary, because it leads to this. Brendan Eich is currently the CEO of Brave Software, company that came up with Brave, a web browser that blocks trackers, intrusive ads and malvertisment.

Brave also takes into consideration the fact that websites display ads because they need to make money. The latest version of Brave for desktop introduces a Beta version of Brave Payments, a Bitcoin-based micropayments system that lets you reward the sites whose content they value and wish to support. So basically, you can help fund your favorite websites.

Download Brave for Windows right here on FindMySoft.
Download Brave for other platforms: macOS, Linux, iOS, Android.


8. Goodblock for Chrome



Goodblock cares about your wellbeing and the wellbeing of others. First up, here’s what it does for you: it blocks trackers, pop-ups, auto-play video ads, Facebook ads, YouTube ads, and other types of ads. Next up, here’s what it does for others: it supports various charities. Actually, it gives you, the Goodblock user, the option to choose what charity you want to support.

"We don't believe in 'acceptable ads' that you see without consent," explained Gladly, the company that created Tab for a Cause and Goodblock. "Instead, every day we provide one ad we think you’ll enjoy. You can choose to see it and then donate the revenue from that ad to a partnered charity, including Save the Children, Action Against Hunger and Water.org. "

Get Goodblock for Chrome from the Chrome Web Store.
Lean more about Goodblock.


9. Opera VPN for iOS and Android



A VPN’s main purpose is to encrypt your connection, hide your IP address, and conceal your real location, thus offering protection against snoopers and fooling websites into thinking you’re from another country. Opera’s VPN solution certain does that: it offers free and unlimited access to VPN servers located in the US, Canada, Germany, Singapore and the Netherlands.

Opera VPN has a cool ace up its sleeve: it can also block trackers and ads. So not only are you getting a free an unlimited VPN, you’re also getting a free ad blocker.

Get Opera for iOS and Android from their respective app stores. Learn more about Opera VPN.

There is one small, little detail about Opera VPN being a free app. To keep it free, Opera Software will sometimes display ads within the app.


10. Opera browser for desktop and mobile



Opera Software is the first major browser developer to build ad blocking technology into its browser. Or to put it in other words, the Opera web browser can natively block ads. You don’t need any add-on, extension, or additional software. You just need the Opera web browser.

Opera’s ad-blocking browser is available for all major platforms. That’s Opera for desktop computers, Opera for Android, and Opera Mini for iOS, Android, or Windows Phone.

Get the latest version of Opera for Windows right here on FindMySoft. Learn more about Opera.



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