Greetings… I am considering starting to use Safari more going forward. I want to not be distracted with content I have not asked for. Brave (browser) has been pretty good for the last few years.
What are some of the more effective and lightweight ad blockers recommended nowadays for Safari. And, I am also open to using another browser.
Cheers
Wipr is really good - doing its job silently in the background.
One time payment.
I’ve found Wipr to be fine - it’s so simple.
However, I’ve switched back to the more complex 1Blocker recently, for no apparent reason other than boredom.
What device do you need this for?
There have been various chats about it recently. This one is fairly thorough:
I have found 1Blocker (when using the Firewall feature) lately ‘blocking’ connections to some of my regular and routine requests, e.g., NYT crossword puzzle. Other wise it does work well for me.
+1 for Wipr. Works great, never notice it.
I have changed ad blockers many times – currently on AdBlock Pro. Used 1Blocker for a while, and a few others. There’s no perfection for these things – there’s always web sites that just won’t work right with any ad blocker. Part of that is Safari, I’m sure.
Katie
I’ve been successfully using Wipr and only use the Safari browser. However I have “Wipr Extra” disabled as that does cause problems.
The free version of AdGuard from the App Store works fine for me, though I typically only use Safari when I need to maximize battery life. Btw, (since you mention it), Brave is the only browser I’ve found that consistently passes the fingerprinting part of the Cover Your Tracks test.
I use uBlock Origin on Firefox and Arc (and on Safari when it was still available). I also used to use it on Vivaldi and Brave, but found that their built in ad blockers work just as well.
I allow ads to display (like an animal). I figure it’s the least I can do for the person going to the trouble of making a website that I am interested in reading.
Unfortunately for them, however, my eyes have gotten pretty good at sliding over most ads.
Same here… I’m actually not sure what it does, and don’t really care since the rest of it does what I need just fine.
Mein Gott…
To me, it’s not just if I’d rather see an ad or not, it’s the tracking tech that goes along with it that I primarily object to. Sure, show me an ad to keep your site running, but I don’t agree to let you see which site I came from, which one I’m going to next, where on the current page I click, the color of my eyes, the middle name of my maternal grandmother, etc, etc, etc…
The ad-based internet economy is garbage, lipstick on a spyware pig. I’ll have no part of it, as much as I can.
For a more reasonable ad approach, see podcasts from RelayFM, or the little square of an ad on Daring Fireball. Tasteful, non-intrusive, and no spyware. No reason to block them.
Ads can also be a vector for malware.
Have a look at nextDNS.
Much more than just ad-blocking. It also provides more privacy and protection when configured well. Many Youtube videos avaulable to help set this up. It can run network-wide and protect more than just an app or computer.
I use Ghostery. It’s free and universal. I have no complaints.
I don’t use any ad blockers. I use the Safari Reader, or clip the article to Goodlinks, to read an article distraction free. And I clear my browser cache after every session.
I agree there’s no perfect solution.
+1 for Wipr. Lightweight, effective and without subscriptions!
Pi Hole, as it blocks ads for all browsers and devices on my network.
NextDNS when on off my home wifi - though I could happily use it at home as well, I just like the control of Pi Hole.
Out of interest why do you do this as opposed to always using private browsing? I make heavy use of private browsing, particularly whenever I need to log in to anything.
Habit, I’ve been doing it for decades. Cookies were the original way to track us and AFAIK still the favorite. So regardless of the browser I use I clear my cache before I walk away from my computer, or put down my iPad.
I never “see” advertisements anymore. They are on the page of course, but I’ve been ignoring them for so long they normally cannot catch my attention. But if they are too intrusive I will use Safari Reader or Goodlinks to read the page. If I can’t do that I just leave.
I use multiple browsers. For example I’m a Google Workspace user so because I’m always logged in on Google Chrome I use Safari for general browsing, etc.
Sounds like private browsing is working well for you. I’m an old dog and kind of set in my ways. 