Hey everyone, I’ve recently gone back to using Safari as my main browser and I really like it, with the exception of being a little lost when it comes to the options for adblock extensions. I have Wipr, but I don’t love the lack of customization. The two I see mentioned most are Adguard and 1Blocker. If I were to pay for one premium service, which would you recommend? Edit: Should’ve mentioned that I’m speaking about macOS as opposed to iOS!
I’m a fan of a multi-tiered approach.
For system wide, I update/replace my etc/hosts file with the one generated here. The advantage is that this blocks ads system wide—not just in Safari. They simply cannot load at all on your computer. It’s free, but updates have to be preformed manually.
Next, VPNs often add an additional layer of protection. Apple offers one with iCloud subscriptions, but I’m also fond of Lockdown
And then finally for an actual Safari extension, I use 1Blocker, which I guess actually answers your question.
If you’ve ever used Adguard or Ghostery in the past, do you happen to know how 1Blocker compares to them? Thanks!
I’ve not tried Adguard, but I was fond of and a user of Ghostery before the reveal that they were blocking ads on one hand, while also reporting to ad tech companies.
As for how to compare all three of them… that’s hard to say. All blockers hit the major eye sores on popular sites like Reddit, Google, and Facebook. Day-to-day you’re not going to notice a difference.
The complication becomes that Blocker 1 may block ads A, B, and C, while Blocker 2 blocks ads A, B, and D. One is not necessarily better than the other, but more that they have different scopes.
Then there’s the fact that some sites refuse to load content if they detect you aren’t loading the ads. It’s not really the adblockers fault even if it’s a consequence of using them.
Unfortunately, running multiple adblockers has a non-zero chance of causing unintentional conflicts where both blockers try to attack the same ad.
Which brings me back to my method of having my cake and eating it too. By using a VPN, a custom hosts file, and a browser extension, I have multiple non-conflicting layers that protect me better than any one solution.