Best for ease of use

4.5

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On Total Adblock's website

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Total Adblock

• Remove ads & trackers on YouTube, Facebook, and most websites
• Hands-off ad-blocking experience
• Easy to set up
• Free version excludes top 15,000 websites

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Featured

4.5

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On NordVPN Threat Protection's website

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NordVPN Threat Protection

• Threat protection - Block ads, trackers, and malicious downloads
• Works on multiple devices and browsers
• 30-day money-back guarantee
• Lacks a dedicated firewall

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Best for Personalized Ad Blocking

5.0

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On AdGuard Ad Blocker's website

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AdGuard Ad Blocker

• Easy-to-use interface
• Offers browser extensions and OS applications
• Must install on each browser unless using the desktop application

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Best for Simplified Ad Blocking

4.8

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On uBlock Origin's website

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uBlock Origin

• Open-source for transparent security
• Quality content blocker
• User interface is lackluster

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There’s nothing more annoying than pesky ads interrupting your YouTube video-watching experience. Even if you use an ad blocker, YouTube has started displaying pop-ups before videos warning users that ad blockers violate YouTube's terms of service. You’re prompted to either view the YouTube ads or pay for a YouTube Premium subscription.

But what if you didn’t have to watch those annoying ads or buy YouTube Premium? Based on our testing, we’ve found that Total Adblock, AdGuard, and uBlock Origin all blocked YouTube’s ad blocker detection as well as the usual YouTube ads. We’ll cover these best ad blockers for YouTube based on their customizable settings, user experience, and ease of use. We'll also share why NordVPN Threat Protection is still a solid ad blocker, even if it didn't pass our YouTube tests. 

The best ad blockers for YouTube 2024

• Total Adblock: Best for ease of use
• AdGuard: Best for personalized ad blocking
• uBlock Origin: Best for simplified ad blocking
  

Top 3 ad blockers for YouTube compared

Ad blocker	Total Adblock	AdGuard	uBlock Origin
Compatibility	Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Safari, Microsoft Edge, iOS, Android	Firefox, Safari, Microsoft Edge	Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Edge, Opera
Features	Whitelist functionality, malicious website blocking, third-party tracker blocking	DNS protection, stealth mode, phishing, malware protection	Open source, content blocker, advanced privacy filters, EasyList filters
Learn more	Get Total Adblock Read Total Adblock Review	Read AdGuard Review	Read uBlock Origin Review

Total Adblock: Best for ease of use

4.5

Limited-time offer: 80% off

Learn More

On Total Adblock's website

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Total Adblock

• Remove ads & trackers on YouTube, Facebook, and most websites
• Hands-off ad-blocking experience
• Easy to set up
• Free version excludes top 15,000 websites

Total Adblock is a top-performing, easy-to-use ad blocker from the makers of TotalAV Antivirus. It took us less than five minutes to complete the setup process and once it was installed, we found that we didn’t need to do anything else with the app. The extension provides a counter with how many adverts and tracker it’s blocked for you, so you can check in on how well it’s working.

From our most recent round of testing, Total Adblock received an AdBlock Tester score of 100/100. With Total Adblock, you can rest assured that you have a hands-free application that blocks all kinds of ads in the background as you surf the web.

What we liked

When testing Total Adblock with YouTube, we liked that all we had to do was turn the toggle on from the browser extension. Even with Total Adblock toggled on, YouTube didn’t warn us about using the ad blocker, which was reassuring.

You can open the extension on your browser and see how many ads you’ve blocked, trackers you’ve blocked, and even how much data you saved. Ad blockers like Total Adblock can not only give you back time from watching ads but also by blocking those ads from taking up valuable page loading time during your browsing.

To block YouTube ads on Total Adblock’s mobile app, all you need to do is open the YouTube video you wish to watch, hit Share, then share the link with the Total Adblock app. From there, you’ll open the YouTube video in the app away from YouTube’s relentless autoplay video ads.

We also like that Total Adblock has whitelist functionality, so you can allow ads on websites if you want to support your favorite content creators. In the Settings menu, you just need to select Acceptable Ads and enter the websites you wish to whitelist.

What we didn’t like

Although Total Adblock’s free version is a powerful tool, it excludes the top 15,000 ads as listed on Alexa.com. This could be frustrating if you’re looking for a comprehensive ad-blocking experience. The free version also prompted us to upgrade to premium with multiple pop-ups, which is ironic considering it’s an ad blocker.

Total Adblock pros and cons

Get Total Adblock | Read Our Total Adblock Review

AdGuard: Best for personalized ad blocking

AdGuard is a great solution for stopping ads when watching your favorite YouTube channel or browsing the internet. It allows you to set up your ad blocker to meet your specialized needs, such as blocking chatbots or removing context-based ads.

Before turning on AdGuard, we were inundated with a variety of YouTube ads. When we tested AdGuard while using YouTube, all of those ads were blocked.

AdGuard offers a Windows and a Mac desktop app, as well as extensions for your favorite browsers. We tested the desktop app, along with the browser extensions in Chrome and Safari, and we saw the same results: no ads.

In addition, we tested AdGuard’s mobile app while browsing YouTube in Safari. The Safari extension was effective in blocking YouTube ads on mobile, but it doesn’t work on the YouTube app.

What we liked

AdGuard offered additional features we appreciated. When you first download the product, you can go through a series of questions to set up things and customize your experience.

We downloaded the AdGuard application on a MacBook Air and the Chrome browser extension. From our testing, it looked like they worked interchangeably. If you turn off the ad blocker from Chrome, it turns it off in the application, too — a nice feature so you don’t have to open multiple things for the same result.

AdGuard’s Chrome extension was effective in removing multiple types of ads, such as pop-up ads and chatbots. We also tested the macOS application when using Safari and saw the same results: no ads. We used AdGuard while watching a few videos on YouTube and were pleasantly surprised not to encounter ads while using the platform. AdGuard was able to remove pop-up ads, video ads, and ads embedded in the sections of videos to watch next.

The AdGuard app also provides statistics on its effectiveness, which we found both entertaining and enlightening. AdGuard shows you how many ads, trackers, and threats it blocked, as well as how much bandwidth was saved by not downloading those ads.

What we didn’t like

We really enjoyed AdGuard and its user interface. AdGuard doesn’t have a slew of fancy extras, but if you’re just looking for a quality ad blocker for YouTube, AdGuard won’t disappoint.

AdGuard has a desktop app, but if you don’t want to install that, you have to install the AdGuard extension on each browser you’d like to use. If you oscillate between Chrome and Safari, you’ll need the extension on both. You can avoid this by installing the desktop app, which is available on macOS and Windows.

AdGuard on iOS is available only while using Safari. It does not offer a Chrome extension that blocks ads on a mobile device.

AdGuard pros and cons

Read Our AdGuard Review

uBlock Origin: Best for simplified ad blocking

uBlock Origin is an open-source solution to ad blocking. You won’t find as fancy of a user interface as other ad blockers, but if you’re looking for a simple ad blocker without worrying about extra features, uBlock Origin is a great solution. uBlock also offers an EasyList feature where users can specify filtering options for various sites. Blocking ads can have negative effects on websites that rely on ad revenue to survive, so you may have sites you want to keep ads on to help support the business financially.

What we liked

We appreciated the simplicity of uBlock Origin. It’s easy to turn service on and off when directly in a browser. We also saw great results; no pre-roll, mid-roll or pop-up ads were displayed when we used uBlock Origin while streaming YouTube channels, and we didn’t have any issues with ads while browsing the web either.

When watching different YouTube channels in Chrome and Safari, we didn’t see any pop-up ads, in-video ads, or other kinds of ads. It seamlessly removed all the ads as we watched.

We also like that uBlock Origin is an open-source platform. Applications with open-source code often give transparency into vulnerabilities that can be found and fixed quickly. uBlock Origin also has advanced settings that allow users to customize the ad-blocking features. However, these are focused more on power users who understand how to manage and change these settings. These advanced users can find the open-source code for uBlock Origin on GitHub.

What we didn’t like

uBlock Origin was more difficult than other solutions when it comes to customizing your ad blocker. Other ad blockers walk you through setting up your preferences or have an easier user interface for navigating the settings.

uBlock Origin doesn’t have the user interface you’d expect. You can customize uBlock Origin’s ad-blocking behavior, but it is easier if you’re more of an advanced user.

uBlock Origin also only offers browser extensions, so you will not be able to download an app for your desktop or mobile device.

uBlock Origin pros and cons

Read Our uBlock Origin Review

Bonus: NordVPN Threat Protection

4.5

NordVPN Threat Protection Ad Blocker

Learn More

On NordVPN Threat Protection's website

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NordVPN Threat Protection

• Threat protection - Block ads, trackers, and malicious downloads
• Works on multiple devices and browsers
• 30-day money-back guarantee
• Lacks a dedicated firewall

NordVPN frequently tops lists of the best virtual private networks (VPNs) for numerous reasons, one of them being its plentiful bonus features. One of those features is NordVPN Threat Protection, formerly known as Cybersec.

During our latest round of YouTube testing, Threat Protection couldn't block YouTube's video ads. But we would still recommend Threat Protection for your other ad, tracker, and malware blocking needs.   

What we liked

NordVPN Threat Protection is more than just an ad blocker; it also blocks trackers and malware. After performing an EICAR test, we were pleased to see Threat Protection pass malware detection and phishing detection tests. It also received impressive ad blocking and tracker blocking test scores. If you’re looking for a product that can tackle multiple cybersecurity needs, then NordVPN with Threat Protection may be the choice for you.

Beyond blocking ads, we like that NordVPN combined with the Threat Protection feature is a good option for a comprehensive cybersecurity suite. With a VPN, you can encrypt your internet connection to make yourself anonymous online, protecting you from hackers and other cyberthreats. Threat Protection scans downloaded files for malware and blocks malicious websites.

What we didn’t like

We tested on a few YouTube videos but Threat Protection couldn't stop those pesky pre-roll ads. It can still block other ads, as well as trackers and malware, so it would be best to combine Threat Protection with one of our top three for a better ad-free experience. 

NordVPN can also be expensive, depending on your personal budget. Plans range from $2.99–$14.99/mo based on which plan tier you choose and how long you want to pay for a subscription. If you’re looking for just an ad blocker, you may be better off with something like Total Adblock.

NordVPN Threat Protect pros and cons

Get NordVPN Threat Protection | Read Our NordVPN Threat Protection Review

Honorable mentions

If our top options didn't draw your attention, then you can consider one of the following ad blocker alternatives:

• Adblock Plus: AdBlock is a user-friendly free tool that received solid ad-blocking scores during our testing. It also offers a Premium subscription that can block additional nuisances like site notifications, survey requests, and floating videos.

  Read Our Adblock Plus Review

• AdLock: AdLock blocks most ads with just its free extension, which doesn't sell your data. It also checks potentially harmful links, hides your data, and tracks spyware and bugs to protect your device.

  Read Our AdLock Review

• Adblocker Ultimate: Adblocker Ultimate is great option for blocking all types of ads. It can block text ads, banner ads, overlay ads, and more.  

Best ad blockers for YouTube FAQs

Bottom line: The best ad blockers for YouTube

If you're looking for the best YouTube ad blockers, we've found three great options that can improve your overall browsing experience. We loved the ease of use offered by Total Adblock. If you’re not sure what you want to block, AdGuard does a great job of walking you through different privacy settings so you can customize your ad blocking to your liking. Finally, uBlock Origin is another great option to block YouTube ads. It doesn’t have as many features but still does the job.  

You can also learn more about other ways to obtain an ad-free YouTube experience, such as investing in a YouTube Premium subscription.

3 best ad blockers for YouTube 2024

How we tested the best ad blockers for YouTube

We tested ad blocker browser extensions as well as any macOS or iOS applications that the ad blocker offered. We tested them on a MacBook Air and an iPhone 13. We turned the ad blocker on and off while watching various YouTube channels and we also looked at websites such as Forbes to see how effectively they blocked ads on other platforms. We focused on the following when determining the best ad blockers for YouTube:

• Ease of installation: How easy was it to add the ad blocker to our browser? How easy was it to install any desktop or mobile apps?
• Setup and customization: Was the setup process easy? Did the ad blocker allow you to customize how it performed and what ads it blocked?
• Effectiveness in blocking browser ads: How successful was the ad blocker in limiting or removing ads while browsing the internet?
• Effectiveness in blocking YouTube ads: Was the ad blocker able to block ads while watching YouTube in a browser? Was it able to block ads while using the YouTube app?
• Additional features: What additional features did the ad blocker offer on top of ad blocking?

4.5

Limited-time offer: 80% off

Learn More

On Total Adblock's website

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Total Adblock

• Remove ads & trackers on YouTube, Facebook, and most websites
• Hands-off ad-blocking experience
• Easy to set up
• Free version excludes top 15,000 websites

Author Details

Andrew Adams

About the Author

Andrew Strom Adams is a freelance writer focused on online privacy and digital security. He writes on various topics to help individuals protect themselves on the internet. Andrew has worked in legal marketing, technology, and startups. He has more than 12 years of experience in marketing and communications. He holds an M.B.A. from Westminster College and a B.A. in journalism from Oklahoma Baptist University. When he’s not writing, he’s playing with his two kids or watching reality TV.