QUICK LINKS:

1. Problems related to ads
2. Features of AdGuard
3. Features of Adclear
4. Features of BLOCK THIS! 3.0

Ads!! Do you hate them? Well, we hate them too.

Something that most of us hate, something that drastically affects our web browsing experience. There was a time when ads were limited to desktops and laptops only. But Android, being a Google product inherits all those irritating ads pop-ups to smartphones.

Before we dig in deeper you must be thinking why there are a lot of ads everywhere when most of us are annoyed with them. The answer to this question is here: Android App developers make money through advertising. Surprisingly most of the times the apps show relevant advertisements. Finding it hard to believe? Just look for a product on  Amazon or any e-commerce site, you will then start seeing related ads everywhere.

Good websites keep limited ads to make the customer experience better. But, again there are websites which are filled with ads and are not even well customized for smartphones.

Problems related to ads

1. It’s annoying.
2. It drains out the battery.
3. Increases web page/application loading time.
4. Increase in bandwidth consumption.
5. It can be malicious, may steal your private as well as critical data if clicked.
6. Ads are highly annoying while playing games.

The most effective solution to get rid of these ads is to use ad-blocker apps. There are a plenty of ad-blocker apps available on Google Play store as well as on independent websites. But not every app works for your purpose or are good enough to use.  Many a time they turn out to be data stealers or disguised malware.

Most of the ad blocker applications are not available on the Google Play Store. Strange, right?  You must be thinking that being an android application why isn’t ad blockers applications available in Google Play Store? Actually, Google has a  strange policy towards ad blockers apps, according to which any app that can block ads across the device is not allowed. Google has only less effective Ads blockers apps (which are hardly useful) available in its store. No need to worry as you can get them from their respective websites or from many other application stores. For your ease, I have mentioned their download links.

Before we go into the crux of the matter one thing you need to know is that some good apps/websites need little ads to survive. In such cases, you can opt for the type of  Ad blockers which have an option to whitelist websites or applications, so that you may surf your favorites happily.

Fortunately, you are at the right place. After a lot of research, we have prepared a list of top 10 best Ad blockers for andriod apps which will surely serve your purpose.

1. AdGuard

AdGuard is an amazing Ad blocker app which is compatible with both rooted and unrooted Android devices. AdGuard not only removes ads from apps but it also removes ads from browsers. To be more clear it works on the device level.  It acts as a shield between the malicious internet and our privacy.

Features of AdGuard

• Easy to set up.
• Compatible with both rooted and unrooted Android devices.
• 7 days trial period.
• You choose what gets filtered and what doesn’t.
• A broad variety of settings for basic as well as ‘pro’ is available which will help you in customizing the app for your purpose accordingly.
• Saves bandwidth.
• Safeguards your privacy.
• Reduces battery consumption.

From a few users, it is reported that even after using AdGuard they were able to see ads in some apps and websites. There is no need to worry if you are facing the same issue, all you need to do is to enable the HTTPS filtering. As a lot of ads are loaded using HTTPS protocol. Go to Settings –> HTTPS Filtering and turn it on. The other thing to do is to make sure you use the ‘High quality’ filtering mode (Settings –> Advanced).

AdGuard for Android is not available in Google Play Store. Here is the Download link

2. Adclear

Adclear is one of the widely used ad blocker android app developed by XDA developers. Another fact related to this ad blocker app is that it is compatible with unrooted devices too.  It actually creates a VPN(Virtual Private Network) on your device to redirect the traffic and perform the removal of ads from the normal traffic before we receive it on our device on browsers or on the apps. It also filters the very complicated disguised ads. It has one more amazing feature that makes it unique from other ads blocker app. It can keep the logs of blocked ads.  The Adclear app is capable of blocking all types of simple as well as encrypted ads on all the Apps.

Features of Adclear

• Easy to set up.
• Works with Wi-Fi as well as mobile data.
• Compatible with unrooted Android devices.
• It is free.
• Highly customizable.
• Safeguards your privacy.
• Reduces battery consumption.
• Reduces Bandwidth consumption.
• It has the feature to keep the logs of blocked ads.

Steps to install AdClear ad blocker on your Android device.

The only way to install AdClear on your Android device is to download and use the Android installer.  Follow the easy steps given below to install AdClear on your device.

• Navigate to Settings -> Security and set the “Unknown sources” slider bar to ON.
• Download the installer from the link below, and tap on the download notification to install AdClear.
• Once installed, open the AdClear app. Follow the instructions to turn AdClear on and enjoy an ad-free environment in apps and browsers!

AdClear is not available in Google Play Store. Here is the Download link

3. Adblock Plus

Adblock plus is another astonishing ads blocker app in our top 10 best ads blocking apps list. The best thing about Adblock plus is that it is open source.  Not only open source, Adblock plus is also free, but it also doesn’t compromise with quality service. It actually safeguards us from the malicious activity going on on the internet that hit us in form of ads.

Features of Adblock Plus

• It is open source.
• It is free.
• Easy to set up.
• Enables faster page loading.
• Safeguards your privacy.
• Reduces battery consumption.
• Saves bandwidth.

We all know that websites need money to stay free.  Adblock plus encourage them by allowing acceptable Ads (enabled by default). They also listen to their users, in case if any acceptable Ad proposal is flagged by the community for a definite reason, they remove it from the whitelist.

Adblock plus is not available in Google Play Store. Here is the Download link

4. Blokada

Blokada is an open source project, which means you can be sure that it is always going to be free, safe to use, and without any concealed agenda.

Blokada ads blocker app works on the device level, not only for the browser.  It can easily work with wifi as well as mobile data. Another feature which Blokada possesses that only a few other ads blocker applications have is its compatibility to work with the unrooted devices.  Blokada also acts as a shield between the malicious activities happening on the internet and users privacy.

Features of Blokada

• It is open source.
• It works on the device level.
• It is free.
• Easy to set up.
• Enables faster page loading.
• Safeguards your privacy.
• Reduces battery consumption.
• Reduces Bandwidth consumption.
• It works with unrooted devices.

Blokada for Android is not available in Google Play Store. Here is the Download link

5. BLOCK THIS! 3.0

BLOCK THIS! 3.0 is another widely used  Ad blocker app in our top 10 best Ads blocking apps list. The best thing about BLOCK THIS! 3.0 is that it is open source, free and at the same time it doesn’t compromise with quality service. It also safeguards us from the malicious activity going on the internet. It works with unrooted devices too.

It provides the extra advantages of enhanced browsing speed and reduction of bandwidth usage.

If you are a developer you can find the codebase on GitHub. For any further questions or suggestions, you may join their Forum.

Features of BLOCK THIS! 3.0

• It is Open source.
• It works on device level.
• It is free.
• Easy to set up.
• Enable faster page loading.
• Safeguard your privacy.
• Reduce battery consumption.
• Reduce Bandwidth consumption.

BLOCK THIS! 3.0 works by changing DNS. The only difficulty with this method is, that for Android there are strict rules for changing the DNS( Domain Name System). Basically changing the DNS directly needs ROOT access (i.e. your Android device needs to be rooted). To overcome this issue, “Block This” creates a local VPN (Virtual Private Network) and all of your apps/browser data packets is passed through a virtual private tunnel over the public network. This VPN is precisely configured to modify the DNS settings of the network, not affecting your internet speed.

Steps to install BLOCK THIS! 3.0 Ad blocker on your Android device.

Prerequisites

1. Android device
2. APK file (see how to get it below)

Steps Overview

1. Enable “Install from Unknown Sources” on Android.
2. Download Block This 2.0 APK file
3. Install the APK file

BLOCK THIS! 3.0  is not available in Google Play Store. Here is the Download link

6. AdAway

AdAway is one of the best ads blocking Android application if you need something more than just an ad-blocking browser or plug-in. Unfortunately, this app only works on rooted devices, which reduces the number of users. You must be thinking that; Is it worth rooting your phone to use this application? The answer is a booming “yes” if you are concerned about your privacy and hate to be annoyed with ads.

AdAway is an open source ad blocker and it works using the host file, which redirects almost all pop-ups, banner ads, and any form of advertisements. The hosts file contains a list of mappings between hostnames and IP addresses in the form of a table. When an app requests an ad, that request is directed to 127.0.0.1(localhost) which does nothing.   It has a whitelist option too, using which you can allow the required adds.

Pros of AdAway

• It is open source.
• It has a whitelist option.
• It works on the device level.
• It is free.
• Enables faster page loading.
• Safeguards your privacy.
• Reduces battery consumption.
• Reduces Bandwidth consumption.

Cons of AdAway

• Difficult to set up.
• Works only with rooted devices.
• It works on the device level.
• Not reliable with mobile data.

Requirements

• Android version: 2.1 or above
• Rooted device
• Read/Write access permission on system-Partition

**Problems can occur on some HTC devices when system-Partition is not writable!**

AdAway has been removed from Google Play Store due to Violation of section 4.4 of the Developer Distribution Agreement. You may get it from F-Droid.

AdAway is not available in Google Play Store. Here is the Download link

7. AppBrain Ad Detector

Are you looking for an app that discovers all nuisances of apps installed on your smartphones? Nuisances such as Push Notifications, Desktop icon spam ads and apps with privacy concerns. AppBrain Ad Detector not only recognizes the adware and spyware but also gives an option to eliminate these potential risky elements from your smartphone. It is freely available on Google Play Store.

You will be surprised to know that AppBrain ad Detector can actually “sniff”  potential concerns and ads like a police dog. Along with discovering the potential threat to your smartphone through malicious apps and ads, AppBrain can also block spam ads and push notifications. It has one more unique feature, it can actually let you know that which tool was used by developers to create these malicious apps and ads and push notification.

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AppBrain Ad Detector is really user-friendly anyone from a noob to a tech-savvy can easily use it.  There is a tab for “Concerns” which gives you an option to discover ad networks that are attached along with social SDKs and Dev tools.

Features of AppBrain Ad Detector

• It works on the device level.
• It is free.
• Easy to set up.
• Enables faster page loading.
• Safeguards your privacy.
• Tells you about the tools used by developers.
• Reduces battery consumption.
• Reduces Bandwidth consumption.
• Available on Google Play Store.

Download link

8. DNS66

DNS66 is a really interesting and another amazing ad blocker app in our top 10 best ads blocking apps. The DNS66 creates an encrypted server filtering zone that filters all sort of ads from intrusive Ads, Pop Ads, Web Ads, App Ads etc. Another best thing about DNS66  ads blocker is that it is free and at the same time it doesn’t compromise with quality service. It also safeguards us from the malicious activity going on on the internet. Apart from this, it is also compatible with unrooted devices.

DNS66 basically allows you to enable an ad blocker on your Android smartphone or tablet. Its user interface is a seemingly bit complicated but don’t let its appearance overshadow its user-friendly app. This app connects to VPN (Virtual Private Network) and all of your apps/browser data packets is passed through a virtual private tunnel over the public network.

In the setup options, you can choose the servers you want to block or blacklist, as well as the apps whose traffic you prefer to get analyzed by DNS66. Also, there is an option to add custom DNS servers.

It provides the extra advantage of enhanced browsing speed and reduction of bandwidth usage.

Features of DNS66

• Uses DNS and VPN combination to tackle ads.
• It has a whitelist option.
• It works on the device level.
• It is free.
• Enables faster page loading.
• Safeguards your privacy.
• Reduces battery consumption.
• Reduces Bandwidth consumption.
• Highly customizable

DNS66 is not available in Google Play Store.

9. NoRoot Firewall

NoRoot Firewall is another amazing Ad blocker app which allows you to block any app from getting access to the Internet and fortunately it is compatible with both rooted and unrooted Android devices.  Whenever any of your apps try to access the Internet, you’ll receive a notification and you will get an option to authorize the connection or reject it.

There is an option in NoRoot Firewall, where you can choose the applications one by one and decide if you want to grant internet access to them or you want to revoke access.

Features of NoRoot Firewall

• Easy to set up.
• Available on Google Play Store
• Compatible with both rooted and unrooted Android devices
• Saves bandwidth.
• Safeguards your privacy.
• Reduces battery consumption.
• It is free.

It is recommended to use this App if you want to block the ads on apps not running on the internet.

One of the amazing fact about NoRoot Firewall is that it doesn’t ask you for any permissions after you install it. Not a single one. This is completely different from other similar applications in which you are often asked to accept many permissions. As per interface is considered it is very simple and user-friendly.

Download link

10. CYGERY ADSKIP FOR YOUTUBE

This ads blocker android application is specially developed for YouTube. Whenever there is an advertisement with the “skip ad” pop up, it will automatically skip the ad without any human involvement. It also has an ability to mute the ad till the “skip ad” option appears on the screen.

Cygery AdSkip for YouTube does not require the phone to be rooted. What it actually requires is to enable accessibility service, which is used to detect ads.

It provides the extra advantages of enhanced browsing speed and reduction of bandwidth usage.

Features of CYGERY ADSKIP

• It works for YouTube.
• It is free.
• Reduces battery consumption.
• Reduces Bandwidth consumption.
• Option to mute audio while ad is shown.

Download link

Conclusion: Depending on your requirements you can make use of any of the above-discussed  Android applications to experience safe and ads free internet over your smartphones without rooting them( for most of the time). Stay tuned with this blog, we will keep updating the ads blockers apps list.

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