The Best YouTube Ad Blockers in January 2026

Ad-blocking technology has become crucial for uninterrupted YouTube viewing. With the platform frequently cracking down on these tools, finding a reliable solution is no longer as simple as installing the first option you see.

To identify the most effective tools, we've tested multiple popular ad blockers on YouTube. Our methodology focused on effectiveness in blocking YouTube ads, ease of installation, setup and customization, and more.

The following article breaks down which options performed best in these tests, so you can keep watching your favorite content without interruptions.

The best ad blockers for YouTube January 2026

Ad blocker		CleanWeb
Best for	Consistency	Full security package	Windows app	Firefox users
Compatibility	5.0 AllAboutCookies writers and editors score products based on a number of objective features as well as our expert editorial assessment. Our partners do not influence how we rate products.	4.8 AllAboutCookies writers and editors score products based on a number of objective features as well as our expert editorial assessment. Our partners do not influence how we rate products.	4.7 AllAboutCookies writers and editors score products based on a number of objective features as well as our expert editorial assessment. Our partners do not influence how we rate products.	4.7 AllAboutCookies writers and editors score products based on a number of objective features as well as our expert editorial assessment. Our partners do not influence how we rate products.
Compatibility	Android, iOS, Chrome, Edge, Safari	Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, Chrome, Edge, Firefox	Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Opera, Safari	Edge, Firefox, Opera
Features	Whitelisting, malicious website blocking, third-party tracker blocking	VPN, data breach alert, malware alert	DNS protection, stealth mode, phishing, malware protection	Open source, content blocker, advanced privacy filters, EasyList filters
Price	$1.59/mo	$1.99-$20.85/mo	$2.49-$5.49/mo	Free
Free version available
Learn more	Get Total Adblock Read Total Adblock Review	Get Surfshark CleanWeb Read Surfshark CleanWeb Review	Get AdGuard Read AdGuard Review	Get uBlock Origin Read uBlock Origin Review

Total Adblock: Best for consistency

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 trackers 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

Ease of use: 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.

Transparency: 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.

Works with YouTube app: 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, and 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.

Whitelisting: 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

Limited free ad blocker: Although Total Adblock’s free version is a powerful tool, it excludes the top 15,000 ads 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

Surfshark CleanWeb: Best for the full security package

Surfshark is one of the newer virtual private networks (VPNs) on the market, but it's quickly become one of the top contenders. It's affordable, allows for unlimited simultaneous connections, and comes with lots of features like CleanWeb.

By hitting a simple toggle on the Surfshark dashboard, CleanWeb can block ads, trackers, and malware. The upgraded version, CleanWeb 2.0, can also block YouTube ads and cookie pop-ups, and it provides alerts for data breaches and malware. 

What we liked

Strong performance: Surfshark CleanWeb netted a high 96/100 score with Adblock Tester, only losing a handful of points on the contextual advertising section (though these received "Most likely passed" statuses). It boasts blocking intrusive ads, pop-ups, and cookie requests, so we're glad our testing backed up these claims. 

Broad device compatibility: We were also impressed that CleanWeb 2.0 can block ads not just on YouTube but also on streaming services, even on a Fire TV. Once we had Surfshark's browser extension installed, all we had to do was hit a button to turn on its blocking capabilities. It even works without a Surfshark VPN connection. 

Excellent long-term value: We love Surfshark because it's budget-friendly, with its starting price at $1.99/mo for a two-year plan. It also allows for unlimited device connections, so you can block ads and encrypt your connection on as many devices as you like.

What we didn’t like

No Safari extension: Although Surfshark has apps for macOS and iOS, we were bummed to find that CleanWeb 2.0 doesn't have an extension for Safari. Apple users will need to either use a different browser or stick with the original CleanWeb's capabilities, which unfortunately can't block YouTube ads. 

Surfshark CleanWeb pros and cons

Get Surfshark CleanWeb | Read Our Surfshark CleanWeb Review

AdGuard: Best for Windows app

AdGuard is a great solution for stopping ads when watching your favorite YouTube channel or browsing the internet. It lets you personalize your ad blocker to meet your specific 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 desktop apps for Windows and Mac, and browser extensions for your favorite browsers. We tested the desktop app and 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. 

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

What we liked

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

Cross-device syncing: 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.

Good performance: AdGuard’s Chrome extension was effective at removing multiple types of ads, including pop-ups and chatbots. We also tested the macOS application when using Safari and saw the same results. 

Consistently blocks YouTube 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.

Interesting stats: 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

Might require multiple downloads: AdGuard has a desktop app, but if you don’t want to install it, you'll need to install the AdGuard extension in each browser you 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.

Limited iOS compatibility: AdGuard for iOS is only available in Safari. It doesn't offer a Chrome extension to block ads on mobile devices.

AdGuard pros and cons

Get AdGuard | Read Our AdGuard Review

uBlock Origin: Best for Firefox users

uBlock Origin is an open-source solution to ad blocking. You won’t find as fancy 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

Effective free ad blocker: We appreciated that uBlock was easy to enable and disable in the 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.

Open-source software: We also like that uBlock Origin is open source. Applications with open-source code often give transparency into vulnerabilities that can be found and fixed quickly. uBlock Origin also offers advanced settings that let users customize 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

Requires tech knowledge to customize: uBlock Origin was more difficult to customize than other solutions. Other ad blockers walk you through setting up your preferences or have an easier user interface for navigating the settings.

No longer available for Chrome or Safari: Sadly, uBlock Origin is no longer available for Chrome or Safari due to Chrome Manifest v3 updates. uBlock Origin Lite adheres to Google's new requirements and allows more tracking, so that the extension can be used on Chrome or Safari instead of the original. You'll need to settle for the lite extension or consider switching browsers.

uBlock Origin pros and cons

Get uBlock Origin | Read Our uBlock Origin Review

How we tested the best ad blockers for YouTube

We tested the ad blocker browser extensions, as well as any Windows, macOS, or iOS applications it offered. All tests were done on a MacBook Air, Windows laptop, and an iPhone 13.

The tests were done by turning 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.

Here are the main factors we focused on 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?

Bottom line: The best ad blockers for YouTube

If you're looking for the best YouTube ad blockers, we've found five great options that can improve your overall browsing experience.

• We loved the ease of use offered by Total Adblock
• Surfshark CleanWeb allows for unlimited device connections, so you can block ads on every device you own
• AdGuard does a great job of walking you through different privacy settings so you can customize your ad blocking to your liking
• uBlock Origin is an excellent free option for seamlessly blocking ads on nearly all sites, including YouTube

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

4 best ad blockers for YouTube 2026

	Best for	Compatibility	Learn more
	Best for consistency	Android, iOS, Chrome, Edge, Safari	Get Total Adblock Read Total Adblock Review
CleanWeb	Best for the full security package	Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, Chrome, Edge, Firefox	Get Surfshark CleanWeb Read Surfshark CleanWeb Review
	Best for Windows app	Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Opera, Safari	Get AdGuard Read AdGuard Review
	Best for Firefox users	Edge, Firefox, Opera	Get uBlock Origin Read uBlock Origin Review

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