6 Legit Ways to Block Ads on YouTube [Tested January 2026]

Following years of aggressive anti–ad blocker updates, it's become harder than ever to block ads on YouTube. Many extensions and apps that used to work now trigger warning screens or let ads slip through.

To help you find what still works, we frequently conduct in-house testing on today’s most effective YouTube ad blockers, VPNs, and privacy tools. Total Adblock and Surfshark CleanWeb have consistently proven they're among the best ad blockers for YouTube, blocking pre-roll, mid-roll, and banner ads without tripping YouTube’s detection.

Below, we break down the tools that reliably remove ads on YouTube, plus a few alternative methods, so you can get back to watching your favorite creators without interruptions.

How to block ads on YouTube in 2026

An ad blocker is designed to prevent advertisements from appearing on a webpage. It scans a website for advertising material and then stops it from loading. This has numerous benefits, such as blocking malicious ads, increasing data privacy, and speeding up webpage load times.

However, YouTube frequently updates its system to work around ad blockers. This means you may sometimes still deal with ads while an ad blocker figures out how to block them again.

Also, YouTube has started displaying notices that warn users against using ad blockers and force them to disable their blocker (or pay for YouTube) to continue viewing.

We've tested the following ad blockers to make sure they can bypass YouTube's anti-ad blocker efforts.

1. Total Adblock: Best overall YouTube ad blocker

As one of the best all-around ad blockers, Total Adblock successfully got rid of those annoying ads while we streamed YouTube videos. When we searched for the latest Tiny Desk concert with Total Adblock paused, we immediately experienced ads. 

As soon as we enabled Total Adblock, we had access to our ad-free YouTube video. Total Adblock forced ads to skip instantly so that YouTube went right to the beginning of the NPR concert.

One thing we especially like about Total Adblock is that it clearly notes how many ads and trackers it has blocked for you. This is a reassuring way to show you it works. 

Additionally, the Chrome extension features a simple on/off toggle, so you can support your favorite YouTubers by watching a few ads if you choose — no need to uninstall and reinstall the ad blocker. 

We also tested Total Adblock on mobile devices, and it can even block ads on the YouTube app. It successfully removed pre-roll and mid-roll ads on YouTube, along with pop-ups and banners across other sites. 

All you have to do is open the video you want to see in the Total Adblock app, and you can enjoy an uninterrupted experience whether you’re watching long-form content or quick YouTube Shorts.

2. Surfshark CleanWeb: Best all-in-one blocker

Surfshark VPN is packed with valuable features, including CleanWeb, which blocks ads, trackers, malware, and annoying cookie pop-ups. CleanWeb 2.0, which comes with Surfshark's browser extension, can also block ads on YouTube and other streaming services. 

Without CleanWeb 2.0, the YouTube video we selected started with some ads. Once we enabled CleanWeb and refreshed the webpage, the Vanity Fair episode played uninterrupted.

3. YouTube Premium subscription: Most reliable method

If you want a guaranteed way to watch YouTube videos with no ads, you should consider investing in a YouTube Premium subscription.

As long as you're signed in, you can watch videos uninterrupted by ads on any device, including smartphones, desktops, and supported TVs. YouTube Premium removes video ads before, during, and after the video while also removing banner and search ads.

By paying for a subscription, you can ensure your favorite YouTubers are still getting paid when you watch their videos. They’ll receive some of the earnings from Premium, which means you can financially support content creators without having to watch ads.

Besides no longer seeing ads, YouTube Premium has additional benefits you might find worth the cost. Some of these benefits include:

• Download videos for offline viewing.
• Play videos in the background, even when you open other apps, or the phone is locked.
• Get access to YouTube Music Premium.

YouTube Premium plans and prices

There are several different YouTube Premium plans available, depending on your life circumstances.

Family plans let up to five family members in the same household access YouTube Premium. This is a fairly affordable option since it works out to less than $5.00 per person per month for a family of five.

You save money by paying annually if you can afford the upfront cost. The annual rate for an individual plan will give you about two months free compared to paying the monthly price.

Here is a quick look at the current YouTube Premium plans and prices.

Plan	Price
Monthly	$13.99/mo
Annual	$139.99/yr
Family (up to 5 members)	$22.99/mo
Student	1-month free trial, $7.99/mo after

4. Brave browser: Best ad-free browser

If you’re tired of sitting through ads before your videos start, the Brave browser is a simple solution. Brave comes with a built-in ad and tracker blocker, which works on both desktop and mobile. Unlike regular browsers that rely on third-party extensions, Brave blocks most YouTube ads automatically, letting you get straight to the highlights or livestream.

On mobile, just download the Brave browser app (available on iOS and Android), open YouTube through Brave, and enjoy an ad-free experience without needing extra plugins. This makes it a convenient alternative to paying for YouTube Premium or installing clunky add-ons.

5. Ghostery: Best for privacy

Ghostery is focused on getting rid of trackers that follow you around the internet, but it also manages to block YouTube ads. 

With Ghostery, there were no ads before our YouTube videos or during playback. Also, there were no delays, lags, errors, or other problems that disrupted our viewing experience.

Along with a quick toggle for turning the ad blocker on and off, Ghostery also lets you pause the ad blocker, tracker blocker, and cookie pop-up blocker individually. That's a level of control you don't always see.

6. 1Blocker: Best for Safari users

Built just for Safari, 1Blocker helps you keep ads away while you watch YouTube videos on your Mac, iPhone, or iPad. 

We started a Tiny Desk concert with 1Blocker off and were bombarded with the usual pre-roll ads and banner ads. As soon as we enabled 1Blocker, our YouTube stream was seamless with no interruptions.

Although 1Blocker offers a free plan that blocks ads successfully, you can only toggle one type of blocker at a time unless you upgrade. Other ad blockers can simultaneously block ads, trackers, and cookie pop-ups, so 1Blocker's free plan falls short by comparison.

Why shouldn’t you block ads on YouTube?

Ads do more than ensure YouTube has the revenue it needs to keep running its platform. YouTube also shares part of its ad earnings with the content creators on its platform. This encourages YouTubers to continue to create more content and also funds their efforts.

If you frequently watch content creators on YouTube, blocking ads may prevent them from earning money from their videos. Watching ads is a free way to support their work.

Here are some alternatives if you hate ads but still want to support your favorite YouTubers:

• Join their channel as a member. For a small monthly fee, you gain access to member-only perks and videos, which can help offset your lost ad revenue. If your favorite creators don't have this option enabled, you can check if they have a Patreon or Twitch channel where you can support them directly instead. 
• Buying their merchandise is one of the best ways to support them.
• Buy or use the products they recommend during sponsored segments.
• Use your ad blocker's whitelisting or "allow list" features to enable ads on certain pages, or simply disable the ad blocker when watching their videos. 

Why am I still seeing ads?

YouTube frequently launches updates to detect and block ad blockers. Here's what to do if your ad blocker extension seems to fail and you start seeing YouTube video ads again. 

1. Update your ad blocker browser extension or the ad blocker app to the newest version.
2. Clear the browser cache or reload YouTube using a “hard refresh” (e.g., Ctrl + F5 on Windows, Cmd + Shift + R on Mac) to delete lingering files.
3. Disable conflicting extensions (e.g., if you are running multiple ad blockers, VPNs, or script blockers) that might be interfering with each other.
4. Switch to incognito or private viewing mode with only the ad blocker extension active. Doing so helps isolate whether another extension or setting is causing the ad blocker to stop working.
5. Temporarily switch to a different ad blocker to see if that works. Some ad blockers, especially open-source software, adapt more quickly to YouTube updates.

Bottom line

Blocking YouTube ads is as simple as downloading a browser extension or app. Ad blockers are specifically designed to detect and block advertising, and Total Adblock and Surfshark CleanWeb successfully cleaned up YouTube ads during our testing. Plus, these heavy-hitters include advanced security features such as antivirus protection and a virtual private network. 

As an alternative to standalone ad blockers, VPNs often include ad blockers and offer data privacy, which makes it harder for advertisers to track you. Overall, a bundled VPN service like Surfshark VPN may offer the best value by blocking ads while simultaneously securing your Wi-Fi connection against hackers and trackers. 

For more ways to avoid those video commercials, check out our recommended best ad blockers for YouTube. But if it's important to you to support your favorite YouTubers without having to watch ads, you may want to purchase a YouTube Premium subscription. Premium lets you watch videos ad-free, and YouTubers still get paid when you watch their videos.

6 best ways to block YouTube ads [tested]

1. Use Total Adblock, the best ad blocker for YouTube we've tested.

2. Use Surfshark CleanWeb, the best all-in-one ad blocker that comes with Surfshark VPN.

3. Purchase YouTube Premium to skip ads.

4. Install the Brave Browser for ad-free browsing.

5. Get the Ghostery extension for anti-tracking and privacy features.

6. Download 1Blocker from the App Store for a limited free ad blocker.  

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