There are tons of ways to block ads on Android phones, but knowing which is the most useful option is difficult. Is it Adaway, AdGuard, NextDNS, Blokada Slim, or maybe another random ad blocker app that you have never even heard of? Well, we will stop this confusion in this article by listing the Best Ad Blocker Apps for Android. We will explain the pros and cons of each one and also let you know which might be the best option for you.
Best Ad Blocker Apps for Android
Let’s start our Best Ad Blocker Apps for Android article with the quickest and easiest way to block ads on your Android phone. Just hop into the system settings, go into network and internet, then private DNS, and select private DNS provider hostname, from there just type in ‘’dns.adguard.com’’, hit save and now almost every ad found within your websites and apps will have disappeared. It is a great option because it is easy to set up and has very minimal impact on your battery, the only downside is that the ad-blocking gets applied to your whole system and there is no way of whitelisting apps or websites unless you just turn it off entirely.
NextDNS
If you use NextDNS, it will give you a custom hostname from their website to type into that same Android setting, but you can still customize the ad blocking from their website. It is genius because it does not require you to download an ad-blocking app. Once you sign up with just a password and an email, you can choose to add extra security features to help you stop threats and cyber-attacks. Also, you can switch to different block lists such as energized ad away, etc. Even you can block your own phone’s OEM from tracking you if you own a Samsung, Xiaomi, or Huawei phone.
If you like to restrict certain apps or websites from being accessed then that is possible through the parental control section and you can even schedule certain times when the blockage should be lifted for recreation time. They also have an allow list to allow certain domains for apps or websites that you do not want to block and lastly, you can view all of the analytics to keep track of the number of queries that are being blocked and what type of domains are being accessed. It has got everything you need and again you do not need to download any app on your phone. We suggest you add a shortcut to your home screen to make quick adjustments.
AdGuard
AdGuard is one of the Best Ad Blocker Apps for Android. If you prefer a few more layers of protection and do not mind the extra battery drain, then AdGuard is a great alternative. Not only does it block ads on both your browser and apps, but it is also the only ad blocker that removes the space where the ads used to be. It makes your articles and websites look a lot cleaner, any other ad blocker will just leave you with that giant black canvas. On top of that, you can tell AdGuard which apps to ignore, apply DNS filtering with custom server selections, and protect your personal information when you enable stealth mode.
It will not block ads unless you pay the subscription fee, it is pretty much the only ad blocker on this list that does this although NextDNS also charges a fee it is only until you reach 300000DNS queries a month.
RethinkDNS
RethinkDNS is completely free with no subscriptions or in-app purchases and although it does not remove those blank spaces as Adguard does, it still does a pretty great job at blocking ads within apps and browsers. On top of that, it comes with a firewall that lets you block any apps from accessing the internet. You can do that on a per-app basis or just block all apps when the device is locked or when they are not being used.
It really comes in handy for restricting internet access to file managers, alarms, clocks, calculators or any other app that does not need the internet to run. It also lets anyone add any DNS server of their choice. All RethinkDNS code is free software and open source. If you run into any issues in the RethinkDNS app, you can join their active Telegram group and ask for help if you need it.
Blokada Slim
Blokada Slim has a pretty-looking interface with the extra option of letting you choose from a variety of different block lists so that you are not just stuck with one. It gives you a wide selection of DNS hosts to join. Other than these, the Blokada Slim is the same as the other apps. Blokada Slim also has built in VPN for optional use. It is totally free and open source project. They also have an active community with a Telegram channel, and it gets updated at least once a month.
Conclusion
Finally, these are the Best Ad Blocker Apps for Android so far. There are tons of great ad blocker apps, but a lot of them vary in terms of functionality and features. To sum up, NextDNS does not require you to download any app, just a chrome shortcut, if you like to modify the settings, you just need to change a setting within your phone, and it does not consume that much battery life.
If you would prefer the extra protection though with the addition of cleaning up blank ad spaces, you would go with AdGuard. If you want something completely free that still works well, and do not mind that it will consume a bit more battery life, go with Blokada Slim, or RethinkDNS.
