is there ublock origin for safari

Sign up for our daily newsletter

• Privacy Policy
• Advertise with Us

The Ultimate Superuser’s Guide to uBlock Origin

uBlock Origin is the most powerful and versatile ad blocker available. Unfortunately, the design is also a little obscure. This guide will explain the ins and outs of uBlock Origin’s advanced features, including adding custom lists, creating custom user filters, setting up dynamic blocking rules, and adjusting rules for uBlock Origin on specific domains with the advanced user interface.

Installing uBlock Origin

Setting up advanced options, dynamic filtering rules, saving and reverting filtering rules, third-party scripts and frames, viewing and editing dynamic rules, removing elements with static rules, finding and using custom filter lists, storing and syncing rules.

A pre-built version of the uBlock Origin extension is available for Google Chrome , Firefox , Safari , Microsoft Edge and Opera . You can also build the extension manually from source for Firefox and Chrome.

Also read: uBlock Origin – Better Than AdBlock Plus?

A quick warning : uBlock Origin is not and has never been connected to ublock.org or the uBlock extension. The Origin part in the name is very important in distinguishing between these two unrelated projects that once shared a similar codebase. ublock.org and the uBlock extension should be avoided, as they are imitators that purposefully confuse the market to steal data and deceive users. Be sure you have uBlock Origin and not uBlock.

Before we can do anything interesting with uBlock Origin, we need to enable advanced settings. Make sure to check out the required reading before you proceed. If you lack the troubleshooting experience to manage these types of decisions, consider reading up on how cookies work before you start tinkering with their functionality. Otherwise, expect the unexpected!

1. Click on the uBlock Origin extension’s icon.

2. Click the Settings icon.

3. Tick the box next to “I am an advanced user.”

Once you have advanced settings enabled, you can adjust blocking settings on a granular level.

Filtering is handled in uBlock Origin at two levels: globally and locally. Global rules apply to all URLs, while local rules are for the current URL only.

The first column specifies the URL that the content originates from.

The second column indicates global settings, which are inherited by the specific URLs.

The third column indicates local rules for the current URL.

If you mouse over a box in the “global” or “local” rules column, you’ll see red, grey, and green thirds.

Click on the red third to set a blocking rule for the associated content type. The green third permits the corresponding element. The grey third sets a “noop” rule, which stands for “no operation.” This setting will prevent uBlock Origin from taking action on the associated content. Setting a “noop” filter will override global settings for a specific URL.

At the top of the window are content types. These can be blocked at the global and URL-specific level. These are blunt filters but useful nonetheless.

Under the content types are the URLs loaded on the current webpage. A plus icon indicates that content from that URL is being permitted. A minus icon indicates that content from the URL is being blocked. You can sometimes see a mixture of pluses and minuses for one URL, which indicates that some of the content is permitted while other content is blocked.

You can also look at the color coding next to the URL. Green indicates that content from that URL is permitted. Yellow indicates that some content from that URL is blocked. Red indicates that all content from the URL will be blocked.

Settings an inherited based on specificity. For example, global content type rules have the lowest priority. Rules set on filtering lists have a medium priority ranking: they can override global settings, but not URL-specific user settings. The highest priority is given to URL-specific local rules set by the user.

Changes you make to filtering rules are automatically reset the next time you visit a website. To make your settings permanent, click the lock icon.

To revert to the last saved state, click the eraser icon.

In general, it’s a good idea to block third-party scripts and frames by default. This protects both your privacy and your eyeballs. It can also break websites, so keep a quick finger on the “noop” override.

To block third-party scripts and frames, click the red third of the box next to each in the global column. This will automatically block all third-party scripts and frames on every URL.

If a website breaks, you can set a “noop” override to permit third-party scripts and frames. Click the grey box in the local rules column to set a “noop” rule and override the global blocking rule for this URL.

This noop rule will only apply to the current URL.

Alternatively, you can also hunt down the URL of the blocked resource and permit that resource specifically. This is easiest with the third-party frame has a clear origin, like a YouTube or Twitter embed. If you permit those frames globally and save the rule, those URL-specific filters will trump the global content type filters.

By balancing global and local filters with content type filters, you can set sensible online privacy settings while permitting content you don’t find as objectionable.

To view the filters that you’ve already set, look at uBlock Origin’s Settings page under the My Rules tab. Here, you’ll see the rules you’ve set in two lists. The list on the left is for permanent rules and the list on the right is for temporary rules, as indicated by their headings.

The text contents of the right-most temporary rule column can be edited directly with the cursor, mouse, and keyboard. If uBlock Origin detects a difference between the two columns, you’ll see contextual buttons labeled “Revert” and “Commit” that offer the option to sync the columns with one another. Click “Revert” to copy the unchanged contents of the permanent rule list to the temporary rules list. Click “Commit” to copy the change from the temporary rules list to the permanent rules list.

You’ll notice that the text formatting of the rules follows specific conventions. The syntax is like so:

If you follow the dynamic filtering rules syntax guide on uBlock Origin’s GitHub page, you can change and set rules with text strings directly from this pane.

Also read: How to Get More Out of Your Adblocker

If you want to remove elements from the page using graphical tools, you can access that feature by setting cosmetic rules. These rules remove DOM elements based on a graphically-based node selection by the user. If you see something on a website that bothers you, like a email subscription banner, an ad-block detector, or anything else offensive to your sensibilities, you can remove it this way.

Temporary Rules: Element Zapper

There are two different ways to set cosmetic rules in uBlock Origin. The first is with the Element Zapper, accessed through the lightning bolt icon on uBlock Origin’s extension dropdown pane.

This tool sets a temporary rule removing the specified DOM element. With the next browser session, the element will return. To create a rule, click the element zapper icon, and then click on the page element you want to remove. As you mouse over various DOM elements, they’ll be colored yellow to indicate what element is currently selected. Once the right element is selected, click to remove the selected element instantly. No confirmation box will appear after clicking

The element zapper will do its best to pick the element you’ve selected, but you might need to dance your mouse around a bit to get the element you’re hoping for. It will attempt to adhere to the largest DOM object that its algorithm can locate and select.

Permanent Rules: Element Picker

To set a permanent rule, use the Element Picker, represented by the eyedropper icon to the right of the lightning bolt.

This will activate an interface similar to the element zapper, but now DOM elements will be highlighted in red instead of yellow.

When you click on the red highlighted element, a text box will appear in the lower-right, previewing the class or ID of the selected element. It’s this text-based class or ID match that will be used to remove the element in the future. And since many sites obfuscate their code to make ad blocking more difficult, you may need to refine the element picker’s automatic selection from time to time. You can also use this tool to select “layers” of the DOM that are completely obscured or exist only in DOM logic.

To select a different element, mouse over its name in the yellow box below the white text box. Click on the text to see the associated element highlighted in red.

When the correct element is selected, click the “Create” button to create the rule and remove the element. You can also click the adjacent “Pick” button to return to the element picker if you selected the wrong part of the page.

In the future you can find the rule in uBlock Origin’s settings under the “My Filters” tab. New rules will appear at the bottom of the list with their data and timestamp.

If you want to ignore a rule, you can type an exclamation point at the beginning of the line to comment out the element rule. You can also see additional static filer syntax in uBlock Origin’s documentation on GitHub.

uBlock Origin comes with some preset filter lists, but there are many more you can add. The easiest way to add more filters is to browse FilterLists .

If you find a filter list you want to add to uBlock Origin’s filters, click “Details” and then “Subscribe.” This will automatically download and include the list in uBlock Origin’s blocking rules for websites visited in the future. Only lists with the uBlock Origin icon can be added to uBlock Origin in this way.

These filters will then appear under the “Filter Lists” tab in uBlock Origin’s options page. They can be viewed and toggled from that page in the future.

To make a local backup of your uBlock Origin rules, you can save your settings out to a file. Find the dialog options at the bottom of the main uBlock Origin settings tab.

If you want to use the browser-based cloud storage for extensions, you can tick the “Enable cloud storage” option on the main page of uBlock Origin’s settings. This will allow you to upload data within the extension’s small file space within the browser. This only syncs with other copies of the same browser, however.

If you upload your uBlock Origin settings in Firefox, you cannot then download them in Chrome on another computer. As a result, sharing configurations through files is the most reliable method of the time being. To sync your rules among multiple browsers and computers, you can share the backup configuration text file over a cloud storage service.

uBlock Origin isn’t exactly an ad blocker. It’s a wide-spectrum content blocker. That means it can control what comes into your browser no matter its origin. That makes it extremely powerful, and extremely easy to mess up. So take care with what you do, and if something breaks, be prepared to fix it.

Our latest tutorials delivered straight to your inbox

Alexander Fox is a tech and science writer based in Philadelphia, PA with one cat, three Macs and more USB cables than he could ever use.

Use uBlock Origin on macOS: Install and Set-Up

• September 6, 2023

uBlock Origin is the most powerful and versatile ad blocker available. Unfortunately, the design is also a little obscure. This guide will explain the ins and outs of uBlock Origin’s advanced features, including adding custom lists, creating custom user filters, setting up dynamic blocking rules, and adjusting rules for uBlock Origin on specific domains with the advanced user interface.

Installing uBlock Origin

A quick warning: uBlock Origin is not and has never been connected to ublock.org or the uBlock extension.

 uBlock Origin is available in the extension stores for Google Chrome , Firefox , Safari , and Opera.

Setting Up Advanced Options

1. Click on the uBlock Origin extension’s icon.

2. Click the Settings icon.

3. Tick the box next to “I am an advanced user.”

Once you have advanced settings enabled, you will reveal a new pane for dynamic filtering.

Dynamic Filtering Rules

Filtering is handled in uBlock Origin at two levels: globally and locally. Global rules apply to all URLs, while local rules are for the current URL only.

The first column specifies the URL that the content originates from.

The second column indicates global settings, which are inherited by the specific URLs.

The third column indicates local rules for the current URL.

Click on the red third to set a blocking rule for the associated content type. The green third permits the corresponding element. The grey third sets a “noop” rule, which stands for “no operation.” This setting will prevent uBlock Origin from taking action on the associated content. Setting a “noop” filter will override global settings for a specific URL.

At the top of the window are content types. These can be blocked at the global and URL-specific level. These are blunt filters but useful nonetheless.

Under the content types are the URLs loaded on the current webpage. A plus icon indicates that content from that URL is being permitted. A minus icon indicates that content from the URL is being blocked. You can sometimes see a mixture of pluses and minuses for one URL, which indicates that some of the content is permitted while other content is blocked.

You can also look at the color coding next to the URL. Green indicates that content from that URL is permitted. Yellow indicates that some content from that URL is blocked. Red indicates that all content from the URL will be blocked.

Settings an inherited based on specificity. For example, global content type rules have the lowest priority. Rules set on filtering lists have a medium priority ranking: they can override global settings, but not URL-specific user settings. The highest priority is given to URL-specific local rules set by the user.

Saving and Reverting Filtering Rules

Changes you make to filtering rules are automatically reset the next time you visit a website. To make your settings permanent, click the lock icon.

To revert to the last saved state, click the eraser icon.

Setting Smart Dynamic Rules

In general, it’s a good idea to block third-party scripts and frames by default. This protects both your privacy and your eyeballs. It can also break websites, so keep a quick finger on the “noop” override.

To block third-party scripts and frames, click the red third of the box next to each in the global column. This will automatically block all third-party scripts and frames on every URL.

If a website breaks, you can set a “noop” override to permit third-party scripts and frames. Click the grey box in the local rules column to set a “noop” rule and override the global blocking rule for this URL.

Alternatively, you can also hunt down the URL of the blocked resource and permit that resource specifically. This is easiest with the third-party frame has a clear origin, like a YouTube or Twitter embed. If you permit those frames globally and save the rule, those URL-specific filters will trump the global content type filters.

By balancing global and local filters with content type filters, you can set sensible online privacy settings while permitting content you don’t find as objectionable.

Viewing and Editing Dynamic Rules

To view the filters that you’ve already set, look at uBlock Origin’s Settings page under the My Rules tab. Here, you’ll see the rules you’ve set in two lists. The list on the left is for permanent rules and the list on the right is for temporary rules, as indicated by their headings.

The text contents of the right-most temporary rule column can be edited directly with the cursor, mouse, and keyboard. If uBlock Origin detects a difference between the two columns, you’ll see contextual buttons labeled “Revert” and “Commit” that offer the option to sync the columns with one another. Click “Revert” to copy the unchanged contents of the permanent rule list to the temporary rules list. Click “Commit” to copy the change from the temporary rules list to the permanent rules list.

You’ll notice that the text formatting of the rules follows specific conventions. The syntax is like so:

[parent site hostname] [element hostname] [request type] [rule]

If you follow the dynamic filtering rules syntax guide on uBlock Origin’s GitHub page, you can change and set rules with text strings directly from this pane.

You might also like the following posts:

What is macOS Sandboxing and Why Does It Exist?

Harden your mac security with these steps, configuring macos security with your built-in firewall.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Posts

Embracing a Holistic Approach to Wellness: The Impact of Integrated Recovery Strategies

Best iPad Pro Case Deals You Can’t Miss

Founded in June 15, 2008 , AppleGazette sprang from a desire to fuse traditional news reporting with the rapidly changing digital media landscape. As the world of news consumption evolved, with readers demanding immediate updates and engaging, interactive discussions, we saw an opportunity to lead and innovate within this dynamic field.

AppleGazette.com is home to a dedicated team of journalists, tech enthusiasts, and storytellers, all united by a passion for Apple products and news. We’re not just reporters; we’re devoted users and fans of the content we create, ensuring that we always stay connected to the pulse of our audience and the wider Apple community.

GET IN TOUCH

Email: [email protected], phone: +33 7 69 49 25 08, address: 2 rue de la bourse, 75002 paris, france, © 2024 all rights reserved.

uBlock Origin for Safari

An efficient blocker add-on for various browsers. Fast, potent, and lean.

What is uBlock Origin?

An efficient blocker: easy on memory and CPU footprint, and yet can load and enforce thousands more filters than other popular blockers out there. uBlock Origin is free and open source. It's made for users by users. No donations sought by any uBlock Origin projects.

Usage: The big power button in the popup is to permanently disable/enable uBlock for the current web site. It applies to the current web site only, it is not a global power button.

This website only hosts the prebuilt extension for Safari. You can find the original uBlock Origin for Safari project by el1t here , and the original uBlock Origin project by gorhill here .

Install uBlock Origin for Safari

Download the file bellow, double click on it and click on `Trust` when you are asked `Are you sure you want to install the extension “uBlock Origin”?`.

uBlock Origin for Safari was created by Ellis Tsung . Website by Rémi Prévost , Mike McQuaid and Danielle Lalonde .

The best ad blockers in 2024

Say goodbye to intrusive online advertising with the best ad blockers

Best in-browser ad blockers

Best ad-blocking apps, best ad-blocking mobile apps, other privacy-focused extensions and apps.

The best ad blockers are crucial to survive on the modern internet. Not matter where you go, you're at risk of being harassed by pop-ups, tracker cookies, malvertising and countless other digital nasties that seem hell-bent on ruining your online experience. Even if all your browsing is above board, you're still at risk.

Thankfully there's no shortage of apps and browser extensions that can block ads and keep you safer when you're online. Combined with the best antivirus software and the best VPNs , a good ad-blocker gives you a perfect arsenal of tools to offer as much protection as possible. Even the FBI recommends using an ad-blocker for protection.

The only thing you need to figure out is which ad-blocker is right for you. There are so many to choose from, and whether you are willing to live with the downsides. Most free sites rely on advertising revenue to survive, including Tom's Guide. But if you're happy with the trade-off, we've got a thorough list of the best ad blockers and privacy tools — with options for every browser and platform.

The best ad blockers you can get today

1. adblock plus (chrome, edge, firefox, opera, safari, android, ios).

AdBlock Plus (ABP) is among the most popular ad blockers, with extensions available for Firefox, Chrome, Safari, Edge and Opera. ABP features a quick setup, loading preset filter lists that allow users to quickly block most ads, as well as the option to filter malware and social media buttons. 

Savvy users can chose additional block lists as well as set custom filters or whitelist their favorite sites to keep their ad revenue in the black. AdBlock Plus allows what it calls "non-intrusive advertising" through filters; that may irk some users, though this feature can be disabled in settings. 

On Android, the AdBlock Browser provides a Firefox-based browser that blocks incoming advertising, while on iOS, the AdBlock Plus app integrates with the content blocker system to seamlessly block advertising on Safari with minimal setup.

Download AdBlock Plus: Firefox , Chrome , Safari , Opera , Edge

2. AdBlock (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge)

AdBlock (no relation to AdBlock Plus) is the other best ad-blocking browser extension of note, available for users of Chrome, Firefox, Edge and Safari. AdBlock uses a series of filter lists to automatically block ad content coming from known ad servers and providers. Users can stick with the default block lists, subscribe to additional ones, or even create their own, as well as whitelist their favorite websites. 

As one of the most downloaded Chrome and Safari extensions, AdBlock has the trust of many users worldwide.

Download AdBlock: Chrome , Firefox , Safari , Edge

3. uBlock Origin (Chrome, Firefox)

Ublock Origin is a browser-based ad blocker that focuses on simple, efficient blocking with a low resource overhead. The extension comes loaded with a number of filter lists for known advertising and malware sources, with extra filter lists available and the option to read and create your own custom filters from hosts files.

Download Ublock Origin: Chrome , Firefox

4. Poper Blocker (Chrome)

Rather than be an all-in one blocking solution, Poper Blocker (aka Pop Up Blocker For Chrome), is designed to complement other adblockers. 

In this case, Poper Blocker focuses on blocking pop-ups, pop-unders, overlays, timed and scroll pop-ups, and other varieties that might slip past other ad-blocking extensions. Small notifications tell you when pop-ups are blocked. You also can view your blocking stats, but otherwise, you can generally just keep Poper Blocker running in the background with minimal impact alongside other adblocker extensions.

Download Poper Blocker: Chrome

5. Stands Fair AdBlocker (Chrome)

For a fast and light ad-blocking plugin, Chrome users can turn to Stands Fair AdBlocker. The extension does precisely what it promises, blocking ads and pop-ups from cluttering up your browser view while also preventing any tracking from going on. 

Stand's Fair AdBlocker gives you control over the type of ads you can block, specifying everything from autoplay video ads, YouTube ads, expanding ads and more. It can even block Facebook ads if you want.

The "Fair" part of AdBlocker comes into play by giving you the ability to allow certain types of ads or even whitelist ad-supported websites you don't want to shortchange of badly needed revenue. This is one ad blocker that doesn't take a scorched earth approach to its stated purpose.

Download Stands Fair AdBlocker: Chrome

6. Ghostery (Chrome, Firefox, Opera, Safari, Edge)

Like the other extensions on our list of the best ad blockers, Ghostery can remove ads from webpages, so you can focus on content and browse more efficiently. But the real value in Ghostery lies in its privacy protection features. You can use Ghostery to view trackers, which lets you see who's trying to collect data on you. With Ghostery, you can also stop that tracking from taking place. If you really want to safeguard your privacy, you can turn to Ghostery's Enhanced Anti Tracking to anonymize your data.

Ghostery's a free download that offers basic web protection. More advanced protection starts at $4.99 a month and the $11.99 monthly tier comes with a built-in VPN. There are also versions of Ghostery that work with Android and iOS devices.

Download Ghostery: Chrome , Firefox , Opera , Safari , Edge

7. Adblocker for YouTube (Chrome, Firefox)

YouTube has gotten more aggressive with ads, so the makers of ad-blocking extensions have followed suit. Adblocker for YouTube is a Chrome extension that promises to automatically block YouTube ads, whether we're talking about the pre-roll ad appearing before your video or any text and banner ads that appear on the video itself.

If you prefer Firefox to Chrome, there's also an AdBlocker for YouTube extension that works on that browser. Same name, different developer apparently, but the functionality of stripping out video and display ads remains. This version works on Android devices too.

Download Adblocker for YouTube: Chrome , Firefox

1. AdGuard (Windows, Mac, Android, iOS)

Uses looking for a more robust experience can try out the subscription-based AdGuard, which provides desktop and mobile options to reduce the ads you see when surfing online. 

AdGuard on Windows and Mac covers popular browsers, with highly configurable options for ads, content, and tracker blocking, as well as a parental controls module for restricting adult content. AdGuard for Android is a no-root ad-blocker that blocks advertising on apps and games, though you’ll have to install it from AdGuard’s site instead of through Google Play. AdGuard for iOS works with Safari to effectively filter ads on the default browser.

Download AdGuard: Windows , Mac , Android , iOS

2. AdLock ($33 per year)

AdLock avoids the browser-based route, instead opting to run as a separate program to be able to block not only browser-based ads, but also advertising in other programs like Skype or games. 

The app runs in the background, using filters to block ads, popups, and autoplaying videos, speeding up loading times and applying Safe Browsing features to automatically block sites that are known to be unsafe. 

For obvious reasons, the mobile version is unavailable on the Google Play Store, so you'll need to sideload the app if you want to get AdLock into your Android device. iOS users can download AdLock directly from Apple's App Store.

Download AdLock: Windows , Chrome ,  Android , Mac , iOS

3. Wipr (macOS, iOS; $1.99)

If you’re a Safari fan, Wipr may be the best ad blocker for both your Mac and iPhone. The app is available for both iOS and macOS — costing $1.99 from either Apple App Store — and it promises to work with Safari as well as apps that use Safari for displaying web pages.

You’ll find a full array of features with Wipr, which not only blocks apps and trackers, but cryptocurrency miners, EU cookie and GDPR notices and anything else that gets in your way of surfing the web. Its blocklist gets updated twice a week, and there’s little configuration; the idea is that you load Wipr and forget that it’s there while it does its job in the background.

With Wipr, pages should load faster in Safari, which will be particularly welcome if you’re surfing from an iPhone, where ads and trackers can bog down your browser’s speed.

Download Wipr: macOS , iOS

1. 1Blocker (iOS)

1Blocker was one of the first really good ad blockers on iOS when Apple opened up that functionality on iPhones and iPads; the apps has since been optimized for Safari. 

The app is designed to make browsing faster and more secure by blocking ads, popups, trackers and other online cruft. Rather than blocking content of a downloaded page, 1Blocker works with Safari's content blocker API to tell the browser what to block in advance, saving time and resources. 

1Blocker features more than 115,000 blocker rules, custom regional adblocking settings, and easy-to-use custom rules settings. The app is a free download, with premium features available as in-app purchases.

Download 1Blocker: iOS

2. Firefox Focus (Android, iOS)

Firefox Focus is another addition to Mozilla's family of browsers. This one's a privacy-oriented version of Firefox that bakes in ad-blocking and anti-tracking into a light and functional package. Firefox Focus blocks ads and speeds up browsing, while also working in privacy-friendly features like automatic history and cookie clearing. 

Users can selectively block ads, analytics, content and social trackers with easy toggles, turn on a "stealth" mode, and set a default search engine.

Our look at the best Android browsers has more on the various flavors of Firefox.

Download Firefox Focus: Android , iOS

3. AdClear (Android, iOS)

AdClear — or AdClear Plus if you're searching for the iOS version — offers the kind of mobile ad blocking in browsers that similar apps provide. But AdClear takes it one step farther by also blocking ads in apps. 

AdClear achieves this through a DNS changer feature that routes traffic through a VPN. AdClear doesn't catch everything in all apps, and in our experience, some apps ran a little slower. But this free download can put a stop to ads interrupting what you're trying to do whether in an app or a browser.

Download AdClear: Android , iOS

1. Decentraleyes (Chrome, Firefox)

Some times, blocking ads can also prevent websites fromn pulling needed resoruces and libraries from third-party sources, breaking web pages in the process. Decentraleyes tries to stop that from happening by acting as a local content delivery network emulator to serve up the files that websites need. By doing so, this extension can stop websites from sending out requests to the likes of Google Hosted Libraries.

Think of Decentraleyes as a complement to ad blockers. In fact, the extension specifically says it can work with uBlock Origin and AdBlock Plus, both of which we recommend up above.

Download Decentraleyes: Chrome , Firefox

2. Opera (Desktop, Android, iOS)

The Opera browser bakes in ad-blocking features into the browser without the need for an extra add-on, while also offering privacy-friendly tools such as an unlimited, built-in VPN service, incognito mode, fraud and malware warnings for suspicious links and pages, and more. In addition, you can further customize Opera's capabilities with a wide array of extensions. 

Mobile users need not fret, as the Android version comes with just about everything the desktop version has but built for touch-screen interfaces. On iOS, the mobile version of Opera is listed in Apple's App Store as Opera Touch. (Incidentally, we've got a guide on how you can use Opera to block ads on the iPhone .)

Download Opera: Mac or Windows , Android , iOS

3. Privacy Badger (Chrome, Firefox, Opera)

The Electronic Frontier Foundation's Privacy Badger browser extension was born from the EFF's concerns about the business models of some privacy tools and ad blockers. 

Privacy Badger functions similarly to extensions like AdBlock Plus (on which it was based), observing the various tracking tools that advertisers and other third parties might use to track your online activities and selectively blocking them from executing. Built-in learning algorithms adapt to the sites you visit and take any new tracking tools discovered into account. 

While not explicitly an ad blocker, Privacy Badger does also block some advertising, depending on how aggressively the ads track you across websites.

Download Privacy Badger: Chrome , Firefox , Opera

4. Tor Browser (Desktop, Android)

The Tor network helps anonymize your internet activity by bouncing the data you send and receive through a distributed anonymous network of routers to foil a common online surveillance technique called traffic analysis, which can reveal the sites you visit or who you're communicating with. 

The Tor Browser is an all-in-one package that includes everything you need to surf the net through the Tor network in an easy-to-install portable package. The package includes a modified version of Firefox with privacy aids such as NoScript baked in, and an automatic setup aid that makes it easy to connect to and create new Tor circuits. 

On the desktop, you can grab a version of Tor Browser for Windows, macOS or Linux. There's also a version of Tor Browser for Android, which replaces the previous OrBot + OrFox combination recommended for browsing Tor on Android.

Download Tor Browser: Desktop , Android

5. Onion Browser (iOS)

iOS users aren’t left out when it comes to browsing the Tor anonymizer network, with the Onion Browser among the more popular options on Apple’s mobile OS. 

Previously a premium app, Onion Browser has since moved to a donation model, opening up access to everyone who wants to download the app, without compromising security or features. The usual caveats apply: Browsing through Tor will slow down the web experience, and some features, like video streams and video files won’t work in order to preserve anonymity.

Download Onion Browser: iOS

How to choose the best ad blocker for you

Many of the best ad blockers are available for free, either as extensions or as standalone apps, though a few, like AdLock, charge a fee. Determine if the free services provide enough ad-blocking to meet your needs or whether a paid app delivers more for your money. You should also figure out if a browser extension will take care of your ad-blocking needs or whether you should consider switching browsers to one with more built-in privacy features.

You can narrow down your choice in ad blockers by deciding specifically what you're looking to accomplish with such an app or extension. Do you just want to stop annoying pop-up ads from appearing or do you want the full range of services, including privacy features and an end to ad-tracking? Grab the ad blocker that ticks off all the boxes on your wishlist.

Some ad blockers, such as AdBlock Plus include filters and the ability to let in non-obtrusive advertising. Others, like AdBlocker Ultimate, take a more aggressive approach. Find out which one best suits your needs and comfort level.

As we noted at the outset, there's also an ethical component to ad blockers. Do you feel comfortable keeping ad revenue out of the hands of sites you enjoy and use for free? As good as the best ad blockers are, that's still a trade-off you need to consider when deciding whether to install one as a browser extension or as a standalone app. 

Sign up to get the BEST of Tom’s Guide direct to your inbox.

Upgrade your life with a daily dose of the biggest tech news, lifestyle hacks and our curated analysis. Be the first to know about cutting-edge gadgets and the hottest deals.

Millions of Discord users being tracked by spy site — what you need to know

How to hide your IP address

The 11-inch iPad Pro 2024 may be hard to find at launch — here’s why

• kep55 I'm waiting for an ad blocker that will spoof the websites into thinking there is no ad blocker in place. More and more sites are incorporating code that disables the site entirely or many of the features if an adblocker is in use. Reply

kep55 said: I'm waiting for an ad blocker that will spoof the websites into thinking there is no ad blocker in place. More and more sites are incorporating code that disables the site entirely or many of the features if an adblocker is in use.

• View All 2 Comments

Most Popular

• 2 Apple Store clearance sale — get these refurb M2 and M3 Macs on sale from $849
• 3 The Alienware Pro is a mighty mechanical keyboard — yet its let down by real flaws
• 4 Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 performance may be no different from last year's model — here's why
• 5 Google Pixel Tablet could get a minor refresh — but that may mean no Pixel Tablet 2 this summer

• Home New Posts Forum List Trending New Threads New Media Spy
• WikiPost Latest summaries Watched WikiPosts
• Support FAQ and Rules Contact Us

uBlock Origin Alternatives in Safari 13?

• Thread starter ParanoidDroid
• Start date Sep 19, 2019
• Sort by reaction score

ParanoidDroid

Macrumors 6502.

• Sep 19, 2019

Oh silly me! I just updated to Safari 13 and that killed my beloved uBlock Origin extension. Unfortunately, I don't have a current time machine backup, but I do have an another Mac with Safari 12. 1. First what are the best alternatives to uBlock Origin? 2. Is there a way to roll back to Safari 12 manually?  

macrumors 65816

macrumors regular

macrumors 6502a

Hi, I'll refrain from upgrading to Safari 13. They write "Includes an updated start page...blah-blah-blah". What about Top Sites? What's the look in Safari 13?  

I also had this issue and installed Ublock from the App Store, works amazing! After install you need to go into safari preferences - extensions and check the boxes next to the Ublock icons. Then you need to click update filter lists on the main UBlock app interface. Confusing I know, but it works.  

• Sep 20, 2019

hooptyuber said: I upgraded to Safari 13 and now I can't connect to Amazon.com on any of my four Macs. ????? Click to expand...

adrianlondon

Macrumors 603.

My solution (since getting the Catalina beta) was to move to Firefox. I currently use FF 71 (the Nightly version) and I really recommend giving it a go. The different UI takes some getting used to, and if you want to customise it like I do then you'll be spending a while editing userChrome.css, but the one thing people keep saying - that FF is slow and is a memory hog - has finally been fixed. This thing flies. It's faster than Safari for me, which is a surprise. My only issue was that it doesn't use keychain but I migrated all my passwords to Bitwarden and that solved that. Bitwarden is also much better (at managing passwords and in having user-defined fields) than keychain so this was another win. Plus, iOS13 works well with Btwarden on my iPhone as it integrates well with the stock password features there. I actually moved from Safari to FF before Catalina once I lost access to cookie management via SIMBL, as I like to delete most cookies when I quit the browser, but at that time Firefox made my laptop run hotter than Safari. No longer.  

ParanoidDroid said: Oh silly me! I just updated to Safari 13 and that killed my beloved uBlock Origin extension. Unfortunately, I don't have a current time machine backup, but I do have an another Mac with Safari 12. 1. First what are the best alternatives to uBlock Origin? 2. Is there a way to roll back to Safari 12 manually? Click to expand...

macrumors newbie

Oh why didn't I check on here before updating. Thank god I build a pi-hole this week. This will keep me somewhat save until I find a solution for safari.  

nylon said: I also had this issue and installed Ublock from the App Store, works amazing! After install you need to go into safari preferences - extensions and check the boxes next to the Ublock icons. Then you need to click update filter lists on the main UBlock app interface. Confusing I know, but it works. Click to expand...

Anyone care to comment on my post? Are these add blockers really doing what my paste says they can? Thanks.  

macrumors member

• Sep 21, 2019

So far the best alternative is Wipr, I bought a day ago and it seems to get the job done. Wipr  

russell_314

I researched this and it seems this isn't just a Safari thing. Chrome will prevent adblockers as well in a future update. Not that I would use Chrome anyways. I understand companies are under pressure from advertisers to prevent people from using ad blockers but I wouldn't have expected Apple to cave in. Right now I downloaded Firefox since they're still allowing ad blockers but just wondering if this change is inevitable.  

It's still possible to use an adblocker in Safari. There are so many Safari Extensions on the App Store you can download and use. But uBlock Origin was written in a way that doesn't work anymore in Safari 13. Is the new Safari Extension format worse than before? Maybe, but that doesn't mean you can't block ads at all.  

Ritsuka said: It's still possible to use an adblocker in Safari. There are so many Safari Extensions on the App Store you can download and use. But uBlock Origin was written in a way that doesn't work anymore in Safari 13. Is the new Safari Extension format worse than before? Maybe, but that doesn't mean you can't block ads at all. Click to expand...

macrumors G5

I've been using 1Blocker on both macOS and iOS. It works well with both, including with Safari 13.  

I use Wipr and I hardly see any ads, but I guess it depends on which website you visit.  

chrfr said: I've been using 1Blocker on both macOS and iOS. It works well with both, including with Safari 13. Click to expand...

Ritsuka said: I use Wipr and I hardly see any ads, but I guess it depends on which website you visit. Click to expand...

1Blocker works well for me.  

Using hosts to block ads https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/using-hosts-to-block-ads-and-malware-in-catalina.2198978/ Works in Mojave too.  

Blowback said: I've updated to Safari 13..... I was checking the prefs and went to 'manage websites' and found that I had over 1400 (cookies?)....deleted all and re-signed in to my ~20 sites which needed sign-ins/ remember me's . No problems at all....checked Amazon etc. and no issues. Was in the Apple Store today discussing ad-blockers with one of there techs and he mentioned U-Block Origin. Reason I bring this up is because with the other blockers you get this boilerplate: View attachment 860383 Does U-Block Origin also grab these 'permissions'? Apple tech said he didn't know but would look into it when he got home. Also, per Maverick28: I don't see any updated start page or Top 5 sites. Really have been looking and can't seem to find anything different ...though it is faster. Click to expand...

nylon said: So I spoke too soon. Ublock is not blocking all ads or pop ups. It also seems its just a rebranded version of AdBlock. So I spent the $2 for Wipr and all is well after testing. Way better than Ublock. Click to expand...

FYI FOR ALL: Add blockers are DEAD in Safari. Please read : https://www.zdnet.com/article/apple...ri-but-unlike-chrome-users-didnt-say-a-thing/  

Have you tried WIPR?  

My 5 must-have Firefox extensions and what I use them for

Firefox is a much better browser than the market share would indicate. With just one big exception (tab management), I would go so far as to say it's the best browser available to nearly all platforms.

It's a shame that Firefox gets overlooked but for those who do know how well the browser works, you get it. For those who might be on the fence about using Firefox, the extensions feature might help sway you.

Also: Google delays killing third-party cookies in Chrome again. What you need to know

My favorite extensions level up the open-source browser for me and my workflows. Each of these extensions is free to install and use and helps add a bit of extra security and efficiency to the browser.

With that said, let's get to the extensions.

1. uBlock Origin

uBlock Origin is the king of content blocking for Firefox. With over 7 million downloads, the numbers speak for themselves. Most think this extension is little more than an "ad blocker" but that's selling it short. 

Also: YouTube videos may no longer play if you use a third-party ad blocker

uBlock Origin is a wide-spectrum content blocker that blocks ads, trackers, coin miners, popups, prefetching, hyperlink auditing, and more. uBlock Origin works with the help of various lists of known threats and issues. Out of the box, the extension uses EasyList (for ads), EasyPrivacy (for tracking), Peter Lowe's Ad server list (for ads and tracking), Online Maclicous URL Blocklist, and uBO's own list. There are other lists you can enable but the default collection works very well.

If I could only install one extension to Firefox, this would be it. I would even go so far as to say uBlock Origin should come pre-installed on Firefox; it's that good (and necessary). In this modern era, visiting certain types of websites is a security and privacy crapshoot but uBlock Origin helps tilt the odds in your favor.

2. Privacy Badger

Unlike the wide-spectrum nature of uBlock Origin, Privacy Badger focuses on one thing: invisible trackers. What makes Privacy Badger so important is that it learns as it is used. Instead of relying on lists, this extension discovers trackers based on behavior. 

Privacy Badger also automatically opts you out of data sharing and selling as well as tracking. If that weren't enough, Privacy Badger also automatically removes link click tracking on both Facebook and Google, so those sites cannot track the links you've clicked on.

Also: The best secure browsers for privacy in 2024

Use Privacy Badger along with uBlock Origin (along with Firefox's built-in security measures) and you've got one of the most secure browsers on the planet.

3. Bitwarden Password Manager

Continuing with our theme of security, you should be using a password manager . When you do adopt a password manager, I highly recommend Bitwarden. 

Also: How to use Bitwarden Identities to secure your most sensitive data

Not only does it have a robust feature set, end-to-end encrypted vaults, and apps for desktop, mobile, and web, but it also has a browser extension. One of the reasons many refuse to use a password manager is that it adds yet another step in their already busy day. To that end, they'll allow their web browser to store passwords for easy logins. Unfortunately, web browsers aren't nearly as safe as legitimate password managers. 

With the Bitwarden Password Manager Firefox extension , you get the best of both worlds. Not only do you have the extra security layers of a real password manager, but also the simplicity and efficiency of easy logins.

4. Sideberry

The only area where Firefox struggles is tab management. Out of the box, Firefox's idea of tab management is pretty much the same as it ever was… none. That's a shame, given how browsers like Opera and Safari have created some of the best tab management options available.

Also:  5 ways to improve your Chrome browser's security

Although Firefox doesn't have an extension to rival Opera's Workspaces , it does have Sideberry , which adds a sidebar where you can better manage your tabs with a flat list, tree view, grouped tabs (folders), colorizations, automatic unloading, and custom tab titles. Ever since I started using Arc Browser on MacOS, I've come to really enjoy side tabs. The only thing I wish Sideberry could do is hide Firefox's default tab bar.

5. ClearURLs

How many times have you wanted to share a link with someone, only to find the link a never-ending stream of characters that extends far beyond the necessary address? All of those extraneous characters are tracking elements and look something like this:

The above link is for a vinyl copy of Rush's "Moving Pictures" album on Amazon. The only bit you really need is this:

With the ClearURLs extension, when you click on the Amazon listing, it strips away all of the tracking bits and presents only the necessary link. To me, that's a must-have.

And there you have it, five extensions that help level up Firefox's security and efficiency. If you don't find an extension here that tickles your browser fancy, you can always check the Firefox extension  market and find an exhaustive list of possible add-ons to help make Firefox the web browser you've always wanted and needed.

• The best free AI courses (and whether AI 'micro-degrees' and certificates are worth it)
• I changed these 10 iPhone settings and improved battery life dramatically
• Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra review: The most powerful robot vacuum I've tested
• How AI can rescue IT pros from job burnout and alert fatigue

Navigation Menu

Search code, repositories, users, issues, pull requests..., provide feedback.

We read every piece of feedback, and take your input very seriously.

Saved searches

Use saved searches to filter your results more quickly.

To see all available qualifiers, see our documentation .

• Notifications

uBlock Origin works best on Firefox

This document explains why uBO works best in Firefox.

CNAME-uncloaking

Ability to uncloak 3rd-party servers disguised as 1st-party through CNAME record . The effect of this is to make uBO on Firefox the most efficient at blocking 3rd-party trackers relative to other browser/blocker pairs:

The dark green/red bars are uBO before/after it gained the ability to uncloak CNAMEs on Firefox.

Source: "Characterizing CNAME Cloaking-Based Tracking on the Web" at Asia Pacific Network Information Centre , August 2020.

HTML filtering

HTML filtering is the ability to filter the response body of HTML documents before parsing them by the browser.

For example, this allows the removal of specific tags in HTML documents before they are parsed and executed by the browser, something not possible in a reliable manner in other browsers. This feature requires the webRequest.filterResponseData() API, currently only available in Firefox.

Response body filtering

See Implement network filter option replace= .

Browser launch

Firefox will wait for uBO to be ready before sending network requests from already opened tab(s) at browser launch.

In Chromium-based browsers, this is not the case. Tracker/advertisement payloads may find their way into already opened tabs before uBO is ready, while Firefox will properly filter these.

Reliably blocking at browser launch is especially important for whoever uses default-deny mode for 3rd-party resources or JavaScript.

A setting is available, disabled by default, to mitigate this issue in Chromium-based browsers. This setting does not cover 100% of all use cases, and some exceptions may apply.

Pre-fetching

Pre-fetching, disabled by default in uBO, is reliably prevented in Firefox, while this is not the case in Chromium-based browsers.

Chromium-based browsers give precedence to websites over user settings when it comes to deciding whether pre-fetching is disabled or not.

Reference: Disable prefetching

WebAssembly

The Firefox version of uBO uses WebAssembly code for core filtering code paths. With Chromium-based browsers, this is not the case because this would require an extra permission in the extension manifest that could cause friction when publishing the extension in the Chrome Web Store.

More Information: https://github.com/WebAssembly/content-security-policy/issues/7#issuecomment-441259729

Storage compression

The Firefox version of uBO uses LZ4 compression by default to store raw filter lists, compiled list data, and memory snapshots to disk storage.

LZ4 compression requires the use of IndexedDB , which is problematic with Chromium-based browsers in the incognito mode where instances of IndexedDB get reset, causing uBO to launch inefficiently and with out-of-date filter lists (see #399 ). IndexedDB is required because it supports storing Blob -based data, a capability unavailable to browser.storage.local API .

uBlock Origin - An efficient blocker for Chromium and Firefox. Fast and lean.

• Can you trust uBlock Origin?
• Why don't you accept donations?
• The per-site switches
• Cloud storage
• Advanced settings
• Filter lists pane
• Procedural cosmetic filters
• Resources Library
• Filter performance
• Quick guide
• Rule syntax
• Rule precedence
• Blocking mode
• URL filtering
• How to mark a web site as trusted
• Keyboard shortcuts
• Code viewer
• DOM inspector
• Element picker
• Element zapper
• Very easy mode
• Easy mode + more privacy
• Easy mode + enhanced security/privacy
• Medium mode (optimal for advanced users)
• Nightmare mode
• Badware risks
• Overview of uBlock's network filtering engine: details
• Does uBlock Origin block ads or just hide them?
• Doesn't uBlock Origin add overhead to page load?
• About "Why uBlock Origin works so much better than Pi‑hole does?"
• uBlock and others: Blocking ads, trackers, malwares
• About "This other extension reports more stuff blocked!"
• About "uBlock is inferior in capabilities as a result of being lighter on the browser"
• Memory footprint: what happens inside uBlock after installation
• uBlock vs. ABP: efficiency compared
• Counterpoint: Who cares about efficiency, I have 8 GB RAM and|or a quad core CPU
• Myth: uBlock consumes over 80MB
• Myth: uBlock is just slightly less resource intensive than Adblock Plus
• Myth: uBlock consumes several or several dozen GB of RAM
• Various videos showing side by side comparison of the load speed of complex sites
• Own memory usage: benchmarks over time
• Contributed memory usage: benchmarks over time
• Can uBO crash a browser?
• Tools, tests
• Deploying uBlock Origin
• Privileged Pages
• Software known to have uninstalled uBlock Origin
• The removed element reappears when you reload the page
• Read carefully if using uBO/webext on legacy Firefox
• How to use uBlock Origin advanced user mode tutorial ↗︎
• Firefox: uBlock Origin – Firefox-Kompendium Teil2 ↗︎
• Beginners Cheat Sheet - "Syntax Meanings That Are Actually Human Readable" ↗︎
• Scientific papers

Clone this wiki locally