Ad blocking
A DNS ad blocker, or DNS adblock, stops ads before they load by refusing to look up the servers that deliver them. Here’s how using DNS to block ads works, how it compares with browser extensions and where it falls short.
In short
Everything else gets a normal answer, so websites and apps keep working. Because this happens at the DNS level, it covers the whole device: every browser, app and game, not just one browser. Set it on a router, and it covers every device on your Wi-Fi.
| DNS ad blocker | Browser extension | |
|---|---|---|
| Works in | every browser and app on the device | one browser |
| Ads in apps and games | yes | no |
| Smart TVs and consoles | yes, via the router | no |
| Hides empty ad spaces on pages | no | yes |
| Ads inside YouTube videos | no | yes |
| What to install | nothing | an extension in every browser |
You don’t have to choose: a DNS ad blocker and an extension work fine together. The DNS blocker covers apps and other devices, and the extension tidies up pages in your main browser.
Yes, for trackers that live on their own servers: analytics scripts, ad pixels and the data collection built into many apps and smart TVs. The same lists that cover ad servers cover these. It doesn’t stop a website from counting your visit on its own servers, and it can’t change what you share when you sign in somewhere.
Before you pick an adblock DNS server, check five things:
Your DNS provider sees the names of the sites your devices look up, as any DNS provider does, including the one your internet company gives you. It doesn’t see full addresses, page content or what you type. Choose a provider with a clear policy: at Seawall the query log is off by default and only you can turn it on.
Pick your device and follow the setup guide, then run the ad blocker test to check the result.
Rarely. If a site or app stops working, add it to your allow list or pause protection for a few minutes.
Yes, when it’s set on the device: Private DNS on Android and a profile on iPhone work on any network. A router setup works only at home.
Yes. They don’t conflict: the DNS blocker covers apps and other devices, the extension hides leftover spaces in one browser.
Pop-up ads come from three places: ad networks, apps that draw ads over other apps, and website notifications you once allowed. Here’s how to stop pop-up ads of each kind on an Android phone, iPhone, Windows and Mac.
Private DNS for Android is a built-in setting that encrypts your DNS lookups and sends them to a server you choose. Here’s what it does, whether it should be on or off, and how to use it to block ads.
Seawall blocks ads and trackers in apps, browsers and on smart TVs. No app needed.