# SponsorBlock for Safari — Skip sponsorships on YouTube

> Crowdsourced extension to automatically skip YouTube video sponsorships and segments. (iPhone/iPad app by Ajay Ramachandran.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sponsorblock-for-safari/id1573461917 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Ajay Ramachandran](https://appshunter.io/developer/1573461919)
- Category: Productivity, Entertainment
- Price: $2.99
- Rating: 4.40/5 from 79 App Store ratings · 168 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 15.0 · 9 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2021-06-24
- Data updated: 2026-08-31
- Monetization: free
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sponsorblock-for-safari/id1573461917/reviews.md

## What is SponsorBlock for Safari?

THIS EXTENSION DOES NOT BLOCK NORMAL YOUTUBE ADS, ONLY SPONSORS INSIDE VIDEOS. Use Adguard along with this extension to block both types. It also only works on the YouTube website, not the YouTube app.

Compatibility with the Vinegar extension

SponsorBlock lets you skip over sponsors, intros, outros, subscription reminders, and other annoying parts of YouTube videos. SponsorBlock is a crowdsourced browser extension that let's anyone submit the start and end time's of sponsored segments and other segments of YouTube videos. Once one person submits this information, everyone else with this extension will skip right over the sponsored segment.


You can also skip over non music sections of music videos.



This is open source and the entire database is public.



Permission explanations:



Access your data for youtube.com, www.youtube-nocookie.com:
- Used to modify the YouTube webpage

Data usage explanations:

"Authentication Information": When you install the extension, it will generate a random "userID" that is used when submitting or voting. This allows you to appear on the leaderboard and helps determine reputation of submissions.

With this extension, you will automatically skip YouTube sponsors.

More information about how it works: https://sponsor.ajay.app

Source code: https://github.com/ajayyy/SponsorBlock

Discord: https://discord.gg/QnmVMpU

Changelog: https://github.com/ajayyy/SponsorBlock/releases

## Key features

- Skip sponsorships
- Skip intros and outros
- Skip subscription reminders
- Crowdsourced segment data
- Skip non-music sections in music videos
- Open source

## Chart rankings

- #32 in Top Paid · Productivity (US App Store)

## What do users think of SponsorBlock for Safari?

Overall sentiment: positive

**Pros**

- ✅ Effectively skips sponsor segments in videos
- 🎯 Community-driven crowdsourced segment marking
- ⚡ Works seamlessly on Mac Safari
- 🔧 Highly customizable settings for segment types
- 💰 Reasonably priced for functionality
- 🚀 Fast updates and developer responsiveness
- 📱 Successfully ported to iOS Safari
- 🎨 Clean, unobtrusive user interface
- 🔄 Works with other extensions like Vinegar and AdGuard
- ⏱️ Saves significant viewing time
- 🌍 Open-source and transparent development
- 📊 Works on recently uploaded videos

**Cons**

- 🐛 Inconsistent skipping behavior across devices
- 📱 Only works in Safari, not YouTube app
- ⚠️ Doesn't block YouTube's own ads
- 🔌 Doesn't work in background/locked screen on iOS
- 🌐 Limited support for third-party YouTube clients
- 💸 Paid on iOS while free on desktop browsers
- 🔄 Occasional buffering and spinner issues
- ⚙️ Requires manual extension enabling in settings
- 🎬 Doesn't work on all videos consistently
- 🔧 Settings sometimes reset unexpectedly
- 📊 Incompatible with some browser extensions
- 🎯 Misses early sponsor segments on new videos

**Commonly reported bugs**

- Extension stops working after Safari updates
- Segments detected but not skipped automatically
- Video buffering with spinner stuck on screen
- Incompatibility with Vinegar extension causing freezes
- Segments not detected in portrait mode on iOS
- Extension fails to work on iOS despite being enabled
- Auto-skip setting not functioning
- Overaggressive skipping (skipping content mid-video)
- Inconsistent performance on iPad vs iPhone
- Settings reset after app restart
- Doesn't work with invidious instances
- Device overheating on iPhone

**Most requested features**

- Support for Invidious and third-party YouTube frontends
- Background/locked screen functionality on iOS
- Per-channel segment type whitelisting
- Support for Chrome, Firefox, and Edge on iOS
- Ability to submit segments on iOS
- Improved compatibility with Vinegar extension
- YouTube ad blocking integration
- Settings persistence/sync across devices
- Widget improvements for iPad display

## Recent user reviews (10 of 168)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sponsorblock-for-safari/id1573461917/reviews.md

### 4/5 — Tiny Enhancement

*2026-07-28*

Great add on! It would be so cool if it could play well with Vinegar for YouTube, background play plus no sponsor dream utopia

### 5/5 — Fonctionne bien

*2026-07-09*

Fonctionne très bien surtout combiné avec un anti pubs.

### 5/5 — Great

*2026-07-02*

For a once off purchase, it offers great value. Combine this with AdGuard and you get ad free sponsor free viewing experience without a subscription.

### 5/5 — War erst skeptisch

*2026-05-28*

Ich war erst skeptisch, da prinzipiell jeder irgendeine App hier veröffentlichen kann. Diese Erweiterung macht allerdings genau was sie soll. Soweit ich es verstehe, gibt es bei europäischen Videos gar keine Probleme, da hier die Creator ihre Werbung in Videos grundsätzlich markieren müssen. Dadurch wird der Teil direkt übersprungen. Bei Videos die außerhalb dieses Raums entstehen, melden scheinbar die Zuschauer die Segmente und dann wird ausgefiltert. Es kann also sein, dass ein Video kurz nach release noch nicht in der Datenbank ist. Das kann man natürlich dem Entwickler nicht vorwerfen, denn irgendjemand muss halt erst mal feststellen was überhaupt der Werbepart ist. Fazit: dank dieser Erweiterung muss ich mir keine dumme Werbung für überteuertes Getränkepulver oder anderen Mist mehr pressen. Danke Dafür!

### 5/5 — Отличное приложение!

*2026-04-29*

Так держать! продолжайте в том же

### 5/5 — Works as expected

*2026-04-26*

Works as expected across all devices. Fantastic

### 5/5 — Parfait

*2026-04-17*

Très pratique, installation intuitive, vaut chaque centimes.

### 4/5 — Works on Mac, not on iOS

*2026-02-23, version 6.1.2*

I downloaded SponsorBlock a while back on all of my devices and it works wonderfully on Mac. I haven’t gotten it to work yet in Safari on m.youtube. and I’m not exactly sure why. I’m on ios26.3 on my iPad and iPhone and I’ve had no success in getting it to work. I know that when it does work, it makes watching YouTube much more enjoyable on my Mac, even providing segments if the video doesn’t have them. I’d really like to know whether this is just a me thing that I’ve done wrong or perhaps a known issue that the team is working on.

### 5/5 — Support the developer

*2026-02-01*

I’ve used this extension on other browsers and it works great. Help the developer pay for the servers and buy this!

### 2/5 — Only works sometimes

*2026-02-01*

About 50% of the time it skips the ad as it should. The other 50% I get a spinner and the video never stops buffering unless I reload the page.

## Frequently asked questions about SponsorBlock for Safari

### What does SponsorBlock for Safari do?

SponsorBlock for Safari automatically skips sponsored segments, intros, outros, and subscription reminders within YouTube videos. It relies on a crowdsourced database where users submit the start and end times of these segments. This allows other users with the extension to bypass these parts of videos seamlessly.

### Does this app block normal YouTube ads?

No, this extension specifically targets sponsorships and other segments within videos, not the standard YouTube advertisements. For blocking normal YouTube ads, it is recommended to use an additional ad blocker like Adguard in conjunction with this extension.

### How does the crowdsourcing work?

Users with the extension can submit the start and end times for sponsored segments or other unwanted parts of YouTube videos. This information is then added to a public database. When other users watch those videos, the extension uses this data to automatically skip the identified segments.

### Is this app compatible with the YouTube app?

No, this extension only works on the YouTube website (youtube.com and www.youtube-nocookie.com) when accessed through a compatible browser. It does not function within the official YouTube mobile application.

### Is SponsorBlock for Safari free to use?

Yes, SponsorBlock for Safari is a free and open-source application. There are no costs associated with using the extension or its crowdsourced database. The source code is publicly available for review.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 6.1.6 — 2026-06-30

- Fix YouTube chapters sometimes not being shown in the timeline 
- Add option to hide creator chapters

### 6.1.5 — 2026-04-21

- Fix options page disappearing if all custom configurations are deleted 
- Improved channel lookups (thanks @mini-bomba )
- Add support for new embed player
- Fix segments not skipping when video is scrolled away

### 6.1.2 — 2026-01-06

Fix chapter text rendering

### 6.1 — 2025-10-30

- Add "or" operator to advanced skip options (thanks @mschae23 )
- Make advanced skip options live update all video pages when edited
- Don't auto skip on music videos if non music category disabled 
- Show inspect button when only one time is selected 
- Fix preview bar scaling on new YouTube layout

### 6.0.3 — 2025-10-15

- Fixes for new skip profile UI
- Colour segment selector boxes with the category colour when submitting
- Add segment list default tab config (thanks @FelixFourcolor )
- Add pride theme
- Move buttons back to the left on new YouTube layout

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| --- | --- | --- | --- |
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## More apps by Ajay Ramachandran

- [DeArrow for YouTube](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dearrow-for-youtube/id6451469297)

All apps by Ajay Ramachandran: https://appshunter.io/developer/1573461919

## Related topics

[ajay ramachandran](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/ajay-ramachandran)

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-31.*