DNSecure vs AdSpamBlock
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
DNSecure
Configure encrypted DNS services system-wide on your iOS or iPadOS device. Supports DNS-over-TLS and DNS-over-HTTPS protocols for enhanced privacy and security. Easily select or add your preferred DNS servers.
- Encrypted DNS configuration
- System-wide DNS usage
- DNS-over-TLS support
- DNS-over-HTTPS support
- Custom DNS server addition
- Easy activation via Settings
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DNSecure is a configuration tool of encrypted DNS for iOS/iPadOS. An encrypted DNS service you configure will be used system-wide. Supported protocols are DNS-over-TLS and DNS-over-HTTPS. How to use: 1. Select a DNS server you like, or add another one 2. Enable "Use This Server" 3. Open the Settings 4. Go to "General" > "VPN & Network" > "DNS" 5. "Automatic" is selected by default, so select "DNSecure"
AdSpamBlock
This app blocks unwanted advertisements and detects spam across various browser and email applications. It protects users from phishing ads and illegal tracking, offering a cleaner and safer online experience.
- Blocks ads in browsers (Safari, Chrome)
- Blocks ads in email applications
- Detects and blocks spam
- Monitors and blocks illegal tracking
- Protects against phishing ads
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AdSpamBlock is a free, made-in-Japan ad blocker and spam detector. It frees you from phishing ads and annoying ads. [Important] Seeing ads? Turn off "Connectivity Assist" When iOS's Connectivity Assist (Settings > Wi-Fi; formerly Wi-Fi Assist) is on, your traffic may switch to cellular data while Wi-Fi is unstable and bypass ad blocking, so ads appear. Go to Settings > Wi-Fi > Connectivity Assist and turn it off (you can also turn it off only for the Wi-Fi network you use). When the app detects this, it also lets you know on the Home screen and with a notification. [Three advantages of AdSpamBlock] 1. Wide filtering coverage Blocks ads in the background not only in browsers such as Safari and Chrome, but also in mail and other apps, protecting you from harmful and spam ads. 2. High performance, still free AdSpamBlock stays free thanks to our users. In return, we may occasionally show reward program offers in a non-intrusive way. 3. Monitors ads and unauthorized tracking Beyond ads, it monitors and blocks tracking code that runs behind websites without your consent. [Check that it is working] The "Status" screen in Settings shows whether the VPN and ad blocking are running and when the block list was last updated. You can update the list and run a check right there. [Notes] - Because all traffic is filtered, iOS's data usage screen attributes the data usage of all apps to this app. - If Instagram shows an error, try deleting and reinstalling the Instagram app. - Requires iOS 15 or later.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: DNSecure at none against AdSpamBlock's shown. DNSecure also leads on monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases) and review sentiment (88% vs 79%). AdSpamBlock's advantage is update cadence (monthly vs every 3 months) and ratings volume (640 vs 109). On price, rating, in-app purchases and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for DNSecure against 4.7 for AdSpamBlock. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: AdSpamBlock has 640 ratings behind it against 109, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 88% of DNSecure's written reviews are positive against 79% of AdSpamBlock's.
DNSecure ships an update every 3 months, AdSpamBlock monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 18, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | DNSecure | AdSpamBlock |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (109 ratings) | 4.7 (640 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 88.4% of reviews — better | 79.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 109 | 640 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Monthly — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 6 MB | 24 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Kenta Kubo | misosil inc |
Customer experience
DNSecure
AdSpamBlock
User reviews
DNSecure
From 109 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Fast and efficient
- 🔒 Secure and private
- 👍 User-friendly and simple
- 🔥 Excellent ad-blocking
- 💯 Works great across devices
Room to improve
- 🐛 Occasional bugs and crashes
- 🔋 Potential battery drain
- 🤔 Confusing setup for non-technical users
AdSpamBlock
From 640 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- ✅ Blocks ads across apps and websites effectively
- 💰 Completely free with no in-app purchases
- 🎯 Works on multiple platforms beyond Safari
- ⚡ Simple and easy-to-use interface
- 🔄 Can be toggled on/off easily
Room to improve
- 🔋 Excessive battery drain reported frequently
- 📡 High mobile data consumption (multiple GB)
- 🐛 App randomly turns off unexpectedly
- 🌐 Slows down internet connection noticeably
- 📱 Causes device overheating issues
Bugs and requests
DNSecure
Reported bugs
3 issues- Unable to add new DNS services
- App freezes when editing DNS entries
- Incompatibility with certain iOS versions
Requested features
4 requests- Add support for DNS-over-QUIC and DNS-over-HTTP/3
- Implement custom domain blocklist/allowlist
- Provide latency information for DNS servers
- Add option to only enable on non-trusted networks
AdSpamBlock
Reported bugs
10 issues- App turns off randomly without user action
- Internet connection drops intermittently (5 minutes recovery)
- Some websites become unreadable when enabled
- Barcode display fails in certain apps (JRE)
- Device overheating when app is active
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- Automatic toggle activation despite being disabled
- App stops working after iOS updates
- Excessive background data usage even when idle
- Some ads still slip through despite being enabled
- Performance degradation on newer iPhone models
Requested features
9 requests- Notification to remind users to turn app back on after restart
- Reduce battery consumption optimization
- Lower mobile data usage
- YouTube and streaming service ad blocking
- Prevent automatic shutoff
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- Better compatibility with banking/payment apps
- Ability to care for the bulldog mascot
- Support for reward video ads (whitelist improvements)
- Reduce device heating
In-app purchases
DNSecure
No in-app purchases
AdSpamBlock
No in-app purchases
