Comparison

Ad vs Very Good AdBlock

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Ad

This privacy-focused content blocker for Safari removes ads, trackers, and unwanted pop-ups across your devices. It offers customizable filtering categories and shows you exactly what is being blocked on each page.

Highlights
  • Blocks ads, trackers, and analytics
  • Removes cookie banners and pop-ups
  • Customizable content categories
  • Shows blocked domains per page
  • Privacy-first, zero data collection
  • Works on iPhone and Mac
Features
Read full description

Ad Engine — Ad Blocker & Privacy Block ads, trackers, and malicious content in Safari. Fast, private, and completely free. Blocks everything that slows you down Ad Engine uses Safari's built-in content filter — no VPN, no proxy, no battery drain. Rules run on-device before a single request leaves your phone. One tap to choose your profile • Default — removes ads and trackers across the web • Family — adds adult content, drug, and gambling site filtering • Maximum — strictest blocking: all of the above plus P2P and extra annoyances European ad networks blocked Dedicated rule lists for German, French, Dutch, Italian, Spanish, and Polish ad networks — six languages, one toggle per region. Block anything from Safari See an ad-heavy site? Tap the Share button → Ad Engine → Block this domain. Done. The block applies immediately, no app switch required. Built-in privacy • No account, no sign-in, no iCloud sync • Zero analytics, zero telemetry • All filtering happens locally — nothing leaves your device Widget & Siri Add the home screen widget to see how many ads were blocked today and your lifetime total. Use Siri or Shortcuts to pause blocking for 15 minutes, 30 minutes, 1 hour, or 2 hours — then it resumes automatically. Always free No subscription. No paywall. No "Pro" tier. Ad Engine is free to download and free forever.

About

Very Good AdBlock

Features
Read full description

Very Good AdBlock blocks ads, trackers, cookie banners, and intrusive pop-ups in Safari on iPhone, iPad, and Mac. It uses Safari's content-blocking and web-extension APIs to stop requests before they load, helps reduce page clutter and data use, and gives you simple per-site controls. Privacy first: no telemetry, no browsing-history collection, no selling or sharing of data. Settings and blocking statistics remain on your devices. Optional browser-account sync is handled by your browser vendor, not our servers. Features: • Network-level ad and tracker blocking • YouTube and Twitch ad defenses • Pop-up and pop-under protection • Per-site pause, allowlist, and blocklist controls • Optional cookie-banner hiding • Local blocking and savings statistics Install the app, then enable Very Good AdBlock in Settings > Apps > Safari > Extensions on iPhone or iPad, or Safari > Settings > Extensions on Mac.

Screenshots

Ad4 screens
Very Good AdBlock2 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Very Good AdBlock at every 3 days against Ad's every 2 months. On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Ad ships an update every 2 months, Very Good AdBlock every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 2, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
Ad versus Very Good AdBlock: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAdVery Good AdBlock
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.0 (2 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews0.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings2 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 3 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, MaciPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac
Requires iOS15.415.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size163 MB12 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperHashim AbdulChris Breuer

In-app purchases

None

Ad

No in-app purchases

None

Very Good AdBlock

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Ad free?
Ad is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Very Good AdBlock free?
Very Good AdBlock is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Ad or Very Good AdBlock have ads?
Neither Ad nor Very Good AdBlock shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Ad or Very Good AdBlock?
Ad ships an update every 2 months, and Very Good AdBlock every 3 days. Most recently, Ad was updated on October 2, 2026 and Very Good AdBlock on September 22, 2026.

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