Comparison

Ad vs PubBlock

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

PubBlock

Features
Read full description

PubBlock cleans up Safari and your apps: no more banners, no more pop-up ads, no more trackers following you from site to site. Pages load faster, use less data and respect your privacy. HOW IT WORKS • Safari content blocker (free): PubBlock hands Safari a compiled rule list, and Safari blocks ads and trackers before they even load. No injected scripts, nothing read from your pages. • Safari extension for youtube.com (free): it removes the site's video ads, including the ones that play before the video, sponsored Shorts and promoted videos in the feed. • Blocking in all your apps (Pro, iOS 26 or later): PubBlock's own encrypted DNS server gives no address to known advertising and tracking domains, so they never load, whatever the app. You select it once in Settings > General > VPN & Device Management > DNS, and PubBlock checks that it really works. WHAT MAKES PUBBLOCK DIFFERENT • No data collection: no account, no analytics. The Safari blocker runs entirely on your iPhone or iPad, and PubBlock's DNS server keeps no logs. • No subscription: PubBlock Pro is a one-time purchase. • A list built for the French-speaking web: on top of the big global ad networks, PubBlock blocks the French and European ad-tech and tracking tools that generic lists often miss. • Your own rules: allow the websites you choose in Safari, and add your own blocked domains. • An honest status: the home screen says exactly what is protected right now, and why when something is off. • Light and quiet: no complicated settings, everything works in the background. KNOWN LIMITATIONS • Ads served from the same domain as the content cannot be blocked by a domain filter: that is a limit of the technique, not an oversight. Video ads inside the YouTube app therefore remain impossible to block; on youtube.com in Safari, the extension handles them. • While a VPN is connected, iOS sends DNS through the VPN, so blocking in your apps pauses; the Safari blocker keeps working. • Some sites show empty spaces where blocked ads used to be. PUBBLOCK PRO One-time purchase, no subscription: blocking in all your apps (iOS 26 or later) plus your own blocked domains. The Safari blocker and the YouTube extension stay free, forever. Privacy: https://calnexia.com/pubblock/privacy Support: https://calnexia.com/pubblock/support

Screenshots

Ad4 screens
PubBlock4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Ad at none against PubBlock's 1. Ad also leads on device support (4 vs 2) and iOS requirement (15.4 vs 17.6). PubBlock's advantage is update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 2 months). On price and ads 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. PubBlock sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Ad asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Ad ships an update every 2 months, PubBlock every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 18, 2026 and October 26, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Ad versus PubBlock: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAdPubBlock
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.0 (2 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews0.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings2 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.4 — better17.6
Further details — not scored
Size163 MB3 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperHashim AbdulCIPRIAN ALEXANDRU FRASINESCU

In-app purchases

None

Ad

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

PubBlock

One-time1
  • PubBlock Pro$2.99

Questions

Is Ad free?
Ad is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is PubBlock free?
PubBlock is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Ad or PubBlock have ads?
Neither Ad nor PubBlock shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Ad or PubBlock?
Ad ships an update every 2 months, and PubBlock every 2 weeks. Most recently, Ad was updated on October 18, 2026 and PubBlock on October 26, 2026.

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