Ad vs PubBlock
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
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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.
PubBlock
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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
Verdict
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
Both are free to download. PubBlock sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Ad asks for nothing beyond the download.
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.
| Parameter | Ad | PubBlock |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.0 (2 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 0.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 2 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 2 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.4 — better | 17.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 163 MB | 3 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Hashim Abdul | CIPRIAN ALEXANDRU FRASINESCU |
In-app purchases
Ad
No in-app purchases
PubBlock
- PubBlock Pro$2.99









