Crumbs vs ZeroAds
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Crumbs
This app blocks unwanted trackers across all applications and websites on your device at the network level. It provides insights into which companies are attempting to track you and how often they are blocked. Setup is quick and easy, requiring no technical expertise.
- Blocks trackers across all apps
- Network-level blocking
- Easy one-tap setup
- See blocked tracker counts
- Identifies tracking companies
- Lightweight and battery-friendly
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Your phone knows where you go, who you talk to, and what you do all day. Right now, dozens of companies quietly collect that — in the background, inside the apps you already use. Crumbs stops them. Crumbs blocks trackers at the network level, before they ever reach your data. No new browser. No settings to babysit. Switch it on once and it works across every app and website on your phone. Crumbs also blocks malware and phishing sites, because they're bad too. See who's watching. Crumbs shows you the companies caught trying to track you, and how many times it shut them down. • Blocks trackers across all your apps, not just your browser • Sets up in under a minute in one tap, no technical know-how • Watch the blocked-tracker count climb, and the companies behind them • Lightweight - no noticeable hit to speed or battery Your data should be yours. Crumbs keeps it that way.
ZeroAds
This app modifies your device's DNS settings to block ads and trackers across apps and Safari. It offers various free filter lists and includes a Safari content blocker for comprehensive ad removal without using a VPN.
- DNS resolver modification
- Multiple free filter lists
- Safari content blocker
- No VPN usage
- Instant filtering on/off
- AdGuard, Cloudflare, Quad9 integration
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ZeroAds changes which DNS resolver iOS uses. That is all it does. Pick a filter list and ZeroAds points your iPhone at the public encrypted-DNS resolver that publishes it. That operator declines to resolve advertising and tracking domains, so those domains never load — in apps and in Safari, not just in the browser. Filtering happens on the operator's servers, using their own published list. EVERY FILTER LIST IS FREE • Ads & Trackers — AdGuard DNS Default. Declines to resolve advertising and tracking domains. • Cloudflare Filtered — Cloudflare 1.1.1.2. Cloudflare's own flagged-domain list. Advertising domains are not on it, so ads still load. • Quad9 Filtered — Quad9 9.9.9.9. A non-profit resolver applying its published block list. Advertising domains are not on it, so ads still load. • Family — AdGuard Family. Advertising and tracking domains plus adult-content domains. Switch lists whenever you like. Changing list is instant, and so is turning filtering on and off. A SAFARI RULE LIST IS INCLUDED ZeroAds ships a content blocker for Safari that you switch on in Settings. It handles what DNS cannot reach: ad slots left behind in the page layout, and cookie-consent banners served by the site itself. You turn it on under Settings › Apps › Safari › Extensions › ZeroAds. NO VPN ZeroAds does not use a VPN or a packet tunnel. There is no VPN icon in your status bar, nothing runs in the background, and there is no battery cost from a tunnel. iOS sends DNS queries straight to the resolver you chose. WHAT ZEROADS DOES NOT DO • It does not scan your device, check it for viruses or malware, or look for security or privacy problems. • It does not inspect your traffic. • It runs no server of its own and never receives your DNS queries. • It shows no count of what was blocked. iOS gives the app no visibility into what the resolver did, so any number here would be invented. HOW iOS HANDLES THIS iOS keeps the choice of DNS resolver with you. When you turn the filter on, iOS may ask you to allow it — tap Allow and you are done. If it does not ask, the choice lives in Settings and ZeroAds walks you there. You can switch back to Automatic at any time under Settings › General › VPN, DNS & Device Management. Filter lists are operated by AdGuard, Cloudflare and Quad9. Each operator's privacy policy is linked inside the app. ——— All four filter lists are free in this version. ZeroAds Pro subscriptions (monthly, yearly) and a one-time Lifetime purchase remain available to supporters. They are not required for any feature. Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase. A subscription renews automatically unless auto-renew is switched off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period, and your account is charged for renewal within 24 hours of the end of that period. Manage or cancel subscriptions in Settings › your Apple Account › Subscriptions. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://aifinitysolutions.com/zero-ads-privacy-policy/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Crumbs at none against ZeroAds's 3. Crumbs also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 5 weeks) and device support (3 vs 1). On price, rating, ratings volume 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. ZeroAds sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Crumbs asks for nothing beyond the download.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for Crumbs against 4.8 for ZeroAds. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 17 and 18 respectively.
Crumbs ships an update fortnightly, ZeroAds every 5 weeks. Both last shipped on November 10, 2026.
| Parameter | Crumbs | ZeroAds |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.9 (17 ratings) — better | 4.8 (18 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | — | 100.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 17 | 18 — better |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly — better | Every 5 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 26 MB | 15 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Eyeo GmbH | Aifinity Solutions |
Customer experience
Crumbs
ZeroAds
In-app purchases
Crumbs
No in-app purchases
ZeroAds
- Monthly$1.991 Month
- Yearly$9.991 Year
- Lifetime$19.99









