Comparison

AdBlock vs Halt

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

Head to head
About

AdBlock

Block unwanted ads, pop-ups, and video advertisements on your iOS device. Enhance privacy, reduce data usage, and improve device performance. Enjoy a cleaner, faster browsing experience without subscriptions.

Highlights
  • Blocks 99% of ads
  • Local DNS proxy service
  • Customizable DNS rules
  • Safari Content Blocker
  • Privacy protection from trackers
  • iCloud rule synchronization
  • Works on Wi-Fi and cellular
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

The original AdBlock - the first and last ad-blocker you'll ever need. A one time purchase - no subscriptions needed. We've been blocking ads on iPhones and iPads since 2012 - we know our game! :) AdBlock allows you to block ads on your iOS device. Get rid of 99% of annoying popups, banners and video ads. Protect your privacy, limit bandwidth use, speed up your device, save battery and drastically improve your day-to-day iOS experience. The most important advantages of AdBlock are: • AdBlock comes with a local DNS proxy service built-in. Use it to see which domains you're device is contacting. Create your own rules and assign any IP to any domain, right on your device. You can (and should!) bootstrap this feature with rules found online. • AdBlock has enhanced DNS proxy rules export and import function. Share DNS proxy rules with other users, easily import rules found on the Internet. • AdBlock comes with a Safari Content Blocker to block ads on websites in Safari. • AdBlock allows you to create your own list of domains and synchronize your rules between all your devices using iCloud. • AdBlock allows you to protect your privacy by blocking mobile trackers. Prevent Internet trackers from recording your online activity and selling your private data. • AdBlock does not send your Internet traffic through any remote server. All of your connections stay direct, fast and secure. Ads are blocked right on your device! • Setting up AdBlock is simple! Just download the app, and follow the tutorial to set everything up. When in doubt - contact our support! • AdBlock automatically updates to the latest version of the filters on every app run. We keep the ad servers database up-to-date for you. • AdBlock works with Wi-Fi and cellular networks. You don't need to set it up separately for every network you use. • AdBlock comes with a handy widget to quickly change the DNS proxy status when needed. Looking for support? Contact our dedicated support line directly from the app - we'll help you out with the proper setup and answer all the questions you might have.

About

Halt

This browser offers a fast, secure, and ad-free web browsing experience. It blocks third-party ads, pop-ups, and malicious websites, while also saving battery life and data. Enjoy seamless browsing with built-in features and customization options.

Highlights
  • Built-in 3rd party ad blocker
  • Lightning fast browsing speed
  • Save battery life and data
  • Malicious site protection
  • SSL Everywhere
  • Incognito browsing
  • Customizable features
Features
Read full description

Halt is a FAST, SECURE, AD BLOCKER browser that can block ads on websites. It's also 100% FREE. That's right, NO annoying in-app purchases! So, are you looking for an adblocker browser that actually works? Forget those complicated ad block "extensions" that don't work well and make you pay for the full features - Halt does it all for you easily, automatically, and for FREE! Halt is a fully integrated, all-in-one adblock browser that blocks 3rd-party ads and loads websites insanely fast, all while protecting you from malicious websites and popups. It's also designed to be super simple and easy - anyone can use it! Optimized perfectly for iOS, Halt even saves on your battery life and data! Join thousands of users and upgrade to Halt today for FREE! Because web browsing and ad blocking on iOS has never been so easy! Tip: To play a video in the background, play it in picture-in-picture mode then swipe it off-screen (for iOS 14 and above only). It will also play while your screen is off! 
 ►►► FEATURES • 100% Free - Those other popular adblock apps trick you by having annoying in-app purchases to work properly. Halt is 100% FREE! No in-app purchases to worry about here. • No Extension Needed - Forget those adblock "extensions". They're complicated to set up and just don't work so well. Halt is a fully integrated, all-in-one adblock browser. Just download the app and start browsing with ad blocker free! Easy-peasy! • Built-in 3rd party Ad Blocker - Halt has a comprehensive built-in adblocker to prevent 3rd party ads and pop-ups from interrupting your browsing experience. Video ads are also blocked and picture-in-picture (for iOS 14 and above only) is often allowed, which makes your video viewing experience so much better. • Lightning Fast Browsing - Supercharge your browsing speed. Halt is designed to start up quickly and load web pages super-fast, especially with ads being blocked. • Save Battery Life & Data - Halt cuts down on data usage and improves your battery life by loading web pages more efficiently. • Built-In Malicious Site Protection - No need to worry about whether that link you just tapped is a fraudulent website. • SSL Everywhere - Browse with peace of mind knowing that Halt defaults to secure connections on all websites. • Fast Tabs - Jump between multiple tabs with speed and ease using the tab bar, just like on your desktop browser. • Incognito Browsing - Browse in incognito mode for when you don't want your history, tabs, or private data to be saved in the app. Halt makes clearing data much easier than other apps that say that they're a private browser with adblock. • Built-in search engine – Type keywords in the link tab and go to see web results from the built-in search engine. • Great customization – Turn any of the features on or off. Add bookmarks, favorites, request desktop sites, see history, share links, and more! Halt can adjust to your web browsing habits. Now it’s time to upgrade your web browsing experience with a simple and blazing fast web browser. ► Download Halt: AdBlock Browser for FREE! ----- ◆ About Pie Technologies Inc. Our mission is to deliver simple, streamlined, fast web browsing experiences to users around the world. We're funded by Y Combinator Startup School and supported by Atlanta Tech Village. We were founded in 2020 as a Delaware US corporation and our headquarters is based in Atlanta, Georgia. If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to contact us! We would love to hear from you. Till then, enjoy our fast web browsing and superior ad blocker for apps free for iPhone and iPad! Made with (heart) in Atlanta. © 2022 Pie Technologies Inc.

Screenshots

AdBlock4 screens
Halt4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Halt at Free against AdBlock's $1.99. Halt also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 4 weeks) and rating (4.5 vs 4.3). AdBlock's advantage is ratings volume (34K vs 2.2K) and chart position (#70 vs unranked). On review sentiment, 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

Halt is free to download; AdBlock costs $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Halt holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: AdBlock has 34K ratings behind it against 2.2K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 44% of AdBlock's written reviews are positive against 40% of Halt's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

AdBlock ships an update every 4 weeks, Halt weekly. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
AdBlock versus Halt: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAdBlockHalt
Price$1.99Free — better
Rating4.3 (34K ratings)4.5 (2.2K ratings) — better
Positive reviews43.8% of reviews — better40.2% of reviews
Number of ratings34K — better2.2K
Update frequencyEvery 4 weeksWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidFree — better
Best chart rank#70 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.012.0
Further details — not scored
Size25 MB79 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperAdBlock LabsPie Technologies Inc.

Customer experience

AdBlock

All ratings33,969 ratings
Positive81.8%
Neutral4.1%
Negative14.2%
Written reviews1,524 reviews
Positive43.8%
Neutral8.7%
Negative47.5%

Halt

All ratings1,795 ratings
Positive89.3%
Neutral3.5%
Negative7.2%
Written reviews117 reviews
Positive40.2%
Neutral6.0%
Negative53.8%

User reviews

AdBlock

From 34K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Works great when enabled
  • 🔒 Robust ad blocking capabilities
  • 👍 Customizable blocking rules
  • 🚀 Blocks ads across apps and websites
  • 👍 Affordable one-time purchase

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequently disables itself
  • 🔋 High battery drain
  • 👎 Inconsistent performance
  • 🔒 Difficult to configure for some users
  • 👎 Fails to block ads in certain apps

Halt

From 2.2K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Fast and efficient
  • 🔒 Effective ad blocker
  • 👍 Smooth browsing experience
  • 💡 Useful features like PiP and background audio

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Inconsistent ad blocking, especially on YouTube
  • 🐛 Crashes and bugs
  • 🔋 High battery consumption
  • 👎 Doesn't work as advertised

Bugs and requests

AdBlock

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Disconnects from VPN randomly
  • Syncing issues with iCloud
  • Compatibility problems with newer iOS versions

Requested features

4 requests
  • Automatic updates to block new ad domains
  • Whitelist option to allow ads on certain sites
  • Improved battery optimization
  • Easier setup and configuration

Halt

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Crashes on startup
  • Stuck on tutorial screens
  • Doesn't block all ads and popups
  • Incompatible with some websites and services

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add dark mode option
  • Improve YouTube ad blocking
  • Allow customization of default favorites
  • Implement better proxy and VPN support

In-app purchases

None

AdBlock

No in-app purchases

None

Halt

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is AdBlock free?
AdBlock costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Halt free?
Halt is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, AdBlock or Halt?
Halt is rated higher. AdBlock averages 4.3 out of 5 from 34K ratings, while Halt averages 4.5 from 2.2K ratings.
Do AdBlock or Halt have ads?
Neither AdBlock nor Halt shows ads.
Which is updated more often, AdBlock or Halt?
AdBlock ships an update every 4 weeks, and Halt weekly. Most recently, AdBlock was updated on September 25, 2026 and Halt on September 23, 2026.

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