AdGuard Pro — adblock&privacy Reviews

This is the most comprehensive ad/tracker blocking solution I’ve ever used (I’ve used many other “content blockers”... WeBlock comes close but lacks some of AdGuard Pro’s key features)

The ability to choose from a variety of block lists has proved to be very useful. I found the best combo of lists for my needs after a day or two of internet use. The system-wide privacy module is great as well (the VPN feature). I’ve only enabled the three suggested hosts lists (might be overkill) and I notice that many of my apps now exclude ads (like banner ads in Pandora, Speedtest, and games).

Best of all is the ability to see the log of what connections my device has been making in order to diagnose which additional ad/tracker connections I want to block. It’s also great just to see how many trackers I’m avoiding now! I’ve been told trackers slow down overall load times so that’s a major plus.

Only downside for me is with the speed of the custom DNS service choices (which isn’t AdGuard’s fault). I was really hoping the Google DNS or OpenDNS services would help with response times, but I’ve found that sticking to the default system DNS option yields the fastest page response times, so I don’t use this feature.

Overall an amazingly feature-rich application which I couldn’t live without on both my iPhone and Mac! Highly recommend.

I expected to install AdGuardProadblockprivacy, enable it, and have intrusive ads reduced in number. On one particular page that was flooded with ads, there was zero change in the number of pop-ups and banner ads after installing and enabling AdGuardProadblockprivacy in Safari. I attempted to individually block these elements only to have them come back once I'd gone through the laborious process of switching from safari to AdGuardProadblockprivacy , then back to safari, then refreshing the page.

I then made sure that all the content blockers for Adguard were enabled only to NOT BE BLE TO LOAD THE PAGE AT ALL. I determined that this was due to the "Adguard Pro - Other" content blocker. There is, apparently, no way to see what rules are part of that list. Even with all other blockers enabled, all of the ads still appear.

AdGuardProadblockprivacy is not only useless for the purpose I purchased it for, the interface is infuriating. There is no reason I should have to switch between apps when manually locking an element (that doesn't even remain blocked anyway.)

I had been using Adblock by Futuremind before I have had a chance to find out about this one. Be honest with you, I have never had any issues with the Adlock, and it was working like charm, till I get to try it with a Vpn connection. For some reasons I needed to use a Vpn, and once I did it, the Adblock stopped blocking the ads. It was kinda annoying. Adguard Pro has so far coped with my expectations. I haven't seen any app I currently use has any ads in them. Even if I connect to a Vpn server. So far, I am really impressed by the developers work. I hope that the team is gonna keep up with their hard work in the future as well. I suggest this adblocker to anyone who wants to have a reliable adblocking app which blocks Safari and in Apps ads, and wants to use it even when they are connected to a Vpn network.

Absolutely amazing!!! I’ve tried pretty much every AdBlocker on the AppStore. (For mobile use) and ADGUARD is without a doubt years ahead of the rest. I use it with NordVPN and have tried it with Norton Secure VPN. Both worked fine together under single tunnel mode.
The only doubt I’ve ever had, would be if they’re both actually working fine. Both connected, NordVPN shows no signs of malfunction either.
I also use both on my Desktop as well, since they’re both (NordVPN and AdGuard ) different and have + features on Desktop. I would like to know if the the security features would cancel each other out, especially since I already have Mcafee security on my desktop. For the moment I turned of AdGuard Security, and NordVPN Security. Just in case. Anyway, Overall! AMAZING!!

Been using this for many years. Back in 17’. Trustworthy company pushing towards innovation in the ad blocking/VPN space. Updates are not as frequent is which is the only negative. But they have a huge backing from GitHub and proud community contributors. Also, with the newest update you can now use the adguard filter and all the blocklists they use in the primary DNS. This is great if a certain provider works better for you or want to use a custom DNS of your choice, so you don’t lose out on their filters. Easily the best part for someone like myself who had to hunt for each curated list that Adguard uses. Great! I look forward to see the new Adguard this year. Hope you guys do something special for long time registered Adguard accounts for the new service. Cheers to privacy! 🤘

AdGuardProadblockprivacy does NOT give you an option to remove the VPN profile if you decide not to use the DNS service. You'll have to delete AdGuardProadblockprivacy to delete the profile… that's rather intransparent.

What's even worse is that it completely cripples my iPhone after a reboot, apps will not open past the splashscreen, Wi-Fi will not connect (settings app freezes when i tap "Wi-Fi"). When I disable the DNS service inside AdGuard, turn on flight mode, then turn on Wi-Fi, only THEN my phone becomes responsive again when using a cellular connection.

Using the AdGuard DNS service will use ~10MB a month, which is beyond my understanding seeing as AdGuard Pro will only create a "local" tunnel and not route traffic through servers. AdGuardProadblockprivacy either still updates filters on cellular (even though I turned that off) or sends/receives high amount of data when using the DNS service. The more I switch between Wi-Fi and cellular, the higher the cellular data usage of AdGuardProadblockprivacy . Why?

Fantastic app, literally the perfect position when it comes to having a ton of advanced customizable settings/features without it getting out of hand like say Surge. Only two gripes; not enough group resources where I can see people openly discussing iOS settings and tricks. Secondly, the AdGuard pro browser extension has broken basically all of my web browser pages when it’s installed, and since I don’t have a token/account page on AdGuard because it’s a Pro purchase. I can’t seem to delete the user rules without them somehow getting backed up. I also wish you could set the endpoints for the vpn tunnel as well, get a lot of sniffers sometimes but everything else in AdGuardProadblockprivacy is fantastic!

Was Fixed to Make Completely Useless & Broken. Now Just Useless & Broken. Read Other Reviews written within the last month.
Developers WELL AWARE OF THEIR BROKEN APP. Yet still play “ dumb” in comments / review section of App Store. Hey AdGuard Developers…You Broke what was a good working app. It NO LONGER WORKS. It No Longer works with Other VPN’s. You Changed Things in AdGuardProadblockprivacy that Did Not need to be Changed. For one, put Safari options back into Advanced Page. You guys just seem to move things around to look busy & then ruin things that don’t need fixing. Stop asking for details as if your subpar work needs more info. You know what YOU DID. You know what you changed & broke. FIX IT. YOU have had this reported broken App for a Month Now. What’s taking so long to correct? YOU HAVE TAKEN PEOPLES $$$$. FIX IT! If you use AdGuardProadblockprivacy in its current state you may as well “Brick” your iPhone & iPad. BEWARE!!!

AdGuardProadblockprivacy is powerful and you will likely see that some of your applications stop working right away. This is a good thing. It will help you to filter out the services and companies who don’t properly respect your privacy and data and question whether it’s worth it to continue using them.

Since it uses DNS the request is stopped before it ever starts, dramatically cutting down on processing time. You will find that there are a staggering number of trackers in the wild, and who knows where they all lead to at the end of their supply chains. With AdGuardProadblockprivacy you will at least take a big dent out of that activity in your life. I was also able to apply to my wife’s phone using the shared app functionality. Highly recommended and worth every cent.

AdGuardProadblockprivacy was working fine, then one day when I launched it to check on how it was doing. There was red text at the top saying "Safari Content Blocker is disabled". It was strange as my toggle for that in the Safari setting was set to "ON".
I clicked on "check for updates" and an error popped up saying "Filters cannot be loaded to Safari...", so I tried to follow the instructions, cleared off the blacklist and cleared the selected filters, but when I did that, the same error message popped up and it reset my filters to the unchanged state.
I ended up uninstalled and reinstalled AdGuardProadblockprivacy to reset the VPN profile but when I launched the newly installed app. It stuck on the loading screen which said it wouldn't take longer than 30s to load filters into Safari but that screen never went away. I can't no longer access AdGuardProadblockprivacy as I could not go past that screen. Quite frustrating!

So speed is enhanced, but why change the Graphic User Interface? There used to be a nice, clear list of Standard AND encrypted Servers, also notating their location (Country or even City & State for some). It took me a day to find an encrypted server — I gave my data to the world in the interim...

I can’t find a tutorial, though one was there after the “update” — Seems every time I choose an update, I loose both security and functionality — I wish I would have not taken the update that had Apple’s new 1984 restrictions earlier in 2020, not sure if I should have taken this one... At least it seems faster... Hope it continues and the “skin” is improved for functionality.

Thank you for caring about privacy, though...

I’ve been using AdGuardProadblockprivacy for a long time to block a lot of advertising and tracking domains. The previous builds have always worked intuitively since AdGuardProadblockprivacy was straightforward with its DNS logs outlining advertising and tracking websites plus the option of custom filters that you can create.

The most recent update (June 2020) really sacrificed a lot of the straightforward features and fluidity for “better” appearance. Not only did the DNS logging become more obscure with its detailing of whether or not a domain is tracking your activity, it also made a lot of the navigation very clunky. I’m not sure why the homepage now only has a graph (not sure what this accomplished other than looking “techy” for basic users) with DNS requests and average time.

They should have really kept most of the features from the previous build by keeping the DNS logging/activity under one page via scroll and keep the settings separate. They should also bring back the colors of tracking domains for the DNS activity.

Overall, the current build feels slower than the previous one due to poor UI layout and the loss of simplicity in tracking and blocking unwanted domains.

I love this program it blocks lots of harmful sites but sometimes I’m not sure if it’s doing anything but eat up resources and holding internet connections and ports open. I know just enough about networking to really screw something up but at the same time I can also recognize when something is suspicious. There are some days I’m suspicious but their reputation is impeccable so I’m probably just paranoid. In the name of security it does make some convenient links stop working but you can choose if you want convenience and your data stollen or security and a little more typing

Possibly more than any other app on my i-devices, this one has made the most impact. AdGuard Pro makes every online activity so much speedier and far more enjoyable. For its functionality, I wish I could give it 6 stars out of 5.

But what’s up with the continuous battery consumption? AdGuard Pro never stops draining the battery. I use my iPad, for example, two hours per day. But AdGuard Pro uses it 24-7.

Can’t they make AdGuardProadblockprivacy do its background battery use only when the device is awake?

The pro add blocker on iPhone XS seems to work for most adds but some walk right through it unrestricted. I noticed every time I hit the green circle ⭕️ refresh button 5 filters update. Doesn't matter if I did it 2 seconds ago. Every time 5 filters? Leads to lost confidence on my end. I also noticed it tracks the number of blocked add attempts. How big can this number get without auto deleting the count that most likely takes up space.
It leads me to say I am unsure about the real effectiveness of this product. For example, on “Smart News” it’s still tons of adds and pop ups all the time.
Perhaps looking for something more solid is now on my list.

I had my first experience with this wonderful app on their other, subscription based version of AdGuardProadblockprivacy simply "AdGuard" and ever since I've been hooked!

AdGuardProadblockprivacy is a total game changer! I, for one, have never minded unintrusive ads on my device, I even accepted them as a necessary evil to keep free services.....ya know....free, however, when they get in your face and demand your attention or acknowledgement in some way that's when it's not okay. -- AdGuardProadblockprivacy helps correct that.

You can even customize and refine the filters to fit your every need! Has an admanaged to slip through all your filters? Then you need only look at the logs AdGuardProadblockprivacy provides and with a little deductive reasoning you can find the offending url and block it!

I honestly can't find the words to express how amazing AdGuardProadblockprivacy is, but I can say they could charge double the $9.99 and I'd still have bought it and felt I got more than my money's worth!

Firstly AdGuardProadblockprivacy does not block ads very well even when it is working.
When the VPN is enabled my internet is very slow or does not work. I can see the VPN logo flashing on and off on the taskbar as my phone attempts to access the internet. I’ve contacted adguard on their forums as well as uploading bugs to github and they don’t seem interested at all. I paid a “lifetime” license for this but they only seem to be interested in forcing me to an alternate product with a forever subscription. I’ve purchased several of their desktop licenses as well as this one and have been a local user, but after this greed I will be looking elsewhere. The greed wouldn’t even be so bad if the product just worked and/or if it was supported.

This is an ongoing problem. For AdGuardProadblockprivacy to work properly you need to have the ability to allow, edit, block as needed. The features of this paid app were stripped down to the bare minimum.
As of right now AdGuardProadblockprivacy only blocks. The filter lists all say zero filters and there is no way to add any, There isn't a allow list.
Also you need to be able to add some form of filter. AdGuardProadblockprivacy still works--barely. They have updated since my last review, but the problems persist.
The developers know about this problem because they reached out to me through Apple asking me to change my review. In the email they said they were working on AdGuardProadblockprivacy. This was over a month ago.

Have been using adguard for years. Not only is the product spectacular at blocking adds and more. But the customer support is always able in lending a hand too. In with either email or the Laden in with support. So for this I thank you all. Also make note you can also block adds in with other apps too so it's been definitely a win for me in with that and my personal privacy too. Thanks again for such a splendid product.

Edit: as late has gotten semi worse

4 stars for addressing some concerns.

———

4/5 times loading filters into safari results in an error. That makes it frustrating changing filters and nearly impossible to use the element blocking feature. Speaking of that feature, why did you remove the ability to preview the blocked element? The green box highlights what will be blocked but the way some pages are designed, it's not always apparent what exactly is going to actually be blocked. Either way it's moot because after 7 attempts I only got 1 or 2 element blocks successfully loaded into safari. I have under 50,000 rules active as well. Even when I try to disable a filter list it fails to load into safari.

Also, why did the update say the DNS blocking will now work with VPNs and the VPN feature will be taken away? Pro still requires a VPN connection and when I uses an actual VPN no adds are blocked. Disappointing.

I’ve been using AdGuard on my iDevices as well as my Windows laptops for several years. As far as iDevices go, it is an absolute must-have application. If AdGuardProadblockprivacy weren’t available, Im confident my browsing and app usage would decrease significantly because publishers have crossed the line with serving network-heavy ads as well as collecting our data to serve targeted ads.
While I understand the necessity to generate revenue from online ads, the desperation and proliferation of anti-ad block tools doesn’t create any sympathy from my end.

For AdGuardProadblockprivacy itself, those with knowledge of networking will love it. Those without will have some learning curve or won’t be able to leverage its advanced tools.
There appears to be a bug that freezes AdGuardProadblockprivacy and display when using the on-demand visual ad blocking option in Safari. Usually the only option for me is to refresh the screen to abort or occasionally the “X” works to close the pop up altogether. Overall I love AdGuardProadblockprivacy and it’s been a tremendous asset to me.
There is also unexplained and mysterious background activity occurring when I’m not using the device. I suspect this may be a consequence of AdGuardProadblockprivacy monitoring DNS but I want to make sure it isn’t costing me battery life.

One of the biggest problem that I have with most ad blockers, is that they provide little to no features/customizability. Some of the more popular iPhone ad blockers are Purify, BlockBear, AdBlock by FutureMind, 1Blocker, and AdGuard. I believe that right above 1Blocker, AdGuard sits highest on the throne of “Best Ad Blocker”. (I honestly would not recommend any ad blocker for iOS other than 1Blocker and/or AdGuard)
AdGuard provides the user with MANY ad block lists that vary in rules, which more than what most ad blockers offer/provide—most only provide the option to enable ad blocking but don’t even allow you to enable other ad lists that could help block ads. You can even add you own rules. And one of the big features that AdGuard provides is that of DNS Servers, that are preconfigured to block different things.
AdGuard is more/provides more options and control than most ad blockers give.

Developer feedback:
Though I thoroughly enjoy and appreciate AdGuardProadblockprivacy , there are two thing that I wish were added. The first is the ability to add custom ad blocking lists, just as AdBlock by FM allows you to add more via urls. The second is make it possible to create custom rules that are as complex as the ones that can be created on the computer version of AdGuard (e.g. csp syntax, extended CSS selectors, etc.)

I have used this for a while on iOS not had any complaints, but with one simple addition effectiveness would be significantly better.
1. Provide updated lists of sites to blacklist like you do for safari, but for DNS (adding to what we have to currently do manually).
2. If possible expand on the above suggestion and combine it with not only sites, but filters similar to those used for safari in a way it works with other browsers and applications. I see sites flagged as advertising in this apps logs, but if they are blocked apps like for weather stop working.
I rarely use safari anymore because there so many other web browsers to pick from many of which are better suited to my needs.

This is a complex app & I must confess I have been more focused on killing video ads & “stalking” by FB & Google (reminds me of the song by The Police) than reading the AdGuard document pages.

Several of the adblock apps in AdGuardProadblockprivacy Store have worked fairly well for me but I have to take exception with “acceptable ads” promoted by the folks at Adblock Plus in that I do not find any ad with an autoplay video or that I have to scroll down more than 1 screen my iPhone acceptable.

I will pick on Yahoo! as an example because they have gotten more egregious over time with things like the “scroll down” videos & the pay college videos in some of their pages. So far I have had good luck using the “Block Element on This Page” function in AdGuard Pro & occasionally tweaking the filter it creates. For especially stubborn cases I use the View Source app by Paul Hudson to capture the raw HTML & upload that to my Mac which has a large screen to better analyze the HTML.

Another nicety of AdGuard Pro is I can copy/paste filters between various devices in the family. I copy filters to the Notes app for pasting into AdGuard on other devices — including computers.

Update mid-2021: Still lots of features, but now the tool is easier to use. I still don’t know what I’m clicking on, but luckily it doesn’t matter. Just turn it on and let it block all the things.

Original review (pre-2021): It works well for months and then suddenly it stops working. This is so annoying. I want an ad blocker that just works. This ad blocker gives me so many options and buttons to click. I don’t want a two day tutorial to use an ad blocker. I want it to just work. Where the heck is the easy button for this thing? Why do I keep using this frustrating tool that I shouldn’t have paid for. 😔

So speed is enhanced, but why change the Graphic User Interface? There used to be a nice, clear list of Standard AND encrypted Servers, also notating their location (Country or even City & State for some). It took me a day to find an encrypted server — I gave my data to the world in the interim...

I can’t find a tutorial, though one was there after the “update” — Seems every time I choose an update, I loose both security and functionality — I wish I would have not taken the update that had Apple’s new 1984 restrictions earlier in 2020, not sure if I should have taken this one... At least it seems faster... Hope it continues and the “skin” is improved for functionality.

Thank you for caring about privacy, though...