script blocker safari

Tampermonkey is one of the most popular browser extension with over 10 million users . It's available for Chrome , Microsoft Edge , Safari , Opera Next , and Firefox .

It allows its users to customize and enhance the functionality of your favorite web pages . Userscripts are small JavaScript programs that can be used to add new features or modify existing ones on web pages. With Tampermonkey, you can easily create, manage, and run these userscripts on any website you visit.

For example, with Tampermonkey, you could add a new button to a web page that lets you quickly share a link on social media, or to automatically fill in a form with your personal information. This is especially useful in the age of digitization, where web pages are often used as user interfaces for accessing a wide range of services and applications.

Additionally, Tampermonkey makes it easy to find and install userscripts created by other users . This means that you can quickly and easily access a vast library of customizations and enhancements for your favorite web pages, without having to spend hours writing your own code.

Whether you're a web developer looking to add new features to your site, or just a regular user looking to improve your online experience , Tampermonkey is a great tool to have in your toolkit.

Tampermonkey

Safari 12+ | MacOS 10.13+

Tampermonkey Legacy

Safari 6-11

Easy Script Access

The Tampermonkey's popup is useful for quickly and easily managing installed userscripts. In some browsers you have to manually pin the icon to see it all the time. It allows users to enable or disable scripts, view the status of scripts, and start update checks without leaving the current page. This makes it easy for users to control the behavior of their installed userscripts and customize their browsing experience. Furthermore the number of running scripts is displayed as small number right at the extension icon near the address bar. ( video tutorial)

Script Overview

Tampermonkey's dashboard shows a clear overview of the scripts that are installed. You can see when they were updated the last time, if they do have a homepage, you can sort them and many more... ( video tutorial)

Multiple Configuration Modes

You can choose between three different configuration modes Novice, Beginner and Advanced. This allows power user to access and use advanced features and capabilities of Tampermonkey. ( video tutorial)

Automatic Script Update

Automatic updates can help to keep you userscripts secure by automatically installing the latest security patches and updates. It can also help to maintain compatibility by automatically installing the latest updates for web page changes. You will also automatically benefit from latest features and enhancements added. You can setup how often the scripts will be checked for updates .

Only the paranoid survive! Blacklist all sites that never should be accessible by a userscript.

Compatibility

Tampermonkey offers a compatibility layer for older userscripts and userscripts that were written to run at Greasemonkey (<= 3.x) It tries to detect which options are necessary automatically.

Script Synchronization

You're using more than one browser, one at home and one at work? Simply enable Tampermonkey's sync feature to synchronize your scripts.

CodeMirror Editor

You need to develop or edit a script? No problem! Tampermonkey comes with a built-in editor .

Syntax Check with ESLint

Your script doesn't work? Tampermonkey's syntax check might find the issue... 😅

Rapid development

Tampermonkey's editor is OK, but you want to use your own? The solution is to enable file access and to @require the local copy of your script.

You can also try out the Tampermonkey Editors extension to edit the script at vscode.dev

If you're not happy with Tampermonkey (this is unlikely to happen, but who knows 😉), then you can remove it at the browser's extension page.

The Most Beautiful & Powerful Ad Blocker for Safari

Multiple filters, enhanced tracking protection, designed for safari.

• See What's Blocked Discover how many companies are trying to track you. Available in 1Blocker for Mac only.
• Turn off Blocking When you want to support your favorite blog by allowing ads, but still want to block tracking and social buttons on that site.
• Powerful Extension New Safari Button extension that allows you to control blocking right from the browser.

1Blocker for Mac

1blocker for ios, 1blocker for visionos.

• 1Blocker has been my Content Blocker of choice for the past couple of years. The new version increases the number of built-in rules and has an interesting roadmap. Insta-purchase for me. Federico Viticci Founder and Editor-in-Chief of MacStories
• I like 1Blocker enough that I've stopped thinking about blockers. John Gruber Daring Fireball
• 1Blocker is a fast, secure, and robust tool for iPhone, iPad, and Mac that empowers users to put a stop to invasive online content. Whether you're a developer, an entrepreneur, or an entire website-building team, this multipurpose solution can be used to enhance privacy, speed up the browsing experience, and even boost productivity. Christine Preusler Contributing Editor at HostingAdvice
• 1Blocker provides a powerful way to carve out your web-browsing experience in Safari 13 while still working within Apple's new constraints. 1Blocker's extension lists, simplicity, and effectiveness mean that it's a worthwhile purchase and I recommend it. Glenn Fleishman Senior Contributor at Macworld

JS Blocker for Mac

Safari extension that controls which scripts run on websites.

JS Blocker overview

JS Blocker is a Safari extension that protects your privacy and keeps you safe on the web by blocking scripts and others from tracking you-similar to NoScript for Firefox.

• Quickly and easily block advertisers, tracking agencies, and social media networks from monitoring your online activity.
• Prevent websites from figuring out where you came from.
• Prevent all scripts on the webpage from being allowed to run.
• Block frames, AJAX requests, embeds, objects, videos, and hide images.
• Block many JavaScript annoyances such as alert dialogs getting in the way, forms not autocompleting, windows being resized, and more.
• Inject user scripts into webpages for even greater control with full Greasemonkey API support.

What’s new in version 5.3.2

Note: Does not work in Safari 12.0 and later.

• Disabled new user registration for JSB Sync. Existing users can continue to log in normally.

Write your thoughts in our old-fashioned comment

( 52 reviews of js blocker ).

User Ratings

Sourcing the best Mac apps and software for over a million users since 1997.

own YOUR browser!

Latest stable.

• Get NoScript for Firefox NoScript for Firefox (desktop and mobile !), Tor Browser and other Mozilla -based browsers from Mozilla Add-ons
• Get NoScript for Chromium NoScript for Chrome and other Chromium -based browsers (eg. Edge , Brave , Vivaldi ...) from the Chrome Web Store
• Source code
• Full changelog

Direct download for Firefox

You can get the latest stable version for Firefox desktop only also using this direct NoScript 11.4.29 download link . To install, just drag and drop it onto your address bar.

Development build

NoScript development happens very fast to keep up with emerging web threats. If you're brave enough and you need a specific feature or fix not released yet, or you simply want to provide feedback before official release, you may want to try the latest release candidate.

RC for Firefox

Install NoScript 11.4.30rc1 on Firefox Desktop by simply clicking here .

On Firefox for Android, unfortunately, a pre-release can only be downloaded (same link as above) and temporarily installed on Nightly by using the web-ext tool , which is only suitable for hardcore developers and contributors.

RC for Chromium

You can Download NoScript 11.4.30rc1 for Chromium-based browsers here .

In order to install this pre-release until the next stable version reaches the Chrome Store, you need to unzip it and load it as an unpacked extension in developer mode.

Please follow these steps:

• Open the Extension Management page by navigating to chrome://extensions. Alternatively, open this page by clicking on the Extensions menu button and selecting Manage Extensions at the bottom of the menu. Alternatively, open this page by clicking on the Chrome menu, hovering over More Tools then selecting Extensions
• Enable Developer Mode by clicking the toggle switch next to Developer mode.
• Unzip the zipped "noscript-11.4.30rc1-chrome.zip" package to a directory of your choice.
• Click the [Load unpacked] button and select the extension directory you've unzipped the extension to (the one containing the "manifest.json" file)

You're done. Happy testing!

Recent development history

Deprecated, obsolete and unsupported "classic" versions.

You can still download NoScript "Classic" (5.1.9) ( SHA256 ) for Seamonkey, Palemoon, Waterfox Classic and possibly other "vintage" (pre-Gecko 57) Firefox forks here .

Notice: you may need to open about:config and set your xpinstall.signatures.required preference to false in order to install NoScript 5.x, since Mozilla doesn't support signatures for legacy add-ons anymore. If you're using a non ESR Firefox, you may also need this hack .

Users of Firefox 58 and below are urged to upgrade their very unsafe browser. For those few who can't,

• latest NoScript version compatible with Gecko 57 - Gecko 58 is 10.1.7.3 ;
• latest NoScript version compatible with Gecko 46 - Gecko 56 is 5.1.9 ( SHA256 );
• latest NoScript version compatible with Gecko 13 - Gecko 45 is 2.9.0.14 ( SHA256 );
• latest NoScript version compatible with Gecko 1.9 - Gecko 12 is 2.9.0.1rc1 ( SHA256 );
• latest NoScript version compatible with Gecko < 1.9 is 1.10 ( SHA256 ).

We cannot update nor support NoScript 5.x and below anymore, because it was based on a completely different and now obsolete technology. However you can still find usage information and a FAQ section for those ancient versions in the NoScript Classic archived website .

What Are Safari Content Blockers and Should You Use Them

Dilum Senevirathne is a freelance tech writer specializing in topics related to iOS, iPadOS, macOS, Microsoft Windows, and Google web apps. Besides Guiding Tech, you can read his work at iPhone Hacks, Online Tech Tips, Help Desk Geek, MakeUseOf, and Switching to Mac.

A computer engineer by degree, Varun has 7+ years of experience in the field of technology. After his stints at Beebom and MrPhone, Varun has been covering different facets of technology at Guiding Tech. Here, he contributes to Team GT by helping its readers make better purchases while also understanding the meaning of each feature. In his free time, you can find him sharing his excellent photography skills along with his Aces in Valorant over Twitter.

• Content Blockers are essentially tiny apps that run inside your web browser, and are designed to block ads, web trackers, and third-party cookies.
• Compared to Ad-Blockers, Safari Content Blockers come with added benefits that improve performance, privacy, and security.
• However, Content Blockers do not come with the option to Whitelist websites, which can be an issue for some users.

How Do Safari Content Blockers Work

Content blockers are tiny apps that contain lots of rules, each with their specific triggers and actions. These rules notify Safari about the exact forms of content that need to be blocked. For example, a rule involving a certain type of advertisement would have a trigger that helps the browser identify it, with the resultant action being to stop the ad from loading.

While most content blockers are designed to block ads, web trackers, and third-party cookies, some block various site elements such as social media plugins. Available features vary between content blockers. Some apps let you determine what you want to block, while some even let you create custom rules.

Benefits of Safari Content Blockers

Helps to load sites faster.

Once you start using a content blocker, websites will generally load faster in Safari since the browser doesn’t have to load and render certain forms of content. Usually, sites with lots of advertisements, trackers, and hefty social media plugins will display a remarkable improvement in performance.

When it comes to Safari on the Mac, content blockers also allow websites to load even faster compared to ad-blocking extensions. That happens due to two reasons. Firstly, Safari compiles the rules within content blockers so that it can read them easily. Secondly, Safari acquires these rules in advance so that it doesn’t have to communicate with the content blocker in real-time.

Improves Privacy

Content blockers also help preserve privacy. Certain sites and advertising networks use tracking and fingerprinting scripts to track and profile user activity—content blockers that specifically target trackers and advertisements help prevent this.

On Macs, opting for a content blocker over an ad-blocking extension also brings privacy-related benefits on its own. Unlike ad blockers, Safari doesn’t access the rules within a content blocker in real-time. That prevents content blockers from profiling users by activity.

Increases Security

In addition to improving your privacy, content blockers are very safe to use. They do not have access to your browsing activity since Safari loads all the rules in advance, hence preventing them from gaining access to sensitive information in any shape or form.

On macOS, content blockers once again take precedence over ad blockers in terms of security. With ad blockers, it’s the extension and not the browser that blocks the content. But when you use a content blocker, it’s the browser that does the hard part. Even if you use a reputed ad blocker for Safari, there’s always the chance for an extension to be hijacked. But with content blockers, that won’t cause an issue since they can’t see your browsing activity in the first place.

Additionally, using content blockers that target advertisements can enhance security. That is helpful when malicious code is contained within advertisements. There is less chance of being infected in the event of a malvertising attack .

Downsides of Safari Content Blockers

No whitelisting.

One of the biggest downsides to using content blockers is that they aren’t as versatile as ad-blocking extensions. That is especially apparent on macOS, where the ability to whitelist sites is only available in a limited form. You can only do that for entire domains and not specific URLs. For example, this could be problematic if you want to support specific YouTube channels.

Some content blockers don’t even have the means to whitelist in the first place. On iOS, however, you can override content blockers and even whitelist sites via Safari’s site customization menu.

Limits Enforceable Rules

Another major downside to using content blockers is that there’s a maximum limit on the number of rules that it can enforce, which stands at 50,000. While that sounds like a lot, the filter lists used by certain ad-blocking extensions well exceed that. Hence, you may see the odd advertisement creep through when using content blockers.

However, this limitation offers an advantage in terms of performance since developers often write rules in more effective ways to cover more ground. Certain content blockers may also counteract this by including multiple lists, though this could degrade any performance benefits.

Should You Use Content Blockers?

Content blockers offer a range of advantages. They improve the overall speed of site loading in Safari and enhance privacy and security. Using them can help improve your browsing experience, and are quite indispensable on the iPhone and iPad.

But on the Mac, you may not want to ditch your ad blocker just yet since they have no limits on rules and offer better whitelisting capabilities, even though content blockers are superior in terms of performance and privacy. Furthermore, content blockers are also rather annoying since you need to open them separately outside Safari if you want to modify the content settings.

Some of the better content blockers out there include  Ghostery Lite  (macOS only),  AdGuard , and  1Blocker . However, make sure to try them out to find what suits you best.

Was this helpful?

Last updated on 10 June, 2024

The above article may contain affiliate links which help support Guiding Tech. However, it does not affect our editorial integrity. The content remains unbiased and authentic.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

The article above may contain affiliate links which help support Guiding Tech. The content remains unbiased and authentic and will never affect our editorial integrity.

DID YOU KNOW

Dilum Senevirathne

More in internet and social.

5 Best Tools to Extract Fonts from PDFs Online

How to Pin Tabs in Safari on iPhone, iPad, and Mac

Join the newsletter.

Get Guiding Tech articles delivered to your inbox.

An open source, indie developed, Safari extension that protects your privacy on the web.

Stay safe and browse the web faster without being tracked. Use user scripts to make websites work how you want them to. Learn more about how webpages collect data on you for tracking purposes over at FixTracking.com , a guide by DuckDuckGo .

Download JS Blocker

• Quickly and easily block advertisers, tracking agencies, and social media networks from monitoring your online activity.
• Block pop-ups.
• Prevent all scripts on the webpage from being allowed to run.
• Prevent links from sending referrer information.
• Block frames, XHRs, embeds, objects, videos, and hide images.
• Block many annoyances such as alert dialogs popping up, forms not autocompleting, windows being resized, and more.
• Full support for Greasemonkey-style user scripts so you can make webpages work exactly how you want them to.
• Canvas fingerprinting protection.

JS Blocker downloaded from outside the Safari Extension Gallery will cease to function in Safari 12 and macOS Mojave (10.14). Developer-signed Safari extensions are not supported in Safari 12. Safari extensions distributed in the Safari Extension Gallery are deprecated, and Safari 12 is the last release to support them.

Safari App Extension

I have no experience creating native mac apps; it will therefore be impossible for me to re-create JSB as one. Even so, Safari app extensions do not support the features required for JSB to function the way it does now (i.e. lots of functionality will be lost).

Users who downloaded JS Blocker from the Safari Extension Gallery will not be able to update beyond 5.2.2. Apple is no longer accepting submissions to the gallery.

Requirements

• Safari 6.1 to 11.1 (12 if installed from the Safari Extension Gallery)
• OS X 10.7.5 to macOS 10.13.6

Once downloaded, open the file to install it

About Safari's Content Blocker API

Safari has a feature called "Content Blockers" that allows for extremely efficient resource blocking on both the desktop and iOS version of Safari. As much as I'd like to incorporate this into JS Blocker, it is not feasible to do so. Using a content blocker will prevent JS Blocker from showing you exactly what's going on on a website (i.e. you won't see what's allowed or blocked.) It'll also break all of JS Blocker's "other" features, such as showing alerts within the webpage and canvas fingerprinting protection. Besides the loss of features, content blockers are limited to 50,000 rules. While this seems like a high number, it isn't enough for efficient protection and a lot of rules would need to be cut out to even run a content blocker. Until Apple eases the restrictions (or at least raises the number of rules that can be in a content blocker), JS Blocker will not be using this API.

Script blocking in Safari on macOS

What are scripts.

Scripts are most commonly small JavaScript files used to provide enhanced interactivity to websites. For example displaying a modal window when hovering your mouse over a particular element on a page, or changing the contents on a page without a full reload on a button click.

So whats the problem with them

On well designed and privacy respecting websites, nothing. But on the modern web, the main business model is unfortunately advertising related. 😕 This in not inherently a bad thing, but it can lead to some pretty sneaky tactics. For example, scripts can be used to track your mouse movements, the contents of your clipboard, browsing history, or perhaps even scroll position on pages to try and guess what you spend most of your time looking at.

Not so cool right.

What can I do to enhance my privacy while browsing

A really simple brute force solution would be to disable all scripts, as most modern browsers have an option to do exactly this. While this would work, you would likely lose the extra interactivity mentioned earlier, and probably even break most websites.

A better solution

Probably the best option to keep all the benefits but reduce the problems of scripts would be to selectively block scripts. Maybe the most powerful tool to achieve this might just be NoScript , a web extension for Chrome and Firefox based browsers. Unfortunately NoScript is not available for Safari on macOS. But fortunately, you could use something like Minim to achieve very similar results.

Minim for Safari

Minim is a standalone macOS app, with an integrated Safari extension which gives you the ability to selectively block scripts. I say selectively, because it is not as fine grained as something like NoScript, as script blocking is a subset of Minim’s features. With Minim, you can block all scripts originating from a website (usually not necessary) , or more usefully from third party websites.

As a rule of thumb, you can generally safely block all data not originating from the website you are currently browsing, and not degrade your browsing experience. Although there are obviously cases where this is not desirable. So having a way to be selective in what you block is crucial.

In general, with something like Minim, blocking third party scripts should give you the best online experience, by blocking most of the advertising scripts but (hopefully) allowing through any useful scripts you want. You can easily configure Minim to block ALL third party script, and then if any of your favorite website break, add an exception for them. Or alternatively, you could also set Minim only block third party scripts from some websites you choose.

An added benefit of script blocking is faster page loads. 🎉

You can take a better look at Minim over at its home: https://minim.sweetpproductions.com , or on the Mac App Store

• VPN & Privacy
• Ad-blocker for Safari

Best ad-blockers for Safari

Whether it’s an autoplay video covering the button you’re about to click, or a banner ad obscuring the content you’re trying to read – everyone hates adverts. Happily, the best ad-blocker for Safari will stop adverts and other annoyances from ever bothering you again.

Sophisticated ad-blockers remove a whole host of stubborn adverts, as well as trackers and fingerprinting scripts. They’ll also help prevent you from connecting to malicious websites and will neutralize threatening adware code.

Choosing from one of the multitude of ad-blockers available for Safari on the App Store can be daunting, which is why we’ve done the work for you. If you’re in a rush, our findings are summarized below:

• Total Adblock : Our first choice for a Safari ad-blocker. Strong ad-blocking ability and can prevent social media trackers and access to malicious websites.
• AdLock : Best budget option for a Safari ad-blocker. Able to stop ads on video and audio streaming sites. Blocks all ads by default.
• AdGuard : Open-source ad-blocker able to stop all types of ads as well as trackers, malware and phishing websites.
• 1Blocker : Simple to use and great for quickly creating custom rules. Stops trackers, cookies and fingerprinting scripts as well as ads.
• Wipr : Easy installation and great at blocking ads, trackers, and cryptocurrency miners. Can also prevent EU cookie and GDPR notices.

We used the criteria below to help us narrow down the Safari ad-blocker options. If you’re interested, we have a comprehensive section on our testing process later in this article.

• Comprehensive and reliable ad-blocking
• Good value for money
• No acceptable ads
• Plenty of customization
• Security features

Here’s a list of the best ad-blockers for safari:

1. Total Adblock

Total Adblock is a powerful ad-blocker that removes banners, video ads and pop-ups by default from Safari – but only on iPhone and iPad. Mac users will need to use a different browser if they wish to employ Total Adblock.

The software can be configured to block websites known to distribute malware, and can also remove cookie and privacy warnings on trusted websites – thus speeding up page loading times. Alternatively, adding websites to a whitelist enables them to automatically display without any filters.

Using Total Adblock’s custom filters allows you to block any elements on a web page that you’d prefer not to see. A social media tracking blocking filter stops “like” and “share” buttons from appearing on websites.

The basic Total Adblock app is free, but will not block ads on the top 15,000 websites ranked on Alexa – thus making it fairly useless. You will also get access to TotalAV virus protection and PC Tune-Up software.

• Robust ad-blocking with subscription
• Stops ads on streaming sites
• Enables element blocking
• Subscription includes TotalAV antivirus
• Prevents social media tracking
• Annual subscription required for usable app

BEST AD-BLOCKER: Total Adblock is our top  ad-blocker for Safari. It offers rigorous blocking of ads and malware, and the subscription includes TotalAV antivirus.

AdLock for Safari is a free extension that blocks pop-ups, autoplay videos, and banner ads; while also protecting you against trackers, bugs, analytical systems, and scammers.

The UI is immediately approachable, making it easy to get started. Toggle switches help you set preferences, and there’s a whitelist where you can add any sites that you’d rather see unfiltered. There are no acceptable ads, so you don’t need to dig around trying to turn them off. You also don’t need to worry about your data being sold to third parties.

There’s scope for more comprehensive tinkering via the ad filters – AdLock recommends using a maximum of five for peak performance. These filters are mostly drawn from EasyList, which is the most popular option for ad-blockers. You can create custom rules and AdLock also allows the removal of any element from a page, including non-ad-related callback forms and online chat boxes.

AdLock is great for streaming sites. It can remove all pre-rolls, mid-rolls, post-rolls, and otherwise unskippable video commercials. You just need to engage a special one-click script or use the AdLock player. AdLock also stops social media widgets following you from site to site.

• Rigorous blocking
• Good for streaming sites
• Protects privacy
• Extension is free
• Extension not as powerful as app

BEST BUDGET-FRIENDLY OPTION: AdLock’s free Safari browser  extension is a reliable ad-blocker that stops ads in streaming sites.

AdGuard for Safari is a free browser extension that stops all ads, trackers and widgets. You can create custom filtering rules and manually remove any web page element. The software helps with security by issuing warnings if you unintentionally visit malicious or phishing websites.

The AdGuard home screen allows you to set up the basics: notification preferences, update intervals, and which content blockers you’d like to use. Content blockers are thematic clusters of filters. For example, the AdGuard Security Blocker contains filters that stop browser-based cryptominers, domains known to spread malware and spyware, and sites associated with fraudsters.

Alternatively, you can add filters of your choosing in the custom area, or create custom rules that apply specific filtering criteria. For example, you might want a particular element removed when visiting such-and-such website. AdGuard provides instructions on how to master rule syntax.

AdGuard doesn’t collect any user data or allow “acceptable ads”. The software is open-source, with the repository on GitHub available via the AdGuard “About” page.

• Intercepts malicious website connections
• Allows custom rule creation
• Stops social media widgets
• Doesn’t block as much as its app

CUSTOMIZATION OPTIONS: AdGuard is a powerful, open-source ad-blocker that encourages the creation of custom filters and rules.

4. 1Blocker

1Blocker uses filters to tell Safari what to stop in advance. It’s effective at removing a range of ads, trackers and fingerprinting scripts. Setup is simple and the app automatically receives cloud updates to the built-in filters.

There is plenty of scope for customization. For example, you can create rules for a defined URL or hide a particular element with a CSS selector. You can also block cookies, or allow ads for a particular site while still blocking trackers and social buttons.

1Blocker doesn’t have access to the pages you visit and doesn’t track you in any way. There are no “acceptable ads,” as funding for the app comes from subscriptions. These cost either $2.99 a month, or $14.99 for a year. There is a free version of the app, but it’s limited in what it can do. For example, you can only block either trackers or ads – not both.

1Blocker is compatible with iPhones running iOS 14.2 or later, iPads running iPadOS 14.2 or later, iPod Touches running iOS 14.2 or later, and Macbooks running macOS 10.15 or later. Any preferences and custom rules are kept in sync across all devices via iCloud.

• Easy to use
• Blocks fingerprinting scripts
• Easy to create custom rules
• Doesn’t block all types of ads
• Best features require subscription

GREAT FOR BEGINNERS: 1Blocker is simple  to set up, with a straightforward interface that makes creating custom rules easy.

Wipr is a relatively simple ad-blocker that can nevertheless block a wide range of trackers and ads, as well as cryptocurrency miners and EU cookie notices. Its blocklist is automatically updated twice a week, ensuring not much gets past it.

If you want to block ads from the likes of YouTube and other streaming sites , you can enable Wipr Extra. This requires full website access, so consider any privacy implications in leaving it turned on long-term.

Wipr is able to block ads in apps that display websites using the Safari View Controller. Note that it is not able to help with blocking scam, phishing or other malicious sites.

If purchased in the App Store, you’ll be able to install Wipr on all the iPhone and iPads with the same Apple ID. If purchased on a Mac, you’ll be able to install it on all the Macs with the same Apple ID. Wipr costs $1.99 in each store, so you’ll have to pay $3.98 if you wish to use it on both an iPhone and a Mac, for example.

The app is compatible with iPhones running iOS 12.0 or later, iPads running iPadOS 12.0 or later, and Macs running macOS 10.15 or later.

• Straightforward ad-blocker
• Doesn’t protect against malicious code
• One purchase won’t cover all devices
• No custom rules

EASY SETUP: Wipr is a straightforward  ad-blocker that keeps itself updated and blocks a decent number of ads and trackers.

Can I use a free ad-blocker for Safari?

You can, and there are many decent free ad-blockers available. However, as with most products that seem free, there’s often a hidden cost. Some ad-blockers make money by allowing some ads through – what are sometimes called “acceptable ads.” Other, less scrupulous, apps may even sell your data to third parties.

More commonly, ad-blocking developers create a free version of the subscription-only service – typically a browser extension. This has less features than the paid-for version, but allows people to become familiar with the service and pay out when they find that they can’t live without a particular feature.

How to install a Safari ad-blocker:

If you want to use a Safari browser extension ad-blocker, follow these instructions:

• Launch the Settings app.
• Scroll down and tap Safari .
• Under General , tap Content Blockers .
• Activate your chosen content blocker by toggling the switch next to it to the green ON position.

If you’ve downloaded an ad-blocker app for Safari, follow these instructions to enable it:

• Click on Safari in the top left-hand corner.
• Select Safari Extensions from the drop-down menu.
• Wait for the App Store to automatically open on the extensions page.
• Search for the ad-blocker you’d like to add.
• Click Get underneath the ad-blocker extension.
• Sign in with your Apple ID if required and start downloading.
• Click install to get the app up and running.
• Open the extension and follow the instructions.
• Click on Safari in the top right corner once more.
• Select Preferences from the drop-down menu.
• Tick the checkbox next to the ad-blocker you downloaded.

Methodology: Finding the best Safari ad-blocker

Most Safari ad-blocking extensions are capable of preventing certain cookies, images, pop-ups and other unwanted content from being downloaded. So what makes one better than the other? The best Safari ad-blockers will perform notably well when tested against the criteria below:

• Comprehensive blocking: We expect ad-blockers to be able to block most types of advert that appears on a web page. This includes pop-ups , banners, and interstitial ads. We also require the removal of autoplay video and audio, as well as the option to stop chat boxes and pre-roll ads.
• Good value: An expensive ad-blocker doesn’t necessarily mean it’s worth your money. We only include ad-blockers that can justify what they charge. This normally means they provide superior blocking ability with other privacy and security features.
• No acceptable ads: We know that developers need to make money, but allowing ads on an ad-blocker doesn’t seem like the right way to do it. For this reason, we don’t recommend ad-blockers that allow paid advertising to be displayed.
• Plenty of customization: Ruthless blocking seems great… until it isn’t. Being able to whitelist sites is a good starting point. However, a good ad-blocker allows you to create custom rules for everything from ads to trackers, cookies and notices. We also like to be able to customize blocking on an element-by-element basis.
• Security features: It’s not just ads we want to see blocked, it’s trackers, fingerprinting script and any malicious code whatsoever. Ad-blockers that intercept connections to untrusted sites score points too.
• Compatibility: Safari is available on all Apple devices, including Mac, iPad, and iPhone. Although all of the ad-blockers we looked at worked with Safari, they didn’t all work great across all devices. The mobile Safari app is different to the macOS Safari app, and so we only recommend ad-blockers that have been specifically designed to work across all Apple devices.

FAQs: Best ad-blocker for Safari

Does apple allow ad-blockers.

Apple began allowing ad-blockers on the iPhone and iPad versions of Safari in 2015. Devices running iOS 9 were – for the first time – permitted to add content blocking extensions to Safari. 

Prior to this, the only way to block adverts was to “jailbreak” the devices, which involved replacing – or modifying – key components of the operating system with custom applications. Where subsequent security measures weren’t instigated, this resulted in their becoming easier for attackers to infiltrate. 

Apple allowing ad-blocking Safari extensions negated the need to do this. At the same time, it ensured that the company could still make money from allowing advertising in apps.

Are ad-blockers legal?

Yes, though there were a slew of court cases when Apple first began allowing ad-blockers. These were brought by media companies that were heavily reliant on advertising money. None of them were successful, and the use of ad-blockers has been steadily increasing since – much to the chagrin of the ad industry. 

The problem is that ads are becoming ever more invasive. Many actively prevent us from enjoying a particular website’s content until we’ve interacted with the advert. Meanwhile, ad-blockers are getting more powerful and easier to install. 

Of course, the people who run that website might say that ad-blockers are morally questionable. After all, advertising revenue effectively pays for the website. There is ultimately no easy solution. Some sites try using a paywall to stay ad-free, while others incorporate adverts into their content. A short-term solution involves site owners asking users to whitelist their sites if they like them.  

How do ad-blockers work?

Ad-blockers detect scripts designed to make your browser load content from the servers of ad networks. By blocking these scripts, the adverts aren’t requested or displayed. Ad-blockers can also block scripts that monitor your online behavior or contain malicious code. Ad-blockers are able to detect scripts by comparing them with huge lists of offending domains – often created by the online community. 

Without these additional advertising requests playing out, pages tend to require less bandwidth and are quicker to download. Indeed, research suggests that the execution of third-party scripts can account for more than half of a page’s loading time.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed .

Roundup - best VPNs for

Privacy alert: websites you visit can find out who you are.

The following information is available to any site you visit:

Your IP Address:

Your Location:

Your Internet Provider:

This information can be used to target ads and monitor your internet usage.

Using a VPN will hide these details and protect your privacy.

We recommend using NordVPN - #1 of 72 VPNs in our tests. It offers outstanding privacy features and is currently available at a discounted rate.

Justin Schamotta

Navigation Menu

Search code, repositories, users, issues, pull requests..., provide feedback.

We read every piece of feedback, and take your input very seriously.

Saved searches

Use saved searches to filter your results more quickly.

To see all available qualifiers, see our documentation .

• Notifications You must be signed in to change notification settings

uBlock Origin - An efficient blocker for Chromium and Firefox. Fast and lean.

gorhill/uBlock

Folders and files, repository files navigation.

uBlock Origin (uBO)

BEWARE! uBO is (and has always been) COMPLETELY UNRELATED to the website ublock.org .

uBlock Origin (uBO) is a CPU and memory-efficient wide-spectrum content blocker for Chromium and Firefox. It blocks ads, trackers, coin miners, popups, annoying anti-blockers, malware sites, etc., by default using EasyList , EasyPrivacy , Peter Lowe's Blocklist , Online Malicious URL Blocklist , and uBO filter lists . There are many other lists available to block even more. Hosts files are also supported. uBO uses the EasyList filter syntax and extends the syntax to work with custom rules and filters.

You may easily unselect any preselected filter lists if you think uBO blocks too much. For reference, Adblock Plus installs with only EasyList, ABP filters, and Acceptable Ads enabled by default.

It is important to note that using a blocker is NOT theft . Do not fall for this creepy idea. The ultimate logical consequence of blocking = theft is the criminalization of the inalienable right to privacy.

Ads, "unintrusive" or not, are just the visible portion of the privacy-invading means entering your browser when you visit most sites. uBO's primary goal is to help users neutralize these privacy-invading methods in a way that welcomes those users who do not wish to use more technical means.

Documentation

Thunderbird, all programs, enterprise deployment, release history, translations.

Visit the Wiki for documentation.

For support, questions, or help, visit /r/uBlockOrigin .

Installation

Required Permissions

Firefox Add-ons

Development Builds

uBO works best on Firefox and is available for desktop and Android versions.

Thunderbird Add-ons

In Thunderbird, uBlock Origin does not affect emails, just feeds.

Chrome Web Store

Microsoft Edge Add-ons (Published by: Nicole Rolls )

Opera Add-ons

uBO should be compatible with any Chromium-based browser.

Do NOT use uBO with any other content blocker. uBO performs as well as or better than most popular blockers. Other blockers can prevent uBO's privacy or anti-blocker-defusing features from working correctly.

Manual Installation

Deploying uBO

Releases Page

Help translate uBO via Crowdin .

Privacy Policy

GPLv3 License

Free. Open-source. For users by users. No donations sought.

If you ever want to contribute something, think about the people working hard to maintain the filter lists you are using, which are available to use by all for free.

Releases 268

Contributors 109.

• JavaScript 88.4%
• WebAssembly 2.5%
• Python 0.1%
• Makefile 0.1%

Greasy Fork

Welcome to greasy fork, a site for user scripts., what are user scripts.

User scripts put you in control of your browsing experience. Once installed, they automatically make the sites you visit better by adding features, making them easier to use, or taking out the annoying bits. The user scripts on Greasy Fork were written by other users and posted to share with the world. They're free to install and easy to use.

Step 1: install a user script manager

To use user scripts you need to first install a user script manager. Which user script manager you can use depends on which browser you use.

Desktop Mobile (Android) Mobile (iOS)

• Chrome: Tampermonkey or Violentmonkey
• Firefox: Greasemonkey , Tampermonkey , or Violentmonkey
• Safari: Tampermonkey or Userscripts
• Microsoft Edge: Tampermonkey or Violentmonkey
• Opera: Tampermonkey or Violentmonkey
• Maxthon: Violentmonkey
• AdGuard : (no additional software required)
• Dolphin: Tampermonkey
• UC: Tampermonkey
• Kiwi: Tampermonkey or Violentmonkey

Step 2: install a user script

Browse this site to find a user script you want to try. Here is a sample of the most popular scripts:

• 🏆Chaoxing Automatic Learning Tool|Pictures|Exam|Background Process|Video&Document|Chapter Test🏆 - 【Background Process】【Correct rate 99%】Breakthrough mode supported🚩Exam📃Video📺Live▶️Chapter Test📝Document📚Home Work📔Muted process job in singal page,Minimize hangup->Bandwidth Saving<-Connect to tens of millions of question banks,keep your correct rate in 99%，Easy to get high score
• FPS Booster 2 - remove lag enjoy
• Steamworkshop downloader - Downloads Steam Workshop items that really works, replacing the deprecated or free space left from steamworkshop.download
• Pixeldrain Download Bypass - Bypass Pixeldrain Download Limit
• Chicken v3 Remake - da real :D

Once you've found a user script, click the green install button on the user script's page, and your user script manager will ask you to confirm the install.

Step 3: use the user script

Go to the site the user script affects. It should automatically do its thing. After trying out the user script for a while, go back to where you installed the user script and leave some feedback for the user script's author.

This page requires JavaScript.

Please turn on JavaScript in your browser and refresh the page to view its content.

You are using an outdated browser. Please upgrade your browser to improve your experience.

What happened to Safari Web Eraser — the controversy, and what it looked like

Web Eraser was a built-in content blocker in Safari 18

Last updated 1 week ago

In April, AppleInsider revealed exclusive information about new features within the Safari 18 web browser, which was still in development at the time. In our initial report, we discussed two major features Apple created for the latest iteration of Safari — Intelligent Search and Web Eraser.

Intelligent Search is a feature that provides users with key information about the page currently on-screen, along with an AI-generated summary of its contents. While this enhancement made it into the final release under the name Highlights , it appears as though Web Eraser has been removed in its entirety.

Web Eraser was Apple's built-in content-blocker, found in pre-release development builds of Safari 18. In speaking with people familiar with the matter, we learned that Web Eraser allowed users to select any page element on-screen, and "erase" it.

The erasure was persistent, meaning that internal versions of Safari remembered the changes made to a webpage, and reminded users of them whenever the page was visited. We were told that Web Eraser enabled the removal of virtually anything on-screen, from distracting banner ads to articles or even entire page sections.

So, why did Apple remove a Safari feature that was fully functional?

The answer to that question is likely two-fold — to avoid controversy and to make leaked information appear inaccurate or incorrect.

After AppleInsider 's original article on the subject was published, it caught the attention of major industry associations in the publishing and advertising sector. Following our reveal of the feature, mainstream media websites The Financial Times and Business Insider reported that the UK's News Media Association and a group of French publishers had both sent complaints to Apple about Web Eraser in May.

The controversy caused by Web Eraser's reveal

The News Media Association's letter stated that Web Eraser was akin to an ad blocker, which they considered to be "a blunt instrument which frustrates the ability of content creators to sustainably fund their work." The letter also added that Web Eraser "could lead to consumers missing important information which would otherwise have been very useful to them."

In an interview with Press Gazette , News Media Association chief Owen Meredith said that they were "not aware of any publisher who's had any conversations with Apple or any engagement between Apple and publishers on this."

Meredith went on to criticize Apple for developing "a tool that has potentially significant consequences on how publishers' content is used or displayed on Apple devices" all without any involvement from publishers. The NMA chief described it as an "extremely concerning way for a tech giant to go about doing business."

For reference, the UK's News Media Association represents over 900 different national, regional, and local titles, including The Times , The Daily Mail , The Guardian , and The Daily Telegraph . Safari accounts for around a third of the internet browser market in the United Kingdom.

Business Insider later reported on May 29 that a group of French publishing associations also voiced their concerns by sending a signed letter to Tim Cook . The group included the online publishing association Geste, press trade group APIG, advertising agency association SRI, digital marketing body Alliance Digitale, media-agency trade body UDECAM, as well as the advertiser association Union des Marques.

The group, which collectively represents around 800 advertisers, ad-tech companies, agencies, and publishers in France, said in the letter that Web Eraser could threaten 100,000 jobs in France that depend on online ads.

Their letter also said that Web Eraser "raises numerous questions, particularly concerning legal and editorial responsibilities that Apple still has not responded to, " and that the feature would jeopardize ad sales "in an already troubled period."

"[It would] restrict citizens' access to free, diverse and quality information," the letter goes on to say, adding that Web Eraser could have "significant consequences to pluralism, content accessibility, and democratic vitality."

According to the group's estimates, Safari accounts for a quarter of all web traffic in France, while the number goes up to 90% for mobile devices.

The French publishers' concerns were so serious that they simultaneously sent out copies of their letter to government officials. This included the French minister of culture, the head of the French Competition Authority, and Thierry Breton, the European Commissioner for internal markets.

All of this happened despite the fact that Web Eraser was never officially announced, nor was it ever acknowledged by Apple in any shape or form.

The feature had somehow managed to generate a massive amount of controversy, solely from our report. Even though it was nowhere to be seen.

While Apple likely sought to avoid controversy and complaints from publishing associations, the company also likely had another reason for abandoning its Web Eraser feature.

Other possible reasons for Web Eraser's removal

Apple has been known to rename in-development features and devices ahead of release, seemingly for no reason other than to paint leaked reports as wrong or inaccurate in some way.

A notable example of this occurred in 2023, when Apple released the first developer betas of its new operating system for the Apple Vision Pro headset. Widely expected to make its debut under the name xrOS , the company instead announced " visionOS ."

Even then, there were indications of a rushed rebrand. Apple's instructional videos and code from the operating systems contained clear mentions of the name xrOS.

Apple renamed several operating system features ahead of launch. To be more specific, the company renamed its Adaptive Voice Shortcuts accessibility feature to Vocal Shortcuts.

As mentioned earlier, Intelligent Search received the name Highlights, while Generative Playground was changed to " Image Playground ." The name "Generative Playground" still appears as the application title in the recently released developer betas of Apple's operating systems.

AppleInsider has independently verified the name changes of the software features described above. We have done so through people familiar with Apple's pre-release operating systems.

By removing Web Eraser in its entirety and leaving no trace of it, Apple could have easily killed two birds with one stone. Publishers and advertisers would be content with the feature's absence, and information on the ad-blocker would be regarded as incorrect.

Another possibility is that Web Eraser was an internal-only tool meant exclusively for use by Apple's software engineers. This theory does not necessarily explain the relatively polished UI the feature had though, as there would be no reason to put effort into the design of an internal application.

What did Web Eraser look like and how did it work?

Speaking to people familiar with the matter, AppleInsider has received detailed information about the overall design and function of Web Eraser in pre-release versions of Safari 18.

In particular, we were told that Web Eraser was accessible from the same UI element that currently displays "Highlights" in the publicly available betas of Apple's operating systems. The new UI element had a more consistent look across iPadOS and macOS , as the company initially sought to provide a unified experience on both devices.

On the Mac , the new UI element originally featured rounded buttons, with the same layout currently found on iPadOS 18 . The option to toggle Web Eraser was located above the page summary or "Highlights" in current developer betas.

AppleInsider was told that activating Web Eraser would make the URL bar in Safari turn gray and that users would then be able to select specific page elements they'd like to erase.

The UI reportedly resembled the third-party application 1Blocker, which has a similar visual editor feature that can hide elements of a webpage. It's possible that Apple wanted to introduce a privacy-focused content blocker that would rival third-party products such as 1Blocker.

Upon deleting their desired page elements and sections, such as banner ads, users could continue browsing as they would normally. As mentioned earlier, the erasure was persistent.

Practically, this means that Safari would automatically hide unwanted elements every time the user visited a specific webpage.

The browser would still remind users of hidden elements, however, giving users the option to undo changes made by accident. The amount of information we were able to obtain overwhelmingly indicates that Web Eraser was a functional OS feature, despite never being released.

While Web Eraser apparently didn't make the cut, Apple introduced a whole host of other system features. At the company's annual WWDC on Monday, the company previewed a new AI-powered image generation tool called Image Playground, as well as new features for Notes, and improvements to the Mail app.

26 Comments

My default Browser is Arc and it will remain Arc and this feature has been available for months with the Zap feature.  This one is not difficult.   There are many of us that have issues whether it be ADHD,  Anxiety or others that can be  inflamed by some of the bad advertising.   You cannot claim your desire is to make the better and then put profits  over mental health.  You (Apple) have tried in the past (blocking auto play videos) and they found workarounds.  Just  Like they'll find workarounds for "Web Eraser" technologies and return to their guerilla style ads of annoyance.     This is a conversation that needs to happen. 

A third party developer would clean up if they brought this feature to Safari as an add-on. 

I think companies delude themselves on the effectiveness of their advertising. Too much of it is non focused, even on sites that use algorithms and track users data. It's gotten so bad that 99% of it is completely irrelevant to me. The most ignorant thing about online ads is hitting people with ads for a product AFTER they have looked something up. Too late, they have already made a decision. It is things like this as to why I do use ad blockers on some sites.

I believe reader is much more Apple like feature. They should focus on improving that.

Nobody gives a crap about publishers.  It’s MY computer.  If I want to block content snd erase my footprint on the internet, I should be able to do so.  Sucks this isn’t an os/browser feature. 

Top Stories

Deals: Amazon drops Apple Watch Series 9 to $299, Apple Watch Ultra 2 to $714

How to get started with iPhone Mirroring in iOS 18 and macOS Sequoia

More M4: When the Mac will get upgraded with the latest Apple Silicon

iPhone 16 leaks and rumors explained: what to expect in the fall of 2024

Apple's Core Technology Fee at the center of EU's first DMA violation investigation

visionOS 2 is a promising update with tons of new features

Featured deals.

Save up to $650 on Apple's latest 14-inch MacBook Pro with M3 Pro, M3 Max chip

Latest exclusives.

Siri is reborn in iOS 18 — everything Apple's voice assistant will be able to do

iOS 18 Mail app will get huge AI enhancements & summarizations with 'Project Blackpearl'

Latest comparisons.

AirPods Max vs. Sonos Ace: premium personal audio, compared

More Metal: Apple's iPad Pro Magic Keyboards, compared

Top AI tablets: iPad Pro with M4 versus Microsoft's new Surface Pro

Latest news.

Apple and Meta not in discussions over AI chatbot, report claims

Apple reportedly not in talks with Meta about integrating its AI with iPhone similar to its partnership with OpenAI, citing privacy concerns.

SharePlay in Apple Music gets more shareable in iPadOS 18

Apple has upgraded SharePlay when dealing with Apple Music in iPadOS 18, but only when connected to supported external devices like HomePods and select speakers.

Apple has included iPhone Mirroring as part of its second developer beta for iOS 18 and macOS Sequoia. Here's how to get your iPhone screen to appear on your Mac.

First alternative app store support for iPad is in the second iPadOS 18 beta

Apple will be allowing third-party app marketplaces on the iPad in the European Union in iPadOS 18, with beta testers getting a chance to look at the feature in iPadOS 18 beta 2.

Apple's second wave of fall update betas adds iPhone Mirroring

Apple has moved on to the second round of developer betas for iOS 18, iPadOS 18, tvOS 18, watchOS 11, visionOS 2, and macOS Sequoia, with iPhone Mirroring a key feature for this round.

Whistleblower claims to have nearly died because of illegal chemical exposure from Apple

An ex-employee has accused Apple of exposing her to gaseous organic chemicals from a secret chip fabrication plant located near her home.

Amazon has the Sabrent Thunderbolt 4 KVM Switch in stock for $299.97

The Sabrent Thunderbolt 4 KVM Switch allows you to switch between two machines with the push of a button, and it's now in stock and on sale at Amazon.

So far, the only Apple hardware with the M4 chip is the iPad Pro — but Macs getting upgrades is inevitable. Here's when you can expect every Mac in the lineup to catch up.

Latest Videos

Retro gold rush: which emulators are on the App Store, and what's coming

Best features in watchOS 11 for Apple Watch

Latest reviews.

Beats Solo Buds review: Apple's best wireless audio bargain yet

Dockcase Studio Smart USB-C Hub 8-in-1 Review - Powerful hub with perplexing features.

PNY Elite-X Type-C Drive review: Small size, huge convenience

{{ title }}

{{ summary }}

Easy Adblock for Safari 4+

Block ads & browse faster, andrew shephard.

• 4.0 • 1 Rating

Screenshots

Description.

Blocks ads from pages and streaming videos! No subscriptions... No Acceptable Ads... Just buy once and block forever on all your devices - Supports iOS, macOS & visionOS. Welcome to Easy Adblock – your one-stop solution for an uninterrupted and private browsing experience! Tired of incessant ads, trackers sneakily collecting your data, and pop-ups disrupting your browsing? Easy Adblock is here to rescue your online world from clutter and intrusion. With our user-friendly app, empower your web experience across all sites and enjoy the web the way it was meant to be: clean, fast, and private. Features: Adblock: Say goodbye to all kinds of unwanted ads. Our advanced ad-blocking technology keeps annoying banners, video ads, and pop-ups at bay. Anti Adblock: Some sites detect adblockers and limit functionality – not on our watch! Browse freely without sites blocking you for using an adblocker. Privacy Shield: Protect your digital footprint. Our Privacy Shield stops trackers in their tracks, ensuring your browsing habits remain yours alone. Cookie Cruncher: Fed up with constant cookie consent notices? Our Cookie Cruncher hides these notifications, keeping your browsing smooth and uninterrupted. Popup Purge: Eliminate distractions. Chat widgets, newsletter popovers, and social widgets won’t bother you anymore. Global Adblock: Our Global Adblock feature targets and blocks region-specific ads, giving you a tailored ad-free experience no matter where you are. Easy Adblock is more than just an ad blocker; it's a comprehensive tool designed to enhance your browsing experience while maintaining your privacy. With just a few taps, you can customize your settings and enjoy a seamless, ad-free journey across the internet. Whether you're reading your favorite blog, watching videos, or shopping online, Easy Adblock works silently in the background, giving you the peace of mind to focus on what matters most. Why Choose Easy Adblock? User-Centric Design: Easy to install and effortless to use. Customize your preferences with our simple interface. Light on Resources: Unlike other adblockers, Easy Adblock won’t slow down your device. It’s lightweight and efficient, designed for optimal performance. Regular Updates: We stay ahead of advertisers. Regular updates ensure that even the newest ad strategies are blocked. Customer Support: Have questions? Our dedicated support team is here to help you with any issues or concerns. Download Easy Adblock now and transform your browsing experience! Keep your focus on content that matters, free from the hassle of ads and trackers.

Ratings and Reviews

After activating per the instructions, Safari websites are still stuffed with ads. No change. What’s the point? Purchase doesn’t work.

Doesnt block anything and apple won’t refund

App Privacy

The developer, Andrew Shephard , indicated that the app’s privacy practices may include handling of data as described below. For more information, see the developer’s privacy policy .

Data Not Collected

The developer does not collect any data from this app.

Privacy practices may vary, for example, based on the features you use or your age. Learn More

Information

• App Support
• Privacy Policy