Block Ads on Every Device You Own — No Apps, No Extensions, Nothing to Install
Block Ads on Every Device You Own — No Apps, No Extensions, Nothing to InstallYour iPhone. Your smart TV. Your game console. Your work laptop. One DNS change and ads disappear from all of them.
uBlock Origin is the best ad blocker that exists. But it only works inside a desktop browser.
That leaves your phone, your TV, your PlayStation, your kid’s tablet, and every app on every device completely unprotected. uBlockDNS takes those same filter lists and applies them at the DNS level — meaning ads get blocked before your device even tries to load them. No app. No extension. Just change one setting and you’re done.
🧠 What Is DNS-Level Ad Blocking? — The Simple Version
Every time you open a website or app, your device asks a question: “Where is this website?” That question goes to a DNS server — think of it as the internet’s phone book. It translates website names (like google.com) into the actual addresses your device connects to.
Normally, your DNS server answers every question, including ones from ad networks, trackers, and malware domains.
A DNS-level ad blocker is a phone book that lies to ad companies. When your device asks “where is ads.facebook.com?” the blocking DNS says “nowhere” — and the ad never loads. Your device never even tries to connect.
Why this is better than a browser extension:
| Browser Extension (uBlock Origin) | DNS-Level Blocker (uBlockDNS) | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it works | Only inside one browser on one device | Every app, every browser, every device |
| iPhone/iPad | Can’t install browser extensions |  Works |
| Smart TV | Can’t install anything | Works |
| Game console | Can’t install anything | Works |
| Apps (not just browsers) | Doesn’t touch apps | Blocks ads in apps too |
| Setup | Install an extension | Change one setting on your device |
| YouTube ads | Can block them |
 Can’t (YouTube serves ads from the same domain as videos) |
The honest tradeoff: DNS blocking can’t do everything a browser extension can. It can’t block YouTube ads, can’t remove ad placeholders from web pages, and can’t handle ads served from the same domain as real content. But it catches everything that comes from a separate ad domain — which is most ads, most trackers, and most malware.
Best setup = both. Use uBlock Origin in your desktop browser AND uBlockDNS on your network. Two layers. Maximum protection.
⚡ What Is uBlockDNS? — And What It's NOT
uBlockDNS is a free, encrypted DNS service that blocks ads, trackers, and malware using the same open-source filter lists that power uBlock Origin — the most effective content blocker available.
Source: ublockdns.com
Open-source client: github.com/ugzv/ublockdnsclient
What it gives you:
- 60+ curated filter lists (EasyList, EasyPrivacy, and more)
- Encrypted DNS (your ISP can’t see what you’re looking up)
- Per-device profiles (different rules for different devices)
- Global edge network (fast no matter where you are)
- You pick your upstream DNS provider
- No query limits, no paywalls
- No signup email required
What it is NOT:
- Not part of uBlock Origin. Not endorsed by Raymond Hill (the creator of uBlock Origin) or the uBlock Origin team
- Not a fork, not a spinoff, not affiliated in any way
- It uses the same community filter lists — so does AdGuard, so does Brave, so does every content blocker. The lists are open and free. The DNS service that applies them is what uBlockDNS built
Who built it:
The person behind ublockorigin.com (a community fan site, not the official project). The official home of uBlock Origin is Raymond Hill’s GitHub. They noticed most visitors were on mobile and left with no solution — so they built one.
What “free” means:
DNS blocking is free. No query limits. No paywalls. If they ever charge for anything, it’ll be added on top — what’s free now stays free.
📱 Which Devices Can Use This? — Basically All of Them
If a device connects to the internet, it uses DNS. If it uses DNS, you can point it at uBlockDNS.
| Device | Can Use uBlockDNS? | How |
|---|---|---|
| iPhone / iPad | |
DNS profile or manual settings |
| Android phone / tablet | |
Private DNS setting (built into Android 9+) |
| Windows PC | |
Network settings or open-source client |
| Mac | |
Network settings or DNS profile |
| Smart TV (Samsung, LG, etc.) | |
Change DNS in TV’s network settings |
| PlayStation / Xbox | |
Change DNS in console’s network settings |
| Nintendo Switch | |
Change DNS in network settings |
| Home router | Best option — protects every device on your Wi-Fi at once |
|
| Linux | |
systemd-resolved or manual config |
| Chromebook | |
Network settings |
Pro tip: If you change DNS on your router, every device connected to your Wi-Fi gets protection automatically — phones, TVs, consoles, laptops, smart speakers, everything. One change, whole house protected.
🔥 Why This Matters Right Now — Chrome Is Killing Ad Blockers
Google is removing the technology that makes ad blockers work in Chrome. It’s called Manifest V3 — and it limits what browser extensions can do with network requests.
What this means:
- uBlock Origin (the full version) no longer works on Chrome as of mid-2025
- The “Lite” version that works on Chrome is significantly weaker
- Google profits from ads. They have zero motivation to let you block them.
DNS-level blocking doesn’t care about any of this. It works below the browser. Google can’t touch it. It doesn’t matter what browser you use or what extensions are allowed — the ads get blocked before your browser even opens the page.
This is why DNS-level ad blocking is becoming the standard recommendation from privacy experts in 2026. Browser extensions are great when they work. DNS blocking works regardless.
🤔 How Does It Compare to Other DNS Blockers?
uBlockDNS isn’t the only DNS-level blocker. Here’s how the landscape looks:
| Service | Free? | Open Source? | Filter Lists | Per-Device Profiles | Setup Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| uBlockDNS | Free (no limits) |
Client is open source | 60+ (same as uBlock Origin) | |
Easy |
| NextDNS | Free up to 300K queries/month | |
Many curated lists | |
Easy |
| AdGuard DNS | Free tier |
(AdGuard Home is open source) |
AdGuard lists | (paid) |
Easy |
| Pi-hole | Free |
Fully open source |
Community lists | |
Medium (self-hosted) |
| AdGuard Home | Free |
Fully open source |
Many lists | |
Medium (self-hosted) |
| Cloudflare 1.1.1.1 | Free |
|
Malware only (no ads) | |
Easy |
uBlockDNS’s angle: Same filter lists as uBlock Origin (the gold standard), encrypted, no signup, no query limits, per-device profiles. The open-source client means you can verify exactly what it does.
Pi-hole / AdGuard Home are more powerful but require running your own server. uBlockDNS is for people who want DNS ad blocking without managing hardware.
⚙️ How to Set It Up — Quick Start
Option 1: Change DNS on Your Router (Protects Everything)
- Log into your router’s admin panel (usually
192.168.1.1or192.168.0.1in your browser) - Find DNS settings (usually under “Network” or “Internet” or “WAN”)
- Enter uBlockDNS’s server addresses (available at ublockdns.com)
- Save and restart your router
- Every device on your Wi-Fi is now protected
Option 2: Change DNS on One Device
- Android: Settings → Network & Internet → Private DNS → Enter hostname
- iPhone: Download the DNS profile from uBlockDNS’s site → Install → Done
- Windows: Settings → Network & Internet → your connection → DNS → Manual → Enter addresses
- Mac: System Settings → Network → your connection → DNS → Enter addresses
- Smart TV / Console: Network settings → DNS → Manual → Enter addresses
Option 3: Use the Open-Source Client
Download from github.com/ugzv/ublockdnsclient — gives you more control and per-device profiles.
Important: After changing DNS, restart your device or flush the DNS cache to see changes immediately.
💡 What This Blocks (and What It Can't)
What DNS blocking catches:
- Banner ads on websites and in apps
- Tracking pixels and analytics (Facebook, Google Analytics, etc.)
- Known malware and phishing domains
- Crypto mining scripts
- Telemetry (your devices phoning home to report what you do)
- Most mobile app ads
What DNS blocking can’t stop:
- YouTube ads (served from the same domain as videos)
- Ads served from the same domain as content (first-party ads)
- Sponsored content that’s part of the actual page
- Ad placeholder spaces (the blank box where an ad would be)
The fix: Use uBlock Origin in your desktop browser for full content blocking + uBlockDNS for everything else. Two layers = nearly complete coverage.
Quick Hits
| Want | Do |
|---|---|
| Block ads on every device at once |
→ Change DNS on your router to uBlockDNS |
 Block ads on iPhone |
→ Install DNS profile from ublockdns.com |
 Block ads on PS5 / Xbox / Switch |
→ Change DNS in console network settings |
 Block ads on smart TV |
→ Change DNS in TV’s Wi-Fi settings |
 Maximum ad blocking |
→ uBlock Origin (browser) + uBlockDNS (everything else) |
 Verify the code yourself |
→ Open-source client on GitHub |
 Official site |
→ ublockdns.com |
Same filter lists as uBlock Origin. Every device. No apps. No extensions. Just one setting change — and the ads stop loading before they start.
!