How I block all online ads

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Ad-heavy, tracking-driven websites and apps are pushing many users to assemble increasingly elaborate ad-blocking setups across browsers, DNS, VPNs and even TVs. Commenters compare tools like Firefox with uBlock Origin, Brave, Pi-hole, AdGuard, NextDNS, SponsorBlock and YouTube Premium, weighing trade-offs between effectiveness, convenience, site breakage and device coverage. A recurring theme is the tension between protecting privacy and attention versus funding content creators, with some favoring direct support or subscriptions and others experimenting with “ad poisoning” tools that try to undermine surveillance advertising altogether.

HN Title Handling

  • Some comments note HN’s auto-removal of “How/Why” from titles as an old anti-clickbait measure.
  • Others argue this often degrades clarity (e.g., “How I block all online ads” vs “I block all online ads”) and see calling it out as a way to get moderators to revert it.

Browsers and Core Extensions

  • Common “baseline” setup: Firefox + uBlock Origin; many say this almost eliminates ads and trackers.
  • Others prefer Brave (often for speed and built-in blocking) but dislike its Chromium base or its crypto features.
  • A few report Firefox instability or slowness vs Chromium; others say Firefox is rock-solid for them.
  • Edge is mentioned as still accepting Manifest V2 extensions, so uBlock Origin works there.
  • Several recommend additional extensions: SponsorBlock (skip in‑video sponsors), DeArrow (de-clickbait titles/thumbnails), Consent-O-Matic (auto-reject cookie banners), and user-agent switchers/Chrome Mask to bypass “Chrome-only” sites.

DNS / Network-Level Blocking

  • Many use Pi-hole, AdGuard Home, NextDNS, ControlD, Mullvad DNS, etc. to block ads and trackers across entire networks and devices (including TVs and mobile apps).
  • Debate over self-hosted (Pi-hole/AdGuard on router/VPS) vs managed (NextDNS/ControlD): tradeoffs in cost, customization, reliability, and effort.
  • DNS blocking is praised for simplicity but noted as weaker against “native”/first-party ads (e.g., some streaming services, Twitch, YouTube, in-app SDKs) and occasionally breaking services or links.

YouTube, Streaming, and TV Apps

  • Heavy focus on YouTube:
    • Strategies: uBlock Origin + SponsorBlock (browser), MPV + yt-dlp + SponsorBlock, FreeTube, NewPipe, Invidious, ReVanced, SmartTube, iSponsorBlockTV, Apple TV/Home Assistant setups.
    • Many still pay for YouTube Premium and then also use blockers or ReVanced for UX fixes, background play, and hiding Shorts.
    • Others refuse to pay on principle (paywalling background play, UI churn, AI features) and rely purely on blocking/downloading.
  • Twitch and other platforms: AdGuard Extra, Twire, SmartTube, DNS-level blocking, or simply abandoning services when ads become too intrusive.

“Click All Ads” / AdNauseam Idea

  • Some argue blocking is insufficient and advocate “poisoning” ad profiles by auto-clicking ads (AdNauseam or similar concepts) to waste budgets and undermine tracking.
  • Others say such clicks are trivial to detect as fraud and mostly filtered, calling the approach snake oil.
  • There is discussion of Google’s early ban on AdNauseam and whether that implies it was impactful.
  • Technical concerns: need for safe isolation (VMs, background profiles) and protection from possible exploits.

Ethics, Economics, and “Supporting Creators”

  • Strong sentiment that the ad-supported web has become predatory, especially for non-technical users.
  • Some users simply close or boycott ad-heavy sites rather than block, accepting lost content.
  • Others explicitly support creators via Patreon/memberships while blocking ads everywhere.
  • Debate over whether ad-funded content should simply disappear if it can’t survive without tracking-heavy ads.
  • YouTube creators’ mid-roll and integrated sponsor segments are viewed as unavoidable; SponsorBlock and similar tools are considered essential by many.

Usability, Breakage, and Effort

  • Reports of certain sites/apps breaking under aggressive blocking (Shopify apps, Netflix with Pi-hole, some finance/banking apps with VPN-based blockers).
  • Some see complex multi-layer setups (VPN + DNS + extensions + hosts) as overkill; others find them easy once “amortized” over time.
  • Host-file-only setups are mentioned as very low-maintenance; rebuttals note they miss many trackers and UI annoyances.
  • One commenter asks about tools to block AI-generated content akin to ad blockers; no clear solution emerges in the thread.