If you are having major issues with your current ad blockers not working on certain websites and browsers. This article will show you the best new alternative for blocking video ads on YouTube and other platforms. While some of the favourites currently available like Ublock and Adblock Plus still work most of the time, they are starting to fail more often so it's time for a slightly different approach to the standard model.

Related: How to Fix Ad Blockers are not allowed on YouTube - Fix adblock not working on YouTube Videos Solution.

Ad blocking isn't anything new and has been an important part of internet life for decades now. Originally its purpose was to block annoying popups that would appear on websites all over the Internet. However, over time it has evolved into the tools we all commonly take for granted today. While browsers like Firefox and Brave have blockers included by default which also block trackers and other nasties. Most adblockers are third-party browser extensions that can be installed on any browser. Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Brave, Microsoft Edge, Safari, Opera, etc. Basically any web browser you can think of that supports extensions.

The only problem with the current set of tools and the current methods is that Google is working really, really hard to reduce and hopefully kill their effectiveness. Especially on platforms like YouTube. This means that Popular Chrome extensions traditionally used to repel ad-related content don't work as well as they used to. In the grand scheme of things companies are going about the entire process wrong, instead of cracking down on adblockers they should be focusing on why people hate ads so much.

For example, YouTube ads have reached a point where some ads run for longer than the videos they are shown in, while other ads on the platform just lead to scams, malicious web pages, malware, and even more commonly NSFW (Not safe for work) content. The problem isn't so much watching ads it's the type of ads and trackers they employ to target users. People will happily watch ads in return for watching content but they need to be acceptable ads!

Anyway, we could talk about this issue all day but that's not the purpose of this article. Instead, we are here to discuss what are the best adblockers to use for the remainder of 2023 and onward into 2024. So what are our options? Well, there are a few classics and a newcomer! Specifically designed for YouTube.

The Rise of Ad Skipper for YouTube.

With YouTube pushing against traditional ad blockers like Adblock Plus and Ublock Origin, a solo freelance developer has decided to create an alternative that not only blocks ads but skips them entirely. The logic behind Ad Skipper is refreshingly simple – when an ad plays, the extension sets the current time to the full ad length and automatically clicks the "Skip Ad" button.

This approach essentially tricks YouTube into registering the ad as loaded and watched, while users themselves don't have to endure the actual ad content. The developer believes this method makes Ad Skipper nearly undetectable, especially considering that ads function in specific ways. Even if a bypass is discovered, the developer claims to have additional strategies in place to maintain functionality.

How Ad Skipper Works.

Unlike traditional ad blockers, Ad Skipper doesn't remove all ads from YouTube. Instead, it selectively skips them, resulting in a less intrusive and suspicious user experience. Currently, the extension supports skipping ads on YouTube and removing Shorts, catering to users who prefer a streamlined content-viewing experience.

The developer is actively working on expanding Ad Skipper's capabilities by adding support for new websites and introducing additional features. Planned enhancements include the ability to block videos from specific channels, exploring ways to make the extension compatible with YouTube for Android, and implementing local statistics to track metrics such as ads skipped and time saved. It's also Open Source which is awesome!

Getting Started with Ad Skipper.

For users interested in trying out Ad Skipper, the extension is available on both the Chrome Web Store and Firefox Add-Ons. The open-source nature of Ad Skipper is emphasized by its presence on GitHub, where users can explore the code, contribute to the project, or report issues.

Firefox and Brave Two Browser Alternatives.

While these two browsers aren't the most popular they are two of the best options if you value your online privacy and have an aversion to advertisers who want to talk you around the Internet. They both have very effective ad-blocker tools built into them and both also come with VPN options, though VPNs don't really do anything to prevent ads. The best part is that you can pair either of these browsers with extensions like Ad Skipper, Ublock or Adblock to get even better results and flexibility.

Ublock Origin is still the King.

If you’re using a different Ad blocker that isn't working as well as it should, switch to Ublock Origin and you should still be able to keep blocking ads. The biggest benefit of Ublock is that it is updated very regularly so if it does start to fail it doesn't take long before the community steps in and fixes the problem. There is basically an army of user contributing their time to the cause. They live for ad-blocking!

Ublock Origin for Firefox
Ublock Origin for Chromium browsers

If you are still having problems with uBlock Origin not blocking ads on YouTube from Firefox try the following adjustments.

  • Click Ublock Origin Settings icon (this opens the UBO Dashboard)

  • Click the "Filter Lists" header category

  • Click "Purge All Lists"

  • Click "Update Now"

  • Restart Firefox and everything should be working.

You can also follow these same exact steps on any browser you are using to get the same result. Alternatively, you can reinstall everything from scratch. That should get you watching videos on YouTube again without any annoying spammy ads and pop-ups.

Adblock Plus is still a Good Option.

While its effectiveness is not as great as it once was it is still a popular ad blocker that does what it is supposed to do across the entire Internet. So far the only places that it seems to lack power are YouTube and Twitch but if you don't use these platforms, you won't have any problems with this adblocker.

Wrapping things up.

Anyway, that pretty much wraps up the current situation with blockers. Though as this situation is just heating up we'll keep updating the article with all the latest info on the best ad blockers in 2023 and moving forward into 2024. For now, blocking YouTube ads seems to be a super hot topic so stay tuned for more regular updates on improving your browsing experience! With Manifest V3 just around the corner, it's probably a good idea to start getting familiar with Firefox!