Blockads-android
Block ads system-wide on Android using local VPN-based DNS filtering. No root needed. No data collection.
Blockads-android is an open-source network ad blocking project on GitHub under the GPL-3.0 license (strong copyleft), with 2.6k stars. It is built with Kotlin and Go. Its last push was today.
- Stars
- 2.6k
- License
- GPL-3.0
- Activity
- Active
- Latest release
- v7.1.0
Judgement
- What it is
- Complete system
- What it does
- An Android ad blocker that filters DNS through a local VPN without root, with optional HTTPS filtering, per-app rules and built-in lists such as StevenBlack and EasyList.
- Adopt it when
- You want system-wide ad and tracker blocking on an unrooted Android phone from a free open-source app.
- Watch out
- Created in February 2026 and moving fast; its HTTPS filtering needs a user-installed CA certificate, which carries real security trade-offs.
- Ready for
- Usable
- Runs as
- Mobile app
- Built with
- Kotlin, Jetpack Compose and Go
- How established
- Young: started 8 months ago, latest release v7.1.0.
- What the license allows
- Use inside your business is unrestricted, but anything you distribute that includes it must be released under the same license.
Judged on 2026-11-03 from the project's README and GitHub data. The license and age lines are worked out directly.
Built from
Follow it down: Blockads-android → Kotlin → JDK → LLVM project → runs on a microchip
Open-source alternatives to Blockads-android
-
1
AdGuardHome AdguardTeam
Network-wide ads & trackers blocking DNS server
Complete system Production-ready You want Pi-hole-style blocking with built-in DoH, DoT and DoQ in a single binary.
★ 38k GPL-3.0 TypeScript Active, pushed today -
2
DnsServer TechnitiumSoftware
Technitium DNS Server
Complete system Production-ready You want a full DNS server for your home or office, including authoritative zones, not just a blocker.
★ 10k GPL-3.0 C# Active, pushed 9 days ago -
3
Blocky 0xERR0R
Fast and lightweight DNS proxy as ad-blocker for local network with many features
Complete system Production-ready You want Pi-hole-style network ad blocking as a single stateless binary configured in code, without a built-in web UI.
★ 7.1k Apache-2.0 Go Active, pushed yesterday -
4
Esp32-c3-adblock M-Abozaid
Pi-hole-class DNS ad-blocker on a $2 ESP32-C3 (no PSRAM): 537k domains as 40-bit FNV-1a hashes in flash, binary-searched. UDP DNS sinkhole + web dashboard. https://youtube.com/shorts/RaxszOUMi8E?feature=share
Complete system Experimental You want network ad blocking on a tiny, very low-cost device and enjoy flashing microcontrollers.
★ 3.5k MIT C++ Active, pushed 27 days ago -
5
A-dove-is-dumb ignaciocastro
Easily block Adobe telemetry checking domains. Continuously Updated. Useful for HostsMan / SwitchHosts / Pi-hole users ✨
List, course or other material Usable You want to stop Adobe apps calling home from a machine or network you control.
★ 1.9k BSD-2-Clause Active, pushed 5 days ago -
6
Pihole-updatelists jacklul
Update Pi-hole's lists from remote sources easily
Developer tool Usable You manage Pi-hole lists from curated remote collections such as Firebog and want them kept in step automatically.
★ 1.7k MIT PHP Active, pushed 11 days ago -
7
Nebula-sync lovelaze
Synchronize configuration of multiple Pi-hole v6.x instances.
Developer tool Usable You run two or more Pi-hole v6 servers for redundancy and want their settings kept identical.
★ 1.7k MIT Go Active, pushed 2 days ago -
8
Neodevhost neodevpro
The Powerful Friendly Uptodate AD Blocking Hosts 最新强大而友善的去广告
List, course or other material Usable You want a broad blocklist with good coverage of Chinese ad domains for Pi-hole, AdGuard or a router.
★ 1.4k MIT Adblock Filter List Active, pushed today
Commercial network ad blockers and DNS filters
-
1
Cisco Umbrella Cisco
Cisco's enterprise network security provides advanced protection on a unified, cloud-delivered solution designed for the modern workplace.
Complete system Production-ready A business or school wants a simple first layer of web filtering and threat blocking across all sites and devices.
Commercial -
2
NextDNS NextDNS
NextDNS protects you from all kinds of security threats, blocks ads and trackers on websites and in apps and provides a safe and supervised Internet for kids — on all devices and on all networks.
Complete system Production-ready You want network-wide blocking on phones and laptops wherever they go without running a Pi-hole.
Commercial
Stars, license and activity come from GitHub and refresh on a rolling hourly schedule. The project's own description is quoted as written.