NextDNS 4+

It seems like the developer may have abandoned this app since it hasn’t been updated in 4 years and lacks some basic iPhone features that have been introduced since. That aside, the app does what it’s supposed to do if you follow the setup instructions. Now, occasionally, some WiFi networks, apps, and websites will fail to work if the app is enabled. That’s not really the fault of the app. Also, if the app isn’t blocking ads, then you need to go to the website and adjust your libraries; all the app does is redirect DNS queries to the NextDNS website. All the magic happens on the website, not on the app. Finally, if you use a VPN while the app is enabled, the VPN DNS seems to take priority and NextDNS will stop working.

Been using Blokada for a long time but then they decided to make it paid. I can’t surf the web without looking at a bunch of “hot moms near you” ads so I was searching for many alternatives. Sadly, none of them worked. However after a bit of patience and resilience, I managed to find this amazing service. Not only does it provide many blocklists, it has a clean web interface with everything you could possible want from it. I highly recommend this app if you want to block the most ads possible.

I recommend using many blocklists to block the most ads possible and also keeping it on most of the time for best results!

I thought NextDNS was not working at first, because it’s not obvious that you need to configure a profile. It’s not as simple as download and turn on. It requires a tiny amount of technical knowledge (easy to learn what’s necessary though if you don’t know already). Overall, this is more efficient at blocking ads in apps without breaking them compared to others I’ve tried. The only thing it’s missing is a faster way to turn it on and off (because there are instances when I’m trying to access a privacy request form that is on the block list). It would be great if this app had a widget I could put on my Home Screen to quickly toggle it on and off.