The 7 Best DNS Servers to Block Internet Ads

DNS servers are one of the best ways to protect yourself as you browse, and also one of the ways that big companies can get a hold of your information. But they can also help you to avoid online ads you find intrusive or particularly invasive.

If you want to protect your privacy or block internet ads as you browse, then ad blocking DNS servers are a great way to do so–no matter what device you’re using. Here, we take a look at seven of the best servers you can use to block ads.

First up on this list, we have NextDNS. With over 130 different server locations and trusted as the DNS of choice by Mozilla, NextDNS is certainly one of the more popular entries onto this list.

At its core, NextDNS aims to protect its users from a wide variety of security threats while simultaneously blocking ads and trackers on websites and apps across the internet. Setting up and configuring a custom DNS with NextDNS is easy, and only takes a couple of minutes.

On top of this, NextDNS provides extensive analytics and logging information that you can use to measure how effectively you are protecting your privacy. This can be an effective way to see what websites and trackers you’re stopping, and if you’d prefer not to be logged, you can always toggle it off.

If you have children, then NextDNS is a great choice here as well. NextDNS comes with in-built parental control options that you can toggle on and adjust to your liking. This includes setting a recreation time, where certain games and sites are available, as well as options to permanently restrict certain types of content.

Next up, we have AdGuard DNS. AdGuard DNS uses several strong filters to target ads and trackers on any device connected to your wireless network.

This means that you won’t be seeing ads on any device you browse on, and on top of this, AdGuard also comes with a range of other handy features that you can use to keep you and those around you safe while they use the internet.

The easiest way to achieve this is by looking through the extensive statistics information that AdGuard provides. You can filter DNS requests by device, and find breakdowns of each device’s usage.

From here, you can alter your DNS filtering rules on the fly to better protect yourself. This, in conjunction with customized filtering options and strong parental control options, means that you can have a lot of control over what information you’re giving away.

If you’re looking for a DNS that you can use not only to block ads on any device, but also to help circumvent censorship, then LibreDNS is an excellent option.

LibreDNS uses a crowdsourced list of known advertising and tracking domains that it uses to block ads. On top of this, LibreDNS keeps no logs of any kind, and only keeps the minimum amount of data required in order to function.

This means that LibreDNS is not just a DNS server that blocks ads, but that it’s also a DNS server that keeps you safe.

Beyond this, LibreDNS is relatively simple. All you need to do is learn how to change your DNS settings, and you should be good to go.

Next up on this list comes Control D. Control D is a free DNS service that stops ads, malware, and trackers from having unrestricted access to your computer.

Control D is an interesting ad-blocking DNS server in that it aims to do more than just block ads. Control D doubles up as a productivity and pseudo-VPN tool as well.

There are plenty of ways to hide or fake your location in your browser, but Control D allows you to do so with no VPN application or extra programs to install. All you have to do is use Control D and you can set a different default location to your actual location.

If you’re looking for a feature-rich ad-blocking DNS server, then DeCloudUs may be the ideal solution for you. DeCloudUs is a DNS server that blocks ads, trackers, malware, phishing, and more.

On top of this, DeCloudUs is highly customizable, and includes a full suite of features such as parental controls, full DNS customization, custom filtering lists, and more.

The biggest downside with DeCloudUs, however, is that a lot of these features are locked behind premium plans. For more server options, custom DNS profiles, DNS statistics, and more, then you will need a premium account. You can use DeCloudUs entirely for free, but this will limit you to a single server in Germany and cut off access to many other features as well.

BlahDNS is a hobby project that aims to create a serious DNS server that can block ads with the best of them. The UI and layout leave a little to be desired, but the ad-blocking DNS server itself couldn’t be more different.

BlahDNS filters ads, trackers, malware, and more. It stores no logs, which is great if you’re concerned with privacy, though a downside if you like to track and optimize your ad filtering. When it comes to figuring how to block ads using DNS, BlahDNS is a pretty solid option in that once it’s set up you don’t need to think about it much, if at all.

Finally, we have AhaDNS Blitz. AhaDNS Blitz is a highly configurable cloud DNS firewall that blocks ads, trackers, malware, and more.

AhaDNS Blitz is built with security at its forefront. It uses multiple servers to make sure that there are few downtimes, and all traffic that is sent is entirely encrypted. On top of this, AhaDNS Blitz blocks ads and trackers so that you don’t have to worry about any annoying ads as you browse.

Block Ads No Matter Where You Browse

As you can see, blocking ads is easy. Once you learn how to set up your DNS, you won’t even need an ad blocker anymore. All you’ll need is the right DNS server for you, and you’ll be good to go. Before delving into any of these options, make sure you’re familiar with how to change your DNS settings.