Best Ad Blockers for Australia (2026) – Block Ads & Trackers Easily

Hardly any website today is free from third-party advertising

Today, it’s rare to find a website that doesn’t dedicate at least part of its page to third-party advertising. Selling ad space has become an important source of revenue for many website owners. Every time a visitor views or clicks an advertisement, the publisher may earn income.

While reputable websites generally try to keep advertising under control, some platforms — particularly adult or low-quality sites — rely heavily on aggressive ad techniques. In extreme cases, multiple pop-ups can appear at once, slowing down your browser or even causing it to freeze or crash. As a result, the content you originally wanted to view becomes difficult or impossible to access.

Even otherwise trustworthy websites have increasingly expanded advertising placements, often prioritising short-term revenue over user experience. Advertising networks have also evolved their strategies. Instead of simple banner images, many now use autoplay videos, animations, or audio elements that consume more system resources and distract users.

Large moving ads may follow your cursor across the screen, while another common tactic involves splitting articles into multiple short pages or slideshow-style segments. Each click loads a new page — and frequently another advertisement.

This is exactly where modern ad blockers become essential.

AdGuard and Advanced Cookie Control

Users looking for more advanced privacy features may consider AdGuard, which combines traditional ad blocking with additional security tools. Besides filtering banners and pop-ups, the software helps protect against phishing pages and malicious websites.

One notable feature is automatic cookie management, sometimes referred to as a cookie cleanup function. It removes third-party tracking cookies after a predefined period, helping reduce long-term tracking without breaking normal website functionality.

AdGuard is available across multiple platforms and browsers. While basic versions are free, full cross-device protection and advanced features may require a paid licence.

Installing Ad Blockers in Different Browsers

The installation process is straightforward and only takes a few minutes. Below are the general steps for the most popular browsers.

Chrome

Open the Chrome Web Store and search for the ad blocker you want to install (for example, AdGuard or another extension).

Click Add to Chrome, confirm the permissions, and once installed, pin the extension to your toolbar for quick access.

Firefox

Go to Firefox Browser Add-ons and search for your preferred ad blocker.

Click Add to Firefox, wait for the download to finish, and confirm by selecting Add. The extension icon will then appear in your browser menu.

Microsoft Edge

Visit the Edge Add-ons store and search for an ad blocker.

Review the requested permissions and click Get to install. After installation, you can manage settings directly from the extensions panel.

Safari (macOS)

Open Safari and select Safari → Safari Extensions from the menu bar.

This will open the App Store, where you can search for an ad blocker such as AdGuard for Safari.

Click Get, sign in with your Apple ID if required, and install the extension.

To activate it, open Safari Settings → Extensions and enable the ad blocker by ticking the checkbox next to its name.

Using Ad Blockers with Streaming Services

Once installed, ad blockers immediately improve everyday browsing — but many users are especially interested in streaming platforms. Services like YouTube now display ads not only before videos but also during playback, which can interrupt viewing.

Modern ad blockers can reduce many of these interruptions, although effectiveness may vary as streaming platforms continuously update their ad delivery systems. In the next section, we look at the best ad blockers currently available for blocking YouTube ads.

Adblock Plus for Your Browser

Data security and the rise of ad blocking

Growing awareness around digital privacy has led to a significant increase in the number of ad blockers available today. Users can now choose between premium services, open-source projects and free browser extensions, all designed to reduce intrusive advertising and improve browsing comfort.

Some modern browsers already include built-in tracking protection or basic ad filtering. Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox, for example, provide certain privacy controls by default. However, many users still prefer dedicated extensions that offer stronger filtering and more customisation options.

One of the most widely recognised solutions is Adblock Plus. Available for nearly all major browsers, the extension remains free to use and has been downloaded hundreds of millions of times worldwide.

A notable feature is its support for the Acceptable Ads initiative. This allows non-intrusive advertising to remain visible by default, helping websites that rely on advertising revenue while avoiding disruptive formats. Users who prefer stricter blocking can easily disable or customise this option in the settings.

Installation steps

1. Visit the official download page for Adblock Plus

2. Select your browser and operating system

3. Add the extension to your browser

4. Follow the on-screen instructions and restart the browser if required

Video Ad Remover for YouTube

Advertising plays a central role in funding YouTube creators, which is why ads frequently appear before and during videos — especially on popular channels. For viewers, however, repeated interruptions can quickly become frustrating, particularly when watching playlists or shorter clips.

Extensions designed specifically for YouTube focus on filtering video advertising more aggressively than general ad blockers. These tools rely on predefined filtering rules to remove or skip many common ad formats automatically.

In practice, specialised YouTube ad blockers can sometimes perform more consistently than general-purpose solutions, as they are optimised specifically for the platform. After installation, pre-roll ads are often skipped so quickly that playback feels uninterrupted.

Installation is simple:

• Open your browser’s extension store

• Search for the YouTube ad-blocking extension

• Add it to your browser and restart if prompted

Purity for Facebook

F.B. Purity is a browser extension designed to improve the Facebook experience by reducing clutter and unwanted content. It works only when Facebook is accessed through a web browser, as mobile apps typically restrict external extensions.

The tool provides extensive customisation options directly inside Facebook. Users can hide sponsored posts, suggested content, autoplay videos or even interface elements such as chat panels and recommendations.

F.B. Purity supports multiple browsers, including Firefox, Chrome, Opera, Edge and Safari. After installation, an additional settings option appears within Facebook, allowing you to personalise what appears in your news feed.