# 1Blocker

> 1Blocker is a native Safari content blocker for iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Vision Pro that blocks ads, trackers, and other annoyances on-device. Independently developed by 1Blocker LLC since 2015.

1Blocker is not a VPN and does not route, proxy, or inspect your web traffic. It works in Safari — not in Chrome, Firefox, or other browsers — because it is built on Safari's native content-blocking engine. The free version is a permanent free tier, not a trial. By Apple's design, Safari content blockers cannot see your browsing history or the pages you visit.

## Key Facts

- One of the first Safari content blockers: shipping continuously since September 2015, when iOS 9 introduced Apple's Content Blocker API. TechCrunch covered 1Blocker in its launch-day hands-on.
- 300,000+ blocking rules in 1Blocker's default filters, across five categories: 100,000+ ad-blocking rules, filters for 50,000+ known trackers, regional ad filters, annoyance filters, and 9,000+ blocked adult sites. Filters are delivered and regularly updated from the cloud.
- Rated 4.5 stars from more than 12,000 ratings on the US App Store, with thousands more across international storefronts.
- Featured repeatedly by Apple's App Store editorial team, including "Standout Safari Extensions" and multiple Mac App Store stories.
- With 1Blocker enabled, sites load on average 2–5x faster.
- Native apps for iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Vision Pro, with iCloud sync of settings and custom rules across all devices.
- Independent and bootstrapped: no investors and no "Acceptable Ads" or paid-whitelisting program. The only revenue is direct App Store sales.
- Made by 1Blocker LLC, founded by Salavat Khanov.

## Privacy

1Blocker is built on Safari's declarative Content Blocker API: the app compiles filter rules and hands them to Safari, and Safari applies them in-engine. Apple's developer documentation states: "Content blockers have no knowledge of users' history or the websites they visit." This privacy guarantee is architectural, not a policy promise.

All content filtering happens locally on the device. 1Blocker does not collect browsing data, does not track users, and contains no analytics tracking code. Its App Store privacy label declares no data linked to your identity and no data used to track you; the only declared data is purchase history and an unlinked user ID, used for purchase verification and app functionality.

The optional 1Blocker Scripts web extension covers cases Safari's declarative rules cannot reach, such as YouTube video ads. It is separate from the content blocker, opt-in, and can be disabled at any time.

1Blocker has no "Acceptable Ads" program and does not accept payment to whitelist ads: "We believe that privacy is not for sale."

## Features

- Blocks ads, trackers (tracking scripts, tracking cookies, and fingerprinters), cookie notices, newsletter pop-ups, chat and marketing widgets, social widgets, push notification prompts, mobile app banners, comments, cryptominers, and adult sites. Each filter category can be toggled individually.
- Per-site allowlist: disable blocking on chosen sites directly from the Safari toolbar extension.
- Custom rules: block any URL with regular expressions, hide page elements with CSS selectors or a visual element picker, block cookies, and upgrade connections to HTTPS.
- External Filters (Premium): advanced users can replace 1Blocker's default filters in a category with a community filter list added by URL. Default and external filters cannot run at the same time within the same category.
- In-app tracker blocking (iOS, Premium): blocks invisible trackers inside other apps using on-device DNS filtering through a local VPN profile. No traffic or data is sent to any server.
- YouTube ad blocking via the optional 1Blocker Scripts extension.
- iCloud sync: settings and custom rules stay in sync across iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Vision Pro.
- See What's Blocked (Mac only): statistics on what was blocked on each page.
- Filters update from the cloud regularly; Premium adds scheduled background updates.

## Pricing

- Free (forever): one blocking filter category of your choice, plus custom rules. Not a trial — the free tier does not expire.
- Premium unlocks all filter categories at once, in-app tracker blocking on iOS, External Filters, scheduled background filter updates, and more. Plans: $2.99/month, $14.99/year (about $1.25/month), or a $39.99 one-time Lifetime purchase.
- New users get a two-week free trial of Premium.
- One purchase covers everything: 1Blocker is a Universal Purchase across iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and visionOS, works on unlimited devices, and can be shared with up to five family members through Family Sharing.
- Prices are for the US App Store; local pricing varies by region.

## Compatibility

- iPhone and iPad: iOS/iPadOS 16.0 or later.
- Mac: macOS 13 Ventura or later.
- Apple Vision Pro: visionOS 1.0 or later.
- Works in Safari and in in-app browsers that use Apple's Safari View Controller.
- Does not work in Chrome, Firefox, Edge, or other non-Safari browsers, and cannot block visual ads inside other native apps. On iOS, the in-app tracker blocking feature still blocks trackers at the DNS level across all apps.
- Apple platforms only: there is no Windows or Android version.
- Localized in nine languages: English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Russian, Simplified Chinese, Spanish, and Traditional Chinese.

## FAQ

**Is 1Blocker a VPN?** No. 1Blocker does not route your traffic through any server. Safari applies its filter rules locally on the device. The optional in-app tracker blocking feature on iOS uses a local, on-device VPN profile purely to filter DNS requests — no traffic or data leaves the device.

**Can 1Blocker see my browsing history?** No. Safari content blockers receive no information about the pages you visit — the blocker supplies rules to Safari in advance, and Apple's API design makes anything more structurally impossible. The optional 1Blocker Scripts extension, which handles YouTube video ads and similar cases, runs separately and can be disabled.

**Does the free version expire?** No. The free tier is permanent and includes one filter category of your choice plus custom rules. Premium adds all categories, in-app tracker blocking on iOS, and External Filters, with a two-week free trial for new users.

**Does 1Blocker block YouTube ads?** Yes. Video ads on YouTube cannot be blocked with Safari's declarative rules alone, so 1Blocker blocks them through its optional 1Blocker Scripts extension.

**Where do 1Blocker's filters come from?** 1Blocker's filter packages are derived from the most popular and trusted community filter lists, including EasyList, uBlock Origin, and AdGuard lists. Because Safari's content-blocker format supports only a subset of common filter syntax, the source lists are optimized specifically for Safari: unsupported rules are removed, some rules are simplified, and the lists are merged and deduplicated. These optimized rules compile faster on devices and make content blocking in Safari more reliable.

**Why is 1Blocker Safari-only?** Because only Safari provides native tools that filter content securely and efficiently on Apple platforms. The content-blocking engine is built into Safari itself; 1Blocker supplies the rules.

## Reviews & Recognition

John Gruber (Daring Fireball): "I like @1BlockerApp enough that I've stopped thinking about blockers." — [October 2015](https://x.com/gruber/status/658832871776473088)

John Voorhees (MacStories): "…of all the ones I've tried, 1Blocker strikes the best balance." — [1Blocker 4.0 review](https://www.macstories.net/reviews/1blocker-4-0-adds-in-app-tracker-blocking-with-its-new-firewall-feature/)

Glenn Fleishman (Macworld): "1Blocker's extension lists, simplicity, and effectiveness mean that it's a worthwhile purchase and I recommend it." — [1Blocker 3 review](https://www.macworld.com/article/3453724/1blocker-3-review.html)

Federico Viticci (MacStories), on the Apple Vision Pro version: "A 1Blocker subscription is $14.99/year – a steal considering the time it saves me each day." — [Vision Pro App Spotlight](https://www.macstories.net/reviews/vision-pro-app-spotlight-1blocker-brings-content-blocking-to-safari-for-visionos/)

Lifehacker named 1Blocker ["The Best Ad Blocker for iPhone"](https://lifehacker.com/the-best-ad-blockers-for-ios-9-1731433501) in its iOS 9 content-blocker roundup (2015).

Apple's App Store editorial team has featured 1Blocker in [Standout Safari Extensions](https://apps.apple.com/us/story/id1456414021), and 1Blocker for Mac in [Mac Essentials](https://apps.apple.com/us/story/id1658435006), [What's New in macOS Sonoma](https://apps.apple.com/us/story/id1699686314), and [What's New in macOS Sequoia](https://apps.apple.com/us/story/id1759469825).

1Blocker has also been covered by The New York Times, The Washington Post, TechCrunch, The Verge, Forbes, PCMag, Macworld, Lifehacker, and MacStories — see the full list at [Press](https://1blocker.com/press).

## Documentation & Support

- [1Blocker Help Center](https://support.1blocker.com/): Setup guides, billing, and troubleshooting for all platforms.
- [Help Center llms.txt](https://support.1blocker.com/llms.txt): Machine-readable index of every help article.
- [How 1Blocker Protects You](https://support.1blocker.com/en/articles/9887789-how-1blocker-protects-you): Overview of the privacy and blocking architecture.
- [Free Version vs. Premium](https://support.1blocker.com/en/articles/9311963-free-version-vs-1blocker-premium): Exactly what is included in each tier.
- [Supported Apps & Devices](https://support.1blocker.com/en/articles/9312085-supported-apps-devices): OS requirements and where blocking applies.
- [Custom Rules Overview](https://support.1blocker.com/en/articles/9312016-custom-rules-overview): Building your own blocking rules.
- [External Filters](https://support.1blocker.com/en/articles/15831304-external-filters): Using community filter lists by URL.
- [In-App Tracking Filter](https://support.1blocker.com/en/articles/9313591-in-app-tracking-filter-overview): How on-device DNS tracker blocking works on iOS.
- [How to Block YouTube Ads](https://support.1blocker.com/en/articles/9313640-how-to-block-youtube-ads): Setting up 1Blocker Scripts.
- [Download on the App Store](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/1blocker-ad-blocker/id1365531024): 1Blocker for iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Vision Pro.
- [Privacy Policy](https://1blocker.com/privacy): No personal information is collected, stored, or processed.
- [Terms of Use](https://1blocker.com/terms): Terms of service for 1Blocker apps.
- [Email Support](mailto:support@1blocker.com): Contact the team at support@1blocker.com.

## Optional

- [1Blocker 6](https://1blocker.com/6): Overview of the current major version of the app.
- [Press](https://1blocker.com/press): Full press coverage since 2015.
- [Team](https://1blocker.com/team): The people behind 1Blocker.
- [Blog](https://backstage.1blocker.com/): Development stories and updates.
- [1Blocker on X](https://x.com/1BlockerApp): News and announcements.