Advice Request DNS: blocking ads - Adguard or OpenDNS

[Tiamati]

I'm testing some DNS services to block ads on my android (so i don't need a dedicated adblock app). Adguard and OpenDNS seems to do the job.

Do you know which one is better?

 

[Gangelo]

Are you sure that OpenDNS can block ads?
I was under the impression that it is mostly a security DNS provider, blocking only malicious URL's.

 

[Tiamati]

Are you sure that OpenDNS can block ads?
I was under the impression that it is mostly a security DNS provider, blocking only malicious URL's.

Yes, you can add the filter to block ads.

 

[Gangelo]

Ok, I didn't know you had this option.
But I would go for the safe bet which is Adguard (more specialized towards ads + trackers).

Edit: Do not forget that if you use a Chromium based browser on Android they circumvent private DNS settings (asynchronous DNS).

 

[Tiamati]

Edit: Do not forget that if you use a Chromium based browser on Android they circumvent private DNS settings.

I had no idea about that. Can you point me to more information?

But I would go for the safe bet which is Adguard (more specialized towards ads + trackers).

I think the same but OpenDNS has servers in my country while Adguard doesn't. So my first idea was to kept with OPENDNS... I looked around about some info comparingg both but i couldn't find any. That's whyI'mm questioning it.

 

[silversurfer]

Adguard DNS blocks more ads around the web for sure, no doubt about that, even more important is that ads filtering by Adguard is better maintained...

 

[TairikuOkami]

I think the same but OpenDNS has servers in my country while Adguard doesn't.

Adguard does not have its own servers, it routes via 3rd party servers, it actually uses opendns servers as well.

 

[ForgottenSeer 85179]

I recommend NextDNS

 

[Jan Willy]

I recommend NextDNS

Striktly speaking, it's off-topic, but I agree. And in reply to silversurfer, in NextDNS you can activate several Adguard filter lists.

 

[Gangelo]

I had no idea about that. Can you point me to more information?


I think the same but OpenDNS has servers in my country while Adguard doesn't. So my first idea was to kept with OPENDNS... I looked around about some info comparingg both but i couldn't find any. That's whyI'mm questioning it.

Really sorry for the late reply, I was afk for a while. Check the below link for more info:

DNS-based Ad Blockers are broken on latest Chrome versions, so here's a fix

Google Chrome recently was updated to support asynchronous DNS, which has a side effect of breaking DNS-based ad blockers. See here for a fix.

www.xda-developers.com

 

[ForgottenSeer 85179]

Check the below link for more info:

The xda link is from early 2018. I don't think it's still relevant

 

[codswollip]

There's no comparison here. OpenDNS' ad filtering is quite limited.

 

[Tiamati]

ahadns.com or nextdns.io - good options too for ads blocking. The first in my opinion in terms of privacy can be better than Adguard, and the second is incredibly convenient in the setting.

i tested NextDNS and love it. Great configs, privacy, latency. But it's paid (the free version is limited) and it requires dynamic DNS (DDNS) to work properly without using their own apps. As far as i know i would have to constantly vinculante my ip to the account or use their app to keep my own configs.

Adguard does not have its own servers, it routes via 3rd party servers, it actually uses opendns servers as well.

That's strange. Adguard latency is near 5x larger than openDNS in my tests. Maybe open DNS doesn't offer all servers to adguard?

Really sorry for the late reply, I was afk for a while. Check the below link for more info:

DNS-based Ad Blockers are broken on latest Chrome versions, so here's a fix

Google Chrome recently was updated to support asynchronous DNS, which has a side effect of breaking DNS-based ad blockers. See here for a fix.

www.xda-developers.com

I'll look. Ty!

There's no comparison here. OpenDNS' ad filtering is quite limited.

Ty for answering. My early tests seem to point that too.

 

[ForgottenSeer 85179]

tested NextDNS and love it. Great configs, privacy, latency. But it's paid (the free version is limited) and it requires dynamic DNS (DDNS) to work properly without using their own apps. As far as i know i would have to constantly vinculante my ip to the account or use their app to keep my own configs.

NextDNS is by default free until 300k queries/ month. After that, filtering is disabled but DNS still works. Normal user doesn't hit that number.

DDNS nor their app isn't needed. Mainstream browser and both Android and iPhone support encrypted DNS native which doesn't need also DDNS.
DDNS is only needed if you want use NextDNS on e.g. your pc or router without their software, without encrypted DNS and with a random ISP IP every 24 hours. For most if not all normal user this isn't the case as nobody use this configuration.

Easiest way is using their encrypted DNS with DoT or DoH. This works native and without program/ App - based on used OS

 

[vinylmeister]

Why no dedicated App? I highly recommend RethinkDNS (former BraveDNS). It is Firewall and Dns in one, like Adguard, but OpenSource. If you load the app from the website, you cann add custom filter rules from any source. Give it a try. See more on RethinkDNS

As well you can use any other App like PersonalDNSFilter, Blokada, Nebulo, DNS66... Get your phone under your control

 

[woodrowbone]

Check out Blockada, great for ad blocking, and you have a lot of DNS servers to choose from.

/W

 

[ForgottenSeer 85179]

Why no dedicated App

Because it's not needed with Android 9+ or up2date iOS.
Apps only increase attack surface and also use a local VPN simulation so you can't use a VPN anymore if needed

 

[bayasdev]

DNS level adblocking tends to cause more problems than solutions, sometimes XYZ service/app doesn't works and you don't know why and it turns out it works with an unfiltered DNS provider.

 

[Jan Willy]

DNS level adblocking tends to cause more problems than solutions, sometimes XYZ service/app doesn't works and you don't know why and it turns out it works with an unfiltered DNS provider.

You can whitelist. At least in NextDNS. In my case rarely needed.

 

[ForgottenSeer 85179]

DNS level adblocking tends to cause more problems than solutions, sometimes XYZ service/app doesn't works and you don't know why and it turns out it works with an unfiltered DNS provider.

This is true for any kind of blocking