Replacing AdGuard Premium for Android?

HarborFront

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Oct 9, 2016
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I'm not saying it's no good for I'm also using it now. But I would like a replacement once my license expires. It has many advantages over other similar adblockers like

- blocking ads/trackers/social media plugins in apps and browsers with filters i.e. device-wide and browser blocking
- DNS filtering(with DNSCrypt & DNSSEC server)
- firewall
- HTTPS filtering

However, it has several disadvantages

1) It is a paid app
2) It drains battery more than other similar apps. This is based on feedback on the net
3) It uses a local VPN which prevents the user from using a dedicated VPN service as Android only allows one VPN to run at anyone time

Here are my suggestions to overcome

1) Use a browser like Firefox Quantum with addons to protect against ads/trackers/phishing/fingerprinting/social media plugins (with adguard or uBlock Origin addon) etc. This gives more and effective protection than Adguard Premium
2) Use AdClear. AdClear now provides firewall and HTTPS filtering features. It offers device-wide and browser protection against ads/trackers etc. Also, AdClear don't consume noticeable battery according to feedback on the net. I believe its privacy policy will not affect you seriously if you don't mine.
3) Lastly, the above are FREE

:)

Edit :- Ooops sorry. AdClear also uses a VPN service so it'll clash with your dedicated VPN service. Removed the latter.
 
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samit

Level 12
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Nov 4, 2011
830
Adguard Premium says it can block social media plugins but I find it can't. Tried the below links on Samsung Internet Browser and TugaBrowser

Watching 'Annihilation' at home versus the cinema

https://gizmodo.com/after-bragging-about-broadcom-jobs-trump-kills-its-qua-1823716096

Google to ban ads on cryptocurrencies, related products

At least AdClear admit they cannot block social media plugins

After exhaustive testing between Adguard Premium (paid) vs AdClear (free) I see no much difference in their features. Well....if you can trust the Russians with your Adguard I suppose you can trust AdClear with its not so good privacy policy
It depends on which filter you have selected on Adguard.
 
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samit

Level 12
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Nov 4, 2011
830
In the app under Ad Blocker I have selected all the filters except those non-english filters, experimental filter and filter unblocker useful ads
Choosing all the filters might create conflicts. I think there is social media filter in adguard to block social network stuffs.
 
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HarborFront

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Oct 9, 2016
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Choosing all the filters might create conflicts. I think there is social media filter in adguard to block social network stuffs.
Already enabled but it cannot block the social media plugins in the links I posted.

Can you test and see whether it works?
 
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uninfected1

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Jan 28, 2016
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Like the OP and probably like quite a few MTers recently, my Adguard license has just expired and unfortunately the free version is not device wide (I'm sure it used to be), so I'm looking for a device wide free non root solution. I've tested all of those already mentioned here and a few more and I found the following to be the pick of them.

For me DNS66 was the best at blocking ads in apps other than browsers. Blokada was next best but DNS66 was clearly better. However neither was as effective as Adguard Premium, but both were noticeably lighter with DNS66 being lighter than Blokada.

If anyone else has any better suggestions I'd be interested to hear about them.
 
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uninfected1

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Could you elaborate?
There were several apps where DNS66 did a more thorough job of blocking than Blokada. One was Aqua Mail. In both cases I used the default filters.

ps - one app where only Adguard Premium was able to block ads was All4, a free on demand video streaming service here in the UK. Now if anyone knows of a free non root app that can block its ads then that really would be something.
 
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samit

Level 12
Verified
Nov 4, 2011
830
Like the OP and probably like quite a few MTers recently, my Adguard license has just expired and unfortunately the free version is not device wide (I'm sure it used to be), so I'm looking for a device wide free non root solution. I've tested all of those already mentioned here and a few more and I found the following to be the pick of them.

For me DNS66 was the best at blocking ads in apps other than browsers. Blokada was next best but DNS66 was clearly better. However neither was as effective as Adguard Premium, but both were noticeably lighter with DNS66 being lighter than Blokada.

If anyone else has any better suggestions I'd be interested to hear about them.

As far as I know, Adguard free was never system wide. The free version only blocks in browsers.

There are other free options like AdClear by Seven.
 
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uninfected1

Level 11
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Jan 28, 2016
525
As far as I know, Adguard free was never system wide. The free version only blocks in browsers.

There are other free options like AdClear by Seven.
I found it a pretty good adblocker (although like all the others except Adguard Premium wasn't able to block ads in All4) but it was noticeably heavier than Blokada and DNS66.
 
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