Block Ads on Android without Root

DNS66 is a smart open-source solution that blocks ads, trackers, and a host of unwanted content before it can mess with your browsing or apps—all without any risky root hacks. Whether you’re a casual user or a privacy enthusiast, DNS66 gives you control and simplicity, making Android feel truly ad-free.

DNS66 is a free DNS ad blocker for Android OS that focuses on privacy, usability, and lightweight operation. If you’ve wished for a way to block ads without rooting your phone or struggling with complicated firewalls, DNS66 is among the best ad blockers for Android. It leverages Android’s VPN API to redirect only DNS requests through its service, filtering out unwanted hosts from its customizable lists. This means ads are blocked across apps and browsers, often leading to faster loading, less data use, and a cleaner user experience.

DNS66 is built entirely open-source and maintained by developer Julian Andres Klode and contributors. The app’s foundation is a DNS-based host blocking system: instead of intercepting all your traffic (like VPNs or proxy ad blockers), it only re-routes DNS queries, substantially reducing battery drain. Users manage hosts lists—either preselected or custom—controlling exactly what gets blocked. With active GitHub development, updates are regular, and security is peer-reviewed.

DNS66 is known for its privacy-first approach. Because all filtering happens at the DNS level, it stops many trackers and ad servers before your device ever connects to them. This doesn’t capture your browsing data, meaning your habits stay yours. Performance is a highlight: since only DNS traffic is handled, DNS66 is one of the most lightweight non-root ad blockers, rarely showing up in battery usage stats. With open-source transparency, you can dig into the code and verify what’s happening—or simply enjoy knowing your system isn’t selling your data for profit.

DNS66’s biggest innovation is the efficient DNS-level ad-blocking via VPN, unique among Android ad blockers. Users get simple controls to select which host lists are active, with options like AdAway, MVPS, or custom lists and can refresh these daily for the latest updates. Custom DNS server support lets privacy fans route queries through servers like Cloudflare or Google. The ability to whitelist or blacklist specific apps is handy—want to see ads in your favorite free game to support the developer, but block in browsers? DNS66 makes it easy. Backup and restore features for your configuration are also built-in.

Comparing DNS66 vs AdGuard reveals strengths and trade-offs. AdGuard offers more granular controls, paid features, and blocks ads more aggressively in YouTube and social media apps, but it requires a subscription for the full feature set. DNS66’s open-source, always-free model and lightweight DNS filtering means less overhead and greater privacy assurance—though YouTube ads specifically can be hit-or-miss, thanks to YouTube’s new ad serving tactics. Blokada, another non-root ad blocker, uses similar VPN-based filtering but covers all network traffic, leading to higher resource use. For users seeking lightweight, non-root ad blocking, DNS66 stands out.