How to watch YouTube without ads: an honest look at the options
Premium, extensions, alternative apps, DNS-level and VPN blocking. What actually removes ads from YouTube videos in 2026 and what only cleans up the banners around them.
YouTube ads have got longer and more frequent: two spots before a video, mid-rolls every ten minutes, banners in the feed. There are many ways to get rid of them, and they work very differently. Here is what removes ads from the video itself and what only tidies up around it.
Why YouTube ads are hard to block
Ordinary web ads load from separate ad-network domains and are easy to cut by address. YouTube ad videos come from the same googlevideo.com servers as the content. You can't block them by domain without breaking YouTube, so any "block by address list" method only removes part of the ads.
1. YouTube Premium
The most reliable: ads are switched off on Google's side, in every app and on TV. The catch in Russia: Premium can't be paid for with a Russian card.
2. A browser extension
Extensions like uBlock Origin strip ads out of the player response before they show. On a computer this is the best free option. Caveats: since 2023 YouTube fights blockers with the "Ad blockers are not allowed" dialog, so some days ads slip through until rules update; and it only works in the browser.
3. Alternative apps
Third-party ad-free YouTube clients exist on Android. They work, but they're unofficial: not in Google Play, may break after a YouTube update, installed from an APK. If you try one, download only from the project's official page.
4. DNS or VPN blocking
DNS filters and VPNs with a blocker cut ad domains across all apps: in-game ads, counters, trackers and site banners disappear. Surok VPN has such a blocker built into the server. Honestly though: it doesn't remove ads inside YouTube videos, for the reason above. For those you need option 1 or 2.
What to choose
| Where you watch | What to use |
|---|---|
| Computer | Blocker extension + a VPN if YouTube is slow |
| Android | Premium or a third-party client; VPN blocker for other apps |
| iPhone | Premium; content blockers help in Safari |
| TV | Premium only; a VPN speeds it up but won't remove in-video ads |
If YouTube is also slow
In Russia ads aren't the only problem: videos often load slowly because of throttling. See why YouTube is slow and how to fix it. Surok can be tried for free, apps and extensions on the download page.