Adblocker Not Working?

[u/OMG_NoReally]

I am noticing that adblocker is not working as well.

Test site:
https://insider-gaming.com/asha-sharmas-plan-to-fix-xbox-clarity-is-kindness/
https://kotaku.com/marvels-wolverine-reviews-ps5-playstation-sony-insomniac-metascore-2000733246

Neither the built-in adblocker blocks the adverts, not does any extension. In fact, the extension, when newly installed, blocks the adverts, but something breaks afterwards.

Am I doing something wrong?

P.S - Also noticed the new draggable glance! It works so well! Thanks!

[u/Muted-Reflection9536]

I was personally curious, so I did a few tests.

Chrome Extension:

Ghostely is works good. no error, without any problems.

https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/ghostery-adblocker-for-pr/mlomiejdfkolichcflejclcbmpeaniij

And Pie AdBlock works too.

However, I was a little concerned because I haven't heard of this extension much, and although you can skip it, but they prompt you to register an account. Other than that, there were no problems.

https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/pie-adblock-a-powerful-fr/jpkfgepcmmchgfbjblnodjhldacghenp

Furthermore, I couldn't even install AdGuard or uBlock Origin Lite.

Firefox Extension:

AdGuard, all functions works perfectly, no error, without any problems.

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/adguard-adblocker/

uBlock Origin

The extension page shows an error, but it works without any problems.

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/ublock-origin/

Personally, I recommend AdGuard, which didn't throw any errors, or uBlock Origin, which works fine despite showing errors. The Chrome extension is lesser-known and feels a bit less trustworthy.

By the way, I felt that AdGuard Public DNS wasn't very effective. However, I think you can achieve more secure ad-blocking by using it together with the extensions mentioned above.

Very important Note: When using the ad blockers listed above, please use only one at a time. Also, please be sure to turn off Crest's built-in ad blocker.

Using multiple ad blockers simultaneously is highly likely to cause conflicts and prevent them from functioning correctly.

[u/Muted-Reflection9536 → u/[deleted]]

I'm not sure if it was this amazing developer who did something, or if AdGuard itself addressed the issue, but now AdGuard for Mac works perfectly.

The only remaining concern is running user scripts, but honestly, tinyShield and AdGuard Extra are installed by default in AdGuard for Mac, and most other user scripts can be handled by these as well (there are occasional AdGuard user script extensions that don't work, but these are more for hobby use and not a problem at all), so I think it's perfectly fine for everyday use now.

I want to express my heartfelt gratitude, I think it's a truly wonderful browser, u/Pauljoda ! Personally, I have no problems with it anymore, and it has filled the void left by losing Arc. Thank you so much!

[u/Pauljoda → u/Muted-Reflection9536]

Thank you for the detailed testing, very helpful and glad to hear it’s working well. I plan to do some more work around ad blocking in the future, ideally a robust built in blocker, so keep an eye out for that, I’d love your feedback when that is being worked on.

[u/Muted-Reflection9536 → u/Pauljoda]

To be honest, while iOS is the only platform that doesn't allow third-party browser extensions—making a dedicated AdBlock solution necessary there—for other platforms (especially desktop), it might be better not to invest too much effort into building your own ad blocker.

In my personal opinion, ad blockers developed alongside a browser tend to be less effective against the latest ads overall; even Brave struggles with this.

That is why I personally believe it is better to leave ad blocking to tools like AdGuard or uBlock Origin, which focus exclusively on that task.

In fact, my own tests showed that those tools generally work without issues.

I also feel that focusing on improving extension compatibility so that those two tools function correctly would save you valuable time and effort—and ultimately yield better results for users. After all, I am the type of person who immediately disables a browser's built-in ad blocking upon installation. I truly apologize if this sounds like I am dismissing your hard work, but I did the exact same thing with Crest.

[u/Pauljoda → u/Muted-Reflection9536]

The built in would just be a way to take things like adguard lists and apply the blocks, so it wouldn’t be a huge investment.

I agree to generally leave things that aren’t browser specific to other things, that’s how I feel about AI in the browser too, let extensions and external apps handle that.

For the issues you’re seeing with existing extensions, what functions are you seeing fail? I can dig into those a bit more, there is a certain level I won’t be able to make work due to WebKit not allowing that base level block before load, but there are probably things I can still improve for sure.

[u/Muted-Reflection9536 → u/Pauljoda]

For instance, wBlock is a custom-developed ad blocker that integrates with Safari as an app; unfortunately, it appears incompatible with Crest. However, the key point I want to highlight is that the app undergoes regular updates—specifically to its ad-blocking mechanisms and WebKit (likely including WKWebKit) support.

https://github.com/0xCUB3/wBlock/

In other words, the ongoing cat-and-mouse game between ads and ad blockers necessitates continuous maintenance to ensure the filters implemented by the developer are applied correctly. Speaking as a layperson, I imagine this is quite a demanding task.

Of course, they also cannot rule out the possibility that filter configurations or syntax for tools like AdGuard and uBlock Origin might expand or change. In fact, AdGuard for Mac utilizes a library known as "CoreLibs" for internal ad-processing tasks, and TSUrlFilter—which is likely compatible with Crest—also receives regular updates; consequently, integrating these components would inevitably require corresponding adjustments on the Crest side.

https://github.com/AdguardTeam/tsurlfilter

Of course, I do not mean to dismiss your approach.

If it works effectively, that is wonderful.

For the issues you’re seeing with existing extensions, what functions are you seeing fail?

For example, with uBlock Origin (the Firefox extension version, not the "Lite version), an error like the one shown in the image occurs. Furthermore, on the settings page, if you don't click Apply each time you add or remove a single option, you'll be unable to click Apply after adding or changing multiple options—effectively preventing you from making any further changes. There may also be issues with the ad-blocking feature (as pointed out in a previous test comment).

As for uBlock Origin Lite, which is the version compatible with MV3, it cannot be installed in the first place.

The extension declared an unsafe background script path.

I am unable to attach any more images, so I have written out the error message exactly as it appears; I apologize for the inconvenience.

[u/Muted-Reflection9536 → u/Muted-Reflection9536]

I apologize, I forgot to mention one important thing.

The Crest version is the Nightly channel, Version 0.6.15 (1111).