Alternatives, since this uBO port is pretty much dead and unusable for many? #145
Comments
|
I'm using Better on iOS and macOS. |
|
Better is fine. I purchased it last week, but I must say it clearly does not do as well as uBlock origin in terms of performance. It's filters are not customisable, nor is is possible to block (or unblock) specific content on a page. |
|
@nbara Not able to blocking specific content is fine for me at least. But does it block tracking completely? Also, it's source code is open but I notice there is just one developer on their own Gitlab instance. |
|
I had tried "Better" as well and stopped using it within 10 min It Broke some websites right off the bat and not being able to whitelist/fix made it unusuable. It did NOT block things I actually did want to block. Things that would automatically blocked by easylist filters, so that tells me better isn't even using already WELL established filters that are out there. to be honest that's why most adblockers out there that aren't ublock, fail. Everyone wants their own filter when there are already well established and vetted filter lists. Just give a blocker that does what ublock does. Provides an efficient engine that lets us pick and choose from the already well established filters of the internet. I don't care how good you think "YOUR" filter is. don't make me choose only YOUR filter. :) My 2 cents. Ublock still works "well enough" to still beat competition even being partially broken. That says a lot |
|
@MysticalOS I have really been struggling been uBlock of late and I really do not want to start looking for alternatives the day it might stop working completely or is really out of date that it becomes useless. I have asked Better devs to chip in here if possible (https://twitter.com/amarendra/status/1062902092044558337). Even though the project is not on GitHub they may have accounts. But to be honest to me too it seems like "my own little side project" in execution. |
|
For what it's worth, you actually can White List sites in Better. The feature is called "Do not block...". Sites added to the "Do not block" list are automatically synchronized between a user's MacOS and iOS Better installations via iCloud. I think of Better as more of a privacy tool than an outright ad blocker. I group it with Privacy Badger which I use on Chrome. Many ads are blocked, but not all. I have been happy with Better. Other ad blockers that seem to be Mojave and Safari 12 friendly include "Adblock for Safari" (icon is stop sign with a hand) and "AdGuard for Safari" both in the Mac App Store. These aren't uBO either but the original poster was looking to discuss options... |
|
"Do not block" is not the same as "don't break disquss on this page that also has 40 ads/auto play videos you do still need to block" |
|
1Block has been pretty good on iOS so I assume it wouldn't be any worse on macOS either |
|
It's actually terrible on macOS. I've looked at it. they haven't ported their multiple lists rewrite to macOS yet so it's still a single 50,000 rulec capped list that is poorly updated. 1blocker also uses their own custom list and not widly available updated DAILY public lists. Heck they only seem to update their custom list every once in a blue moon from what I've seen on iOS. I actually use two blockers on iOS. 1blocker cause it has multi list support and covers a lot of bases, and then I use adblock for IOS because (unlike desktop version which is crap) it's simply one list app that downloads latest easylist. Trust me, I've played with just about every macOS list, they are bad. App store reviews will tell you as much for most of them. We just need El1t to come back or maybe @gorhill to pick up this port. People would happy pay for quality maintenance. I know I would. |
|
Oh... Didn't realize that. I'm now using Better and while it mostly works fine, it definitely doesn't block quite as well as uBlock did. I'd be also happy to pay would Origin be available on App Store. |
|
Using Ad-Guard extention on Safari. Not aware of any problems. Safari 12.01 does not appear to be flawless. |
|
A lot of folks seem to think the problem is that the devs have abandoned uBlock Origin on Safari. The real issue is that Apple is restricting what Safari extensions can do, and starting with the next version of Safari/macOS next year, it will be IMPOSSIBLE to reproduce uBlock Origin’s functionality. Try finding a good ad blocker on iOS… There aren’t any—precisely because of the sort of restrictions that are coming to macOS as well.
We’re fucked when it comes to having a good ad blocker on Safari.
Nothing would make me happier than to be proven wrong.
… On Nov 19, 2018, at 3:11 PM, Adam ***@***.***> wrote:
It's actually terrible on macOS. I've looked at it. they haven't ported their multiple lists rewrite to macOS yet so it's still a single 50,000 rulec capped list that is poorly updated. 1blocker also uses their own custom list and not widly available updated DAILY public lists. Heck they only seem to update their custom list every once in a blue moon from what I've seen on iOS. I actually use two blockers on iOS. 1blocker cause it has multi list support and covers a lot of bases, and then I use adblock for IOS because (unlike desktop version which is crap) it's simply one list app that downloads latest easylist.
Trust me, I've played with just about every macOS list, they are bad. App store reviews will tell you as much for most of them. We just need El1t to come back or maybe @gorhill <https://github.com/gorhill> to pick up this port. People would happy pay for quality maintenance. I know I would.
—
You are receiving this because you are subscribed to this thread.
Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub <#145 (comment)>, or mute the thread <https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/AE2rq_fTMGZj1rRk0xaOC8ZCYVl0ACWSks5uwxCGgaJpZM4Yc-sb>.
|
|
Well to be fair it's both. UBO for Safari could still benefit from development as it is currently still installable/usable. But I guess it's not really worth it to put much energy and time into a fork that will stopp working a year from now (if not sooner) anyway. The future is bleak when it comes to Safari, in general. We will lose the option for a great security/performance tool and there isn't (and will not be) anything like it, by courtesy of the limitations on Apple's side. The solution is, switching to Firefox and live with the impact on battery life. |
|
<sigh>
… On Nov 20, 2018, at 6:50 AM, chiffon-rouge ***@***.***> wrote:
Well to be fair it's both. UBO for Safari could still benefit from development as it is currently still installable/usable. But I guess it's not really worth it to put much energy and time into a fork that will stopp working a year from now (if not sooner) anyway. The future is bleak when it comes to Safari, in general. We will lose the option for a great security/performance tool and there isn't (and will not be) anything like it, by courtesy of the limitations on Apple's side. The solution is, switching to Firefox and live with the impact on battery life.
—
You are receiving this because you commented.
Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub <#145 (comment)>, or mute the thread <https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/AE2rq3gUwUVTr44kqcrRzpPX02tOVyvaks5uw-yegaJpZM4Yc-sb>.
|
|
I've tried a few (Better, 1block, Magic Lasso, Unicorn) and I keep coming back to Wipr. Dead simple (i.e. no customisation) but it works great, doesn't break stuff, and doesn't leave ad placeholders. Same deal on macOS and iOS. Between Wipr and Safari's new anti-tracking system, we have a very good combo imo. |
|
I only discovered uBlock ORIGIN fairly recently - until a few months ago I had been using two or three ad blockers at a time to try to manage certain ad saturated websites. However, a couple of days ago, uBO started misbehaving and ignores my whitelist (a couple of sites I work on and which uBO blocks some WordPress plugins the owners need). The site disable switch is now a universal on/off switch which is a bit tedious. I keep considering switching to Chrome but every time I try, I hit barriers and head back to Safari. |
Try AdGuard I am satisfied with it for the moment and can keep using Safari. |
|
That was one of the previous ad blockers I used but it is only any good when used alongside others. Its installation actually caused some sites to detect it and block me from seeing content when it is installed but not activated - don't ask me how - but it was the inescapable conclusion of using reductive troubleshooting. I sent a message to the developers with the URLs of the sites but I didn't really expect a response. |
|
You can use pihole ⚫️ . It's much simpler solution and works for most ads in there. You don't even need to have installed plugin in your browser.
Meaning pages suppose to load faster and you don't get those annoying message as "Please disable your ad block" etc. Also you can block easily ads on iOS this way (via wifi, cellular needs vpn) Anyway here is public pihole server: 185.187.240.11 SetupOn Mac your can set this server as your own DNS server via. Settings -> Network -> Advanced... -> DNS and there just add IP address Btw. I got that ip from here -> https://freek.ws/public-pi-hole/ Edit: Pihole is clever and interesting project but it's not perfect yet so it's recommended using combo pihole and 'some' adblock. |
|
Actually, I feel a bit stupid now because I just remembered that I use AdGuard DNS so I suppose I am using AdGuard in a way and it is a similar approach to pihole. I also use GasMask which maintains a comprehensive list of blocked domains in the hosts file. |
|
AdGuard has a new extension which works well |
|
I can't keep up. |
|
There is something in uBO (probably a list) which blocks ads on eBay which AdGuard doesn't. I've been going through the lists but so far I can't block them with AG and after a while, AG started blasting me with the 50,000 rules rule even as I deselected list after list as fast as I could. It seems to have alerted me the first time a long time after the limit was exceeded. Anyway, for now, I still have to use both. |
|
Sounds like adguard is still only using one list. the 50k limit is only PER LIST. you can get around it by multiple lists. it's a convoluted solution that apple really needs to help developers not need, but it is what it is. there is also a place for using content blocking and a place for using on load blocking/removal like ublock. content blocking is more efficient because apples api prevents more from loading and lets you block things onload blocking doesn't. but it's far less able to whitelist. I'd love to see a really good content blocker that can act as first defense, followed by a on load blocker like ublock to follow up.. but i'm not satisfied with any of content blockers yet, every one i tried broke too much. |
|
I have tried AdGuard but it doesn't tell me what it is blocking on any given page, if it's blocking anything unlike uBO which tells me upfront what it's blocking (am I missing something here?). It just sits there and I hope it's doing it's job. Another issue is I've to use the companion Electron (something I try not to run on my machine continuously) app and I can't just use the browser extension. |
|
Content Blocker extensions can't tell you what they are blocking. The hook apples api and all the blocking is done before page load, so no extension can count the elements block (or help you identify the in case you need to unblock/whitelist them). |
|
There is a thing called pi-hole https://pi-hole.net what you can use in a local router or separate unit. |
Wipr looks actually pretty good. Blocks ads which other blockers in AppStore didn't. I had actually used it back when it was initially released as legacy extension, but switched to uBO a good while ago. |
|
Wipr actually is pretty good because it's first content blocker I've seen on macOS that knows how to use split lists to get around 50k limit (because lets be real, you need about 150k to have room. my ublock origin is always around 120k rules). Wipr uses 3 lists so it does have up to 150k rules (that's why it installs as 3 extensions). That's a good start. It'd get more points if I could see the lists or add custom rules or my own lists to it. Nothing beats ublock origins ability to use as many lists as you want, then merging them (while also eliminating duplicate rules) |
That's what I have been wondering. As I have noticed in these comments Apple didn't leave a way for users to notice where there was a problem. Everything happens in the background. Actually if something is getting blocked and the user is not able to interact with a website properly then, unlike uBO where you could unblock individual elements - API calls, in this you'll have to unblock everything pretty much. |
|
@translit I'm still using uBO on both Mojave and High Sierra (both on latest versions of Safari each). Is there anyway to tell how much memory it uses? It works great for the light browsing I do on these machines. I might take a look at AdGuard though. I'm using it for iOS and it works great. |
|
Subscribe |
|
Maybe someone with repo access could try adding it to |
ghost
mentioned this issue
|
I tried AdGuard, it's nice but I feel it is still heavier than uBlock. It takes a few seconds longer until the main window and my favorites appear, which was not the case with uBlock. |
|
Can confirm AdGuard works, is noticeably slower but still effective. They on v1.21 and v1.4 will address >50k filters as other issues need to be addressed first. Sounds like they might like some help? Let's hope Safari TP80 is implemented After AdGuard v1.4! |
|
I've been using AdGuard for weeks and it's useless. Ridiculously slow and unresponsive, and totally ineffective at blocking ads and ad-blocker-blockers. Just try using it on the Washington Post site. |
|
@freediverx I do not see ads on Washington Post with AdGuard. |
|
Odd, now I can't reproduce it. Minutes ago, every Washington Post article was displaying an overlay telling me to disable my ad blocker. When I tried blocking the overlay, the underlying page loaded only partially and had scrolling disabled. Then after hitting refresh the overlay would appear again. Now it seems to be working fine. (still laggy, but functional.) |
|
@freediverx are you using the browser extension or AdGuard for macOS (paid) or for iOS with AdGuard DNS (pro version)? |
|
Safari extension on macOS. |
|
You probably need the paid one to block ads on a system wide level. |
a) The only reason Safari is quicker is because (much like MSIE in the bad old days) part of the OS functionality is bound up in Safari. b) Keychain login on macOS is arguably a security issue in and of itself (especially when used on a browser that is at this point essentially unsecurable from malware--and yes, kids, there are drive-by droppers for macOS malware). That said, there are options out there to export the contents of an existing macOS keychain (including from iCloud) and use these with a modern, more robust, more provably secure password management system like KeePassX or Lastpass (with 99% of the keychain functionality you have with Safari now, up to and including autofilling passwords and being able to use master passwords, but also including autogeneration of secure passwords, portability to cloud storage (yes, including iCloud so should you desire), etc. And yes, there are plugins for Chrome and Firefox (and browsers derived from them, including Opera and Waterfox) that allow quite seamless functionality similar to Safari and keychain management in macOS in general. c) Frankly I can live without bling if it's a matter of actually maintaining system security--and with Safari effectively going full closed-garden this means at this point the browser is impossible to properly secure against threats and thus should not be used for any purpose other than vendor-specific traffic or the download of a more secure product. "Shiny" isn't going to help prevent system compromises. I'll take "a wee bit not as shiny" for the basic functionality of being able to install systems that (among other things) prevent hijacks of browser and potentially the entire operating system via malicious scripts, prevent tracking (including "supercookies") by social media companies, prevent the misuse of my own computer resources via cryptocurrency miner scripts, oh, yeah, and block intrusive adverts as a benefit. |
|
I hear you and I'm usually a Firefox enthusiast myself, using it exclusively since the Phoenix days, coming from Netscape, on all the systems I had trough the many years, until I got a MBP in 2016, as the impact on the battery life is noticeable (not as much with Nightly, it feels like). So I would welcome a UBO alternative for Safari (and overall, a more FF-like Browser experience, keeping the Safari UI, which I like), but we are past that it seems. |
|
Anyone suggesting replacing Safari with Chrome is hopefully clueless about security, privacy, and design.
… On Aug 27, 2019, at 6:05 AM, chiffon-rouge ***@***.***> wrote:
I hear you and I'm usually a Firefox enthusiast myself, using it exclusively since the Phoenix days, coming from Netscape, on all the systems I had trough the many years, until I got a MBP in 2016, as the impact on the battery life is noticeable (not as much with Nightly, it feels like). So I would welcome a UBO alternative for Safari (and overall, a more FF-like Browser experience, keeping the Safari UI, which I like), but we are past that it seems.
—
You are receiving this because you were mentioned.
Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub, or mute the thread.
|
|
To be fair (because you are quoting me), I didn't and I wouldn't do this at any point. I wouldn't advice anyone to use Chrome, and I would suggest to rather try Chromium if you have to (but I have no experience with either). |
Personally, I'd actually be strongly recommending Waterfox (either v56 or the v68 alpha, which is pretty much Quantum-era Firefox + more privacy options and the ability to add at least some essential legacy extensions like DownThemAll), and re Chrome, there are multiple (MULTIPLE) Chromium forks if one does not wish to get pulled into the Google hydra. That said--even with all the data-scraping issues in Chrome--for now, you can at least install uBlock Origin and other datablocking apps for now (including HTML5 blocking apps), so it does have at least THAT advantage over Safari at the moment. (Now, if Chrome goes on with its pigheaded ideas to sandbox things to the point adblockers no longer have the necessary access to actually adblock a la Safari, then Chrome can get consigned to the trashheap, too, and possibly the entire Chromium browser base if it turns out to be unfixable. We aren't there yet, though, and it does seem that the main developers at le Google have backed off a bit...) |
|
So in September 2019, what is everyone using? On Mojave 10.14.6 I’m still using this extension, but it’s buggy and isn’t super reliable. From what I could see, it sounds like AdGuard and Wipr are options to look at. I’m looking for something that doesn’t hog on resources since my machines are slightly older. |
|
I am using AdGuard for Mac. It's great. |
|
@ruchern the full fledged app or the Safari Extension? |
|
@joshuaseltzer full-fledge app. |
Firstly, thank you for posting this! |
|
Explanation of the state of uBlock Origin (and other blockers) for Safari #158 |
|
It’s over. Use Adguard for safari. Not to be confused with “adguard For macOS”. The first is free, unlike the second. Now works great, even with more than 50k records. Smooth replacement to uBO. Pihole, as mentioned before, does have stability issues from time to time. So much so I’ve stopped using it, not a problem with adguard plus on mobile you can use Malwarebytes |
@kusuriurikun Funny to read this condescending comment knowing of all the LastPass breaches
|
Time to switch things up: |
and others
What other extensions or apps we can use to check tracking on Safari, other than switching browsers? Let's discuss this here since a lot of users would come here first.
For me this extension stopped working after last Safari update. I tried reinstalling and some other tweaks but I still have the same issue. The uBlock Safari on browser bar is just a blank space for example:
However I personally would like to move on to some other tracking protection or content blocker.
#130 #143 #142
The text was updated successfully, but these errors were encountered: