These 10 Apps Let You Watch YouTube Without Ads.
YouTube is a great service, except for those annoying, unskippable ads. And since the introduction of YouTube Premium, it seems the number of such ads on free accounts is only increasing. If you don’t want to sit through three ads before finally watching a video, maybe it’s time to try something else.
There are several great third-party YouTube apps and tools that will give you a great, ad-free viewing experience—all for free.
YouTube Premium and Premium Lite
Let’s get the obvious out of the way right away. YouTube Premium is the best and only way to remove all ads from YouTube videos across all platforms you use (including smart TVs). No other tool offers this.
But this comes at a price, and that price is constantly rising. At the time of writing, a subscription costs $15.99 per month. If the subscription would benefit your entire family, you might want to consider the YouTube Premium Family plan for $26.99 per month, which allows up to six users to enjoy the service ad-free. However, like Netflix, YouTube Premium also prohibits password sharing, and it only works if all family members live at the same address as the account administrator.
YouTube also has a cheaper $7.99 per month plan called YouTube Premium Lite , which promises ad-free viewing of most non-music YouTube videos.
You can also try subscribing to YouTube Premium from a low-cost country. In countries like Argentina, India, and Turkey, YouTube Premium costs less than $2 per month. Install a VPN , change your location, and try subscribing to cheaper plans.
DuckDuckGo
DuckDuckGo is quickly becoming an anti-AI browser. Unlike Chrome, this privacy-focused browser allows you to choose exactly how much AI features appear in DuckDuckGo search and within the browser itself (there’s also an option to disable all AI features).
The company has now integrated YouTube’s ad blocker directly into the browser on desktop and mobile apps. DuckDuckGo directly leverages community filters from uBlock Origin, ensuring broad ad coverage across the platform. And since there are no third-party extensions, you don’t have to worry about ad blocking extensions becoming outdated (as you do in Chrome). DuckDuckGo should block most pre-roll and mid-roll ads on YouTube.
This feature is enabled by default for desktop computers and iOS apps. If you’re using Android, you’ll need to enable it manually. Make sure you have the latest version of DuckDuckGo installed, then go to Settings > Ad Blocking and enable the ad blocker.
NewPipe
NewPipe is perhaps the best way to watch YouTube ad-free on Android. It’s not a modified YouTube app. It’s a standalone, free, open-source YouTube player. NewPipe is a lightweight app, but it offers the features you need most: background playback; picture-in-picture mode; and, of course, no ads.
While the app isn’t available on the Play Store, you can directly download the APK installation file from their website or find the app on the F-Droid app store, an alternative to the Google Play Store that hosts free and open-source apps.
The app has the ability to import your subscriptions, but it doesn’t allow you to sign in using your YouTube account.
SkyTube
SkyTube is another free, open-source third-party YouTube app for Android, like NewPipe. It also offers the basic features you’ll need, including ad blocking and background billing.
The downside of SkyTube is that it’s a viewing-only app; you can’t sign in to your YouTube account, so there’s no syncing feature. The app does have its own channel subscription and bookmarking features. On the other hand, there’s a version of SkyTube called SkyTube Extra , which is also free and supports the official YouTube player and streaming features.
LibreTube
LibreTube (also Android-only) can be thought of as a NewPipe app, but with a modern interface. It features a bottom tab bar, updated icons, and overall smooth operation. This level of quality and refinement is typically lacking in other popular YouTube apps. It supports SponsorBlock, allowing you to skip sponsored sections. It also offers additional features, such as chapter selection. It’s also a free and open-source client.
Firefox Browser with uBlock Origin
Unlike Chrome on Android, Firefox supports extensions, and one extension can completely transform your YouTube experience. If you don’t mind using YouTube on the web (it can’t be accessed offline), you can install the popular ad blocker uBlock Origin, which will automatically block all ads on YouTube.
Download the uBlock Origin add-on, then go to Menu > Add-ons > and enable uBlock Origin .
Brave Browser
If you don’t want to use an extension, you can use a browser with a built-in ad blocker. You can find many such browsers in the Play Store and App Store, but it’s best to use a trusted browser. Brave Browser is a highly rated privacy browser that also has an excellent ad blocker that works on Android, iPhone, and PC. As long as you have Shields Up enabled for YouTube, you won’t see ads in your videos.
AdGuard for iPhone
Due to the nature of iOS, installing an unofficial YouTube app, like you can on Android, isn’t as easy. However, if you’re happy using YouTube in Safari, you can remove ads using Safari extensions. There are also several reliable apps that can do this. AdGuard is a good option, as it has a dedicated feature for removing all YouTube ads. After installing the extension, go to YouTube.com, click the “Share” button, and select “Block YouTube ads (with AdGuard).”
SmartTube for smart TVs
So, you’ve blocked YouTube ads in your browser and on your smartphone. But what could be more annoying than watching long, endless commercials while listening to lo-fi music ? Luckily, there’s a workaround. If you have an Android smart TV or streaming box (Amazon Fire TV devices released after October 2025 are not supported), you can simply install the SmartTube app (formerly SmartTubeNext), which will replace YouTube. You’ll have to install the app manually, but once you do, you can say goodbye to all the ads.
SponsorBlock
SponsorBlock is both a browser extension and a service built into a couple of the YouTube replacement apps we mentioned above (like LibreTube). It does just one thing: collect data on sponsored segments in videos and lets you automatically skip them. Chances are, if you watch a moderately popular channel, SponsorBlock will recognize sponsored segments. If you’re not interested in watching 45-second Squarespace ads anymore, this extension is for you.