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Sign upExplanation of the state of uBlock Origin (and other blockers) for Safari #158
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What differentiates an "ad-blocker" from a "content-blocker" that makes it impossible for this change? Isn't an "ad-blocker" just a "content-blocker" that only blocks a very specific type of content? |
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thanks for u summation. it's so sad:( i have used it for three years and it's time to say goodbye... |
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I must admit the the terminology isn't very clear. A Safari "content-blocker" app sends a list to Safari, and Safari blocks it. A regular blocker (like uBO) blocks content itself. Safari content blockers aren't all bad, they are more secure in that they can't possibly collect your browsing history (not that uBO does), but lack the level of customisation and power that a regular blocker like uBO can provide. |
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Thanks! You should pin this issue. |
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Just FIY I would not recommend buying 1Blocker. I paid both for the initial version and the "1Blocker X" one on IOS but I had the constant feeling the filter lists weren't being updated and I wasn't sure of their origin (I'm assuming they use EasyList for the ads, but which one do they use for privacy & annoyances?). AdGuard for Safari is free, open-source and is compatible with uBlock-style filter lists (it has code that does its best to convert them to Safari content blocking lists). You can choose to use EasyList, EasyPrivacy, Fanboy's lists or any of the regional lists so I would recommend it over 1Blocker. |
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You can take a look - https://github.com/AdguardTeam/AdGuardForSafari |
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Thank you for responding. Ive updated the post and corrected my errors. Based on point 2, for filters to update, the electron part needs to be running. Does leaving this running for filters to update have any serious power or performance issues? |
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thats odd, when I wrote this post, everything I could find had it as the best or one of the best. This guy tested them quite thoroughly from 2015 to 2018, and found 1Blocker to stand out. Looking at it again now, it seems that 1Blocker requires an app update to update their lists (entirely based on the changelog), which would explain the slow rate of updates. Tommorow I will investigate further and update my list once again. |
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AdGuard is SLOOOOOOOOW. Horrible piece of software. Typical of garbage created with Electron.
… On Sep 20, 2019, at 7:48 AM, Andre Borie ***@***.***> wrote:
Just FIY I would not recommend buying 1Blocker. I paid both for the initial version and the "1Blocker X" one on IOS but I had the constant feeling the filter lists weren't being updated and I wasn't sure of their origin (I'm assuming they use EasyList for the ads, but which one do they use for privacy & annoyances?).
AdGuard for Safari is free, open-source and is compatible with uBlock-style filter lists (it has code that does its best to convert them to Safari content blocking lists). You can choose to use EasyList, EasyPrivacy, Fanboy's lists or any of the regional lists so I would recommend it over 1Blocker.
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For anyone claiming AdGuard is “fine”…
When you first click on the AdGuard toolbar button you get this:
Click on the Run button and you have to wait 8 seconds for this monstrosity to load:
Close that eyesore and go back to Safari. Clock on the AdGuard button again and it always takes a full 2 seconds for the following pop-up to appear:
And of course then you have to go through a multi-step process for selecting a screen element on the page, experimenting with the slider, previewing, and then saving your change. Nothing responds to keyboard commands like hitting the Escape button because of course it doesn’t.
… On Sep 20, 2019, at 9:37 AM, Walter A ***@***.***> wrote:
AdGuard is SLOOOOOOOOW. Horrible piece of software. Typical of garbage created with Electron.
> On Sep 20, 2019, at 7:48 AM, Andre Borie ***@***.*** ***@***.***>> wrote:
>
> Just FIY I would not recommend buying 1Blocker. I paid both for the initial version and the "1Blocker X" one on IOS but I had the constant feeling the filter lists weren't being updated and I wasn't sure of their origin (I'm assuming they use EasyList for the ads, but which one do they use for privacy & annoyances?).
>
> AdGuard for Safari is free, open-source and is compatible with uBlock-style filter lists (it has code that does its best to convert them to Safari content blocking lists). You can choose to use EasyList, EasyPrivacy, Fanboy's lists or any of the regional lists so I would recommend it over 1Blocker.
>
> —
> You are receiving this because you are subscribed to this thread.
> Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub <#158?email_source=notifications&email_token=ABG2XK6YVNHD3TOMSJCNLA3QKS2BJA5CNFSM4IUSZ4XKYY3PNVWWK3TUL52HS4DFVREXG43VMVBW63LNMVXHJKTDN5WW2ZLOORPWSZGOD7GOCOQ#issuecomment-533520698>, or mute the thread <https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/ABG2XK75SB54BJJIQT2KCTTQKS2BJANCNFSM4IUSZ4XA>.
>
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What about building uBlockOrigin as either a proxy with a root certificate or using applescript and making it a Mac app? |
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Further options are being discussed in #145. |
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@p4t44, you may want to link to the HackerNews discussion of the whys and pros and cons of Apple's change to Safari: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21025252 |
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Just FYI for anyone reading this thread: AdGuard for Mac requires installing a kernel extension which as far as I know none of the other options do. I didn't feel comfortable with that so I went with one of the other options. |
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I would also suggest Little Snitch or some free equivalent, using block lists. Since it's a firewall, it won't be impacted by any changes in Safari. |
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I was using a manually installed build of uBlock Origin on Safari, but Safari crashed twice, and uBlock was dissabled. |
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@p4t44 @freediverx Do you need nifty macos app or just good ad blocker ? |
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@El-Fitz but functionality of this ad blocker will be limited to blocking hosts when real ad blockers much more powerful and it will diffidently slow down your browser. Better use dnscrypt-proxy with blocklist in this case if you could satisfied by host blockers. |
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Why? It seems settled that the UI is slow as it's Electron-based, and I don't argue with that. It just has nothing to do with ad blocking performance, and there's no one on this thread complaining about that. Also, "slow" does not mean that it consumes additional energy or whatever. It simply takes more time to render when you decide to use it. |
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Just wanted to leave this here: https://thehackernews.com/2019/09/browser-chrome-extension-adblock.html |
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It used to be that it was slower even without the UI open before a recent update. It is also reccomended that you leave the app open constantly for filters to update (which or may not slow it down). I can link you to a dozen reports of AdGuard going slow, so I think it is unreasonable not to mention it in the list. Slow means that 1) it takes longer to use, 2) uses excessive CPU and memory to make the rest of your computer go slower and 3) use more battery. I'm really not sure wether it is significantly slower then alternatives, and I don't have the time or will to figure it out. I've linked to this thread so anybody unsure can read the comments of the AdGuard developer and decide for himself. I think that if you are considering AdGuard, download it. Check activity monitor, if it takes up a lot of CPU or battery, uninstall and get something else. If it doesn't, then don't and use it. |
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I would just like to mention a couple of advantages that Wipr has over Ka-Block:
Note that with the new Content Block API you don't need to have a white-list option built into the extension, because you can exclude content blocking on specific websites directly from Safari going to Preferences -> Websites -> Content Blockers |
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Safari 13 will come with macOS Catalina later this year, so may not be a good permanent solution for most people. |
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Which one from the App Store is the most efficient in terms of CPU/memory/energy? |
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I'm curious what the differences between Safari and Firefox Beta/Developer/Nightly are in terms of CPU load and battery consumption. Does anyone have a benchmark on that? |
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Do you need whitelisting or constant filter updating? If not, I think they all should be the same. |
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Haven't seen anything comparing to Safari, but here it is comapred to Chrome. |
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I don't mind. If they theoretically perform the same and does its job then fair enough. |
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Well my two cents: Adguard is working well for me combined with the built in Safari content blocker. I'd been using Unicorn Blocker but something changed with Safari recently and I couldn't fine tune the rules to block things without breaking other things. Not noticing any added overhead on my 2013 MacBook Pro 13". The only thing I'll say is that when you add a custom filter in Adguard, it does take 2-3 seconds for it to process before letting you add another. So if they could improve that performance, that would be great. |
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@autigers1970 we definitely will improve the overall UI performance in the next update (v1.6). It's just we were more focused on the adblocking quality, but it seems it's time to focus on other things for some time. |
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this is in anyway not a recommendable solution, since there may be severe bugfixes in future releases... was more of a joke... Safari is dead. I have to accept it. |
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Sadly after researching these recommendations, they all feel like consolation prizes compared to uBlock_0. I really hope someone with the same comprehension and standards recreates the project as a compliant(?) Safari extension even with reduced features due to new limitations. |
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Sorry, but I don’t see that it would be any better than those already covered here.
…Sent from my iPad
-Al-
On Sep 24, 2019, at 19:51, joz3l ***@***.***> wrote:
I really hope someone with the same comprehension and standards recreates the project as a compliant(?) Safari extension even with reduced features due to new limitations.
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I think that AdGuard for Safari does everything that uBO does that can be possibly implemented into Safari. |
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Using Firefox when this scrolling issue is still around? Ick... Really going to miss uBO-Safari. |
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@p4t44 Have you looked at the possibility of creating a Safari App Extension (which is not the same as a content-blocker extension)? You can inject JavaScript into any page, listen to The downside is that there's no "global" area for scripts or resources -- that is now the Swift code, and there's no way to call Swift code and get back an answer synchronously (i.e. no |
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I'm not the develoeper and don't really understand how any of it works. I just spent far to long scraping together why uBO stopped working in Safari when I upgraded to the Catalina beta, and thought I would try to explain after a lot of posts on /r/ublockorigin had the same issue as me. The developer who made ublock-safari also hasnt updated it for over a year even before Safari 13. But if you or anyone else thinks they can make it work, please do. |
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@p4t44 I understand your position now. Sorry, I'm afraid I don't think I can work on this as of now. I'd be happy to help anyone else who wants to take it up, though. |
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This doesn't work anymore as the “Show Extension Builder” command in the “Develop” menu no longer exists (Safari 13 on macOS 10.14.6). |
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That was written before Safari 13 was released, fixed now. |
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FWIW, if you still haven't updated to Safari 13, you can run:
to hide the Safari 13 update... |
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Thank you! I’d like to see https://better.fyi added to the list. Costs 2,99 and is open source. |
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I disagree that better is a good choice in comparison to the other options. Though I have not personally tested it, it only seems to have one content blocker so its blocking power will be less than alternatives such as AdGuard (free) or Wipr (also $1.99). It seems like an unexceptional paid content blocker from what I have seen about it. |
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@p4t44 thank you very much for the advice!!! 1Blocker the best. |
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I think the current developer and those who had hoped to carry on have made it clear that this isn’t a matter of money. Current Apple rules won’t allow anything like uBlock to perform as it used to. |
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@alvarnell yeah I deleted the post since I wanted to look into it more. I found https://github.com/dgraham/Ka-Block which is a good prototype of ideas but am trying to understand more so how ublock works so i can understand if there is a similar approach. If theres somewhere its spelled out by an actual dev that would be helpful. From my completely uninformed view it seems like the issue is that all the handling done in js would be done in swift, what parts of the old code can even be reused? I have no idea |
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Take a look at AdGuard for Safari, https://github.com/AdguardTeam/AdGuardForSafari. It is open source and supports as much of the functionality of uBlock Origin as is reasonably feasible in Safari. As I understand currently an app / extension can send Safari content blocking rules which Safari enforces. This is contary to how uBlock Origin works, where you give the rules to uBO and it enforces them. If you want to create a Safari app / extension which replicated the functionality of uBO in Safari as much as possible that would be great but I'd recommend not using the uBO name / "brand" for the project (as it would not share any of the code or inner workings with uBO, it should go by a different name to avoid confusion. uSafari?). You might also like to use AdGuard as a base. |
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@grahamannett I don't mean to be mean, but as a New Yorker I can't help but be direct. It seems like you didn't give much weight to all of the effort that went into the explanation at the top of this issue, effort by @p4t44 and people who contributed edits to that explanation via comments. If you want confirmation from @el1t himself, then take a look at which issue he pinned to the top of the issues list. This pin, as far as I know, is his latest and final comment on uBlock for Safari. In addition, the explanation above contains a link to a statement by @gorhill himself. If you want more technical details, follow the links, e.g. the Hacker News discussion. |

Very quick tl;dr: uBO will no longer work with Safari, use Firefox or a new "content blocker" app (see below for good replacements).
In the past few months, and especially in the past week, there have been a lot of posts and comments questioning the status of uBlock Origin for Safari. This should answer all questions on the status of uBO for safari.
uBlock Origin was ported for Safari in 2016, and was updated regulary (mostly changes from the main project) until 2018 when development completley stopped. Since then Apple has begun phasing out Safari extensions as extensions, and has instead been implenting a new extensions framework which is extremley limited in adblocking functions, only allowing "content blockers", which are just links bundled as an app which Safari enforces. From Safari 12 / macOS Mojave, old legacy Safari extensions were still allowed, but came with warnings saying that they will slow down your browsing (they infact won't, or at least not noticably). Safari also recently shut their Extension Gallery, instead redirecting it to the mac app store. Though it is still curently possible to install uBlock Origin by downloading the extension from Github (edit: must follow these instructions, it will not be starting from Safari 13 / macOS Catalina, when the legacy entension API will be fully deprecated.
It will not possible for uBlock Origin to work with the upcoming Safari 13 / macOS Catalina release
If you are a current user of uBlock Origin for Safari here are the options to continue blocking ads:
Top picks
- 1Blocker, by far the most powerful, with custom rules and an element picker. This is the best option if you don't mind paying. Costs $10.1Blocker has switched to a subscription model, even for people who already paid for it. Avoid.Update: do not buy. 1Blocker has teased 1BlockerX for Mac, which will be a paid upgrade. I cannot reccomend buying an app now which will soon be obsolete..Update 2: 1Blocker has said that it will be a free upgrade to 1BlockerX from the current version, so there isn't any reason to wait if you want it.Other Good Options
Don't see any advantage in this over Ka-block (see above) for an extra $1.99.Apparently Ka-Block doesn't work for youtube (wipr does), and Wipr uses 3 extensions to get around the limit in rules.Do Not Reccomend
Update: Here is a statement from gorhill (uBO developer) on the state of Safari
Edit: a lot people are asking about uBlock Origin not working in the future on Chrome. If you'd like more information on this, here is an article from ghacks from january, and a statement from gorhill, developer of uBlock.**
There has been discussion of this on Reddit Github and Hacker News.