YouTube first started showing ads on its platform in 2007. Yes, that was a while ago. However, we don’t remember it being that long ago because it only got intrusive recently. Now, you can’t watch a single video without ads. Yes, ads – plural. A couple of ads appear before the video starts, and based on the length of the video, a few more are scattered throughout the timeline.
These ads are intrusive. Some are even non-skippable. Additionally, there are banners and static ads on the home page, as well as in the right column next to the videos. The point is, the free vanilla YouTube experience is gone. We’ve compiled a list of ways to watch YouTube without constant interruptions.
Can You Watch YouTube without Ads?
Yes, you can watch YouTube without ads in several ways.
However, YouTube doesn’t offer a native, free way to remove ads. If you want a clean, ad-free, and smooth experience across all your devices, we recommend YouTube Premium. It’s the official route. It works across all devices. And it comes with bonus features like background play and downloads.
Then there are ad blockers. YouTube keeps trying to patch its sites in ways that ad blockers might struggle to remove ads. But that said, Ad Blockers still work on YouTube. And that’s great because you can get a good experience using Total Adblock or AdGuard with YouTube.
Outside of that, there are more advanced and sometimes riskier ways of getting rid of YouTube ads on other platforms like Android, iOS, and Smart TVs.
So, yes. You can watch YouTube without ads. And we will now move on to each of those methods.
Get Rid of Ads With YouTube Premium
If you want the easiest, cleanest, and most reliable way to remove ads on YouTube, YouTube Premium is the way to go.
YouTube Premium removes all ads across the platform. Pre-rolls, mid-rolls, banner ads, sponsored pop-ups, and even ads on YouTube Shorts. It also enables background play so you can keep videos or music playing while using other apps (a must-have for mobile users). On top of that, you get offline downloads, higher priority streaming quality, and full access to YouTube Music Premium, which is a separate Spotify-style music streaming service with no ads and background listening.
As of 2026, the pricing in the US is:
- $13.99/month for an individual
- $22.99/month for a Family Plan (up to 5 additional users in the same household)
- $7.99/month for students (with verification)
But pricing varies greatly depending on your location. In countries like Argentina, India, Turkey, or Ukraine, YouTube Premium can cost a fraction of the US price, sometimes under $2/month. Some users take advantage of this by subscribing with a VPN like Surfshark or NordVPN, setting their location to a cheaper region when creating their Premium account. Although not officially supported, many users do it without issues. Just know it’s a grey area and may come with regional content restrictions.
Another way to save money is by sharing a Family Plan. You can split the cost with up to 5 others, which brings the price down to just a few dollars a person, and everyone gets their own ad-free experience and music account.
You can sign up for YouTube Premium directly through your Google account. Just head to the YouTube app or website, tap your profile icon, and choose “Get YouTube Premium.” If you’re on iOS, it’s best to subscribe via a browser. Signing up through the App Store costs more due to Apple’s service fees.
For most people, especially those who use YouTube daily, Premium is one of the few subscriptions that feels worth it. It makes the platform smoother, less annoying, and opens up features you didn’t realise you needed until you had them.
Use Ad Blockers to Remove Ads on YouTube
Ad blockers have been actively blocking YouTube ads since they introduced ads almost 2 decades ago. But things are a bit different now.
In 2023, Google started aggressively cracking down on ad blockers. Ad blockers on Chrome Web Store have been nerfed, Google Play Store doesn’t allow ad blockers that actually work, and YouTube has added ad blocker detection.
The main reason ad blockers struggle to block YouTube ads is that the ads are served in a way that makes them difficult to block. YouTube now uses the same domain and CDN for ads as they do for its content, making it difficult for ad blockers to distinguish.
That said, if you’re on a desktop browser, tools like AdGuard and Total Adblock are still among some of the most reliable options for blocking ads on YouTube. They update frequently and have dedicated filters for YouTube. Which means they tend to break less often than other extensions. However, even these premium ad blockers cannot guarantee a 100% uptime. And if you’re already using a VPN, you may want to try Surfshark CleanWeb 2.0, which includes system-level ad and tracker blocking.
How to Block Ads on YouTube Using an Ad Blocker?
- Choose a reliable ad blocker like AdGuard, Total Adblock, or uBlock Origin
- Go to your browser’s Web Store or Add-ons Store.
- Search for the ad blocker and click “add to browser”.
- Make sure your ad blocker is enabled with the right filters enabled.
- Visit YouTube and test it out.
Block YouTube Ads on Android with ReVanced
If you’re on Android and want to block YouTube ads without paying for Premium, ReVanced is the closest you’ll get to that experience. It’s the unofficial successor to the discontinued YouTube Vanced.
ReVanced is a modded version of the official YouTube app that removes all ads: pre-rolls, mid-rolls, and banners. It also unlocks Premium features like background play, SponsorBlock, and video downloads without the need for a subscription.
But it’s not on the Play Store. You’ll need to sideload the APK or build the app yourself using the ReVanced builder. Some versions also require root access for full functionality, but there are non-root builds that work for most users.
Here’s what you get with ReVanced:
- Ad-free YouTube experience
- Background playback and Picture-in-Picture
- SponsorBlock to skip sponsored segments in videos
- Comments and video suggestions still work normally
- Works with your regular YouTube account (via MicroG)
Important Note:
ReVanced violates YouTube’s terms of service, and there’s always a risk when sideloading APKs, especially from unofficial sources. If you go this route, make sure you only download from trusted, verified GitHub repositories or the official ReVanced website.
Block YouTube Ads on iPhone with AltStore
Unlike Android, there’s no way to block YouTube ads on iPhones for good, and no modded app that sticks around.
Tools like AltStore or Sideloadly let you install .ipas outside the App Store, but the ecosystem is unstable. Projects like uYouPlus, once a popular ad-free YouTube mod for iOS, have been discontinued, and most others that pop up get revoked, break after updates, or vanish.
If you’re willing to try and take the risk, you can sideload modded YouTube apps with AltStore. But be prepared for frequent re-installs, broken features, or worse: shady builds from unknown sources.
Block YouTube Ads With Adblock Browsers (More Specifically, Brave)
If you don’t want to mess with modded apps or VPNs, using an ad-blocking browser is one of the simplest ways to skip YouTube ads. And Brave is the way to go.
Brave has a built-in ad blocker that works right out of the box. Just install it, go to youtube.com, and start watching. No extensions, no extra setup required. It blocks pre-roll and mid-roll ads automatically, and even suppresses pop-ups and banners on the page.
This works exceptionally well on Android and iPhones, where traditional ad blockers don’t touch the YouTube app. By watching YouTube in Brave instead of the official app, you still get full access to the content, just without the ads.
Brave also blocks trackers, fingerprinting, and sketchy scripts, so that’s a nice privacy bonus.
It’s not a complete YouTube replacement. You’ll miss out on things like casting or picture-in-picture (on iOS). But if you just want to block ads on mobile without installing anything shady, Brave is the easiest way.
Use Ad-Free YouTube Wrappers on Android
If you don’t want to go all in on something like ReVanced, another option is to use an ad-free YouTube wrapper. These are lightweight apps that pull in YouTube content without the ads, tracking, or clutter.
Popular examples are:
NewPipe: An open-source, privacy-friendly, and ad-free app. It supports background play and downloads.
LibreTube: Built on YouTube’s API, LibreTube has a nicer UI and SponsorBlock support.
These wrappers aren’t official and don’t support signing into your Google account, comments, or likes. But they’re fast, clean, and work well for casual watching. Especially if you just want to consume content without being tracked or interrupted.
Like all third-party tools, they can break at any time if YouTube changes its backend, and you’ll need to sideload the APKs since they’re not available on the Play Store.
Use SmartTube on Google TV for an Ad-Free YouTube Experience
If you’re watching YouTube on a Google TV or Android TV, SmartTube is the best way to get rid of ads. You need no subscription or hacky workarounds.
SmartTube is a free, open-source YouTube client for Android TV devices. It blocks all YouTube ads and comes with SponsorBlock, allowing you to skip sponsored segments automatically. You also get speed controls, resolution presets, and better privacy settings.
It looks and feels like the official YouTube app, but it’s ad-free.
The only catch? You’ll have to sideload it. It’s not on the Play Store. But installation is easy, and the developer updates it regularly.
If you’re using a Chromecast with Google TV, Nvidia Shield, or any Android-based smart TV, SmartTube is the easiest way to get rid of YouTube ads.
Does SponsorBlock Remove YouTube Ads?
No. SponsorBlock doesn’t block YouTube’s ads. Instead, it skips sponsored segments within the videos themselves.
SponsorBlock is a community-driven browser extension and feature in some third-party YouTube apps (like ReVanced, NewPipe, or SmartTube). It automatically skips parts of a video where the creator promotes a sponsor, like when they say “this video is brought to you by…” or plug a VPN halfway through a tech review.
It does not remove pre-roll ads, mid-roll ads, or banner ads served by YouTube itself. For that, you’ll still need:
- YouTube Premium, or
- An ad blocker like AdGuard, Total Adblock, or
- A third-party app like ReVanced or SmartTube
But when combined, SponsorBlock and ad blockers can create a smoother, ad-free experience. One skips the platform ads, the other skips the creator promos.
So no, it doesn’t block ads in the traditional sense, but it does cut out the fluff once the video starts.
Why Am I Still Seeing Ads with YouTube Premium?
You paid for YouTube Premium, but still see ads? Something’s not right. And it’s usually fixable. Here are a few common reasons why ads might still be showing:
1. You’re not signed into the right account
Premium only applies to the Google account that purchased the subscription. If you’re using a different account or watching while signed out, ads will still appear.
Fix: Check you’re signed into the correct Google account on all devices (YouTube app, browser, Smart TV, etc.).
2. Your subscription didn’t renew
Sometimes your payment method fails (expired card, billing issue), and your subscription quietly lapses.
Fix: Go to YouTube > Purchases & memberships and confirm your Premium status. Update your payment info if needed.
3. App or browser needs a refresh
Cached data or an outdated app version can cause Premium features to bug out.
Fix:
- On mobile: Clear the app cache or reinstall the YouTube app
- On browser: Clear cookies/cache and refresh the page
Also, make sure the app is updated to the latest version
4. Shared device confusion
On Smart TVs or shared tablets, if someone else is logged into a non-premium account, YouTube will display ads based on that account.
Fix: Make sure the primary account on the device is your Premium account. Check the top-right profile icon to verify.
Final Thoughts
YouTube isn’t afraid to push ads, and in 2026, skipping them takes more work than ever. Whether you’re paying for Premium, installing a third-party app, or using a custom browser, there’s no one-size-fits-all solution.
If you want the most device-agnostic solution, YouTube Premium is still the way to go. But if you’re willing to tinker, there are plenty of workarounds. Just be smart about where you get them, and know what you’re getting into.
Ads are the new default. Luckily, your options to avoid them haven’t gone away; they’ve just gotten a little more… creative.