AdGuard is one of the most powerful ad blockers out there. But its biggest strength comes from its compatibility. To make its services compatible with the largest number of devices, it has gone beyond the constraints of apps and VPNs. You can install it on your phone, router, a Raspberry Pi, or an old PC turned server. And it can block ads everywhere, including your gaming consoles and IoT devices.
AdGuard DNS is one such product that eliminates the need for a separate app for devices that cannot run apps, or people who do not want their internet throttled by a VPN. It also saves battery. It’s compatible with almost every device you could think of, but it runs especially well on Android phones.
How Does AdGuard DNS Work?
AdGuard DNS intercepts ads before they can reach your network, which is very different from how traditional ad blockers handle it. Regular ad blockers work as browser extensions and set rules so that nothing on their blocklists gets shown on your browser, but the ads still reach your network.
Now, AdGuard intervenes at a DNS level. What does that mean? A DNS, or Domain Name System, is an index that matches all domain names with their corresponding IP addresses. It’s basically the Internet behind the scenes. And AdGuard DNS basically does that, but every time it sees any request that gets flagged by its blocklists, it sends it… nowhere. Also known as a DNS sinkhole. But the important part here is that it doesn’t come to you.
How Well Does AdGuard DNS Perform on Adblock Tester?
While in theory AdGuard DNS should work just as well as any other ad blocker, or even the full version of AdGuard, it doesn’t. But it comes very close, and it works where it matters. So, we enabled a few extra blocklists in addition to the default ones, set it up on an Android phone, and put it to the test.
AdGuard DNS scored 78 out of 100 on Adblock Tester. Now, that’s a B-minus at first glance, but let’s not judge yet. Once you look past the number and actually break down what was blocked and what got through, it becomes clear it nails the stuff that matters for most users.
The Annoying Stuff Got Blocked
AdGuard DNS had no trouble taking down the big ones. Which means,
- No Google AdSense
- No Yandex Direct
- And no sneaky tracking with Google Analytics, Hotjar, and Yandex.Metrica.
Even script execution was blocked for analytics tools, so you can rest assured that it handles tracking scripts really well.
No More Contextual Ads
Contextual ads are complex, as they work more sophisticatedly to show you ads based on your browsing habits. But they’re also very creepy. AdGuard DNS blocks all of it. No scripts loaded, nothing displayed.
And that’s a big deal. Because contextual ads are everywhere, they’re cheap, effective, and easy to set up for site owners. You’ve probably seen them on news sites, blogs, and shady download pages. Blocking these means AdGuard DNS isn’t just filtering out high-end trackers; it’s stopping those more “local” ad networks from slipping through, too.
Where It Failed: Old-School Banner Ads
AdGuard DNS showed its limitations in the following areas:
- Flash banners went through.
- We saw GIF ads.
- And even some Static image ads.
To be fair, it’s 2025 and Flash is basically a ghost at this point. You won’t find many legit sites still serving Flash-based ads unless they’ve been frozen in time. But the static image banner fails are more relevant; some visual ads hosted directly on the main domain do slip through.
That’s not a DNS-level issue. It’s a blocker’s issue. To catch these, you need browser-level filtering (like uBlock Origin) or full-device filters (like AdGuard App or NextDNS). So yes, some ads will show up, but they’re mostly cosmetic, not the invasive kind that tracks you.
Beyond the Test
There are a few things that Adblock Tester does not pick up, especially when it comes to DNS-based ad blocking. AdGuard DNS can block in-app ads. You know the ones that interrupt your gaming sessions with more games. And then you download those games, and they show you more apps about more games. And of course, other banner ads, and those unskippable ads about level 10 crook and level 50 boss. Oka, maybe I’m venting my frustrations here, but AdGuard DNS blocks all of them.
So, What Does a 78 Mean?
It means AdGuard DNS blocks what you want blocked, even if it doesn’t block everything. The core functionality is impressive:
- No app required.
- No battery-hogging VPN.
- No installation overhead.
- No in-app ads.
You won’t get real-time filtering or pixel-perfect cosmetic clean-up like you would with a full-featured ad blocker. But you get lightweight, system-wide, privacy-first protection that Just Works.
For something that’s free, cross-platform, and takes less than a minute to set up? That 78 is doing a lot more work than it looks like.
How to Set Up AdGuard DNS
AdGuard DNS setup isn’t plug-and-play like your traditional antivirus. If you want to go the easy route, pick an ad blocker from the 5 Best Ad Blockers of 2025 You Need to Know.
Now, before we start, there are two ways we can go about this. AdGuard has three generic DNS servers that anyone can use. There’s one without ad blocklists, one with ad blocklists, and another family-friendly one with ads and adult content blocklists. If you opt for those, the setup process is free and easy.
However, we want the ability to add and remove custom blocklists and get a full personalised experience with custom filtering, logs, stats, and per-device controls. For that, we’ll need to sign up first.
Sign Up and Get Your Dedicated DNS from AdGuard
- Head over to adguard-dns.io
- Click on Try AdGuard DNS and sign up using your preferred method.
- From the dashboard, click on Connect Device at the bottom.
- Select your device type and name.
- On the next page, click on Use DNS server addresses and go for Encrypted DNS server addresses if available. This should show you your private DNS, which should look something like this: xxxxxxxx.x.adguard-dns.com.
Please note that some devices (e.g., Windows PCs with IPv4) do not get a dedicated encrypted DNS; instead, they get a plain DNS that looks like 94.140.x.x. That will not give you the personalised data or customisable blocklists. You will need a private/dedicated DNS for that. However, dedicated IPv4 DNS servers are only available for paid users.
Alternatively, if your connection supports it, you can choose the IPv6 address, which should look something like this: 2a10:50c0:c000::xxxx:xxxx.
How to Set Up AdGuard DNS on Android
You can set up AdGuard DNS on Android in less than a minute and it doesn’t require any apps, root access, or tech wizardry. All you need is a phone running Android 9 or higher, and your dedicated AdGuard DNS address (look right above if you want to know how to get that). Then the rest of it is as follows:
- Add your device following the process mentioned above.
- Open the Settings app on your phone.
- Go to Network & Internet (on some phones, this might show up as Wi-Fi & Internet, or something similar).
- Scroll down and tap on Private DNS. (sometimes the Private DNS option is hidden behind more network settings.)
- Choose the option that says Private DNS provider hostname.
- In the text box, paste your custom DNS hostname from AdGuard. It’ll look something like xxxxxxxx.x.adguard-dns.com.
- Tap Save.
And that’s it. Let it settle in, and you’ll stop seeing ads in most apps, games, and browsers in about a minute.
How to Set Up AdGuard DNS on iPhone
iPhones don’t let you type in a DNS hostname like Android does, but you can still get full AdGuard DNS support using a configuration profile. It’s quick and simple. Takes less than a minute once you’ve added your device.
- First, log in to your AdGuard DNS dashboard and add your iPhone as a new device using the aforementioned process.
- After the device is added, you’ll land on a page with setup options. Tap Use configuration profile.
- If you’re on your iPhone, hit Download profile to get the config file. Or you can scan the QR if you’re setting it up from another device.
- Now open the Settings app and tap on Profile Downloaded on the top.
- Tap Install, follow the prompts, and you’re done.
Your iPhone will now use AdGuard’s private DNS in the background. You won’t need to open any app. And you’ll see fewer ads in Safari, other browsers, and even some apps.
How to Set Up AdGuard DNS on macOS
If you’re running macOS Big Sur (11.6) or later, setting up AdGuard DNS is basically the same as iOS, with just with a slightly different menu layout.
- Log in to your AdGuard DNS dashboard and add your Mac as a new device.
- After adding the device, choose Use configuration profile on the setup page.
- Click Download profile to grab the config file.
- Open System Settings and go to Privacy & Security and Profiles (or just search “Profiles” if you’re on Ventura or Sonoma).
- You’ll see AdGuard DNS listed, select it and hit Install.
That’s it. Your Mac will now route DNS queries through AdGuard, and block ads and trackers system-wide across browsers and apps without needing an extension or apps.
How to Set Up AdGuard DNS on Windows
If you’re on Windows, you can either set up AdGuard DNS manually the old-school way, or use DNS-over-HTTPS (Windows 11 only) for proper encryption. Either works, but here’s how to do both.
Manual DNS Setup (IPv4 and IPv6)
- First, log into your AdGuard DNS dashboard and add your Windows device.
- After adding the device, you’ll be given two DNS server addresses (IPv4 and IPv6) that may be unique to your setup.
- Open the Start menu on your PC and go to Control Panel > Network and Internet > Network and Sharing Center.
- From the left sidebar, click Change Adapter Settings.
- Right-click your current network (Wi-Fi or Ethernet) and choose Properties.
- Select Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) and click Properties.
- Then fill in the addresses that should look something like this: 94.140.x.x.
- Do the same for Internet Protocol Version 6 (TCP/IPv6). The Address should look something like this: 2a10:50c0:c000::xxxx:xxxx.
DNS-over-HTTPS Setup (Recommended for Windows 11)
- Add your Windows device from the AdGuard DNS dashboard.
- Go to your PC’s Settings, then Network & Internet and select your current connection.
- Set it to Manual, enable IPv4, and enter the addresses.
- Enable DNS-over-HTTPS and paste your personal DNS-over-HTTPS address from AdGuard that should look something like xxxxxxxx.x.adguard-dns.com.
- Click Save.
Note: If your IP address isn’t static, you’ll need to re-link it in your AdGuard dashboard for stats and filtering for it to keep working.
AdGuard DNS Pricing & Plans
AdGuard DNS is fairly simple when it comes to pricing. We’ll share the plans and their pricing in the table below. However, keep in mind, Teams and Enterprise plans are scalable so that pricing will go up based on your preferences.
| Plan | Devices | Queries | Servers | Dedicated IPv4 | Price |
| Free | 5 | 300k/month | 5 | N/A | Free |
| Personal | 20 | 10M/month | 5 | N/A | €2.21/mo or €17.7/year |
| Team | 100 | 100M/month | 50 | 2 | €26.55/mo or €212.49/year |
| Enterprise | Custom | Unlimited | Custom | Custom | Custom |
Which One Should You Choose?
Just blocking ads on your phone or laptop?
Start with the Free plan, it’s free and great for testing. And even though it supports up to 5 devices, if you’re only using it on 1 or 2 devices for regular use, 300k queries is more than enough.
Want more devices, filters and stats?
The Personal plan gives you more flexibility without locking features behind a paywall. It’s the middle ground for most users.
Need a scalable solution for your organization with dedicated IPv4?
You’ll need the Team plan or higher. That’s because only Team and Enterprise plans have dedicated IPv4 addresses which makes things much easier when setting up devices that don’t play well with dynamic IP linking.
What Makes AdGuard DNS Standout?
At its core, AdGuard DNS does everything a regular DNS resolver does. But being AdGuard, it doesn’t stop at just translating the URLs. It adds privacy and ad-blocking powers most DNS services don’t have.
Blocks Ads Before They Load
AdGuard DNS filters out ads at the network level, so you don’t need browser extensions or apps. As soon as an ad request is made, it’s gone. No banners, no pop-ups, no trackers.
Built-In Parental Filters
NSFW content slipping through? AdGuard DNS has filters for adult sites, plus optional filters for gaming and social platforms. You can also toggle SafeSearch for search engines and YouTube, if the kids are using shared devices.
Stats That Actually Mean Something
If you’re using the private DNS, you get a personal dashboard that shows you what’s being blocked, what’s allowed and which device is doing what. It can be useful if you’re managing your home network.
Per-Device Control and Custom Rules
Want your gaming console to bypass ad filters but everything else locked down? Or want to block a specific domain on your kid’s tablet? You can do all that. You set the rules, and AdGuard will enforce them.
Wrapping Up
Looking for a set-it-and-forget-it ad blocker that works on everything from your phone to your smart TV? AdGuard DNS gives you a deal that is hard to beat. No apps, no battery drain, and no browser extensions needed. Just clean, network-level filtering that works in the background.
It won’t block every single banner or YouTube pre-roll, but it will take care of the annoying, privacy-invasive stuff that slows you down and follows you around online. And if you’re the kind of user who likes to tinker with custom blocklists, per-device rules, real-time stats, you’ll find it all there, especially once you move to the private plan.
Whether you’re just dipping your toes with the free tier or managing a full home or office setup, AdGuard DNS offers a lot of value for zero, or very little money. It’s not the only solution out there, but it’s one of the few that works across platforms without asking too much in return.