wBlock

The end of Safari ad-blocking B.S.

Version

</div> <br> <br> <div align="center"> <img src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/3fd411ac-f781-4db5-bd4e-4cea82edf3d7" alt="wBlock Interface" width="900"/> </div> <br> <p align="center"> A Safari content blocker for macOS, iOS, and iPadOS.<br> 750,000 rules across 5 extensions, Protocol Buffer storage, LZ4 compression, iCloud sync. </p> <br>

[!NOTE] Looking for a detailed comparison? Check out my comparison guide to see how wBlock stacks up against other Safari content blockers.

Features

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Performance

750,000 rule capacity across 5 Safari content blocking extensions per platform (150k each)
~40 MB RAM at idle — Safari's native content blocking API runs rules out-of-process
Protocol Buffers + LZ4 for filter storage; streaming I/O keeps memory low during compilation
HTTP conditional requests (If-Modified-Since/ETag) so updates only download what changed
iCloud sync for filter selections, custom lists, userscripts, and whitelist across devices

Content modification

Element Zapper (macOS, iOS, iPadOS, visionOS) — visually select and hide page elements in Safari
Userscript engine with Greasemonkey API (GM_getValue, GM_setValue, GM_xmlhttpRequest)
Custom filter lists via URL, paste, or file import — supports any AdGuard-syntax blocklist
Toolbar search for quickly finding filters and userscripts
Automatic rule distribution across all 5 content blocker slots for maximum coverage

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Blocking

Network request blocking — ads, trackers, cookie banners, annoyances
CSS injection for cosmetic filtering and element hiding
Script blocking for unwanted JavaScript
Pop-up and redirect prevention

Configuration

Auto-updates from every hour to every 7 days, or manual — with background refresh on iOS
Per-site controls — disable blocking on specific sites from the Safari toolbar
Blocked request logger (macOS) — see what's being blocked on each page
Whitelist for trusted domains
Regional filters with auto-detection based on your locale
Homebrew cask for macOS: brew tap 0xcub3/wblock https://github.com/0xCUB3/wBlock && brew install --cask wblock

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Screenshots

<br> <table> <tr> <td align="center"> <img src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/09c4cec5-14a0-4d12-a0de-1f6544162ceb" alt="Userscript Management" width="700"/> <br><br> <strong>Userscript Management</strong><br> <em>Manage paywalls, YouTube Dislikes, and more</em> </td> </tr> <tr> <td align="center"> <img src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/0a9d0da5-b94a-42e6-880c-f0f9425b38a2" alt="Settings" width="700"/> <br><br> <strong>Settings & Customization</strong><br> <em>Configure auto-updates, notifications, and preferences</em> </td> </tr> <tr> <td align="center"> <img src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/d8aafe2d-8ec2-493e-9a04-aa6d7bf9fb1f" alt="iOS" width="350"/> <br><br> <strong>iOS Interface</strong><br> <em>Full-featured blocking on iPhone and iPad</em> </td> </tr> </table> </div> <br>

Technical Implementation

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Core Architecture

Protocol Buffers (libprotobuf) with LZ4 compression for filter serialization
Asynchronous I/O with Swift concurrency (async/await, Task, Actor isolation)
Streaming serialization to disk minimizes peak memory usage during compilation
5 Safari content blocking extensions per platform (maximum Safari API capacity)
SafariServices framework integration for declarative content blocking

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Dependencies & Standards

SafariConverterLib v4.2.1 for AdGuard to Safari rule conversion
AdGuard Scriptlets v2.3.0 for advanced blocking techniques
Swift 5.9+ with strict concurrency checking enabled
WCAG 2.1 AA compliance with full VoiceOver and Dynamic Type support
SwiftProtobuf for cross-platform filter storage format

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Support Development

wBlock is free and open source. If you want to support the project:

FAQ

</div> <details> <summary><b>How does wBlock compare to other ad blockers?</b></summary> <br> Check out our <a href="Adblock_Comparison.md">comparison guide</a> vs uBlock Origin Lite, AdGuard, and Wipr. </details> <details> <summary><b>Can I use my own filter lists?</b></summary> <br> Yes. You can add any AdGuard-compatible filter list by URL, paste rules directly, or import from a file. </details> <details> <summary><b>Does wBlock slow down Safari?</b></summary> <br> No. wBlock uses Safari's native declarative content blocking API, which processes rules in a separate process. Memory overhead is ~40 MB at idle with no measurable impact on page load times. </details> <details> <summary><b>Do userscripts work on iOS?</b></summary> <br> Yes. The userscript engine implements the Greasemonkey API (GM_getValue, GM_setValue, GM_xmlhttpRequest, GM_addStyle) on both iOS and macOS via Safari Web Extensions. </details> <details> <summary><b>How often do filters update?</b></summary> <br> Auto-update intervals are configurable from 1 hour to 7 days, or manually triggered. Updates use HTTP conditional requests (If-Modified-Since/ETag headers) to minimize bandwidth usage. </details> <details> <summary><b>Is the element zapper available on iOS?</b></summary> <br> Yes. Open the wBlock extension popup in Safari and tap <i>Activate Element Zapper</i>. </details> <br>