Roadblock vs wBlock

Roadblock is a freemium Safari content blocker for iPhone and Mac that controls how web content loads. It blocks advertisements, including pop-ups and video ads, plus scripts that track activity on webpages and across the web. It can remove chat widgets, cookie-consent, newsletter, and notification banners, subscription overlays, and AI widgets. Custom rules can block or allow sites and content, hide elements, strip cookies, and force HTTPS. Separate profiles support Wi-Fi, cellular browsing, or family use and can be shared with friends. The iPhone page lists 322K+ built-in rules, with additional ad-blocking rules for non-English sites in 37 languages. Optional iCloud sync shares profiles and settings between Mac, iPhone, and iPad and is off by default. Roadblock says it does not collect or store personal information, and extensions do not access browsing activity or report blocked content. It supports iOS 15+ and macOS Big Sur 11+. Premium plans start at $0.99 a month or $5.99 a year.

wBlock is a free, open-source ad blocker for Safari on Apple devices. It distributes filtering across five Safari content blockers, with a stated capacity of 750,000 rules. Users can add AdGuard-syntax, regional, annoyance, and custom filter lists by URL, pasted text, or file, and use an element zapper to remove page elements. Filtering, userscripts, and autoplay can be controlled separately for individual sites. The app includes a Greasemonkey-compatible userscript engine and supports UserCSS themes, including Less, Sass, and Stylus. Tube Cleaner and Player Cleaner add video options such as Picture-in-Picture and background audio. Its script catalog includes SponsorBlock, DeArrow, Dark Reader, Return YouTube Dislike, and TwitchAdSolutions. iCloud can sync lists, custom filters, userscripts, the allowlist, and settings; users can export a local backup instead. The privacy policy says the app does not collect browsing history, telemetry, or device identifiers and has no built-in analytics or crash reporting. It is available through the App Store, Homebrew, and a DMG download.