Zen - Simple, free and efficient ad-blocker and privacy guard for Windows, macOS and Linux
- Thread starter JustInTime
- Start date
Recently came across this app, pretty much an alternative to AdGuard but free and open source.
Are there comparisons to the likes of AdGuard for example from users?
There are too many ad blockers for Windows, yet barely any for Android or iOS. Ad blocker devs should orient towards mobile platforms for a change.
AdGuard for IOS which I use isn't good at all, I find the best solution is to use ad-blocking on a VPN which does block ads on apps such as Sky news which has some very not as such malicious but misleading garbage on it.
It is almost impossible to do https filtering system wide on android for an adblocker. And there are so many DNS filtering solutions for android, I don't have iphone so don't know much about that. Athena, DNS Net, RethinkDNS Firewall even AdGuard free version (includes HTTPS filtering for famous browsers) for android, or just use nextdns/adguard dns directly in PrivateDNS option.
I don't think there are any plans for extension but mobile version is in roadmap.
Other than basic adblocking it doesn't have a lot of features yet but you can check roadmap.
Roadmap · ZenPrivacy zen-desktop · Discussion #99
I use AdGuard and it's great because it's more tools in one app. However, I have HTTPS scanning disabled. Not because of safety reasons (I trust AdGuard as they are the only company that was transparent about HTTPS filtering and mentioned its pros and cons), but because it slows down browsing too much.
My ad blocking setup for Android is AdGuard app with ControlD Free DNS (HaGeZi Pro++) for system-wide ad blocking and Brave with DoH set up to AdGuard Public DNS.
The reason for this? ControlD is great for system wide ad blocking, but I don't trust it for browsing because it doesn't support DNSSEC. Since apps always use same set of domains, DNSSEC isn't needed here and ControlD is perfect choice. AdGuard Public DNS supports and verifies DNSSEC records and this is why I use it in Brave.
Same goes for Windows, on system-level I use ControlD Free DNS (HaGeZi Pro++), but inside Firefox I use AdGuard Public DNS. Along with uBlock Origin and ETP on Strict.
Which are dns servers supporting DNSSEC, beside Quad9?
Most of them. ControlD is the only one I know that doesn't support DNSSEC. It might not be the newest security standard, but it is useful and one of the basic things every DNS server should use.
I have found that:
DNS Security Protocols: A Comprehensive Guide
This guide will walk you through the major DNS security protocols, explaining how they work, when to use them, and their pros and cons.controld.com
I'm not sure where did you get your info from, but customer service and Barry confirmed to me that ControlD's Free DNS resolvers do not support or verify DNSSEC records.
When you visit dnscheck.tools and similar DNSSEC testing website, ControlD passes without any issues. I asked why that happens and they said ControlD just forwards whatever DNS records they get to the user, but they won't check if DNS records are valid or not.
I also asked why they don't support a basic security standard, the answer was for compatibility reasons and they don't see it as important because they themselves manipulate DNS records using various block lists. DoH was also mentioned but that doesn't make sense because DoH protects you from 3rd parties listening on your requests, not from DNS manipulation.
Such a shame DNSSEC is disabled because I like their free DNS with HaGeZi lists. I refuse to compromise on security so unfortunately, I can't use it for browsing.
When you visit dnscheck.tools and similar DNSSEC testing website, ControlD passes without any issues. I asked why that happens and they said ControlD just forwards whatever DNS records they get to the user, but they won't check if DNS records are valid or not.
I also asked why they don't support a basic security standard, the answer was for compatibility reasons and they don't see it as important because they themselves manipulate DNS records using various block lists. DoH was also mentioned but that doesn't make sense because DoH protects you from 3rd parties listening on your requests, not from DNS manipulation.
Such a shame DNSSEC is disabled because I like their free DNS with HaGeZi lists. I refuse to compromise on security so unfortunately, I can't use it for browsing.
I have removed Hagezi ultimate list from NextDNS yesterday; I blocked SS.
Why? What is SS?
You have option to enabled DNSSEC on paid resolvers, free don't support the standard. I was talking about free resolvers.
SmartScreen; I had unexplained failure of SS to connect to MS servers to check for files, both in browser and Windows explorer.
Kind members have told me it is Hagezi ultimate the culprit; after removing from NextDNS, SS resumed to work properly.
Anyway, I have ceased using ControlD; using NextDNS, and I have found Adguard has a similar customizable, free plan, though with less features, to ControlD.
You should have just downgraded to Pro++ as it doesn't block Microsoft related stuff. On GitHub, HaGeZi warns that some stuff might be broken if using Ultimate list.
Great that you found something according that suits your needs.
Last edited:
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