anti-AD
A merged, deduplicated ad and tracker domain blocklist for Chinese-language sites, usable with many DNS and pr
- Stars
- 10.9k
- Forks
- 790
- Licence
- MIT
- Language
- —
- Last update
- 5 days ago
- Type
- Other
What it is
anti-AD is a list of internet domains that serve ads or send tracking and analytics data. It combines several existing hosts and filter lists, removes duplicates and dead domains, and produces files in formats used by tools such as AdGuardHome, dnsmasq, Pi-hole, Surge, Clash, mihomo, SmartDNS and sing-box. Because it works at the DNS level, it can block ads in apps and TV boxes as well as in browsers. People use it mainly to cut ads and reduce data collection on Chinese-language sites and apps.
- Block ads across every device on a home network by pointing a DNS server such as dnsmasq or AdGuardHome at the list
- Load the Surge or Clash rule file to filter ads in a proxy setup
- Add the Pi-hole domain list to reduce ads on TV boxes and in mobile apps
- Review the contested-domains page and add your own allow or block rules
Great for
- People who want network-wide ad and tracker blocking on a home router or DNS server
- Users of AdGuardHome, Pi-hole, dnsmasq or SmartDNS who want a ready-made list
- Surge, Clash or mihomo users who need rule files for proxy-based blocking
- Users who mainly browse or use apps in Chinese
Not ideal for
- Users who want per-page cosmetic filtering in a browser: the README describes DNS-level blocking, not element hiding
- Users of AdGuard or uBlock Origin who need URL-path rules: the README warns that the AdGuardHome file contains regex rules that can wrongly block specific URLs in those tools
- Anyone who needs a guarantee that no legitimate site is ever blocked: the README notes some contested domains may have other uses and that users may need to add their own allow rules
How to get it
- 1
See the README
You'll need: A DNS, proxy or ad-filter tool that accepts one of the listed formats
Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/privacy-protection-tools/anti-AD - 2
Run it
- Pick the file that matches your tool from the table in the README
- Download it from the raw link or the anti-ad.net link
- Import it as a blocklist in your DNS, proxy or ad-filter tool
- Check the contested-domains page and add any allow rules you need
- 3
Get the most out of it
- Use the official anti-ad.net URLs for faster, more stable downloads, as the README suggests
- Use the Surge2 file for better performance, since the README says its DOMAIN-SET format performs better
- Add the matching whitelist from the dead-horse repository if your tool needs one for false positives
- Read the discretion page and add your own rules for domains you rely on
Downloads
Strengths
- Merges several established upstream lists and removes dead domains, per the README
- Supports many tools and formats, including binary formats for sing-box and mihomo
- Open source under the MIT license with a public changelog and issue tracker
Trade-offs
- Its README says it is aimed at Chinese-language content, so coverage of other regions is not described
- Some listed domains may be useful for other purposes, so blocking can break some services; the README asks users to review them
- Recent versions are older (latest listed release v4.5.2 is from 2022), and the repository has no binary release files
How it compares
| Project | Stars | Type | Level | Updated | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| anti-AD (this) | 10.9k | Other | beginner | 5 days ago | People who want network-wide ad and tracker blocking on a home router or DNS server |
| whoogle-search | 11.6k | App | intermediate | 3 months ago | Historical reference: people studying how the project worked before it ended |
| laravel-crm | 24.1k | App | intermediate | 5 days ago | Small and mid-sized businesses that want a self-hosted CRM |
| SpotX | 23.1k | Dev tool | beginner | 5 days ago | Windows users of the official Spotify desktop app who want to remove ads |
| BookStack | 19.1k | App | intermediate | 5 days ago | Teams that want an internal knowledge base they can host themselves |
| flarum | 16.4k | App | intermediate | 28 days ago | Site owners who want a self-hosted discussion board |
Stats synced from GitHub. The assessment above was drafted with AI from the project's README on 2026-10-29 and may miss recent changes — check the README before relying on a command. MIT licence: free to use, modify and distribute, including commercially, as long as you keep the copyright notice.