Does Brave block ads by default? Does Safari?
Yes for Brave, no for Safari. Brave has its blocker built in and turns it on for every site. Safari has no ad blocker: blocking comes from apps and extensions the reader installs; out of the box it brings tracking protection.
| Brave, Standard (the default) | Safari without extensions | |
|---|---|---|
| Third-party ad networks (AdSense, Ad Manager...) | Blocked1 | They load5 |
| Third-party trackers, Google Analytics included | Blocked1 | Cross-site tracking limited; IP hidden from known trackers7 |
| Third-party cookies | Blocked1 | Blocked6 |
| Cookie consent banners | Hidden by default since June 20233 | Shown |
| Aggressive mode (the reader picks it) | Blocks more; can break parts of some pages2 | Does not exist |
Firefox has tracking protection of its own: ad blocking on Firefox for publishers.
Brave Shields: Standard, Aggressive or down on your site
Brave applies public filter lists that many blocker extensions also use, EasyList, EasyPrivacy and uBlock Origin's, plus lists of its own. Those lists name the main third-party ad networks, Google AdSense and Ad Manager among them, and Google Analytics as a tracker.
Aggressive blocks more, and Brave warns it can break parts of some pages. Because the blocker is built into the browser, Manifest V3 did not change it; on desktop, a reader can add an extension such as uBlock Origin on top.
| Down | Standard // default | Aggressive | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Third-party ads and trackers | ○ they load | ■ blocked | ■ blocked |
| How much it blocks | · nothing on your site | ■ the default lists | ■ more, at a higher risk of breaking parts of a page |
■ blocks (orange: the default) // ○ loads // · nothing
The switch is the reader's: Shields down for your site. With AntiAdBlock Core you have nothing to update when Brave changes: the multi-signal detection is maintained daily.
Brave Ads, Rewards and Creators: what they do for a publisher
Brave shows ads of its own inside the browser, never in web pages, and readers who join Brave Rewards earn a share in BAT on desktop and Android. Brave says these ads do not replace the ads Shields blocks on your page.
Registering your site with Brave Creators lets you receive BAT contributions from Brave users; Shields still blocks your ads for them unless they lower it for your site.
Your page's ads
- Who sells them
- AdSense, Ad Manager and other ad networks
- With Shields up
- On Brave's lists, blocked by default; nothing fills the slot
Brave's own ads
- Where they show
- Sponsored images on the new tab page, Brave News if turned on, notifications with Rewards
- Who sees them
- Brave users, in the browser; never inside your page
Safari on iPhone, iPad and Mac: no ad blocker until the reader adds one
Apple's guide describes blocking content on websites as something extensions do: the reader installs one from the App Store and switches it on. Some are content blockers; others are full web extensions, on iPhone too, such as uBlock Origin Lite.
Comes with Safari // privacy
- Intelligent Tracking Prevention
- blocks third-party cookies
- Private Browsing
- blocks known trackers; lets most ads load
- iCloud Private Relay (paid)
- hides the reader's IP address
Installed by the reader // blocking
- An App Store extension
- removes ads and trackers, by its own lists
- Who controls it
- the reader, who can turn it off for your site alone
Apple and WebKit, read November 1, 2026.
Tracking prevention and Private Relay are not ad blockers
None of the three is a list of ads: tracking prevention works on cookies, Private Browsing lets most ads load by design and Private Relay hides the IP address. With them you lose some targeting and measurement; with a blocking extension, the ad.
On iPhone, Brave also runs on WebKit, with Shields on by default and fewer lists than on desktop; outside the EU and Japan, every iPhone browser uses WebKit (there, Apple lets browsers apply for another engine). So a Brave reader blocks without having chosen a blocker, and a Safari reader only after installing one.
How many Brave and Safari page views arrive with a blocker
Brave reports 128.3 million monthly active users (September 30, 2026). Our adblock statistics give the share of page views that arrived with an ad blocker in each browser on the sites that use AntiAdBlock Core, between August 28 and October 17, 2026:
- Brave 57.6%
- Firefox 34.0%
- Safari 15.5%
- Chrome 14.8%
Page views with a blocker out of all page views in each browser. One network, not the market.
Safari reaches 15.5% even though it blocks nothing by default. Brave Shields made up 18.1% of all detections, and mobile blocked less than desktop (19.5% against 28.3%). Your mix will differ: your own rate shows in your dashboard.
What a blocked Brave or Safari page view does to your ads and analytics
- Ad no impression: nothing to count or charge
- Analytics the visit can be missing
- Content shows
Blocked ads leave no impression, so the same traffic brings fewer impressions and less revenue. Brave blocks Google Analytics as a tracker by default, so those visits can be missing; on Safari it depends on the extension. And Brave hides many cookie consent banners by default, so many of its readers never see your consent prompt.
What you can do about Brave and Safari readers
AntiAdBlock Core detects Brave Shields along with the extension blockers and runs on Safari, desktop and mobile, with multi-signal detection maintained daily. Measuring comes with every plan; to act, on each site you choose the wall or, on Max and Business, the Detection API.
- Measure
Your adblock rate in the dashboard. On Max and Business, by type of blocking (Brave Shields is one of the four) and by browser and device, Safari included; on Free and Pro, as sample data. Safari is not a type, and the dashboard never names the blocker a reader uses.
Plan // All plans; by type and browser, Max and Business
- Ask to allow
The default notice is a wall, from the first blocked page. It carries its own Brave text with three steps to lower Shields for your site, and its button reloads the page. For Safari, the wall carries no steps of its own: it asks readers to allow your site.
Plan // All plans
- Handle it in your code
The Detection API detects and counts, shows nothing and hands the result to your code, with the type of blocking, Brave Shields included.
Plan // Max and Business
The wall's Brave text // in miniature
Brave Shields is blocking ads
Brave is blocking ad networks on this site by default. Lower Shields for this domain to keep reading.
- Click the lion icon to the right of the address bar.
- Toggle Shields until it reads Down for this site.
- Reload the page or click the button.
Paid plans start at $5 a month (pricing); at your monthly quota, detection pauses until it resets or you move up a plan. More on what a script can detect today in our anti-adblock script guide.
Questions publishers ask about Brave and Safari
Does Brave block ads by default?
Yes. Shields is on for every site from install, on desktop, Android and iPhone, and at its default Standard level blocks third-party ads and trackers, Google AdSense included. The reader can lower Shields for one site, or switch to Aggressive, which blocks more.
Does Safari block ads by default?
No. Safari has no ad blocker of its own: blocking comes from an extension the reader installs from the App Store and switches on. By default it blocks third-party cookies and limits tracking, which affects targeting and measurement, not whether ads load.
Does Brave block the AdSense ads on my site?
Yes, at the default Standard level: AdSense and Ad Manager are on the public lists Shields applies by default, so their slots stay empty. You notice it mostly in impressions; on Max and Business, the dashboard shows the Brave Shields share apart.
Do Brave Ads or Brave Creators make up for the ads Brave blocks?
No. Brave says its own ads appear in the browser, on the new tab page, in Brave News and as notifications, not in web pages, and do not replace the ads Shields blocks. Registering your site with Brave Creators brings BAT contributions from users, but Shields keeps blocking your ads.
Does AntiAdBlock Core work with Brave and Safari?
Yes. It detects Brave Shields along with the extension blockers and runs on Safari, desktop and mobile, with multi-signal detection maintained daily. On Max and Business, the dashboard shows Brave Shields as its own type. The live demo shows the wall.
How does a Brave reader allow my site?
On desktop, they click the lion icon in the address bar, toggle Shields until it reads Down for this site, and reload; Shields stay up everywhere else. The AntiAdBlock Core wall has a Brave text with those steps and a button that reloads the page.
Sources
Brave, Apple and WebKit documentation, read on November 1, 2026; the rest are linked where they are cited.
- BraveBrave Shieldsread Nov 1, 2026
- Privacy update: Standard and Aggressive blockingSep 1, 2021 · read Nov 1, 2026
- Privacy update: blocking cookie noticesJun 9, 2023 · read Nov 1, 2026
- Brave Rewardsread Nov 1, 2026
- AppleApple Support: get extensions in Safari on iPhoneread Nov 1, 2026
- WebKitTracking Prevention in WebKitread Nov 1, 2026
- Private Browsing 2.0Jul 16, 2024 · read Nov 1, 2026
- AntiAdBlock CoreAdblock statistics 2026 (our network data)Oct 17, 2026
See how many of your Brave and Safari readers block
Add one tag or the WordPress plugin and your adblock rate shows from the first page views, Brave and Safari with a blocker included. The split by browser and by type comes with Max and Business.
Free plan: 5,000 detections a month, no payment method.
By AntiAdBlock Core · Reviewed