YouTube is where most of us now watch everything from news and cricket highlights to cooking lessons and music, yet the adverts before and during videos have become harder to ignore. The official way around them is YouTube Premium, which costs Rs 479 a month for an individual plan in Pakistan, but not everyone wants another monthly subscription. Several free tools can deliver a largely ad-free YouTube experience on phones, computers and televisions instead.
Before looking at the options, it is worth being honest about the limits. YouTube says that blocking its adverts breaches its terms of service, and since 2023 it has steadily tightened its detection systems, warning users and sometimes refusing to play videos until the blocker is switched off or Premium is bought. None of the tools below switches on Premium or removes adverts from the official YouTube app itself, so keep your browser or app updated and download third-party software only from its official source.
Brave Browser Blocks YouTube Ads
Brave is the simplest place to start. It is a free browser with its own ad blocker, Brave Shields, built into the software rather than added on as an extension. YouTube cannot detect it the way it detects ordinary extensions, and the Brave team has repeatedly shipped fixes when YouTube has worked around it. Brave runs on Android, iPhone and iPad, Windows, Mac and Linux. Download it from its official website or your app store, open it, visit YouTube, and watch as normal.
Firefox With uBlock Origin
Firefox offers a second browser-based route through uBlock Origin, a free and open-source content blocker that removes adverts, trackers and pop-ups. Install Firefox, open its add-ons section, search for uBlock Origin, add it, and then open YouTube. Firefox is widely regarded as the strongest home for uBlock Origin, because Google’s Chrome has moved to the Manifest V3 extension system, which limits how deeply extensions can filter traffic in real time, while Firefox has kept the fuller system in place.
NewPipe, a Dedicated App for Android
Anyone on Android who would rather have a proper app than a browser tab can try NewPipe, a free and open-source application built specifically for watching YouTube without adverts. It has its own interface for searching videos, browsing channels and managing subscriptions, and it works without signing in to a Google account, which also means less tracking. You can get it from its official website or through F-Droid, the open-source app store, and once it is installed you simply search and watch as usual.
FreeTube for Windows, Mac and Linux
Desktop users have a dedicated option of their own in FreeTube, a free application for Windows, macOS and Linux that plays YouTube videos without adverts and without asking you to sign in to a Google account. Rather than using YouTube’s official programming interface, it pulls publicly available video information through its own extraction system or an Invidious instance, and it keeps subscriptions, playlists and watch history stored locally on your own computer. Setup is straightforward: download FreeTube from its official website, install it, and start watching.
TizenTube for Samsung Smart TVs
Televisions are the hardest place to escape adverts, because most TV browsers cannot run extensions at all, and that is where TizenTube comes in. It is a free, open-source application made for Samsung televisions running the Tizen operating system, and it keeps an interface close to the official YouTube TV app while stripping out the adverts. Samsung owners install it through TizenBrew, following the project’s own instructions to install from GitHub using the repository reisxd/TizenTube.
SmartTube for Android TV and Google TV
The other leading television option is SmartTube, a free and open-source YouTube application for Android TV, Google TV and compatible Android streaming devices. The difference is the look: SmartTube uses its own television interface, designed for remote controls, rather than copying the standard YouTube TV layout, so the home screen and navigation will feel unfamiliar at first. SmartTube does not run on Samsung’s Tizen system or LG’s webOS, so owners of those televisions need the alternatives above.
Which Method Works Best for Your Device?
The right choice depends mostly on the device in your hand. Android phones and tablets can use Brave, Firefox with uBlock Origin, or NewPipe, while iPhones and iPads are best served by Brave. Windows, Mac and Linux computers can use Brave, Firefox with uBlock Origin, or FreeTube. Samsung televisions running Tizen should look at TizenTube, while Android TV, Google TV and Fire TV devices can use TizenTube Cobalt or SmartTube.
Final Thoughts
YouTube Premium is not the only route to watching without adverts. Brave is the convenient first step for most users, Firefox with uBlock Origin adds another reliable option, NewPipe serves Android users who want a dedicated player, and FreeTube does the same job on the desktop. On television, TizenTube and SmartTube cover the two main operating systems. None of them activates Premium or clears adverts from the official YouTube app, and Premium, at Rs 479 a month for an individual in Pakistan, remains the only option YouTube itself supports.
