CleanWeb scores 98 out of 100 on AdBlock Tester, blocks YouTube pre-roll and mid-roll ads, and works on platforms where browser extensions can't go — Apple TV, Android TV, iOS at the DNS level. It's one of the most capable bundled ad blockers available. It's also not a standalone product, won't match uBlock Origin for fine-grained control, and breaks the occasional website. Here's exactly what you get.
CleanWeb is an excellent bonus if you're already buying Surfshark for the VPN. It blocks ads at the DNS level across every device and every app — not just inside a browser tab — and CleanWeb 2.0 in the browser extension adds pop-up blocking, cookie consent automation, and malware alerts on top of that. The 98/100 AdBlock Tester score is real. What it's not is a free tool, a drop-in replacement for uBlock Origin, or something you'd buy Surfshark for on its own.
| Surfshark CleanWeb — Quick Specs | |
|---|---|
| Blocking method | DNS-level (app) + browser-level (extension) |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, Apple TV, Google TV, Chrome, Firefox, Edge |
| Standalone product | No — requires Surfshark subscription |
| Starting price | $1.99/mo (Starter, 2-year plan) — CleanWeb included |
| Ad blocking score | 98 / 100 (AdBlock Tester) |
| YouTube ad blocking | Yes — pre-roll and mid-roll |
| Cookie consent automation | CleanWeb 2.0 extension only |
| Malware / phishing protection | Yes |
| Data breach alerts | CleanWeb 2.0 extension |
| Custom filter lists | Not supported |
| Whitelist / allowlist | Limited |
| VPN required to use CleanWeb | App version: yes. Browser extension (2.0): no |
| Independent audit | Passed — SecuRing, January 2026 |
| No-logs audit | Verified by Deloitte |
Surfshark passed its sixth independent infrastructure security audit in January 2026. The audit, conducted by SecuRing, included penetration testing against Surfshark's live network infrastructure with no insider access — simulating a real attacker. The result: zero critical or high-risk vulnerabilities. One minor SSL/TLS configuration issue was identified and patched immediately. Surfshark's no-logs policy also received a fresh verification from Deloitte.
On the CleanWeb side, the big development was CleanWeb 2.0, released in late 2025 and now fully shipping via the Chrome, Firefox, and Edge browser extensions. The original DNS-level CleanWeb still ships in the desktop and mobile apps. CleanWeb 2.0 is additive — it doesn't replace the original but layers on top of it when you're using the browser extension.
Key distinction: CleanWeb (in the app) blocks at the DNS level — it affects all traffic from every app on your device while the VPN is connected. CleanWeb 2.0 (in the browser extension) works independently of the VPN and adds features the DNS layer can't do, like cookie pop-up handling and video ad blocking within the browser.
When you connect to Surfshark VPN, CleanWeb intercepts DNS queries before they resolve. If your browser, podcast app, or smart TV tries to reach a known ad server, tracker, or malware domain, Surfshark drops the request — the domain never resolves. The ad never downloads. This works across every app and every protocol, not just HTTP traffic inside a browser tab.
The practical implication: you get ad blocking on your smart TV, inside native mobile apps, in your podcast player, and in any other context where a browser extension can't reach. That's a meaningful capability gap over uBlock Origin, which only works inside the browser.
The CleanWeb 2.0 browser extension operates at a different layer. Instead of — or in addition to — DNS blocking, it can inspect page content and filter elements. That's what enables it to block video ads on YouTube, handle cookie consent banners, and catch ads that come through CDNs that don't have their own dedicated DNS hostname.
Critically, the CleanWeb 2.0 extension doesn't require the VPN to be active. You can install it on its own and use it as a standalone browser ad blocker while Surfshark VPN is off. This is a meaningful change from the original CleanWeb, which was entirely VPN-dependent.
Mobile limitation: On Android and iOS, CleanWeb only works when the Surfshark VPN is connected. The mobile apps don't have a separate CleanWeb 2.0 toggle that runs independently. If you frequently disconnect from VPN on your phone, you lose ad blocking too.
On AdBlock Tester's 100-point benchmark — which evaluates banner ads, contextual advertising, analytics tools, and error monitoring — CleanWeb scored 98 out of 100. That puts it in the same tier as Total Adblock and ahead of most standalone tools. The few misses were in analytics and monitoring categories where blocking is deliberately conservative to avoid site breakage.
YouTube ad blocking deserves specific mention. YouTube's ad system is notoriously difficult: ads run from the same domains as regular content, making DNS-level blocking ineffective. CleanWeb 2.0's browser-level approach handles this, blocking both pre-roll ads (the 5-30 second clips before videos) and mid-roll ads (the ones that interrupt longer content).
AdGuard's Stealth Mode and uBlock Origin's advanced filtering can block things CleanWeb won't touch. AdGuard, for example, can strip trackers from Yahoo Mail — something most blockers can't do. uBlock Origin supports custom filter lists, per-site rules, and manual element blocking via its picker tool. CleanWeb has none of that. You toggle it on, and what it blocks is what it blocks.
Advanced tracker blocking is also a noted weakness. CleanWeb handles common trackers well, but third-party trackers that piggyback on first-party requests — a technique increasingly used to evade DNS blockers — can get through.
Some users report CleanWeb breaking functionality on specific sites. Craigslist and Autotrader are recurring examples in user feedback, where something CleanWeb identified as a tracker turned out to be required for the site to function. The fix is to disable CleanWeb temporarily — but since there's no per-site allowlist, you're toggling the whole feature off. That's a notable usability gap compared to uBlock Origin, where you can whitelist a single domain in two clicks.
This is genuinely CleanWeb's strongest selling point. Because it operates at the VPN/DNS layer, it protects devices that don't support browser extensions at all:
No other major ad blocker matches this breadth. uBlock Origin doesn't exist on iOS at all. AdGuard has native apps but charges separately for them. With Surfshark, every device you connect to the VPN gets DNS-level ad blocking at no extra cost.
Unlimited devices: Every Surfshark plan supports unlimited simultaneous connections. If you have a household with phones, laptops, smart TVs, and tablets, one subscription covers all of them — with CleanWeb active on each.
The CleanWeb 2.0 browser extension ships four discrete toggles. You can enable or disable each independently:
The cookie consent automation is the standout feature. GDPR cookie banners are genuinely annoying and exist on most European-facing sites. CleanWeb 2.0 handles them silently before they render — you don't see the banner, and you don't have to click through it. This is something dedicated ad blockers like uBlock Origin can replicate with filter lists, but CleanWeb builds it in with no configuration required.
The data breach alert is more limited than a dedicated service like Have I Been Pwned or Surfshark Alert. It flags known malicious domains, not your personal account breach history. Don't expect it to replace proper credential monitoring.
Surfshark's infrastructure has now passed six independent security audits. The January 2026 audit by SecuRing used black-box penetration testing — the auditors received no privileged access and attacked Surfshark's live servers the way a real attacker would. The public result: no critical vulnerabilities. One SSL/TLS issue was found on a single server and remediated during the audit window.
Surfshark also operates on RAM-only servers, meaning there's no persistent disk storage that could be seized or subpoenaed. Deloitte has independently verified the no-logs policy. For a VPN with a built-in ad blocker, that's a credible security posture.
CleanWeb itself doesn't log which sites it blocks. Your DNS queries don't persist. This is important for privacy: a DNS-level ad blocker that logs your queries would be worse than no ad blocker at all.
CleanWeb has no standalone price — it's included in every Surfshark plan. There's no free tier. The pricing below reflects what you pay for Surfshark, with CleanWeb at no additional cost.
Surfshark One adds antivirus (AV-TEST certified), a private search engine, and enhanced breach alerts for roughly $0.20–0.50 more per month on long-term plans. If you want those features, the upgrade is cheap. If you only want the VPN and ad blocker, Starter is sufficient.
Renewal pricing: Promotional rates apply to initial subscription periods. Renewal pricing is typically higher — check Surfshark's site for current renewal rates before committing to a two-year plan.
The honest comparison isn't flattering for CleanWeb on raw control — but it wins on platform reach and ease of setup.
| Feature | CleanWeb | uBlock Origin | AdGuard |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Included with Surfshark ($1.99+/mo) | Free | Free extension / paid premium |
| Ad blocking score | 98 / 100 | Near-perfect | Near-perfect |
| YouTube ad blocking | Yes (2.0 extension) | Yes (with filter lists) | Yes |
| Custom filter lists | No | Yes — extensive | Yes — extensive |
| Per-site allowlist | No | Yes | Yes |
| Advanced tracker blocking | Moderate | Excellent | Excellent |
| Covers mobile apps (in-app) | Yes (DNS layer) | No | Yes (paid app) |
| Apple TV / Android TV | Yes | No | No |
| Cookie consent automation | Yes (2.0) | With filter lists | Yes |
| Requires VPN | App version: yes. Extension: no | No | No |
The verdict from this comparison: use CleanWeb if you're already using Surfshark, or if you want device-wide ad blocking that covers your TV and mobile apps without manual configuration. Use uBlock Origin if you want the most control and don't need beyond-browser coverage. Use AdGuard if you want something between the two — more customization than CleanWeb, more platform support than uBlock.
CleanWeb is one of the best value-adds in consumer security subscriptions. If you're paying $1.99/mo for Surfshark and getting a 98/100 ad blocker, malware protection, cookie consent automation, and YouTube ad blocking on top of the VPN, that's a strong bundle. The platform breadth — covering Apple TV, Android TV, and in-app mobile traffic — is genuinely unique and something dedicated tools can't match without significant extra complexity.
The limitations are real but manageable. No custom filter lists and no per-site whitelisting are real quality-of-life gaps that power users will feel. The mobile VPN dependency means you lose ad blocking when you disconnect, which is a reasonable trade-off you should know about before buying. And occasional site breakage is something you'll need to toggle around.
If you already use Surfshark: enable CleanWeb in your settings. If you're evaluating VPNs and ad blocking together: Surfshark's bundle makes a strong case. If you only want an ad blocker with no VPN: start with uBlock Origin, which is free, and only pay for CleanWeb if you've already decided you want the VPN.
CleanWeb is included with every Surfshark plan. The 2-year Starter plan starts at $1.99/mo — VPN, ad blocker, malware protection, and unlimited devices included.
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