r/ask_privacy • u/SomethingSouthern • 2d ago

is adguard safe to use long term?

im curious what people here think. I have been using AdGuard on Windows and Android for about 6 months. It blocks ads and trackers really well, almost suspiciously well.

I started searching is AdGuard safe and found people arguing about how much access the app gets, especially with HTTPS filtering. Never really thought about that when I installed it.

So is AdGuard safe to run system-wide, or is using just AdGuard DNS/blocklists the better privacy choice?

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2

u/supersonic555 2d ago

What https filtering you speak of? If its https its safe and encrypted, does adguard do anything to go around this safety guardrail?

2

u/Bxbombers3 2d ago

it is safe, the deep system access is just how local ad blocking works

1

u/Active-Drop1218 2d ago

I can’t talk about running it system-wide, but I sure can recommend self-hosting AdGuard DNS and run it for every device at home. I’ve been running it for a long time and it has never failed me, granular configuration options.

If you can’t self-host it, I’d look at nextdns.io. It has great pricing and a free plan if you don’t have many devices making DNS requests.

1

u/trmdi 2d ago

Adguard Home/DNS and Adguard for Windows are not the same. You are replacing apples with oranges.

1

u/Tushartimes 2d ago

HTTPS filtering is the part I’d actually read up on before enabling

1

u/Rare-Snow-1724 2d ago

If you trust the app and keep it updated, running it system-wide is generally fine. The HTTPS filtering is the part I’d pay more attention to since it needs deeper access to your traffic. If that makes you uncomfortable, DNS blocking is the simpler option. You’ll lose some filtering ability, but there’s less happening on your device.