NovaBlockNovaBlock

Ad blocker for every browser

NovaBlock supports every major desktop browser. Pick yours for install steps, coverage details and FAQs.

Why the browser changes the blocker

Ad blocking is not a single piece of software that runs everywhere the same way. What an extension is allowed to do is decided by the browser, and the browsers have quietly drifted apart. On Chrome and every Chromium browser — Edge, Brave, Opera, Arc — Manifest V3 replaced the old API that let an extension inspect each outgoing request and decide, in code, whether to cancel it. In its place, extensions register declarative rules that the browser evaluates itself. The upside is real: the extension never sees your traffic, and matching happens in native code, so it is faster. The cost is a cap on how many rules can be active and no way to invent a new rule mid-page.

That constraint is the whole reason the ad-blocking landscape looks different in 2026 than it did in 2022. Blockers whose architecture assumed dynamic filtering had to ship reduced "Lite" versions on Chrome or accept a deprecation clock. NovaBlock was written against the declarative model from the beginning, so the Chrome build is the full product rather than a trimmed one — including the YouTube handling that a generic rule list can't do.

Firefox kept the dynamic filtering API. In practice the two versions of NovaBlock feel identical, but Firefox has slightly more headroom on the awkward cases: ads served from the same domain as the content, where the decision has to be made after the response starts arriving. Brave adds another wrinkle by blocking some ads in the browser itself; NovaBlock sits on top and handles what Brave's shields don't touch, mainly cookie banners, newsletter modals and first-party video ads. Safari is the real outlier — its content-blocking format is separate from the WebExtension world and enforces a much smaller rule budget, which is why a Safari build is a rewrite rather than a repackage.

Installation differs slightly per browser too: Chromium browsers install the Chrome Web Store build directly, Firefox uses its own signed add-on, and both want the toolbar icon pinned so per-site pausing is one click away. Pick your browser above for exact steps, or jump straight to the site giving you trouble on the Block ads on… hub.

Frequently asked questions

Does Manifest V3 stop ad blockers from working on Chrome?+

No, but it changes how they work. Extensions can no longer inspect and cancel each request in JavaScript; they declare rules up front and Chrome enforces them. Blockers designed for the old API lose capability in the move. NovaBlock was built on the declarative model from day one, so nothing had to be dropped.

Is the Firefox version different from the Chrome version?+

The filter lists and the interface are the same. Firefox still supports dynamic request filtering, so a handful of awkward cases — mainly first-party video ads — have slightly more headroom there. In daily use the two feel identical.

Does one licence cover every browser?+

Yes. Premium follows your account, not the install, so signing in on Chrome at work and Firefox at home uses the same licence. The free plan needs no account at all.

What about Edge, Brave and Opera?+

All three are Chromium browsers and run the Chrome build directly from the Chrome Web Store. Brave already blocks some ads itself; NovaBlock layers on YouTube handling, cookie-banner removal and the annoyance filters Brave's shields leave alone.

Is there a Safari version?+

Safari uses a separate extension format with a much smaller content-blocking rule budget, so it needs its own build rather than a repackage. See the Safari page for the current status.