Not exactly — it has a feature called Threat Manager that blocks ad trackers and shady sites. However, it doesn’t have a full-on ad blocker that also stops ads from showing up on web pages and search engines.
If that’s a dealbreaker for you, try NordVPN or Windscribe since they have good, full-featured ad blockers. But if you want to learn more about Threat Manager, keep reading.
What Does ExpressVPN’s Threat Manager Do?
Threat Manager does 2 things — it blocks ad trackers and malicious websites.
For ad trackers, it basically stops the apps and sites you access on your device from communicating with ad trackers. For example, an ad tracker won’t be able to gather info about which articles you interacted with on a website.
And for malicious sites, Threat Manager just blocks connections to them. ExpressVPN has a blocklist with shady sites that’s regularly updated.
Is Threat Manager a Paid Add-on?
Nope, it’s included for free with each ExpressVPN subscription. To be honest, most good VPNs that have an ad blocker provide free access to it as long as you get a paid subscription — if you find one that doesn’t, I’d avoid it since that seems like a red flag.
What Devices Is Threat Manager Available on?
Right now, it’s available on ExpressVPN’s macOS, Linux, and iOS apps. ExpressVPN says it plans to add this feature to its Windows and Android apps too in the near future — though it has been saying this for almost a year lol.
If you want a VPN ad blocker that’s also on Windows and Android, here are a few good options — NordVPN (has Threat Protection), Windscribe (has R.O.B.E.R.T.), or Proton VPN (has NetShield).
How Good Is Threat Manager?
I haven’t been able to directly test it yet since I don’t have an iOS, macOS, or Linux device. Based on what I have seen from other people on Reddit and Discord, it looks like Threat Manager works really well — it’s able to block connections to pretty much any HTTP site you try to access, and it also scores pretty high in third-party ad blocker tests.
How to Block Ads With ExpressVPN
Well, you obviously can’t use Threat Manager since it doesn’t block ads, just shady sites.
But if you’re dead set on getting ExpressVPN, here’s how you can also block ads when using it:
- Step 1: Get an ExpressVPN subscription, then download and install its app(s) on your device(s).
- Step 2: Next, get uBlock Origin, which is available for free for most browsers. It’s the best ad blocker out there in my opinion, as it can even block YouTube ads.
- Step 3: Use the VPN together with uBlock Origin to enjoy an ad-free and secure experience while browsing the web.
Does ExpressVPN Block YouTube Ads?
No, since it lacks a full-featured ad blocker that gets rid of ads. Instead, it only has a feature that blocks malicious sites — so it could at least protect you from shady phishing websites that try to imitate YouTube.
To be honest, you won’t find any VPN ad blocker that gets rid of YouTube ads — most ad blockers struggle with that, in fact. In my tests, only uBlock Origin has been able to prevent most YouTube ads from loading for me, so I just recommend using that together with the VPN.
Do Other VPNs Have Better Ad Blockers?
Depends what “better” means to you. If you want an ad blocker that, well, actually blocks ads — then yeah there are better alternatives. For example, NordVPN’s Threat Protection feature blocks ads in addition to ad trackers, shady sites, and even malware-infected downloads.
