SoundCloud is a broadly inclusive music platform that welcomes not only mainstream music, but also underground music. However, if you are using the free version, you will often encounter the interruption of ads. You may be asking, "How do I remove SoundCloud ads?" Fortunately, that's exactly what this guide covers!
In this guide, you will find 9 effective SoundCloud ad blockers and tools that allow you to listen to SoundCloud without ads on Windows, Mac, Android, and iPhone devices. For each tool, we will provide you with step-by-step guidance on where to download and how to use it. Without further ado, let's get started!
Part 1. Does SoundCloud Have Ads?
Yes, SoundCloud has ads. These ads are an important source of revenue for the platform, allowing SoundCloud to offer listeners a free service while supporting independent musicians.
How often are SoundCloud ads? The frequency of ads depends on what you're playing and where you are geographically. Generally, ads appear every 2-3 tracks. Each advertisement lasts 15-30 seconds and cannot be skipped. These ads often promote new music releases, live performances, music-related brands, or premium subscriptions to SoundCloud.
However, only free users will have ads. If you want to get rid of these annoying ads, the most straightforward way is to upgrade to SoundCloud Go and SoundCloud Go+ subscription. Both plans offer a free trial period (7 days for the Go version and 30 days for the Go+ version) that allows you to temporarily experience the ad-free streaming service. However, it should be noted that once the trial period is over, it may automatically renew the subscription and deduct $4.99 (for the Go version) or $9.99 (for the Go+ version) per month. Don't want to pay for that? That's okay, we'll provide you with free ways to block ads on SoundCloud in the following sections.
Part 2. How to Block SoundCloud Ads on Windows and Mac
2.1 Use SoundCloud Ad Blocker Chrome Extensions
The first method we present is to install a SoundCloud ad blocker Chrome free extension. Tools such as AdLock, AdGuard, AdBlock Plus, etc. can help you skip ads on SoundCloud Web Player. We recommend them because these extensions work on all computers, as long as your computer can download the Google Chrome app. For how to use each ad blocker for SoundCloud, we will introduce them one by one.
Tool 1. AdLock
AdLock is a full-featured Chrome extension that effectively blocks all ads on websites, video streaming services, social networks, and more. Users will no longer see any banner ads, pop-ups, video ads, and audio ads on streaming services including SoundCloud. Here's how to use AdLock to skip SoundCloud ads:
- Open the Google Chrome application on your computer.
- Go to the Chrom Web Store.
- Type "AdLock" in the search bar.
- Find "AdLock" in the search results and click the "Add to Chrome" button.
- In the pop-up window, click "Add extension" to start the installation.
- After the installation is complete, the AdLock extension will usually start blocking ads automatically.
- Now, visit SoundCloud.com in your browser to unlock ad-free listening.
Tool 2. AdGuard AdBlocker
Unlike AdLock, AdGuard not only removes ads, but also protects your privacy from websites. Here's what you need to do to use AdGuard for SoundCloud no ads listening:
- Open the Google Chrome and go to the Chrome Web Store.
- Search for "AdGuard."
- Select "AdGuard AdBlocker" from the search results and click "Add to Chrome."
- Click "Add extension" to install it.
- The AdGuard icon will appear in your browser's toolbar and start working automatically.
- For advanced customization, click the AdGuard icon to access its settings, where options such as custom filters, incognito mode, and whitelisted websites can be explored.
- Visit SoundCloud.com to listen to ad-free music.
Tool 3. AdBlock Plus
AdBlock Plus is one of the most widely used ad blocking extensions. It blocks most of the pop-ups, video ads and banners on YouTube and everywhere else you browse. We recommend this extension to ad blocking newbies and users who prefer a simple, effective tool with minimal configuration. To stop ads on SoundCloud using the AdBlocker Plus extension, here's what you need to do:
- Visit the Chrome Web Store in the Google Chrome app.
- Search for "AdBlock Plus."
- Click "Add to Chrome" and confirm installation.
- Once the installation is complete, it will immediately start blocking most ads.
- Now, visit SoundCloud.com and enjoy an ad-reduced browsing experience.
2.2 Try Open-Source SoundCloud Ad Blocker Tools
For those who prefer a system-wide ad blocker, ZenPrivacy (also known as Zen) is a good choice. Zen is an open-source, free ad blocker and privacy protector for Windows, macOS, and Linux. Unlike browser extensions, Zen functions by setting up a local proxy that intercepts HTTP and HTTPS requests from all applications on your computer. This allows Zen to block not only ads in the SoundCloud Web Player, but also potential ads in the SoundCloud desktop application.
- Download and install from Zen's official website.
- Run the installer and follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation.
- Open the Zen application. It will automatically start blocking ads using the default filters.
- Go to the SoundCloud Web Player or the official SoundCloud desktop app and start playing music.
- There shouldn't be any ads interrupting you at this point. But if you're still experiencing ads, check out the Reddit post that includes a list of domains that block SoundCloud ads.
- Adding the blacklist and whitelist to Zen's custom filters will help you remove all audio ads on SoundCloud.
2.3 Download Ad-Free SoundCloud Music with ViWizard
Want an ad-free SoundCloud experience? Try ViWizard SoundCloud Music Downloader. It is an application that works on Windows and Mac computers. By using ViWizard, all SoundCloud users (including free tier users) are able to download all tracks, playlists, albums, podcasts, or entire like lists from SoundCloud without ads. This method gives you a lot of benefits as it:
- helps SoundCloud free users to download unlimited songs without limitations.
- converts SoundCloud music to MP3, FLAC, WAV, AIFF, M4A and M4B.
- preserves original audio quality and ID3 tags.
- keeps your SoundCloud music library forever, no subscription required.
- batch downloads up to 65x faster.
- ensures you listen to SoundCloud offline on any device, without ads!
A versatile all-in-one streaming music recorder to extract songs, albums, playlists, and exclusive content from Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, Tidal, Deezer, Pandora, SoundCloud, Qobuz and LINE MUSIC into popular formats like MP3 — with support for original sound quality, fast batch conversion, and built-in music management to help you save, organize, and enjoy your favorite tracks anytime, anywhere.
Steps to Download SoundCloud Music without Ads
Step 1 Set Download Preferences
Launch the ViWizard SoundCloud Music Downloader. Click the menu icon (☰) and select Preferences. In the pop-up window, go to the Conversion tab. Here you can select the audio output format and fine-tune the bitrate, sample rate, and audio channel parameters to get the best audio quality. When you are done, click OK to save the settings.
Step 2Select SoundCloud as the Source
Since the ViWizard software is an all-in-one music downloader, you will see 9 music streaming icons when you return to the main ViWizard interface. To download from SoundCloud, just click on the SoundCloud logo and ViWizard will immediately open the built-in SoundCloud web player.
Step 3Select the Music You Want to Download
In the embedded SoundCloud player, use the search bar to find the song, playlist, album, or any audio content you want to download. Once you've found it, click the + button in the lower-right corner to have ViWizard scan the audio on the current page. Next, click the Add to List button in the pop-up window to queue the selected track for conversion.
Step 4 Download Music
Hit the Convert button to start the download process. Once the download is complete, go to the History section where you can play and listen to the converted SoundCloud music directly in the ViWizard software or click the folder icon to view the downloaded audio files in the local output folder on your computer. Now you can either listen to ad-free SoundCloud music on your computer or transfer them to any device for seamless ad-free music playback.
Part 3. How to Block Ads on SoundCloud Android and iPhone
Blocking ads on mobile devices is more challenging due to operating system design and app-specific ad delivery mechanisms. Fortunately, there are a few methods on Android and iPhone that can reduce or completely skip ads on SoundCloud. Let's take a look at how these SoundCloud ad skippers work!
3.1 For Android Users
Option 1. Use AdGuard for Android
AdGuard for Andriod is a system-wide ad blocker that filters all outgoing and incoming network traffic, including ads in the SoundCloud app. In addition, it offers features such as HTTPS filtering, which is a key feature in blocking ads for encrypted connections. Therefore, we highly recommend you to use this application as it works at the network level and makes ad blocking super effective.
However, it should be pointed out that due to the Google Play Store's restrictions on system wide ad blockers, the Android version of AdGuard is only accessible from the official AdGuard website.
- Open a browser on your Android device and visit adguard.com.
- Download the latest APK file and install it on your device.
- It is necessary to enable "Unknown sources" in the security settings of your device to allow installation of third-party applications outside the Play Store.
- Launch the AdGuard application.
- Follow the on-screen instructions to set up basic functions.
- To specifically skip ads in the SoundCloud app, navigate to AdGuard's settings and enable "HTTPS Filtering".
- Install the security certificate as prompted.
- Launch the SoundCloud application on your Android phone.
- AdGuard will now filter and block most audio ads while you play music in the app.
Option 2. Try SoundCloud Mod APKs
SoundCloud Mod APKs are unofficial, modified SoundCloud Android apps that unlock SoundCloud premiun features and ad-free music playback. Some SoundCloud ad-free APKs are modified by third parties to remove in-app ads, which is what makes the modified APKs so appealing. However, we need to clarify that these APKs are not 100% safe. We recommend that you download them from a trusted APK site. Check out the comprehensive guide below to choose the right APK for your needs.
Are you looking for free SoundCloud mod APKs? Check out this review to explore the SoundCloud mod APK you will love and discover a safer alternative to SoundCloud premium features.
To use the SoundCloud Mod APK, you will need to uninstall the SoundCloud app on your Android device and then allow "Unknown Sources" in your phone's security settings. You can then download an APK that states ad-free from a secure website. Next, open the APK and sign in to your SoundCloud account (it's best to sign up for a new account in case your account gets banned) . Now you should be able to listen to SoundCloud music without ads.
3.2 For iPhone Users
Compared to Andriod, Apple's iOS ecosystem is not as friendly to system-wide ad blockers. Nonetheless, with the help of the Safari browser extension and DNS methods, you can finally get SoundCloud playback with no ads. Let's see how we can make this happen.
Option 1. Enable Safari Content Blockers
iOS allows ad-blocking apps to run on the Safari web browser. This means that if you play music through the SoundCloud web player in Safari, these blockers will stop the ads. AdBlock Pro is one of the most popular and reliable tools available. To use it, do the following steps:
- Download AdBlock Pro from the App Store.
- Open the AdBlock Pro app and follow the prompts to set the basic configuration.
- Go to the Settings app > Apps > Safari > Extensions.
- Tap on the AdBlock Pro extensions and toggle on "Allow Extension."
- With AdBlock Pro enabled, visit SoundCloud Web Player through Safari.
This method does not remove 100% of audio ads during playback, so please try it yourself. If it doesn't work, it's best to try another method.
Option 2. Use AdGuard DNS Settings
So, is there a solution to block ads at the system level without using a VPN app or jailbreaking your phone? AdGuard DNS offers a free solution!
It is a free DNS (Domain Name System) filtering service provided by AdGuard. You can set up your iPhone's Wi-Fi directly to use AdGuard's DNS servers. Then, when an internet request comes in, it first passes through these DNS servers, which filter known advertising and tracking domains before the request reaches the device. Although the configuration requires some patience and a few taps, you can make it work by following the steps below:
- Open the Settings app.
- Tap on "WLAN."
- Tap on the small blue "i" icon next to the currently active Wi Fi network.
- Scroll down and select "Configure DNS." Change the setting from "Automatic" to "Manual".
- Tap on the red minus sign, then click "Delete" to delete any existing DNS entries.
- Tap on "Add Server" and enter one of the AdGuard DNS addresses: 94.140.14.14 or 94.140.15.15. Both can be added.
- Tap on "Save" in the upper right corner of the screen to apply the changes.
- Open the SoundCloud app. With the new DNS settings, advertisements should be significantly reduced or eliminated.
Part 4. FAQs About SoundCloud Ads
Q1.Why is SoundCloud giving so many ads?
A1.SoundCloud uses ads to fund the platform and support independent musicians on the platform. Since the service allows all SoundCloud users to listen to millions of tracks for free, relying on ad revenue to keep the platform running has become essential.
Q2.Is SoundCloud ad blocker safe?
A2.Most Chrome extensions and DNS blockers are safe to use, and you can usually download these ad blockers from official channels such as the Apple App Store or Google Web Store, but APK mods and scripts may pose risks.
Q3.Does SoundCloud Go remove ads?
A3.Yes, upgrading to SoundCloud Go or Go+ will remove ads and unlock other features such as offline listening.
Q4.How to get no ads on SoundCloud for free?
A4.Use a combination of ad blockers, DNS filters, or use tools such as ViWizard SoundCloud Music Downloader to download music with no ads for offline playback.
Conclusion
This guide provides you with 9 tools to block SoundCloud advertisements. From browser extensions and DNS settings to open-source tools and fully offline downloads, each method can meet different needs and devices. If you are looking for the most reliable solution, ViWizard SoundCloud Music Downloader allows you to enjoy your favorite tracks offline completely ad free. Choose the the method that works best for you and take control of your SoundCloud music today.
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Matt Smith, a digital entertainment industry enthusiast at ViWizard, is dedicated to providing insightful commentary and solutions for music and media-related topics, including industry trends, analysis, and recommendations.
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