WebShield is on TestFlight!

[arjpar]

TestFlight

Join the TestFlight! https://testflight.apple.com/join/1t5HfEGS

Disclaimer

I should state that when you run WebShield and load new sites you will get a popup asking if WebShield can "access other apps data". This is because WebShield stores the blockerList.json and advancedBlocking.json in a shared group container for WebShield. The popup is an intended macOS security design to prevent rogue apps from accessing other apps data. I'll try to fix this in the next release. I saw how wBlock fixed it, and I would prefer an alternative approach. For now you can either accept each popup dialog, or you can give WebShield full disk access. If you're worried if WebShield accesses other apps' data, don't fret, it doesn't. And if you don't trust me you can verify this by viewing the source code. Specifically the files FilterListProcessor (saving filter lists to blockerList.json and scriptlet/extended css injection to advancedBlocking.json) and ContentView (where we save an empty blockerList.json if nothing is selected). You can also see ContentBlockerEngine for when we fetch advanced blocking rules, and ContentBlockerRequestHandler for when we fetch normal Safari content blocking rules converted from filter lists.
tldr: you will get a popup asking if WebShield can access app data. This is completely normal as WebShield is accessing the info for filter lists for the current site. You can disable this by giving WebShield full disk access. WebShield only accesses data from its group container.

Keep in mind that WebShield is in beta, and this is the first release candidate of the first beta release, so there will be bugs. Please report any bugs in the issues tab of this GitHub repository. For real-time discussion and support you can join the discord. If you want to use a more indexable and persistent format (for search engines) you can use these GitHub discussions.

Donations

I've pretty much been working on WebShield part time as a full time student for free, except paying with my free time. If you would like to donate to me to support this project here are a few links:

• Ko-Fi: @imarjuna
• Buy Me a Coffee: @imarjuna
• GitHub Sponsors: @arjpar
• LiberaPay: @imarjuna

"WebShield is and will always remain free, with all core ad-blocking functionality available to everyone. We believe in keeping the web clean and accessible, without hiding essential features behind paywalls.

As an independent, self-funded project, WebShield relies exclusively on user donations to sustain its development. This funding model is intentional—it ensures our incentives align perfectly with our users' interests. By choosing this path over revenue from ads, tracking, or deals with ad companies, we maintain our independence and stay true to our privacy-first principles.

WebShield+ offers a tiered support system: the more you contribute, the greater your influence on WebShield's future development. Your level of support directly correlates with the weight your voice carries in shaping our roadmap and future features.

For a modest contribution (starting at $1 either monthly or as a one-time payment), WebShield+ offers:

• Early access to release candidate versions and experimental features
• Direct communication with the development team
• Influence on WebShield's roadmap (scaled with contribution level)
• A special badge on Discord
• The satisfaction of supporting a truly independent ad-blocker

As mentioned above, I develop WebShield as a full-time student, dedicating and paying with my free time to create the best possible ad-blocking experience for Safari users. While supporting the project is entirely optional, every donation directly funds our continued development and independence. This user-supported model allows us to maintain our unwavering focus on privacy and performance, free from the compromises that come with alternative funding sources.

Our commitment to providing a powerful, free ad-blocker for all Safari users remains unchanged. We believe in creating a product valuable enough that users choose to support it, rather than forcing their hand through paywalls or compromising with "acceptable ads."

Together, we can redefine ad-blocking for Safari, prioritizing user privacy, performance, and a cleaner web experience for everyone."

Differences between wBlock and WebShield

wBlock & WebShield are pretty much 2 twin projects. We started around the same time, and have most of the same goals. The difference is that wBlock wants to have a separate macOS & iOS/iPadOS/visionOS program, whereas I want to have a unified codebase. Off the top of my head the other differences are:

• SwiftData: WebShield uses "pure" SwiftData instead of UserDefaults when possible. wBlock uses UserDefaults instead of SwiftData.
• Portability: WebShield has been designed from the ground up making an iOS/iPadOS/visionOS app easier to develop. In fact I tested Mac Catalyst builds and it worked fine, but Mac Catalyst doesn't support Safari extensions yet, so I had to go with a full macOS build, which I already made. For iOS/iPadOS/visionOS builds I just need to switch "WebShield Scripts" to a WebExtension, because iOS doesn't support Safari App Extensions. It's that easy to create new builds for those platforms.
• The Code: Initially wBlock & and WebShield shared very similar code, but ever since I switched to SwiftData I pretty much had to re-write the app multiple times. The latest commit you'll see things organized in multiple files, I removed the folders in the latest commit to debug some build issues I was having, but I respectfully think the code is more organized than wBlock, where most of the logic is mostly in BlockListManager. I'll be adding back the folders in later commits.
• Eventually WebShield will be using a WebExtension instead of a Safari App Extension for "WebShield Scripts" (scriptlet/extended css injection)
• WebShield uses a more updated scriptlets & extended-css injection file than wBlock

With that said, wBlock is a great adblocker. If you like it and feel like WebShield is better enough, continue using wBlock. I'm not trying to conquer the world with WebShield, I want ads to be gone for Safari users.

Concluding Thoughts

I want WebShield to be so good that it's something that you recommend it to your friends, family, coworkers, etc. It's a continual ongoing journey. This initial beta rc release is the first step towards that.

I would like to conclude by stating that (dare I say) I believe WebShield may be more performant and efficient than uBlock Origin, at least for Chromium, for Firefox it is at least on par. More testing is needed to ensure that my conclusions and evaluations aren't "machine dependent" because I personally can't believe it. uBlock Origin has a reputation for being the most performant and efficient ad blocker. If only there was an updated benchmark to test adblocker performance and efficiency..... (foreshadowing)