Yes, it is possible to play YouTube playlists without ads interrupting your viewing experience. There are a few different methods you can use to avoid ads when watching YouTube playlists.
Use YouTube Premium
The easiest way to enjoy ad-free playback of YouTube playlists is to subscribe to YouTube Premium. This is YouTube’s premium subscription service that provides an ad-free watching experience across all of YouTube, including playlists. With YouTube Premium, you won’t see any ads before, during or after your playlist videos.
YouTube Premium costs $11.99 per month in the United States. There is also a family plan available for $17.99 per month that allows up to 5 additional family members to access Premium features. There is a free 1-month trial available so you can test it out.
Use an Ad Blocker
Another option is to use an ad blocking extension or plugin in your web browser when watching YouTube. Popular ad blockers like uBlock Origin and Adblock Plus will prevent ads from being displayed on YouTube, allowing you to watch playlists without interruptions.
Ad blockers work by blocking requests made by your browser to ad networks. When you have an ad blocker enabled, you won’t see video ads, banner ads, or overlay ads when watching YouTube.
The benefit of using an ad blocker is that it’s free. The downside is that ad blockers need to be installed and updated manually in each browser you use. Also, YouTube may show error messages at times asking you to disable your ad blocker.
Use a Third-Party App
You can also avoid YouTube ads by watching playlists through third-party apps. Apps like Vanced (for Android only), NewPipe, and SkyTube allow playing YouTube videos in their own players without any ads.
Since these apps don’t use the official YouTube app, they can block ads and provide background playback. The video stream itself comes directly from YouTube’s servers, but the playback experience is modified.
Using third-party apps means you don’t have to pay for Premium or mess with browser extensions. However, the apps may have fewer features compared to the main YouTube app and need to be sideloaded on mobile devices.
Use a VPN
VPNs or virtual private networks can also block ads on YouTube by routing your traffic through a private server. This prevents YouTube from determining your real location and serving you targeted ads.
However, free VPNs often have bandwidth limits, slow speeds, privacy concerns, and don’t always reliably block ads. Paid VPNs tend to work better but add another subscription.
VPNs can also unlock region-restricted YouTube videos by letting you change locations. But using a VPN solely for ad-blocking may be overkill for some users.
Use YouTube’s Restricted Mode
YouTube’s Restricted Mode filters out more than just adult content – it also blocks ads on videos. This mode acts as a parental control feature, so it removes ads from playlists and videos.
Restricted Mode isn’t perfect however – some ads may slip through occasionally. Also, you’ll need to toggle it on every time you use YouTube on a new device. But it’s a free option directly from YouTube to enjoy an ad-free experience.
Use a Pi-Hole on Your Network
Pi-Hole is a network-wide ad blocking software that you can install on a Raspberry Pi or on your own Linux server at home. It works by blocking ad-serving domain names via DNS filtering.
Once set up, any device on your home network will have ads blocked by default, including on YouTube. This lets you stream playlists on any device ad-free. You only have to set it up once rather than on each device.
However, Pi-Hole requires some technical expertise to install and maintain. It also only works when you are connected to your home network, not when on public Wi-Fi or cellular data.
Use a Web Browser Extension
There are web browser extensions like Send to TV or ViewPure that allow playing YouTube videos on their own players without ads. When you get a video link, you can send it to the extension player.
Extensions like these work similar to third-party mobile apps by giving you an ad-free playback experience. The advantage is that they integrate right into your browser rather than needing a separate app.
The limitation is that you must manually send videos to the extension player instead of just watching normally on YouTube. So it adds an extra step each time you want to watch a playlist or video.
Use YouTube’s Picture-in-Picture Mode
YouTube’s picture-in-picture mode allows you to float a video in a small window over your other browser tabs and apps. When in PiP mode, videos play without ads.
You can enable PiP on a video, then switch to another tab while the video continues playing ad-free. This trick essentially distracts the ad blockers since you are no longer on YouTube’s site.
Picture-in-picture is convenient but is not widely supported on all browsers yet. Also, enabling PiP on each video can get tedious compared to the other hands-free ad blocking methods.
Use an Antivirus/Firewall Software
Some antivirus and firewall programs like AVG and ZoneAlarm have optional ad blocking features. After enabling the ad blocking, these security programs will remove ads from YouTube videos.
The advantage is that if you already use one of these security tools, ad blocking comes baked in at no extra cost. However, the ad blocking may not be as comprehensive as dedicated ad blocker programs.
Use a Raspberry Pi as an Ad Blocker
You can also turn a Raspberry Pi into a standalone ad blocking device for your network using software like Pi-hole or AdGuard Home. Once configured, the Raspberry Pi will block ads across all devices on your network.
While this requires technical expertise to set up, it provides network-wide ad blocking for all connected devices. And the Pi uses very little power always being on. However, it won’t block ads when away from your home network.
Caveats
While the methods above allow you to avoid video ads when watching YouTube playlists, keep in mind:
- YouTube creators rely on ad revenue, so excessive ad blocking deprives them of income.
- Blocking YouTube ads violates Google’s Terms of Service.
- Some methods like third-party apps and web browser extensions may have privacy risks.
- YouTube may deploy countermeasures if ad blocking becomes too widespread.
The best approach is to whitelist your favorite YouTube channels and allow ads on them whenever feasible. But the methods described above give you options to enjoy an ad-free experience when you want it.
