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Safari is fast, but the web can feel cluttered. This guide covers the best Safari extensions for iPhone and iPad to make browsing cleaner, calmer, and more personal.
Safari on iPhone and iPad is fast, secure, and easy to use. What it cannot do by default is everything you wish the modern web did less of, like ads, trackers, cookie pop-ups, and distracting layouts. Safari extensions fill those gaps. They add small features that save time, reduce clutter, and make browsing feel smoother.
A good setup is simple. Pick a few extensions that align with your daily habits, then stop. Here are the best options to start with.
If your Safari feels noisy, start here. AdGuard removes common distractions so pages load faster and you can focus on what you came to read.
AdGuard blocks ads and reduces tracking while you browse. It also lets you control what appears on a page by blocking specific elements, which is helpful when a site has sticky banners, pop-ups, or other clutter that slips through. The result is a smoother browsing experience with fewer interruptions and better privacy.
Cookie banners are everywhere, and tapping through them breaks your reading flow. Consent-O-Matic handles those prompts for you.
You set your preferences once, and it automatically accepts or rejects cookie consent pop-ups based on your choices. You can decide which cookie categories to allow, such as analytics, marketing, or functional cookies. You can also set site-specific rules when you want different behavior on certain websites.
Some websites block basic browser actions like copy and paste or drag and drop. Stop the Madness is built to remove those restrictions so Safari behaves like a proper browser again.
It bypasses common website restrictions and helps make links cleaner. It can expand shortened URLs from services like bit.ly and tinyurl, load the long URL instead, and remove tracking tags from links to reduce click tracking. If you research, quote, study, or work inside Safari, this extension removes a surprising amount of daily friction.
If you want basic privacy or access to geo-restricted sites, a VPN can help. VPNIFY focuses on giving you that experience for everyday Safari browsing.
VPNIFY adds a built-in VPN option for Safari. The free version typically limits the number of available servers, but it still supports unlimited browsing. It is a practical choice when you want a simple VPN layer without switching to a large security suite.
If you prefer one security tool that covers multiple needs, Clario bundles several privacy and protection features into one package.
Clario is positioned as an all-in-one extension focused on privacy and security. It can block ads and trackers, monitor for data breaches, provide a VPN connection, and help block spam calls. It is best for people who want a single app-style solution rather than mixing separate tools.
A password manager is one of the highest-impact upgrades you can make. It saves time and improves security every day. Bitwarden is a popular choice if you want a strong free option.
Bitwarden is an open-source password manager that stores your data with end-to-end encryption. It syncs across devices, includes a password generator, and helps you fill in logins quickly on websites. It also supports self-hosting if you want more control. If you want secure password management without paying upfront, Bitwarden is a solid starting point.
If you want a more premium, organized password system, 1Password focuses on structure and security extras.
1Password can generate strong passwords and fill in logins and credit card details on websites. It supports multiple vaults so you can separate work and personal accounts, plus tags, favorites, and safe sharing. It can also store two-factor authentication codes and alert you when a site you use has been compromised, so you can change passwords quickly.
Adblock Plus is a strong alternative if you want ad blocking with a more “choose what to allow” approach.
Adblock Plus blocks unwanted ads and helps protect you from trackers. It includes an allowlist so you can support specific sites by letting them show ads. It also has an “acceptable ads” approach by default, which keeps some nonintrusive ads visible unless you change the setting. It is easy to install, but the deeper settings can take a little time to tune if you want strict control.
If you type a lot in Safari, Grammarly is the extension that quietly saves you from embarrassing mistakes.
Grammarly provides real-time spelling and grammar corrections while you write in Safari. It also helps with clarity and can suggest tone and style improvements. You can adjust how strict it is and disable it when you do not want suggestions. It is especially useful for emails, forms, messages, and long writing on an iPad.
Dark mode is not available on every website, and bright pages can feel harsh at night. Noir forces dark mode on sites that do not support it.
Noir uses a smart approach instead of a crude color flip. It analyzes a site’s colors and generates a dark style that stays readable and consistent with the page elements. You can customize how dark it gets and have it follow your device’s system dark mode.
If you save links for work, study, or projects, Anybox helps you store and organize them so they are easy to find later.
Anybox is a bookmark and read-later tool that lets you save content across sites, organize it into folders, add tags, and search through everything you saved. It is built for organization first, so your saved links feel like a searchable library instead of a pile.
Safari makes switching search engines slower than it should be. xSearch makes it quick to jump between engines depending on what you are trying to do.
xSearch lets you switch between many search engines without digging into settings. It supports popular engines and platforms like Google, Bing, DuckDuckGo, Yahoo, Baidu, Yandex, Ecosia, Wikipedia, Amazon, and YouTube, and it also supports custom engines by editing the URL. It includes direct search shortcuts and can integrate with Spotlight for faster searching.
On iOS and iPadOS, full-page captures often save as PDFs. If you want a normal image, you can share it like a photo; this extension fixes that.
Page Screenshot captures the full webpage and saves it to your photo library as a JPG. That makes it easier to share, archive, or reference long pages like receipts, research, or guides without dealing with PDFs.
If you build or test websites, mobile Safari can be limiting without developer tools. Web Inspector brings inspection and debugging tools to iPhone and iPad.
Web Inspector lets you inspect HTML and CSS, modify styles, and see changes in real time. It also provides access to web page details, including DOM elements, network requests, console commands, logs, and information on storage and rendering. It is one of the most useful extensions for developers and testers working away from a laptop.
If you want granular control over how specific websites look or behave, userscripts give you that power through scripts.
Userscripts lets you run custom JavaScript or CSS on websites. It supports popular userscript libraries, makes it easy to manage scripts, and allows website-specific customizations. It is more hands-on than most extensions, but it is also the most flexible when you want a site to work exactly your way.
Some video pages feel distracting because everything around the video is bright and busy. This extension creates a simple cinema-style focus effect.
Turn Off the Lights dims the webpage around the video so the content stands out. You can adjust contrast and even change the light color. It supports many popular video sites, and it can also offer a night mode you can activate when you want a more focused viewing setup.
If you watch YouTube regularly, sponsor segments can waste time. SponsorBlock skips those sections automatically.
SponsorBlock skips sponsorship segments inside YouTube videos using community timestamps. You can choose which segments to skip, including sponsorships, intros, outros, self-promotion, and interaction reminders. It does not block regular YouTube ads, but it removes the in-video filler that keeps interrupting content.
If the YouTube player feels heavy in Safari, Vinegar replaces it with a simpler HTML5 player for a cleaner experience.
Vinegar replaces the YouTube player and is commonly used to improve playback and efficiency. It is described as enabling Picture-in-Picture, keeping audio playing when the tab is inactive, and reducing battery drain compared to the default player. Some listings also describe it as blocking ads on YouTube and keeping the interface minimal.
Social media platforms are designed to encourage endless scrolling. SocialFocus helps you hide time-wasting parts so you can use the site for what you actually came to do.
SocialFocus lets you hide distracting elements on sites like YouTube, Facebook, X, Instagram, Reddit, and LinkedIn. You can remove elements such as suggested content, comments, and other nonessential parts of the interface. It can be even more useful to browse social sites in Safari rather than using their apps.
If you want to consume content without staring at a screen, Speechify turns web text into audio so you can listen.
Speechify converts text on websites into speech and plays it with natural-sounding voices. You get simple controls like play, pause, and speed adjustment. It is ideal for blogs, news, and long articles when you want hands-free reading.
After you install an extension app, open Settings > Apps > Safari > Extensions and turn it on. Some extensions also have their own app settings; open the app once to adjust options as needed.
Also Read: How to Use Safari Extensions on iPhone, iPad, and Mac
Start with one extension that removes friction immediately. Most people feel the biggest difference from an ad blocker like AdGuard and a cookie helper like Consent-O-Matic. After that, add one upgrade based on how you browse, such as a password manager, Grammarly for writing, Noir for night reading, or SponsorBlock if YouTube is part of your daily routine.