Pinterest and uBlock Origin: Does It Block Pinterest Ads?
Tam Nguyen
· 6 min read
Partly. The full version of uBlock Origin can hide many promoted pins on pinterest.com, because the EasyList filter list it uses includes a few Pinterest rules, and its element picker lets you hide more by hand. Those rules don’t target shopping pins or suggestion modules, can stop working when Pinterest changes its page code, and on Chrome the full uBlock Origin no longer runs at all. Its replacement there is uBO Lite.
uBlock Origin is an excellent free tool, and we don’t want to talk anyone out of it. Here’s where it does well on Pinterest and where it falls short.
Does uBlock Origin block Pinterest ads?
uBlock Origin (uBO) doesn’t contain its own list of Pinterest ads. It applies filter lists, and for ads the main one is EasyList. So the question is really “what do the filter lists say about Pinterest?”
We read the source of the lists to find out. In October 2026:
- EasyList’s site-specific hiding rules had three cosmetic rules for Pinterest. They hide grid items whose footer contains an outbound
rel="nofollow"link, a structural signal that matches how promoted pins are built. - All three rules are scoped to
pinterest.com. - EasyList’s allowlist contains
@@||pinterest.com^$generichide, which turns off generic element hiding on pinterest.com. In practice, only the Pinterest-specific rules apply there. - The uBlock filters lists we checked had no rules aimed at promoted pins. uBO’s annoyances list does have Pinterest rules, but they deal with login prompts, overlays and a cookie banner, not ads.
That is a reasonable setup. Matching page structure instead of the word “Promoted” means the rules don’t depend on your language. But it also explains the gaps below.
Why do generic filters leave gaps on Pinterest?
This isn’t a knock on filter list maintainers. They cover the whole web, and Pinterest is one site among thousands. These are general limits of cosmetic filtering.
Pinterest changes its markup
Cosmetic filters hide elements by matching CSS selectors. Pinterest’s page code uses short generated class names and test attributes that can change when Pinterest ships an update. When the thing a rule matches changes, the rule quietly stops working until someone notices and fixes it. Filters you make yourself with uBO’s element picker often depend on those generated class names, so they tend to break sooner.
Country domains aren’t always covered
Pinterest runs country sites such as pinterest.de, pinterest.fr and pinterest.co.uk. A filter scoped to pinterest.com applies to pinterest.com and its subdomains, not to a different domain like pinterest.de. Unless a rule lists those domains, it doesn’t apply there.
Text filters only speak one language
A common do-it-yourself fix is a procedural filter like :has-text(Promoted). It works, but only for that exact word. If you browse Pinterest in German, Spanish or Japanese, the label is different and the filter misses it.
Shopping pins and modules aren’t ads
Ad filter lists target ads. Shopping pins, the “Shop the look” block and suggestion modules like “Popular on Pinterest” are Pinterest’s own content, so lists like EasyList generally leave them alone. If you want those gone, you write the filters yourself.
What changed for uBlock Origin on Chrome?
Google replaced the extension platform Chrome uses, moving from Manifest V2 to Manifest V3. The full uBlock Origin is a Manifest V2 extension, so it was phased out:
- Chrome started disabling Manifest V2 extensions in the stable channel in October 2024, and 9to5Google reported uBO being turned off for users that month.
- Per Google’s Manifest V2 support timeline, Chrome 138 (July 2025) removed the option to turn them back on, Chrome 139 removed the enterprise exception, and on August 31, 2026 the remaining Manifest V2 extensions were removed from the Chrome Web Store.
The developer’s answer on Chrome is uBO Lite (uBOL). According to the uBO Lite FAQ:
- By default there’s no generic cosmetic filtering in uBOL. You have to raise the filtering mode to “Complete” to get it.
- Its built-in rulesets are compiled from filter lists and update only when the extension itself updates.
- A June 2026 note says custom filters and subscribing to external lists are now available.
- The developer says uBOL is less effective on some sites, because many filters can’t be converted into the rule format Manifest V3 requires.
If you want the full uBlock Origin, Firefox still supports it. Mozilla said in February 2025 that Firefox is keeping Manifest V2 alongside Manifest V3.
How is a Pinterest-specific ad blocker different?
A site-specific blocker trades breadth for depth. It does nothing on the rest of the web, but every rule is written for Pinterest and maintained by people watching Pinterest.
Feed Cleaner for Pinterest is the one we make (Feed Cleaner is our extension, and it isn’t affiliated with Pinterest). Here’s what that focus gets you:
- Promoted pins are removed on the home feed, in search results and in “More to explore” on pin pages.
- It recognizes ad labels in 25+ languages and works on 22 Pinterest country domains, not just pinterest.com.
- It also hides shopping pins, video pins and suggestion blocks like “Popular on Pinterest” and “Shop the look”. Each one can be switched back on.
- You choose how hidden ads behave: Remove closes the gap so the grid reflows, Blank keeps an empty card so nothing jumps, and Swap covers the ad with a similar-shaped pin from your feed.
- Filter updates arrive without an extension update, and a “Report a missed ad” button sends us anything that slips through.
It’s free, with no account and no tracking.
The limits are real too. It only works on Pinterest, so it’s not a replacement for a general ad blocker. It’s an extension for Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Brave, Opera and Vivaldi, and it doesn’t work inside the Pinterest phone apps.
uBlock Origin vs a Pinterest ad blocker: side by side
| uBlock Origin (full, Firefox) | uBO Lite (Chrome) | Feed Cleaner | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free | Free (optional Pro) |
| Works on | The whole web | The whole web | Pinterest only |
| Promoted pins on pinterest.com | Covered by EasyList rules | Depends on filtering mode and built-in rules | Yes |
| Pinterest country domains | Only if rules include them | Only if rules include them | 22 domains |
| Shopping pins, “Shop the look” | Only with your own filters | Only with your own filters | Yes, with toggles |
| Suggestion modules | Only with your own filters | Only with your own filters | Yes, with toggles |
| Filter updates | Lists update on their own | Built-in rules update with the extension | Without extension updates |
| Trackers and ads on other sites | Yes | Yes | No |
| Pinterest phone apps | No | No | No |
Can you use uBlock Origin and a Pinterest blocker together?
Yes. They do different jobs: uBO handles ads and trackers across the web, and a Pinterest blocker handles Pinterest. The uBO Lite FAQ advises against running another content blocker alongside it. Ours only runs on Pinterest pages, so any overlap is limited to Pinterest. If something on Pinterest looks broken, turn uBO off for that site with its power button and see whether it clears up.
When is uBlock Origin alone enough?
Stick with uBO alone if you:
- Mostly use pinterest.com, not a country domain, and only want promoted pins gone.
- Don’t mind shopping pins and suggestion modules.
- Are comfortable writing or fixing a filter when Pinterest changes something.
Add a Pinterest-specific blocker if you browse a Pinterest country domain, want shopping and suggestion blocks hidden too, or just don’t want to maintain filters yourself. For the non-extension options, see our guide on how to stop seeing ads on Pinterest.
FAQ
Does uBlock Origin Lite block Pinterest ads?
It can block some, depending on its filtering mode and the rules built into the version you have. Generic cosmetic filtering only runs in “Complete” mode, and built-in rules update with the extension.
Does uBlock Origin work in the Pinterest app?
No. Extensions don’t run inside apps. In the Pinterest app, you’re limited to Pinterest’s own options, which we cover in can you turn off Pinterest ads.
The short version
uBlock Origin is a great general blocker and handles a good share of Pinterest ads on pinterest.com. If you want Pinterest fully cleaned up, across languages and country domains and including shopping and suggestion blocks, a Pinterest-specific blocker fills those gaps, and the two work fine side by side.
Written by Tam Nguyen, who builds Feed Cleaner for Pinterest. Feed Cleaner is independent and not affiliated with Pinterest. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.