What Blokada does

Blokada is a Sweden-based open-source consumer privacy company, legally Blocka AB, founded in 2016 and headquartered in Gothenburg. It develops a suite of mobile and cross-platform applications that block advertisements, trackers, and malware primarily at the DNS layer using encrypted DNS (DNS over TLS and DNS over HTTPS), supplemented by an optional WireGuard-based VPN tunnel. Its flagship products are Blokada 5 (a free, on-device Android ad blocker), Blokada 6 and Blokada Cloud (subscription cloud-based DNS filtering with a web management dashboard available across Android, iOS, Windows, macOS, and Linux), Blokada Plus (a WireGuard VPN add-on supporting up to five devices), and Blokada Family (a subscription parental control app with content filtering, safe search, and activity monitoring).

The product suite is built on open standards rather than proprietary infrastructure: filtering happens at the DNS level, encryption uses the WireGuard protocol, and the codebase is published on GitHub under an MPL-2.0 license with 3.2k stars, 230 forks, and 2,378 commits. Blokada states it serves 'hundreds of thousands of users every day' and distributes through Google Play, the Apple App Store, direct APK download, the app.blokada.org web dashboard, GitHub, and WireGuard-compatible clients on additional platforms.

The business model is freemium subscription plus donations, with no advertising revenue and no disclosed user data sales. Revenue streams consist of recurring monthly subscriptions to Blokada 6, Blokada Plus, and Blokada Family, alongside voluntary donations accepted via card, PayPal, IBAN, and cryptocurrencies (Ethereum, Bitcoin, Stellar). Pricing is presented in euros (e.g., donation tiers at €10/€20/€50) with a 7-day refund policy on subscriptions. The company has no disclosed institutional funding, operates with 11-50 employees, and relies on its open-source community, forum, Telegram chat, newsletter, and earned media for acquisition rather than paid marketing.

Name

Blokada

Legal name

Blocka AB

Website

https://blokada.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Blokada (Blocka AB), founded in 2016 in Gothenburg, Sweden, builds an open-source consumer privacy suite of mobile and cross-platform apps that block ads and trackers at the DNS layer and offer a WireGuard VPN, monetized via freemium subscriptions and donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Mobile Privacy Software

akta.pro primary industry

Parental Controls, Content Filtering & Family Digital Safety for Smart Homes (HSAHAJAG)

Keywords

• Mobile ad blocker
• Privacy VPN service
• DNS-based filtering
• Parental control app
• Open source privacy

Headquarters

HQ city

Gothenburg

HQ country

Sweden

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Subscriptions (Blokada Plus): VPN subscription service using WireGuard protocol, available in both Blokada 6 and Blokada 5 apps. Users pay for enhanced privacy protection with VPN connectivity.
2. Subscriptions (Blokada 6): Cloud-based adblocking solution requiring subscription for access, offering multi-device management and web-based monitoring dashboard.
3. Donations: Voluntary donations from users who want to support the open source project. Accepted via card, PayPal, bank transfer, and cryptocurrency (Ethereum, Bitcoin).
4. Cryptocurrency Payments: Accepts Stellar, Bitcoin, Ethereum and other cryptocurrencies for Blokada Plus subscriptions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Blokada is a suite of open-source mobile privacy applications for Android and iOS. The core offerings include DNS-based ad blocking (Blokada 5 and Blokada 6), a WireGuard-powered VPN service (Blokada Plus), and a parental control app (Blokada Family). The products block ads, trackers, and malware at the DNS level while encrypting DNS queries to prevent tracking.

Product overview

Blokada is a suite of privacy apps for Android and iOS consisting of four main products: Blokada 6 (cloud-based adblocking with subscription), Blokada 5 (free open-source ad blocker), Blokada Plus (VPN upgrade using WireGuard), and Blokada Family (parental control app). Blokada 6 and Blokada Cloud provide modern cloud-based content blocking with web dashboard management, while Blokada 5 offers free on-device adblocking. The VPN service (Blokada Plus) integrates with both versions and extends privacy protection across multiple devices.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Blokada 6: Modern cloud-based mobile content blocking solution requiring subscription. Manages and monitors on web with encrypted private DNS.
• Blokada 5
• Blokada Plus
• Blokada Cloud
• Blokada Family

Products and services

• Blokada 5 Free, open-source ad blocker for Android that blocks ads, trackers, and malware across all apps and browsers without requiring root or jailbreak.
• Blokada 6 Subscription-based cloud-based mobile content blocking solution that protects multiple devices from ads and tracking, with web-based management dashboard, encrypted private DNS, and zero battery drain.
• Blokada Plus VPN subscription service using WireGuard protocol for ultimate privacy protection. Encrypts all network activity, hides IP address, supports up to 5 devices, available on Android and iOS with cross-platform WireGuard app support.
• Blokada Family Dedicated parental control app for safe and controlled internet access on children's devices. Features customizable content filters, activity monitoring, safe search, social media blocking, and malware protection.
• Blokada Cloud Cloud-based adblocking service usable on any platform supporting DNS over TLS/HTTPS (Windows, macOS, Linux, browsers). Included in Blokada 6.

Quantifiable outcome

• Blocks ads & trackers without breaking encryption (safe design)
• +2 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• WireGuardcoreTechnology or IntegrationBlokada Plus uses WireGuard VPN protocol for encryption. WireGuard is a registered trademark of Jason A. Donenfeld. The integration enables fast, modern VPN protection with low battery usage.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Cloudflare WARP (1.1.1.1): Cloudflare's WARP offers free encrypted DNS and VPN-style traffic protection via the 1.1.1.1 app, with optional family content filtering. It is a broad incumbent that competes with Blokada's free and freemium encrypted DNS and VPN proposition at scale.
• Adblock Plus: Adblock Plus (from eyeo) is one of the most widely deployed ad blockers with a large established user base and an Acceptable Ads program. It is a broad incumbent in the same end-user ad-blocking category where Blokada operates.

Direct peers

• AdGuard: AdGuard offers a direct, end-user ad blocker with VPN across mobile and desktop, monetized via subscriptions. It is the closest commercial analogue to Blokada's ad blocker + VPN stack and competes head-to-head for the same privacy-conscious consumers.
• NextDNS: NextDNS provides cloud-based, DNS-level content blocking and privacy protection with a freemium subscription model. It directly overlaps with Blokada Cloud / Blokada 6 on encrypted DNS filtering, cross-device management, and subscription pricing.
• Pi-hole: Pi-hole is an open-source, community-driven DNS ad blocker typically self-hosted on home networks. It shares Blokada's DNS-blocking approach and open-source ethos, targeting a similar technically inclined, privacy-aware audience.
• Mullvad VPN: Mullvad is a Sweden-based, privacy-first VPN provider using WireGuard with anonymous account creation. It is a direct competitor to Blokada Plus VPN and is similarly positioned on Swedish jurisdiction, no-logging policies, and privacy maximalism.
• ProtonVPN: ProtonVPN, part of Proton AG, offers a subscription VPN with WireGuard support and integrates with Proton's broader privacy ecosystem. It overlaps with Blokada Plus on VPN plus ad/tracker blocking and targets similar paying privacy-conscious consumers.
• 1Blocker: 1Blocker is a paid iOS content blocker focused on Safari ad and tracker blocking. It competes with Blokada's iOS offering for privacy-conscious mobile users willing to pay for ad blocking on Apple devices.
• AdLock: AdLock provides cross-platform ad blocking with a subscription model similar to Blokada 6. It competes directly for paying users seeking system-wide ad and tracker blocking on mobile and desktop.

Emerging players

• Quad9: Quad9 provides a free, privacy-focused encrypted DNS service that blocks malicious domains. It is a partial competitor to Blokada's DNS-layer blocking approach, particularly for users seeking no-cost privacy DNS.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/blokadaorg
• GitHubgithub.com/blokadaorg/blokada
• Facebookfacebook.com/blokadaorg

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Blokada