Orion's Content Blocker ​

Table of Contents ​

• Default Blocklists
• Custom Blocklists
• Updating Blocklists
• Adding Blocklists on macOS
• Adding Blocklists on iOS
• Impact of Number of Blocking Rules on Performance
• Third-Party Blocklists
• Regional Blocklists
• Custom Filters
• Blocklist Syntax
• Contributing to Blocklists

Default Blocklists ​

Orion includes the following blocklists by default. The blocklists in bold are enabled by default and provide sufficient protection against most ads and trackers.

• EasyList
• EasyPrivacy
• d3Host List by d3ward
• Hagezi Light DNS Blocklist
• Fanboy's Annoyance
• Hagezi Pro Plus Mini
• Privacy Essentials
• Block third-party fonts

On macOS, you can enable or disable these blocklists in Orion > Settings > Privacy, then click the Manage Filter Lists... button.

On iOS, the blocklists can be managed in the settings: ⋯ > Settings > Scroll down to Content Blocker and tap Manage.

Custom Blocklists ​

In addition to the default blocklists, Orion allows you to customize its ad blocker by using custom blocklists. Blocklists are lists of domains that are known to serve ads, trackers, malware and other annoyances. Orion checks web page requests against these lists and blocks any requests to the listed domains. This prevents ads from being displayed and trackers from following you around.

Updating Blocklists ​

Blocklists are constantly updated as new ad/tracking domains appear. List maintainers work to identify and add new ad-serving domains as they pop up.

On macOS, to manually update blocklists, go to Orion > Settings > Privacy and click Update Now. Wait for the "Processing update" message to disappear.

On iOS, blocklists can be updated in the settings: ⋯ > Settings > Scroll down to Content Blocker and tap Update Now.

Adding Blocklists on macOS ​

To add a blocklist to Orion on macOS, go to Orion > Settings > Privacy and click the Manage Filter Lists... button.

Please note that Orion is compatible with Adblock Plus style blocklists.

Next, in the modal that opens, click the + button.

Then, paste the URL of the blocklist you wish to add and click the Add button. Finally click Done.

Adding Blocklists on iOS ​

To add a blocklist to Orion on iOS, go to ⋯ > Settings > Scroll down to Content Blocker and tap Manage > Add New.

Before following the steps, it is advised to have the blocklist URL already copied to your clipboard. Please note that Orion is compatible with Adblock Plus style blocklists.

Scroll down to the Content Blocker section of the settings and tap Manage.

In the Manage Content Blocker window, click the Add New button.

Then, paste the URL of the blocklist you wish to add and tap the Done button in the top right corner of the window. Finally, tap Done in the Manage Content Blocker window.

The Custom Filter Name field can have any name you see fit.

Impact of Number of Blocking Rules on Performance ​

Orion's content blocker compiles each blocklist to convert it to native WebKit content blocking rules. This results in minimal performance impact dependent on the number of blocking rules that are active. The following chart illustrates the relationship between Orion's WebKit performance vs the number of blocking rules:

Third-Party Blocklists ​

There are different types of lists - general ad lists, regional lists, malware lists, privacy lists, etc. You can customize your ad blocking by choosing which lists you want to add to Orion.

The FilterLists website provides a comprehensive directory of blocklists you can add to Orion.

Privacy ​

Ads ​

Annoyances ​

Security ​

Regional Blocklists ​

EasyList maintains supplementary blocklists that can improve ad blocking on non-English websites.

The list of regional filters is below. Please visit the EasyList website for more information.

Custom Filters ​

Orion allows you to create your own filters directly in Orion Settings.

On macOS, you can enable this feature in Orion > Settings > Privacy > Manage Filter Lists, then check the Custom Filters checkbox, and specify the rules in the text area.

On iOS, custom filters can be added in the Manage Content Blocker window. For example, users wishing to block ads on reddit could add reddit.com##.promotedlink into this section. Once finished, tap Done in the top right corner of the window.

Blocklist Syntax ​

Orion follows the Adblock Plus standard for its blocklist syntax, this means any filters created for Adblock Plus are compatible with Orion. You can learn how to create your own blocklists by following the step-by-step guide, or visit the full blocklist syntax reference for more technical details.

Note: Snippet filters are not supported.

Contributing to Blocklists ​

Many blocklists are open source and maintained by independent groups and communities. Anyone can submit domains for inclusion in the lists.