Open Source Go Ad Blockers

Zen is a free, open-source, system-wide ad blocker and privacy protection application designed to block advertisements, trackers, malware, and unwanted online content across Windows, macOS, and Linux. Unlike traditional browser extensions, Zen operates at the operating system level, protecting users from tracking and advertising embedded in desktop applications, browsers, and system components. The software uses a local proxy to intercept HTTP and HTTPS requests, identify unwanted network traffic, and block connections based on configurable filtering rules. Zen comes with preinstalled ad-blocking and privacy filters while allowing users to import additional hosts files and EasyList-compatible filter lists for customized protection. The application includes a request history dashboard that displays blocked connections and identifies the specific filtering rules responsible for blocking them.