What you can do about Pinterest ads right now
Pinterest shows ads in your feed, search results, and on pins themselves. You have three main routes: use an ad blocker extension in your browser, pay for Pinterest Premium to remove ads, or adjust your ad preferences to see fewer targeted ads. An ad blocker is free and works when ready. Pinterest Premium costs $7.99 per month and removes all ads. Adjusting your preferences is free but doesn't eliminate ads — it just makes them less personal to you.
The trade-off matters. Ad blockers can break some Pinterest features, especially the "Save" button and pin recommendations. Pinterest Premium is the only method that guarantees no ads while keeping all features working. If you use Pinterest occasionally, an ad blocker may be enough. If you use it daily or rely on recommendations, Premium might be worth the cost.
Key Takeaways
- Ad blocker extensions like uBlock Origin and Adblock Plus block Pinterest ads for free but may prevent the Save button from working properly.
- Pinterest Premium ($7.99 per month) removes all ads and keeps all features intact, but you pay a monthly fee.
- Adjusting your ad preferences in Pinterest settings reduces targeted ads but does not eliminate them entirely.
- Some ad blockers work better with Pinterest than others — uBlock Origin tends to cause fewer feature breaks than Adblock Plus.
Using a browser extension to block ads
Ad blocker extensions are programs you add to your browser that hide ads before they load on the page. The most common ones are uBlock Origin, Adblock Plus, and Brave (which has ad blocking built in). They are free and work on most websites, not just Pinterest.
To install an ad blocker, go to your browser's extension store. In Chrome, that is the Chrome Web Store. In Firefox, it is Firefox Add-ons. In Safari, it is the App Store. Search for "uBlock Origin" or "Adblock Plus", click Add or Install, and confirm. The extension will start working when ready on all websites you visit.
The catch: some ad blockers interfere with Pinterest's Save button and pin recommendations. uBlock Origin causes fewer problems than Adblock Plus on Pinterest specifically. If you install an ad blocker and the Save button stops working, try switching to a different one or disabling the blocker just for Pinterest (most extensions let you do this by clicking the extension icon and toggling it off for that site).
Paying for Pinterest Premium to remove all ads
Pinterest Premium is a paid subscription that removes all ads from your account. It costs $7.99 per month (or $79.99 per year if you pay annually). You can start a free trial for seven days to see if it is worth it to you.
To start a trial or subscribe, open Pinterest on any device, click your profile icon in the top right, select Settings, then scroll to "Upgrade to Premium". You will see the pricing options and can start the trial from there. If you use a credit card, Pinterest will charge you after the trial ends unless you cancel before the trial expires.
Premium also includes other features beyond ad removal: you get a "Verified" badge on your profile, access to analytics if you have a business account, and the ability to schedule pins to post later. If you only care about removing ads, the other features may not matter to you.
Adjusting your ad preferences to see fewer targeted ads
Pinterest lets you control what kinds of ads you see, though this does not remove ads entirely — it just makes them less personal. You can tell Pinterest not to show you ads based on your browsing history, location, or interests.
To adjust your ad preferences, go to your profile icon, select Settings, then scroll to "Ad preferences". You will see options to turn off personalized ads, hide ads from specific advertisers, or tell Pinterest which topics you are not interested in. Turning off personalized ads means Pinterest will show you random ads instead of ads matched to your behavior, which many people find less annoying even if ads are still there.
This method is useful if you want to reduce tracking without paying or installing software. It does not work as well as an ad blocker or Premium, but it is a middle ground if you want to stay on Pinterest's default settings.
How ad blockers work and what they block
Ad blockers work by comparing every element on a webpage to a list of known ad servers and ad networks. When the blocker finds a match, it prevents that element from loading. This happens invisibly — you just see a page without ads.
Most ad blockers use filter lists maintained by volunteers. The most popular list is EasyList, which covers ads on thousands of websites. uBlock Origin uses EasyList by default and adds its own filters on top. Adblock Plus uses a similar approach but allows some ads through if they meet its "Acceptable Ads" standard (you can turn this off in settings if you want to block everything).
Ad blockers cannot block ads that are baked directly into Pinterest's code — only ads served by external ad networks. Pinterest's own promoted pins and sponsored content may still show up even with an ad blocker running. The blocker will catch most ads, but not every single one.
Why some features break when you use an ad blocker
Pinterest's Save button and recommendation system sometimes break with ad blockers because Pinterest uses the same servers to deliver both ads and content recommendations. When an ad blocker blocks requests to those servers, it can accidentally block the recommendations too.
This is not intentional — the ad blocker is just being overly cautious. You can fix it by adding Pinterest to your ad blocker's whitelist (a list of sites where the blocker does not run). In uBlock Origin, click the extension icon while on Pinterest, then click the power button to disable the blocker just for that site. In Adblock Plus, right-click the extension icon and select "Disable on this site".
If whitelisting does not fix the problem, try switching to a different ad blocker. uBlock Origin is generally more precise than Adblock Plus and causes fewer feature breaks on Pinterest.
Comparing your three options side by side
| Method | Cost | Removes all ads | Keeps all features | Setup time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ad blocker extension | Free | Yes, usually | Sometimes breaks Save button | 2 minutes |
| Pinterest Premium | $7.99/month | Yes | Yes | 1 minute |
| Ad preferences only | Free | No | Yes | 3 minutes |
Frequently Asked Questions
Will Pinterest ban me for using an ad blocker?
No. Pinterest cannot detect whether you are using an ad blocker on your device — the blocker runs on your computer, not on Pinterest's servers. Using an ad blocker does not violate Pinterest's terms of service.
Can I use an ad blocker on the Pinterest mobile app?
Not directly. Ad blockers are browser extensions, and the Pinterest app does not support extensions. You can use an ad blocker in the mobile browser version of Pinterest (pinterest.com on your phone's browser), but not in the app itself. Some phones have system-level ad blockers, but they are less reliable than browser extensions.
If I cancel Pinterest Premium, do the ads come back?
Yes. As soon as your subscription ends, ads return to your feed. You can cancel anytime in Settings under "Upgrade to Premium" — just click "Manage subscription" and select Cancel. Pinterest will not charge you again after you cancel, even if you do not delete your account.
Do I need to pay for uBlock Origin or Adblock Plus?
No. Both are free extensions. Some ad blockers offer paid versions with extra features, but the free versions block ads just as well. Do not pay for an ad blocker unless you specifically want premium features like customer support.
What happens if I use both an ad blocker and Pinterest Premium?
Nothing bad happens — the ad blocker just becomes unnecessary. Premium already removes all ads, so the ad blocker will have nothing to block. You are paying for Premium but not getting extra value from the ad blocker. You could disable the blocker on Pinterest to avoid any feature conflicts.