The BlockerYes, you can block porn on iPhone for free. Turn on Apple’s Limit Adult Websites in Screen Time, add a free DNS filter such as CleanBrowsing’s Family filter, and use The Blocker’s free version in Safari. Each one misses something on its own. Together, with a Screen Time passcode kept by someone you trust, they cover more and are harder to undo on impulse.
Written by the developer of The Blocker, which is one of the options below. Facts checked 28 September 2026. Settings names can differ with your iOS version and language.
1. Apple Screen Time: Limit Adult Websites
This filter is built into iOS and costs nothing. Apple’s content-filtering guide says it “limits access to many adult websites automatically.” Note the word many: Apple does not say it catches all of them.
On iOS 26, for your own iPhone:
- Open Settings › Screen Time › Content & Privacy Restrictions and turn it on.
- Tap App Store, Media, Web, & Games › Web Content.
- Select Limit Adult Websites. To block a particular site as well, Apple says to “tap Add Website below Never Allow” and enter its address.
Apple changed several Screen Time pages for iOS 27, and its iOS 27 guide does not list these steps for your own iPhone. If your menus look different, check Apple’s guide. Setting this up for a child? See how to block porn on a child’s iPhone.
The limits: Apple describes its built-in filter as meant for “simple or limited content-filtering needs.” Apple does not publish which third-party browsers follow it, so test any other browser you keep. And anyone who knows the Screen Time passcode can switch it off.
2. A free DNS filter
Before your phone opens a website, it looks up the site’s address. That lookup is called DNS. A DNS filter refuses to look up blocked sites, so they don’t load. Because it works below the browser, it can reach every app and browser on the phone while it is switched on.
CleanBrowsing Family filter
CleanBrowsing’s filter page says its Family filter “blocks access to all adult, pornographic and explicit sites.” It also blocks proxy and VPN domains that people use to get around filters, blocks mixed-content sites such as Reddit, and sets Google, Bing and YouTube to SafeSearch. The lighter Adult filter leaves Reddit, proxies and VPNs alone.
The free tier needs no account, but it is throttled and has no support. On iPhone you can set it up in two ways:
- A configuration profile, which CleanBrowsing recommends (iOS 14 or later): download the profile from CleanBrowsing’s setup page, then go to Settings › Profile Downloaded › Install and enter your device passcode.
- The CleanBrowsing app: open Free Filters, tap Activate Family, and allow it to add a VPN configuration.
OpenDNS FamilyShield
OpenDNS FamilyShield, from Cisco, is free, needs no sign-up, and is “preconfigured to block adult content.” Its two addresses, from the OpenDNS setup guide, are 208.67.222.123 and 208.67.220.123.
On iPhone, DNS is set for each Wi-Fi network: open Settings › Wi-Fi, tap ⓘ next to the network, tap Configure DNS, and enter the two addresses (Apple’s Wi-Fi guide). It applies only to that network. OpenDNS recommends setting it on your home router instead, which covers every device on your home Wi-Fi.
The catch: a DNS filter is a setting on the phone. Anyone who can open Settings can change the DNS back, remove the profile or switch the app off. We found no Apple page saying Screen Time locks these DNS settings, so treat a DNS filter as an extra layer, not a lock.
3. The Blocker’s free version
The Blocker is a Safari content blocker for iPhone and iPad (iOS 17.2 or later). The free version includes:
- the adult category, blocked in Safari;
- up to 10 websites of your own choice, added in Block Rules;
- the 30-day challenge and a rescue page with a short breathing exercise (when you join the challenge and turn on The Blocker Stats);
- a Face ID lock on the app;
- Test it, which checks that blocking works in Safari.
There is no account. Safari applies the rules on your device, and the content blocker can’t see which pages you open.
The limit: it works in Safari and in apps that open web pages in a Safari view. Chrome, Firefox, Brave and other browsers are not covered. Pro, a paid upgrade, adds more categories, unlimited sites, schedules, a delay to unblock, activity insights and private iCloud sync. You don’t need Pro for anything on this page. Get it on the App Store, then follow the iPhone setup guide.
Compare the free options
| Tool | Cost | What it covers | Account needed | Main limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Screen Time: Limit Adult Websites | Free, built into iOS | Safari; Apple doesn’t publish which other browsers follow it | No new account | Apple says “many” adult websites, for “simple or limited” needs |
| CleanBrowsing Family filter (free tier) | Free | Web lookups from every app while the profile or app is on | No | Throttled, no support; can be switched off in Settings |
| OpenDNS FamilyShield | Free | Only the Wi-Fi network you set it on | No sign-up | Set per network; easy to change back |
| The Blocker (free version) | Free; Pro is optional | Safari and apps that open pages in a Safari view | No | Safari only; up to 10 sites of your own |
Stack them
No list can promise to catch every page, and each tool above misses something. Layers cover each other’s gaps. The setup we recommend:
- Turn on The Blocker in Safari, in every Safari profile you use, and add the sites that matter to you.
- Then turn on Limit Adult Websites in Screen Time. The Blocker’s own setup notes that this keeps Safari extensions switched on, so turn The Blocker on first. Anyone with the Screen Time passcode can still undo it.
- Remove other browsers, so the browser you use is the one The Blocker covers.
- Ask someone you trust to set the Screen Time passcode.
Add a DNS filter on your home Wi-Fi if you want reach beyond Safari. To make the whole setup slow to undo, follow how to make a porn blocker hard to turn off. Also weighing paid apps? See the best porn blockers for iPhone.
Questions people ask
Is there a completely free way to block porn on iPhone?
Yes. Apple’s Limit Adult Websites filter, the free tiers of CleanBrowsing and OpenDNS FamilyShield, and The Blocker’s free version all cost nothing. None of them catches every page, which is why stacking two or three helps.
Does Screen Time’s adult filter work in Chrome?
Apple does not publish a list of the browsers that follow Limit Adult Websites. Test each browser you keep, or remove the ones you don’t need. The Blocker does not cover Chrome; it works in Safari.
Can someone switch a DNS filter off?
Yes. A DNS filter is a setting on the phone. Anyone who can open Settings can change the Wi-Fi DNS back, remove the profile or turn the app off. Treat it as a helpful layer, not a lock.
Which free option should I start with?
Start with The Blocker’s free version in Safari, then Limit Adult Websites, then ask someone you trust to set the Screen Time passcode. Add a DNS filter if you use other apps or browsers you can’t remove. Set up The Blocker.