Is there a maximum number of lists one should subscribe to?

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Just chiming in to say that it’s really about the size of / amount of entries in the lists being subscribed to, as opposed to the number of lists.

For example:

  • AdAway hosts is currently ~350kb (approximately 8,800 entries | extremely lightweight, mostly mobile ad-blocking)
  • Dan Pollock’s hosts is currently ~475kb (approximately 15,400 entries | basically lightweight general ad-blocking)
  • Energized Spark hosts is currently ~1.2mb (approximately 42,500 entries | approaching medium weight general ad & tracker blocking)
  • OISD’s basic hosts is currently ~1.35mb (approximately 71,000 entries | medium weight general ad & tracker blocking)
  • My own CPBL hosts is currently ~2.5mb (approximately 100,000 entries | upper end of medium weight general ad, tracker, and malware blocking)
  • HBlock hosts is currently ~5.5mb (approximately 200,100 entries | lower end of heavyweight general ad, tracker, and malware blocking)
  • Energized Blu hosts is currently ~6mb (approximately 230,000 entries | lower end of heavyweight general ad, tracker, and malware blocking)
  • Developer Dan’s ad-blocking hosts is currently ~12mb (approximately 368,000 entries | heavyweight general ad, tracker, and malware blocking)
  • Energized Basic hosts is currently ~13mb (approximately 400,500 entries | heavyweight general ad, tracker, and malware blocking)
  • Energized Ultimate hosts is currently ~21mb (approximately 992,000 entries | extreme upper end of heavyweight general ad, tracker, and malware blocking)

I find that a large majority of ads and trackers one would encounter in daily browsing and application use can be avoided by using one or two regularly updated lists in the medium weight categories, and for many users, a combination of the lightweight lists would suffice. Occasionally things may fall through the cracks, but it’s seldom enough to not be a real issue, and us list maintainers are always improving coverage.

I notice performance issues start to show up on very low memory devices (like Android GO phones) when using lists that greatly exceed roughly 200,000 entries in Blokada (and similar applications like DNS66), so that’s something to keep in mind if you have a real budget device. If your device has 3gb or more RAM, then you can get away with a good deal more, but shouldn’t just subscribe to everything. It should also be noted that the larger a list gets, the more potential there is for false positives and performance issues. Anyway, the best way to choose lists is according to your needs, and the specs of your particular device. I would be hard pressed to say there’s an exact limit to what Blokada can handle, though personally, the largest list I would use from Blokada’s selection on any device would be HBlock.

TLDR: There are four guidelines to follow. 1. Lower memory devices should ideally be using smaller lists. 2. Higher memory devices can get away with using larger lists. 3. Only subscribe to lists which you see as crucial to improving your experience and safety. 4. Avoid subscribing to more than one heavyweight list at a time.

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