How to block ads on Spotify podcasts in 2026

Spotify Premium is famous for one thing: no ads. Spotify also has the biggest podcast catalogue of any music app. So it's easy to assume that paying for Premium means ad-free podcasts too. It doesn't. Spotify Premium removes music ads. Podcast ads are a separate system, and they keep playing.

This guide walks through how Spotify's podcast ad system actually works in 2026 and what you can do to block podcast ads if you want them gone.

TL;DR

Spotify Premium does not remove podcast ads on most shows. Music ads only.
The only Spotify-native exceptions are Spotify-exclusive shows that have opted into the company's premium ad-free tier — a small subset of the catalogue.
The most reliable ad-blocking strategies are (1) subscribe directly to the show via Patreon/Substack/Apple Podcasts Subscriptions for an ad-free feed, (2) listen in a different podcast app that handles the same RSS feed, or (3) use playback features (chapter skip, smart speed) to fast-forward through ads inside Spotify.
In-app ad-blockers don't work on Spotify. The platform is closed and DRM-protected at the network level.

How Spotify's podcast ads actually work

Spotify's podcast ads come from two different sources, and the difference matters for what you can do about them.

Host-read ads are baked into the audio file by the podcast itself. The host reads the script, the editor mixes it into the episode, and the ad lives inside the MP3 for everyone, Spotify or otherwise. Pre-roll, mid-roll, post-roll, all the same. These ads are part of the show.

Dynamic ad insertion (DAI) is different. The podcast publishes a clean episode with ad markers, and the hosting platform stitches in fresh ads at the moment you press play. Two listeners playing the same episode hear different ads. Spotify is a major DAI buyer — the ad you hear inside a Spotify podcast is often coming from Spotify's own ad system, not from the show.

The split matters because host-read ads are about as un-blockable as audio gets. They're inside the file. Whatever app you play the show in, the host-read ads play too. DAI ads, on the other hand, are inserted at delivery, and that delivery point is what gives you something to work with.

Our guide to how podcast advertising works covers the mechanics in more depth.

What Spotify Premium actually removes

Spotify Premium removes:

All Spotify music ads (pre-roll, mid-roll, post-roll on music).
Spotify's own audio ads between songs and during shuffle.

Spotify Premium does not remove:

Host-read ads inside podcast episodes (baked into the file).
Most dynamic-ad-insertion ads on podcasts — even Spotify's own DAI ads keep playing for Premium subscribers on the vast majority of shows.

There's a small set of Spotify Originals where Spotify has opted into removing DAI ads for Premium subscribers. That set is much smaller than people expect. You'll know if it applies to a show you listen to because the in-app description will say "ad-free for Premium subscribers." If it doesn't say that, assume the ads play.

This catches a lot of Spotify Premium subscribers by surprise. The Premium subscription is sold around the "no ads" promise, which is true for music but quietly partial for podcasts.

Method 1: Pay the podcast directly for an ad-free feed

For most independent podcasts, the cleanest way to listen ad-free is to pay the show directly. Most paid podcast subscriptions are a few dollars a month and include an ad-free version of the public feed.

Where to find paid ad-free feeds:

Patreon. Most paid podcasts use Patreon's audio tier. Look for a "Subscribe on Patreon" link on the show's website or in their episode descriptions. Once you pay, Patreon gives you a personal RSS URL to paste into your podcast app.
Apple Podcasts Subscriptions. For shows that opted into Apple's subscription store, the ad-free feed is bundled with the paid tier and plays directly in the Apple Podcasts app.
Substack. Newsletter-plus-podcast creators on Substack now publish paid podcast feeds for their paying subscribers.
The show's own site. Some bigger podcasters run their own checkout. Their email confirmation usually includes the private feed URL.

The catch: most paid private feeds don't work in Spotify. Spotify only accepts Spotify-native subscriptions. If you want to listen to a paid feed, you'll need a different podcast app. Which brings us to the next method.

Method 2: Switch apps for podcasts you actually care about

Most podcast listeners use one app for everything. There's no rule saying you have to. If a show you love is buried in ads inside Spotify, the simplest fix is to run a second podcast app alongside Spotify for that specific show.

Most third-party apps (Pocket Casts, Overcast, Apple Podcasts on iPhone, AntennaPod on Android) let you paste a private RSS URL directly. The paid ad-free feed plays in the new app, and Spotify stays your main music-and-occasional-podcast surface.

If you've never set up a podcast app before, our best free podcast apps roundup covers the options. The best podcast apps in 2026 comparison goes deeper on the paid ones.

Method 3: Skip ads in-app with the tools Spotify gives you

If you don't want to leave Spotify, the third option is to manually skip ads inside the app. Spotify's controls aren't great for this, but a few things help.

Chapter skip. Many podcasts now publish chapter markers. If a show you listen to has chapters, you can tap forward to the next chapter to jump past an ad break. Spotify has been slow to surface chapters in the UI, but they're there for a growing share of shows.

15-second skip. The default forward button in Spotify skips 15 seconds. A typical 30-second ad takes two taps. A 90-second ad break is six taps. Not elegant, but it works.

Skip Silence (in other apps, not Spotify). Apps with silence-detection skip past the dead air around ad transitions automatically. This is a feature in a few modern podcast players. Spotify doesn't have it.

What Spotify deliberately doesn't have: a fast-forward-by-ad-segment button. Spotify's interest is in keeping you with the ads playing. The UI reflects that.

What doesn't work

Some things people try that don't work on Spotify podcasts:

Browser ad-blockers (uBlock Origin, AdGuard browser extension). These work on web ads. Spotify podcast ads play through the Spotify app's own audio pipeline. The browser ad-blocker has nothing to see.
DNS-level blockers (Pi-hole, NextDNS). These block ad-serving domains at the network level. Spotify serves podcast ads from its own CDN, mixed in at the audio level. There's no separate ad-domain to block.
VPN trickery. Region-switching to a country where Spotify doesn't carry podcasts doesn't help — you just lose access to the show.
Modified Spotify clients. Third-party Spotify mods occasionally claim to block podcast ads. They violate Spotify's terms of service and tend to get patched quickly. We don't recommend them.

The reason these all fail is the same: Spotify is a closed app with server-side ad insertion. The ad arrives as part of the audio stream, not as a separate request your network can intercept.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Spotify Premium remove all podcast ads?

No. Spotify Premium removes Spotify's music ads (and Spotify's own between-song audio ads) but not podcast ads. A small subset of Spotify Originals are flagged "ad-free for Premium subscribers" — those are the exceptions, not the rule. Most podcasts you listen to on Spotify play their ads regardless of whether you're a Premium subscriber.

Why doesn't Spotify let me skip podcast ads?

Spotify has a commercial interest in keeping podcast ads playing — the ads are an important revenue line for both Spotify and the podcasts that take Spotify-mediated ad money. The UI is shaped accordingly. Chapter skip and the 15-second forward button work as informal workarounds.

Can I use AdGuard or 1Blocker to block Spotify podcast ads?

Not for in-app Spotify playback. Those tools work at the network or browser level. Spotify podcast ads ride inside Spotify's own audio pipeline. To get ad-free podcast listening, you'll need either a paid private feed (Patreon, Substack, Apple Podcasts Subscriptions) or a different podcast app.

Are host-read ads blockable at all?

In practice, no. Host-read ads are baked into the episode file itself. Whatever app you play the show in, the host-read ad plays. The closest thing to "blocking" them is skipping past them with chapter markers, smart-speed silence detection, or manual fast-forward. The paid ad-free feeds that many shows offer often have the host-read ads removed entirely.