More than 1 in 5 people who visit Wired Magazine's website use ad-blocking software. Starting in the next few weeks, the magazine will give those readers a choice: stop blocking ads, pay to look at a version of the site that is unsullied by advertisements, or go away. It's the kind of move that was widely predicted last year after Apple allowed ad-blocking in the new version of its mobile software, but most publishers have shied away from it so far.

Wired plans to charge $US3.99 ($5.63) for four weeks of ad-free access to its website. In many places where ads appear, the site will simply feature more articles, said Mark McClusky, the magazine's head of product and business development. The portion of his readership that uses ad blockers are likely to be receptive to a discussion about their responsibility to support the businesses they rely on for information online, McClusky said.

Wired, the first site to feature a web banner ad in 1994, will now give it all up in exchange for direct payment from readers.

There are legitimate reasons that people use ad blockers, according to McClusky, like a desire to speed up web browsing or not wanting to be tracked online. But Wired has bills to pay. "I think people are ready to have that conversation in a straightforward way," he said.

The magazine's editors are explaining the move in a note to readers: