Without LOR from Advisor?

[OliverXu]

I'm applying for Ph.D. schools for 2019 Fall. Don't have a LOR from advisor because I think he will not be happy if I seek other opportunities. He is a person like controlling and I heard from other faculties that he will try everything he could to keep me in this department. honestly, I don't like his working style and need to get out. Anyway, there is not a single one LOR from him. Will this hurt my application? I have one from my master advisory committee, another from my undergraduate mentor and from a master course professor. Please let me know if anyone had been in the same situation!

 

[TheHoff]

I was in a similar situation, my advisor is controlling person that tries to make people stay with him at the department. 

Last year I sent my applications without his LoR and got interviewed by 1 school and accepted without funding at 2. Maybe it hurts a little bit but it doesn't look like it is the end of your chances.

This year I decided to ask for his LoR because even though he would probably not be happy about it, I don't think he can write a bad LoR to me when I got A's on all his classes and published 2 papers with him in the last year.