I’m not sure about you, but when I visit a website & it throws unlimited ads & pop-ups at me, I feel annoyed and usually leave the site. These best ad blockers will make sure that you don’t have to feel the same irritation while browsing.
Ad Blockers are the tools that are designed to stop the disturbing and domineering advertisements on web-pages which aren’t using them ethically thus, ruining the trouble free user experience.
Moreover, tracking your cookies and similar advertisement trackers can elevate the security concerns. Some of the ads even force you to download and install the fake PC tuners, Anti-Malware, Anri-Virus, Flash update and Java programs.
This is the point where the ad blockers and pop-up blockers come in. These best ad blockers will block the most annoying ads and update themselves so that new ads that are spam, won’t appear on your screens.
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Our List Of The Best Ad Blockers
Adblock Plus
AdBlock Plus is one of the most famous and controversial ad blockers. It’s easy to install on Chrome, Firefox and Opera, and it’s free for users. It allows the display of so-called “non-intrusive ads”, which is the controversy.
AdBlock Plus shares revenue with the companies that display ads, so you can say that the business model is not that different to the sites you want to block ads from.
However, it blocks annoying ads that cover what you’re trying to see, as well as pop-ups and pop-downs. Switching between blocking on and off is also easy for the website you are currently browsing.
There is a whitelist in the options where you can manage your unblocked sites. Sometimes, AdBlock Plus blocks what we describe as intrusive ads, but this rarely happens, at least on all of the sites we use on a regular basis.
Adblock Plus is the most popular browser extension for Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, Opera and Android. Its main purpose is to remove all intrusive ads from your browsing experience, such as banner ads, pop-up ads, pop-under ads, background ads, and more.
How does Adblock Plus work?
Telling the Adblock plus to filter and block the specific advertisements isn’t difficult. It isn’t able to start blocking the ads on its own, so you will need to subscribe to some filters that will guide this ad blocker in blocking your required ads.
As you install the Adblock plus and start it for the first time, it will give you the option to choose some filters, you can choose them according to your need and it will deliver you the required results.
This is one of the best ad blockers which will provide you with a customized experience. Blocked ads typically leave a space or “ads label” on the page.
Adblock Plus can still remove them by a feature called “element hiding”. Adblock Plus hides certain elements of a web page based on certain characteristics.
Is Adblock Plus blocking too much?
Adblock Plus may prevent certain websites from functioning properly. Usually, an error isn’t the cause of this issue in Adblock Plus, but here you are dealing with an issue with the app’s filters (or your subscriptions) you use that provokes Adblock Plus to filter the content that should not be blocked.
You can disable the ad blocker temporarily to verify this issue. If this “solves” the problem, then its definitely a bad filter.
You can use the “Report a problem on this page” feature to report an error filter that will collect the requited data for the current page, on its own.
Is Adblock Plus not blocking an ad?
If you find an ad that Adblock Plus isn’t able to block, first check that you’re using the correct filters. For example, it is unrealistic to expect an English subscribed filters to filter the advertisements on a German website – you will surely need the German filters subscribed to fulfill that task.
If you don’t see any error in the subscribed filters then, the subscription maintainer may not be aware of this particular issue at all, and you must contact them with the “Report a problem on this page” feature and the feature will collect the required data for the current page, on its own.
AdBlock (Chrome, Opera, Safari)
AdBlock (not related to AdBlock Plus) is another major ad blocker extension for Chrome, Safari and Opera browser users.
AdBlock uses a list of filters to block ads automatically from ad servers that are already known to it. You can either use the default list of blocked ad servers or subscribe to other block lists.
You can create your own block lists too and even whitelist your favorite sites. As one of the most downloaded Chrome and Safari extensions, AdBlock has earned the trust of many users around the world.
AdBlock is easily confused with AdBlock Plus but is created by different developers and not strictly free. When you install an extension on Firefox, Chrome or Safari, it will display a message asking for a donation of at least £5.
You don’t have to pay for it because you can simply close the tag, but if you like AdBlock, it’s a good idea to support the developer because it happens to be one among the best ad blockers. You can even choose to remove warning messages that pop up on certain sites where you use ad blockers.
You can create an exception list so that you can still use sites that are not available in all blocked situations, such as some online banks. So you can support your favorite YouTube channels, as well as a whitelist dedicated to adding these channels.
AdBlock can be adjusted to allow an acceptable ad – similar to a “non-intrusive” ad in AdBlock Plus. AdBlock works best in Firefox, but it works poorly in Chrome.
AdBlocker Ultimate (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Opera)
AdBlocker Ultimate is a free browser-based ad blocker that offers a large number of offers for people who don’t have an ad agency, and strictly prohibits ad serving.
It also does not have any corporate sponsorship for advertising through whitelisted websites. In addition, AdBlocker Ultimate can block known malware, adware and tracking domains.
The plugin is available for popular browsers such as Chrome, Firefox, Safari and Opera. AdBlock Ultimate excels at deleting most of the ads you might encounter.
In testing, it was able to eliminate ads on YouTube and most of the display ads on the various sites tested on. AdBlocker is one of the most used and positively rated ad blocking softwares.
It has 4.84 points out of 5 and more than 600,000 installs. Unfortunately, this plugin has not been updated for more than a year, so its score will be further reduced.
AdAway (Android)
Android users with root devices can check out AdAway, a free open source ad blocker for the host file level, so when an app or web page makes a request to a specific ad provider, it will go to a blank IP address (127.0. 0.1).
This saves your bandwidth and prevents you from sending spam through your ads. AdAway allows you to use host files from various sources or host files you create, and optionally blacklist or whitelist specific addresses and add your own redirects.
You need to allow third-party apps to be installed (or download AdAway via the F-Droid app) because there is no AdAway in Play Store.
Firefox Focus (Android)
Firefox Focus is a member of the Mozilla family of browsers. This is a privacy-oriented version of Android that combines ad blocking and anti-tracking into a lightweight and useful package.
Firefox Focus blocks ads and speeds up browsing, while also using privacy-friendly features such as automatic history and cookie clearing. Users can selectively block ads, analytics, content, and social trackers by easily switching, turning on “invisible” mode, and setting a default search engine.
You can install any of the many ad blocking extensions on Firefox’s desktop version (it also has its own built-in blocking), but Mozilla has created a dedicated mobile browser called Focus for Android and iOS.
This is primarily about privacy, which means that by default it works the same way as private browsing on other browsers. But unlike many non-real private “incognito” modes, Focus does not save your history, cookies or allow websites to track you.
It also blocks ads. This makes it easy to read content on a smaller screen and saves data plans when you don’t download ads. This is a streamlined experience with no tags or other clutter, so it should appeal to people who like simple things.
If the site does not load properly due to cookies and other trackers being blocked, you can allow them and log in or otherwise use the site. The browser allows you to selectively block different things, including social trackers, analytics and other content.
Brave browser (desktop, Android, iOS)
Brave Browser builds ad blocking and privacy features in its desktop and mobile versions to better protect users and provide an all-in-one package that is independent of extensions for increased security and privacy.
Brave includes ad blocking and anti-tracking settings, built-in HTTPS Everywhere functionality, and optional blocking and whitelisting options. Interestingly, Brave has a “brave payment” system, user-supported micro-payments, and then released to partner publishers that block ads from the app, so you don’t have to browse ads without feeling that you’re depriving online publishers of revenue.
1Blocker (iOS)
Another application that takes full advantage of iOS content blocking is 1Blocker, a powerful and highly configurable content blocker that comes preloaded with a lot of ad blocking settings, while also giving users the freedom to create their own content blocking rules.
Users can easily block ugly ads and social widgets with a tactile switch, and users can also whitelist specific pages if they want to pass content.
Previously a paid app, 1Blocker is now available for free, free users can block one type of content (ads, social widgets, etc.); advanced upgrades provide unlocking unlimited blocking.
HTTPS Everywhere (Chrome, Firefox, and Opera)
An extension which is well known to serve the purpose of blocking ads on Firefox, Chrome and Opera is Https Everywhere. It is a result of the joint venture of two quite well acclaimed internet giants Tor and the Electronic Frontier Foundation.
It rewrites all the http requests to https, thus providing you with an opportunity of encrypting your internet connection and making the internet world safe for you.
This means that when there is an SSL secure version of the site (https), HTTPS Everywhere will automatically redirect you to the secure version of the website you are visiting.
NoScript (Firefox)
NoScript blocks JavaScript and other plugins that can be used as advertisements, or malware attack vectors. Displayed as a small button at the bottom right of the Firefox window, you can set NoScript to global or selectively block scripts, even allow specific sites to pass permanently or temporarily, and whitelist sites or providers.
High customization and great features makes NoScript an excellent security and ad blocking tool, either alone or in combination with other ad blockers. Please note that NoScript may break certain website features.
This Firefox-only ad blocker is not really an ad blocker, but a script interceptor. NoScript prevents all types of scripts from being loaded on your web pages: Javascript, Flash and many other plugins. You can allow certain types of scripts, but by default the service takes up some hands.
The result is that you will block most of the display ads you encounter. This includes radical Orlando sentinel ads that most of the other options on the list are hard to stop.
However, NoScript does not block video ads at all, nor does it prevent most autoplay video ads. This makes it very good at blocking certain types of ads, but it is difficult to block other ads.
ScriptSafe (Chrome)
ScriptSafe is a Chrome tool inspired by NoScript that is designed to provide similar scripting features for Chrome users.
Unfortunately, due to technical details in Chrome design, ScriptSafe and similar programs do not match the NoScript functionality on Firefox.
Still, people behind ScriptSafe have done a lot of work, allowing users to block different levels of blocking, blacklisting or whitelisting domains, and more.
Ghostery (Chrome, Firefox, Opera, Safari)
Another cookie and tracking interceptor, Ghostery is available for Firefox, Chrome, Opera and Safari. Like previous programs, Ghostery helps users discover and block ads and social media trackers.
What make Ghostery stand out is its vast database and the ability to connect you with privacy policies and the choice of many tracking and advertising companies.
Since then, it has enabled mobility through the Ghostery Privacy Browser (Android, iOS), bringing the same tracker positioning capabilities to mobile devices.
It’s also free and can block a variety of ads and trackers. Its working mode is to get the data that the tracker gets about you, make it anonymous and sell it to a third party.
You can choose not to use this feature when you run the extension for the first time so that no data is shared. This icon is located in the top right corner of the browser and, like all extensions; you can click on it to see the main interface, which is one of the better interfaces.
It provides a button to pause the block and trust the current website, so ads and trackers will not be blocked in the future.
Privacy badger (Chrome, Firefox)
The privacy extension of the Electronic Frontier Foundation (Chrome, Firefox) was born out of EFF’s concerns about certain privacy tools and ad blocker business models.
Privacy Badger’s features are similar to AdBlock Plus (based on it) and Ghostery extensions, observing the various tracking tools that advertiser and other third parties may use to track your online activity and selectively block them from executing.
It has integrated learning algorithm that adapts to the websites you visit. While not a clear ad blocker, this tool will block some ads, determined by the aggressiveness of the ad on the site.
OrBot and OrFox (Android) or Onion browser
Users who wish to access the Tor anonymous network on their mobile devices can consider a variety of good options. OrBot and OrFox combination is one of the most trusted options for Android users.
OrBot is the proxy connector application for the Tor network, and OrFox is a privacy-enhanced version of Firefox based on the early work of the Guardian Project’s Or Web anonymous browser.
OrFox adds some quality of life to OrWeb, most notably tabbed browsing. On iOS, users can try using Onion Browser as a reliable Tor browsing option.
Either way, you should know you are trading speed for anonymity, because routing through Tor will slow down your browsing.
AdGuard AdBlock
It is commendable that the AdGuard AdBlock is fully compliant with all your requirements. It can help you to block all types of ads.
The major drawback of AdGuard is that it has an advanced version which isn’t free. However, one can’t tell what are the premium features that are available after making the payment.
AdGuard has not let out information about that because it doesn’t use the standard comparisons to tell what are the free features and what are the paid ones.
The way the documentation is supported hardly helps clear it. The basic version is all that you will need and is not subject to functionality (limited features).
In addition, Adguard is one of the best ad blockers and this claim is supported by a whooping 4 milliom downloads by Chrome users plus a superior rating as compared to other ad blockers.
Looking at all these features I think the free basic version of this ad blocker is worth a try. When tested, AdGuard distinguishes itself from other ad blockers in a way that it doesn’t only block all types of ads very efficiently but also blocks the ad frames with the word “advertising” that most others still allow to load.
Opera browser
If you’re looking for a built-in ad blocking experience without the downloads of plugins and extensions, the Opera browser is a great option.
Opera is the simplest, fastest and most carefully built browser and among the very first web browsers to have provided an incorporated ad blocker. Opera’s ad blocker is also very useful.
When you open it in Settings, you’ll notice that it almost blocks every type of ad that you encounter. The only deviation to the discovery is that it can’t block Forbes’ common interstitial ads (reference ads that often pop up before scrolling the article).
In other words, Opera blocks all other ad types, including the ad type on Orlando Sentinel.
uBlock AdBlocker Plus
Simplicity and effectiveness are the crowns of uBlock AdBlocker Plus. What makes it different from other best ad blockers in this guide is that it has a very simple outlook.
Still, developers can do better. For example, the plugin’s website is just a single pager with simply the name, no other information is included.
Although uBlock AdBlocker Plus can efficaciously block most ads, it still lacks some features. It does not block autoplay ads on sites that are tested on it.
With some ads still loading, you can use the Element Blocking option to block particulars items from loading. Similar is the case with the stubborn Orlando Sentinel.
This ad blocker prevents elements from working and does not cause the page to reload (usually other ad blockers with block element feature allow reloading).
I find it worth mentioning that uBlock Adblocker Plus is definitely makes use of the open source code, but developers have not listed this ad blocker as open source yet.
Adgurd
Usually an in-built ad blocker within a browser isn’t efficient enough to fulfill all your needs. In this scenario you should check out the Adguard android version.
Being one of the best ad blockers Adguard android version claims to block all the unpleasant ads on the web, giving you a smooth, advertisement-free browsing experience.
Any ads that your mobile browser throws at you can be blocked by this amazing ad blocker and it can also be used to filter the ads in your mobile games.
Some other prominent features that are worth mentioning include the firewall protection, phising attacks protection, preventing the malware injections and optimized loading time for websites.
Any ads that your mobile browser throws at you can be blocked by this amazing ad blocker and it can also be used to filter the ads in your mobile games.
Some other prominent features that are worth mentioning include the firewall protection, phising attacks protection, preventing the malware injections and optimized loading time for websites. It also has a built-in VPN which you won’t see with many similar applications.
Because of the unavailability in the Play Store, you will need to download this ad blocker from the app’s own website and follow a few simple steps to complete the installation.
Appbrain ad detector
A more modern and powerful ad blocker which not only can be used to block all types of ads and pop-ups but also sniff them is AppBrain Ad Derector.
It works with an extremely different approach. It can actually “sniff” the ads, far beyond the usual snoops of advertisement.
Being one of the best ad blockers, it has the ability to block spammy notifications and ads that are pushed your way along with filtering the app networks that can damage your operating system. The app sticks to its private eye essence and actually lets you see the tools that developers use.
For beginners and professionals, the usage of AppBrain Ad Detector is easy. Using “Concerns” tab, you can immediately check out any damages. From there, any ad network connected to the social SDK and development tools can be detected.
Trust Go
Are you cautious about mobile ad networks that collect personal information from the apps you use? TrustGo Ad Detector scans and double protects your Android device from privacy violations and identity leaks that may occur through ads displayed in Android apps.
Use your Android device with care to keep your personal information safe and secure. TrustGo Ad Detector is a different type of ad blocker as it can protect the security of your personal information.
If you like this list of top 2o best ad blockers, please share it with your friends and tell us which one of them is your personal favorite?
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