Best Ad Blockers in {{year}: Top 5 Picks for Privacy and Speed

What would the internet be without ads? Most users would probably say, “better.” Fortunately, the best ad blockers can remove banners, pop-ups, video ads, and other distractions while improving privacy and security.

A modern ad blocker offers more than just ad hiding. Many also block tracking technologies and cookie banners, and they speed up page loading. Below, we break down the top options.

Most people install an ad blocker for one reason: ads are annoying. But ad blockers can do more than clear up your screen. They can also:

There are plenty of free and paid ad blockers out there. Most work with all major browsers, though each has its own unique features and nuances.

We’ve rounded up some of the best ad blocker extensions and apps available today. Our evaluation considered ad-blocking effectiveness, tracking protection, ease of use, browser compatibility, and performance impact.

uBlock Origin is open-source and delivers powerful ad blocking with minimal impact on CPU and memory. It blocks banners, pop-ups, autoplay videos, cookie banners, and sponsored content. The app can block many YouTube ads, including most pre-roll and mid-roll advertisements.

uBlock Origin stands out for its extensive customization options. With just a few clicks, you can block third-party JavaScript and create dynamic filter rules for each website. If you don’t need that, uBlock Origin works right out of the box—no setup required.

AdGuard is one of the few ad blockers that offers both browser-based and system-wide protection. What sets AdGuard apart is that it’s not just a browser extension but also a standalone app for all major operating systems. That means it blocks ads across all your apps, not just in your browser.

While the browser extension is free, the full desktop and mobile app, which offers system-wide protection, stealth mode, and parental controls, requires a paid subscription. Pricing varies by plan and promotion.

AdGuard is an excellent choice if you want to block ads across browsers or your entire system. It’s also one of the best options for Mac and iOS, where alternatives are limited.

AdBlock (not to be confused with Adblock Plus) is one of the most widely used ad blockers. With a single click, you can pause protection on a site or view how many ads it has blocked.

The tool is free and open-source. However, to block cookie banners and newsletter pop-ups, you’ll need the premium version, which costs $39 a year or $3.99 a month—for features that some other ad blockers include at no cost.

It reliably blocks ads but offers limited protection against trackers. By default, AdBlock allows “acceptable ads,” which are less intrusive ads that help fund the service.

Overall, AdBlock offers robust basic protection against annoying ads, but it provides far fewer features than other tools. The criteria for “acceptable ads” may not be transparent to all users.

Though their names sound almost identical, Adblock Plus and AdBlock are distinct programs, now both maintained by the same parent company.

Adblock Plus is also free and open-source. Like AdBlock, it allows “acceptable ads” by default, though you can disable this in the settings. It also allows you to block push notifications and trackers and to add custom filter lists.

Advanced features, such as blocking cookie banners, embedded videos, and newsletter pop-ups, require a premium subscription for $3.99 a month or $39 a year.

Ghostery offers a free, open-source ad blocker that also blocks cookie banners and pop-ups. But its main focus is tracking protection—detecting and blocking trackers.

Ghostery relies on WhoTracks.Me, a public tracker database built from real browser data. This allows Ghostery to spot new trackers and add them to its block list automatically, often faster than competitors that rely on static block lists.

Ghostery also provides clear, detailed reports indicating which trackers were blocked, along with the time and reason for blocking them:

It is a great privacy analysis tool. For users prioritizing aggressive ad blocking, some competitors may offer stronger out-of-the-box performance.

You don’t always need a separate tool. Many browsers now come with built-in ad blockers, especially privacy-focused ones. While some offer limited protections against intrusive ads and trackers, dedicated privacy browsers frequently provide full ad-blocking features. One of the best-known examples is Brave, which automatically blocks ads and trackers.

Installing an ad blocker is just like adding any other browser extension. Here’s how it works, using uBlock Origin for Chrome as an example:

Step 1: When you visit uBlock Origin’s website, it detects your browser automatically. Click the button with your browser’s icon:

Step 2: Click “Add to Chrome” to install the uBlock Origin extension.

Step 3: Installation is complete. uBlock Origin Lite is now installed, and you’re protected from annoying ads while browsing. To adjust settings for a specific site, click the uBlock Origin icon and toggle the blue slider in the pop-up.

In the extension’s dashboard, you can also set the default filter mode, manage your whitelist, review filters, and make other adjustments.

Ad blockers make browsing much more convenient, but they come with a few downsides worth knowing about. For example, they…

Many websites, especially news sites, now ask you to disable your ad blocker to view their content. You can add a one-time exception or whitelist the site to access its pages. For sites you often visit and want to support, you can whitelist them permanently.

The best ad blocker for you depends on how you browse, which devices you use, and how much control you want over filtering and privacy settings. There are plenty of options out there, each with its strengths. For most users, uBlock Origin is likely the best overall choice thanks to its excellent filtering performance, low resource usage, and zero cost.

It’s free, lightweight, and reliably blocks ads and trackers. If you want strong ad and tracking protection across multiple devices or system-wide, AdGuard is the better pick. Ghostery, meanwhile, is ideal if you’re privacy-conscious and want to see exactly which trackers are running in the background.