AdBlock Review 2026: Is the Premium Version Worth It?
AdBlock Premium scored 100/100 with AdBlock Tester against 77/100 for the free version. We still don't think it's worth paying for.
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Last updated Sep 28, 2026
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The All About Cookies editorial team strives to provide accurate, in-depth information and reviews to help you, our reader, make online privacy decisions with confidence. Here's what you can expect from us:
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Editorial Rating
Learn More
On AdBlock's website
AdBlock
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Aced ad-blocking tests with Premium Filters on
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Lets you whitelist individual pages or entire sites
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Unlimited devices on Premium plans
Overview
AdBlock is a freemium ad blocker that blocked ads well in our testing, though it takes manual setup to reach full strength. The Premium version adds features, but we couldn't get all of them to work.
Advertiser Disclosure
All About Cookies is an independent, advertising-supported website. Some of the offers that appear on this site are from third-party advertisers from which All About Cookies receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site (including, for example, the order in which they appear).
All About Cookies does not include all financial or credit offers that might be available to consumers nor do we include all companies or all available products. Information is accurate as of the publishing date and has not been provided or endorsed by the advertiser.
Close
Editorial Policy
The All About Cookies editorial team strives to provide accurate, in-depth information and reviews to help you, our reader, make online privacy decisions with confidence. Here's what you can expect from us:
- All About Cookies makes money when you click the links on our site to some of the products and offers that we mention. These partnerships do not influence our opinions or recommendations. Read more about how we make money.
- Partners are not able to review or request changes to our content except for compliance reasons.
- We aim to make sure everything on our site is up-to-date and accurate as of the publishing date, but we cannot guarantee we haven't missed something. It's your responsibility to double-check all information before making any decision. If you spot something that looks wrong, please let us know.
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AdBlock is free, and Premium costs $3.33/mo. Premium blocks more ads, but we wouldn't pay for it. Our last three rounds of testing reached the same conclusion: the free version does most of the same work on more devices.
Free AdBlock managed 77/100 on AdBlock Tester. Enabling every filter list took it to 100/100, and Premium scored 3/3 on Can You Block It. Both versions blocked YouTube video ads, though Premium blocked more ads overall on the pages we tested.
The problem is what you get for the money. Premium only works on desktop Chrome, Firefox, and Edge, while the free version also covers Safari, iOS, and Samsung Internet on Android. Image Swap hasn't worked in any of our recent tests, and the bundled VPN isn't even on the dashboard.
Pros
- Aced ad-blocking tests with Premium Filters enabled
- Lets you whitelist individual pages or entire sites
- Unlimited devices on premium plans
Cons
- Shows some ads until you turn on extra filter lists
- Some features, like Image Swap, didn't work in our tests
In this article
OverviewPrices and plans
Ad blocking strength
Does AdBlock block YouTube ads?
Premium features
Compatibility
Customer support
How to use AdBlock
Top alternatives
Bottom line: Is AdBlock good?
Methodology
FAQs
Overview
| Paid version | Starts at $3.33/mo |
| AdBlock Tester score | 100/100 |
| Can You Block It score | 3/3 |
| Does it block YouTube ads? | Yes |
| Compatibility | Free: Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari, iOS, Android (Samsung Internet only) Premium: Chrome, Firefox, Edge for desktop |
| Learn more | Get AdBlock |
AdBlock prices and plans
AdBlock can cost $3.33-$4.00/mo for its premium plans, but maintains that you can always use it for free (albeit with limited features and ad blocking capabilities). You can install AdBlock Premium on unlimited devices.
| AdBlock Free | AdBlock Premium | |
| Annual price | Free | $3.33/mo |
| Monthly price | Free | $4.00/mo |
| Backup and sync | ||
| Block distractions | ||
| Block cookie consent pop-ups | ||
| Image Swap | ||
| VPN | ||
| Learn more | View plan | View plan |
AdBlock's starting price looks low, but it costs more than all three of our top picks. Here's how AdBlock compares to other ad blockers:
- Total Adblock: Starts at $1.59/mo
- Aura Ad Block and Anti-Track: Starts at $1.67/mo
- Surfshark CleanWeb: Starts at $2.49/mo
- AdBlock: Starts at $3.33/mo
AdBlock offers a 60-day money-back guarantee for premium plans.
/images/2023/03/01/logo-total-adblock.png){kind=logo}
2026 Editors’ Choice
Best Overall Ad Blocker
Total Adblock
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Top ad blocker that historically scores 100/100 on AdBlock Tester, passing every banner, interstitial, pop-up, and contextual ad test
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Successfully blocked YouTube ads in our testing, one of the trickier platforms for ad blockers to handle consistently
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Works across Chrome, Edge, Safari, and Opera, plus Android and iOS mobile apps
Ad blocking strength
One way we test an ad blocker is on the Forbes homepage, since it's usually packed with ads. With AdBlock paused, a billboard ad took over the whole page before we could open a single article.
A billboard ad takes over the Forbes homepage with AdBlock paused. /images/2026/07/21/adblock_review_0726_refresh_forbes_test_paused.png)
With AdBlock Premium turned on, the billboard disappeared. AdBlock removed 53 ads from the page.
AdBlock Premium removed 53 ads from the Forbes homepage /images/2026/07/21/adblock_review_0726_refresh_forbes_test_enabled.png)
Next, we ran AdBlock through two testing sites. AdBlock Tester uses code that mimics intrusive ads to see what the blocker catches. Can You Block It checks how the blocker handles ads like pop-ups and banners
AdBlock scores
| AdBlock Tester | Can You Block It? | |
| AdBlock score | 100/100 | 3/3 |
Test results as of 07/21/2026.
We started with AdBlock's default settings and scored 77/100. Two subtests failed outright, both tied to analytics and error monitoring tools.
/images/2025/12/06/adblock_free_adblock_tester_77_again.png)
Turning on the cookie wall and distraction blocking filters brought the score to 83. Getting to a perfect 100 took enabling every remaining filter list, which is buried in the options menu under Filter lists.
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That's worth knowing before you buy. AdBlock doesn't reach its full blocking potential out of the box, and many people won't dig through the settings to find these toggles.
/images/2025/12/06/adblock_premium_adblock_tester_100_with_filters_on_december.png)
AdBlock Premium also scored 3/3 on Can You Block It, taking down ad blocker detectors, banner ads, and interstitial ads. The interstitial flashed on screen for a split second before disappearing, which happened with both the free and premium versions.
/images/2025/12/06/adblock_premium_cybi_test_.png)
AdBlock also has whitelisting capabilities, which are fairly straightforward. When you click the browser extension, you can choose to allow ads on a page or a site.
/images/2025/05/21/adblock_review_0525_refresh_extension.png)
Does AdBlock block YouTube ads?
Yes, AdBlock Premium blocked every YouTube ad in our most recent test, including 32 ads on one video page. We test every ad blocker on YouTube, since it's one of the harder platforms to block ads on.
We first queued up our video in incognito mode to see the ads.
/images/2026/07/21/adblock_review_0726_refresh_youtube_test_paused.png)
Then, we swapped to a regular browser with AdBlock Premium enabled. With AdBlock Premium, we could watch the World Cup halftime performance without any ad interruptions or distractions.
/images/2026/07/21/adblock_review_0726_refresh_youtube_test_enabled.png)
Premium features
AdBlock offers some unique features with its premium plan. For one, the Distraction Control feature can prevent video ads from following you down the page, block newsletter pop-ups, and eliminate permission requests.
he Cookie Consent Cutter hides most cookie consent banners, which is more useful than you might think. You'll rarely need to deal with a website's cookie settings again.
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There's also Image Swap, a silly feature that lets you replace ads with images of more pleasant things, such as kittens and dogs. But we visited several websites with various ad types and never saw our sweet cat.
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Is AdBlock VPN good?
AdBlock VPN works, but it's bare-bones. It comes free with AdBlock Premium and offers over 100 server locations.
Here's how to set it up:
- Look for AdBlock's activation email after you buy Premium. The VPN isn't on the AdBlock dashboard.
- Download the app from the email link. We tested the Windows app.
- Sign in with your email and enter the code AdBlock sends you.
- Connect to the nearest location or pick a server from the list.
/images/2025/09/08/adblock_vpn_connect_to_nearest_location.png)
That's the whole feature set: connect to the nearest location or pick a server.
/images/2025/09/08/adblock_vpn_server_list.png)
But is AdBlock VPN safe? AdBlock VPN uses AES-256 encryption and claims a "true" no-logs policy, but no third party has audited that claim. AdBlock's privacy policy also says IPVanish actually runs the VPN service.[1]
That means two companies handle your data: AdBlock and IPVanish. Learn more about the second one in our complete IPVanish review.
AdBlock compatibility
| Compatibility | |
| Google Chrome | |
| Mozilla Firefox | |
| Safari | |
| Microsoft Edge | |
| Other browsers | |
| Android | |
| iOS | |
| Desktop apps |
AdBlock offers broad compatibility with major browsers as well as iOS and Android devices.The free version works on Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari, and iOS. On Android, it only works in Samsung Internet, not Chrome or other Android browsers.
The premium version only works on desktop versions of Chrome, Firefox, and Edge.
AdBlock customer support
| Support type | AdBlock |
| Email / support ticket | |
| Live chat | |
| Phone | |
| Online guides or forums |
If you have any issues with AdBlock, you can submit a ticket to support. There's no live chat or support number you can call.
To troubleshoot on your own, you can visit the AdBlock Help Center. There are articles on troubleshooting, AdBlock Premium, more about the developers, and payment issues.
AdBlock user reviews
- Apple App Store rating: 3.3/5
- Google Play Store rating: 3.8/5
- Trustpilot rating: 1.8/5
Ratings as of 09/28/2026.
AdBlock's app ratings have moved in opposite directions. On the App Store, its iPhone app dropped from 4.2 to 3.3. AdBlock rebuilt the app with a VPN built in, but most of the featured reviews are still several years old, so they don't say much about the new version.
AdBlock's Android app climbed from 3.4 to 3.8 on Google Play. It only works in Samsung Internet, though, not Chrome or other Android browsers. Recent reviews are mixed. Some reviewers say it works well, while others say it stops working at random.
AdBlock has much lower ratings on Trustpilot, with 59% of reviewers giving it one star. Most recent complaints involve billing and cancellations, price jumps at renewal, or AdBlock's own promotional pop-ups. One reviewer even says AdBlock broke a checkout page and showed the wrong charge, which a content filter should never do.
Some of those one-star reviews are about a different product. Several reviewers name Total Adblock, which is a separate company, and AdBlock points that out in its replies.
How to use AdBlock Premium
Installing AdBlock was easy, and we had it up and running almost instantly. We tested AdBlock Premium on Google Chrome.
We selected the "options" cog from the AdBlock widget to access the dashboard. From there, we scrolled down to Premium to check out the paid features.
/images/2025/09/08/adblock_options.png)
Top alternatives
We know that software is personal, so if AdBlock isn't for you, we have a roundup of the best ad blockers on the market. Some cost less, some cover more devices, and some include extras AdBlock doesn't offer.
 Total Adblock |
 Aura Ad Block and Anti-Track |
 Surfshark CleanWeb |
|
| Best for | Best for blocking YouTube ads | Best for identity protection | Best for unlimited devices |
| Lowest starting price | $1.59/mo | $1.67/mo | $2.49/mo |
| Adblock Tester score | 100/100 | 100/100 | 96/100 |
| Can You Block It score | 3/3 | 2.5/3 | 3/3 |
| Blocks YouTube ads? | |||
| Compatibility | Android, iOS, Chrome, Edge, Safari | Chrome, Edge, Safari |
Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Fire TV |
| Learn more | Get Total Adblock | Get Aura Ad Blocker | Get Surfshark CleanWeb |
Although uBlock Origin is a popular free ad blocker alternative, it's no longer compatible with Google Chrome.
AdBlock vs. Total Adblock
Total Adblock beats AdBlock on value and reach. It starts at $1.59/mo (versus AdBlock Premium's $3.33/mo) and includes TotalAV antivirus with real-time phishing protection, something AdBlock Premium doesn't offer. Total Adblock also works on Safari, iOS, and Android at the premium tier, while AdBlock Premium drops down to just desktop Chrome, Firefox, and Edge.
Both hit 100/100 on AdBlock Tester once fully configured and 3/3 on Can You Block It. Learn more in our Total Adblock review.
/images/2023/03/01/logo-total-adblock.png){kind=logo}
2026 Editors’ Choice
Best Overall Ad Blocker
Total Adblock
-
Top ad blocker that historically scores 100/100 on AdBlock Tester, passing every banner, interstitial, pop-up, and contextual ad test
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Successfully blocked YouTube ads in our testing, one of the trickier platforms for ad blockers to handle consistently
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Works across Chrome, Edge, Safari, and Opera, plus Android and iOS mobile apps
AdBlock vs. Aura Ad Block and Anti-Track
Aura's ad blocker now matches AdBlock on AdBlock Tester, hitting 100/100 in our most recent testing, up from 89/100 as recently as November 2025. Aura starts at $1.67/mo, cheaper than AdBlock Premium's $3.33/mo.
Aura is more limited on compatibility, though, working only on Chrome, Safari, and Edge with no Firefox or Android support. Aura only sells it as part of its broader security suite. Learn more in our Aura Ad Block and Anti-Track review.
/images/2023/05/25/logo-aura.png){kind=logo}
2026 Editors’ Choice
Best Ad Blocker for Online Security
Aura Ad Blocker
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Ad blocker that scored 100/100 on AdBlock Tester, blocking banner ads, pop-ups, and trackers
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Part of the Aura security suite, which also includes antivirus, a VPN, a password manager, and Safe Browsing tools
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Comes with a 60-day money-back guarantee, which is twice as long as most competitors offer
AdBlock vs. Surfshark CleanWeb
Surfshark CleanWeb comes as part of a full Surfshark subscription, adding phishing protection and alternative ID features that AdBlock doesn't offer, plus a more full-featured VPN. CleanWeb scored 96/100 on AdBlock Tester (slightly behind AdBlock Premium's 100/100 once fully configured) but matched AdBlock's 3/3 on Can You Block It.
he tradeoff: CleanWeb's basic in-app version only blocks malicious ads and needs an active VPN connection, and full ad and YouTube blocking requires its separate CleanWeb 2.0 browser extension, similar in spirit to AdBlock needing manual filter setup to hit full strength.
Learn more in our Surfshark CleanWeb review.
/images/2023/05/18/surfshark_pos_240px.png)
2026 Editors’ Choice
Best Value Ad Blocker
Surfshark CleanWeb Ad Blocking
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Ad blocker that blocks banner ads, pop-ups, and video ads across your browser, mobile apps, and Fire TV
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Scored 96/100 on AdBlock Tester and passed all three Can You Block It tests
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Comes bundled with Surfshark VPN, which encrypts your connection, hides your IP, and blocks phishing sites
Bottom line: Is AdBlock good?
AdBlock Free is a solid ad blocker, and the paid version blocks more, but we don't think AdBlock Premium earns its price. It costs more than Total Adblock, Aura Ad Block and Anti-Track, and Surfshark CleanWeb, all of which we rate higher, and it drops the Safari, iOS, and Samsung Internet support you get with AdBlock's own free version.
If you want to pay for an ad blocker, Total Adblock is the better buy at $1.59/mo, and it includes TotalAV. If you'd rather not pay, stick with AdBlock Free. See our full list of ad blocker recommendations.
How we test and rate ad blockers
Our team tests every ad blocker hands-on. We evaluate each product across six areas:
- Test results (34%): We run each ad blocker through AdBlock Tester and Can You Block It, recording scores for each. We also browse ad-heavy sites in real-world conditions, including watching YouTube videos and visiting Forbes, to verify day-to-day performance.
- Value (21%): We evaluate each product's cost relative to its blocking performance, factoring in starting price, money-back guarantee length, and the number of devices covered under a single subscription.
- Features (18%): We test each ad blocker against a six-point checklist covering its ability to block pop-up ads, trackers, YouTube ads, banner ads, and push ads, as well as whether it includes whitelisting functionality.
- Editor's score (15%): We use each product ourselves across supported platforms, evaluating how intuitive the interface is and anything else that affects day-to-day use that isn't captured by our other criteria.
- Customer support (7%): We evaluate the support options available, prioritizing human support options like live chat and email.
- Compatibility (5%): We review each ad blocker's compatibility across desktop apps, browser extensions, and mobile apps to determine how broad its device and platform coverage is.
We test all ad blockers at least twice a year, and we retest our Editors' Choice picks every quarter to ensure our recommendations stay current. We test across Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS so our results reflect real-world performance on the devices most readers actually use.
To learn more about how we test, read our full ad blocker methodology here.
Star rating summary
AdBlock earned a 4.6 star rating, thanks to its standout test results. It lost points on experience because AdBlock doesn't reach its full blocking potential until you manually enable extra filter lists, and because its Image Swap feature didn't work in any of our recent tests.
| Decision factor | Weight | Verdict |
| Our experience | 15% | 3.5 |
| Value | 21% | 4.7 |
| Features | 18% | 5.0 |
| Test results | 34% | 5.0 |
| Compatibility | 5% | 4.0 |
| Customer service | 7% | 4.0 |
Change logs
| Test date | Change logs |
| July 21, 2026 | AdBlock Tester: 77/100 free, 83/100 with partial filters, 100/100 with all filters; Image Swap feature didn't work |
| December 6, 2025 | AdBlock Tester: 100/100 (premium with filters; free still scored 77); YouTube ads blocked on both free and premium; premium blocked more ads overall |
| September 8, 2025 | AdBlock Tester: 77/100 (Hotjar, Sentry, and Bugsnag sub-tests failed, even with advanced filters on); Image Swap feature didn't work |
| May 21, 2025 | AdBlock Tester: free scored 75/100, reached 100/100 with all filters enabled; AdBlock warned that enabling all filters could slow browsing speeds |
| January 2, 2025 | AdBlock Tester: free scored 75/100, reached 100/100 only after enabling all filters and activating premium trial; Can You Block It: 3/3; blocked YouTube ads successfully |
| June 7, 2024 (original test) | AdBlock Tester: 68/100 (analytics and error monitoring tests failed); Can You Block It: 2/3 (failed the ad blocker detector test); YouTube ads still played with the blocker on |
FAQs
Is AdBlock free?
Yes. AdBlock's free version blocks ads on Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari, iOS, and Samsung Internet on Android. Premium costs $3.33/mo and adds distraction blocking, the Cookie Consent Cutter, Image Swap, and a VPN.
In our testing, the free version scored 77/100 on AdBlock Tester, and AdBlock Premium hit 100/100 once we turned on every filter list.
What is AdBlock’s refund policy?
AdBlock offers a 60-day money-back guarantee on Premium. It'll help you troubleshoot if you still see ads, but it says it won't deny a refund request within that window.
Is AdBlock safe?
AdBlock is a legitimate ad blocker, but it does collect some data. It logs some usage and device data to run the service, and it says it doesn't sell your data. The bundled VPN's no-logs claim hasn't had a third-party audit.
You can always update your privacy settings if you’re worried about how much information is available out there.
What's the downside of AdBlock?
AdBlock doesn't reach full strength out of the box. You have to turn on extra filter lists yourself. Premium only works on desktop Chrome, Firefox, and Edge, and Image Swap didn't work in any of our recent tests.
Many Trustpilot reviewers also report billing and cancellation problems, though some of those reviews are about other products.
AdBlock
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Aced ad-blocking tests with Premium Filters on
-
Lets you whitelist individual pages or entire sites
-
Unlimited devices on Premium plans
Author Details
/authors/mary-james_allaboutcookies-author.jpg)
Mary James is a cybersecurity writer and hands-on product tester at All About Cookies, specializing in VPNs, antivirus software, password managers, and ad blockers. She has written over 340 articles and has personally tested more than 75 products. Before writing about consumer security, she worked at PC Matic, a U.S. antivirus company, giving her firsthand insight into how security software is built, marketed, and tested. Her work has been featured in MSN and CNBC.
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