AdGuard vs. Adblock Plus 2025: One Blocks More Than Just Ads

AdGuard and Adblock Plus both block ads to clean up your browsing experience, but one offers more bang for your buck.

Last updated Mar 3, 2025

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4.7

Editorial Rating

On AdGuard Ad Blocker's website

Ad Blocker

AdGuard Ad Blocker

Save up to 40%

User-friendly ad blocker that offers broad coverage across browsers and devices without compromising device speed
The free version provides basic extension-only coverage, while the premium plans boast robust app coverage
App plans include parental controls, browsing security, browser assistant, DNS leak protection, and a VPN

4.3

Editorial Rating

On Adblock Plus's website

Ad Blocker

Adblock Plus

Free product blocks ads, pop-up, trackers, push notifications, social media icons tracking, and even YouTube video ads
Open-source software allows for custom filtering and community-based support
Provides no protection against trackers

AdGuard and Adblock Plus both allow you to clean up your online experience while also providing protection against malicious ads. But overall, AdGuard performed better during our vigorous testing, giving it the overall win in our books.

We love AdGuard’s evergreen plan, which lets you pay once and use it forever. We also love the prebuilt block lists Adblock Plus provides, which help you filter as much or as little as you want.

Both give you the option to customize your block-allow lists and provide protection against pop-up ads and YouTube ads.

If you’re looking for the best ad blockers, then you’re in the right place. Check out our comparison below to see which one is the best choice for you.

In this article

AdGuard vs. Adblock Plus
Cost
Features
Test results
Compatibility and customer support
FAQs
Which is better?

AdGuard vs. Adblock Plus

Even though the names are similar, there are plenty of differences between AdGuard and Adblock Plus. AdGuard has a little broader compatibility, as it offers support for the Yandex browser. It also includes an evergreen subscription, which lets you pay one price and then gives you the ability to use it forever.

Adblock Plus, on the other hand, offers prebuilt block lists that can be applied right away. It also blocked a lot more ads on Forbes than AdGuard did.

	Our Pick
Best for	Evergreen use	Prebuilt block lists
Price	From $2.49/mo (billed annually)	From $3.33/mo (billed annually)
Free version
Ads blocked on Forbes	14	56
Does it block YouTube ads?
Browser compatibility	Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari, Opera, Yandex	Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Opera, and Edge
Mobile compatibility	Android, iOS	Android, iOS
Learn more	Get AdGuard Read AdGuard Review	Get Adblock Plus Read Adblock Plus Review

AdGuard pros and cons

Pros

Easy to download
Simple interface
Doesn’t interfere with device speed
Blocks YouTube ads

Cons

You must install the extension on each browser you use
Ad blocking statistics can be hard to interpret

Adblock Plus pros and cons

Pros

Free product that works great
Allow list for ads to support creators
Blocks YouTube ads

Cons

Need paid subscription to block pop-up videos, ignore survey requests, and block site notifications
Struggles with blocking trackers
Fewer features on Safari

AdGuard vs. Adblock Plus: prices

	Our Pick
Price range	$2.49-$5.49/mo	$3.33-$4.00/mo
Best value plan	Personal Lifetime plan for $55.99 (one-time)	Yearly plan for $3.33/mo (billed annually)
Free version available
Money-back guarantee	Yes — 60 days	Yes — 60 days
Learn more	Get AdGuard Read AdGuard Review	Get Adblock Plus Read Adblock Plus Review

AdGuard plan prices start a little lower, and there are more options than what you get with Adblock Plus. We love an evergreen product, and AdGuard allows users to purchase it one time for a low price.

The yearly price for Adblock Plus will save you money, however, because you’ve purchased it in advance.

While we recommend AdGuard’s evergreen plan, you could also purchase the family plan, which allows up to nine devices simultaneously. For a single purchase, this is a great deal.

Adblock Plus doesn’t offer this much, and the annual price is nearly the same as AdGuard’s evergreen price.

Winner: AdGuard. Its one-time evergreen price is marginally more than the annual Adblock Plus price, which will require a yearly renewal.

AdGuard vs. Adblock Plus: features

Feature	Our Pick
Whitelisting
Blacklisting
Ads blocked counter
Bypasses paywalls
Block pop-up ads
Block tracking
Block video ads
Block banner ads
Block push ads
Learn more	Get AdGuard Read AdGuard Review	Get Adblock Plus Read Adblock Plus Review

Ad blockers work by blocking the scripts used by ads. You’ll experience a much cleaner internet without video ads that follow you down the page, pop-ups that get in the way of what you’re reading, or a clutter of other ads blocking what you’re trying to view.

The one advantage AdGuard has over Adblock Plus is that it also blocks trackers. For us, this is pretty important because trackers are the hidden code in websites that help build a profile of you online.

This information is used by companies like Google and Meta, which they then sell to advertisers. Trackers can increase the amount of spam and scams you receive as well as leave you vulnerable to things like identity theft.

AdGuard settings show Stealth Mode is enabled, as well as other general settings.

Winner: AdGuard. The ability to block trackers is nonnegotiable for us.

AdGuard vs. Adblock Plus: test results

Feature	Our Pick
AdBlock Tester score	83/100	100/100
Cover Your Tracks score	2.5/3	0/3
Can You Block It score	3/3	N/A
YouTube ads blocked
Paywalls bypassed
Learn more	Get AdGuard Read AdGuard Review	Get Adblock Plus Read Adblock Plus Review

We put all the products we review through rigorous testing to determine how well each one works. AdlBock Tester includes a wide range of ad coding on its site to see what your ad blocker does and doesn’t test.

Cover Your Tracks tests to see how effectively you’re hiding from online trackers.

In addition, Can You Block It gives another comprehensive look into the effectiveness of your ad blocker. We also test the ability to block YouTube ads and paywalls.

AdGuard didn’t have perfect scores, but it received high scores with its ability to block almost all ads and trackers. We like that it passed the Can You Block It tests perfectly and had high scores on the other two tests.

Adblock Plus scored 100/100 with AdBlock Tester but completely failed its Cover Your Tracks tests.

We were unable to test it with Can You Block It because Cloudflare blocked it, which may or may not indicate a problem with Adblock Plus.

Both ad blockers were able to block ads on YouTube when YouTube is accessed via a browser. You won’t have luck blocking YouTube ads with either product if you use the YouTube app, but you will if you access it via a compatible browser like Safari or Chrome.

AdGuard and Adblock Plus both failed to bypass paywalls.

The AdGuard blocked ads counter shows 79 blocked ads.

Winner: AdGuard. It blocks more ads and also blocks trackers.

AdGuard vs Adblock Plus: compatibility and customer support


Windows
macOS
Android
iOS
Linux
Browser extensions	Yes — Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari, Opera, Yandex	Yes — Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Opera, Edge
24/7 customer support
Customer support options	Email, knowledge base, FAQ, community forum	Forums, online guides, create a ticket
Learn more	Get AdGuard Read AdGuard Review	Get Adblock Plus Read Adblock Plus Review

We had no problems downloading, installing, or using either ad blocker. The settings were easy to find and implement on both, and we saw immediate results after they were installed.

Unfortunately, customer support options for both products aren’t that amazing. You’re mostly left to your own devices to search forums and help centers to find answers to your questions.

One plus is that each offers a method of contact. You can email AdGuard or create a ticket with Adblock Plus.

You’ll likely need to wait, at least a little bit, for a response, but you do have an avenue to reach out.

AdGuard is enabled with a green check mark and shows the number of blocked ads.

Adblock Plus Forbes results, showing number of items blocked.

Winner: Tie. The ease of use and customer service options are comparable between the two products.

FAQs

Is Adblock Plus still good?

Adblock Plus is good. We had success blocking YouTube ads and annoying ads on other websites. It did a great job blocking ads on Forbes as well. There are other products, however, that will block trackers, as Adblock Plus doesn’t do that.

If you want an ad and tracker blocker, you may want to choose a different product like AdGuard.

Does Chrome have a built-in ad blocker?

Chrome removes ads that violate its Better Ads Standards policy. If Chrome deems the ads intrusive, it may block them, but it won’t block all ads.

Ads that you may find intrusive may not violate Chrome’s policy, so a separate ad blocker is a great way to clean up your entire online experience.

Does AdGuard collect your data?

According to AdGuard’s privacy policy, it collects only the information necessary for its product to work properly, and it will never sell or share your data [1]. This means you can use the service without fear of your data being sold or given to affiliates, partners, or other data collection services.

AdGuard vs Adblock Plus: Which is better?

As our testing proved, AdGuard is the better ad blocker. Not only does it offer an evergreen purchase option, but it also blocks more ads and includes tracker blocking. Adblock Plus is a good choice, but it costs more over the long term without tracker blocking. It didn’t do as well in testing either.

Will Adblock Plus block ads for you? Absolutely. Will it do it better than AdGuard? No.

Save up to 40%

4.7

Ad Blocker

AdGuard Ad Blocker

User-friendly ad blocker that offers broad coverage across browsers and devices without compromising device speed
The free version provides basic extension-only coverage, while the premium plans boast robust app coverage
App plans include parental controls, browsing security, browser assistant, DNS leak protection, and a VPN

Learn More

AdGuard vs. Adblock Plus alternatives

If neither AdGuard nor Adblock Plus has everything you’re looking for, check out some of these best ad blockers to clean up your online experience and increase your security.

Ad blocker
Best for	Best for blocking YouTube ads	Best for streaming	Best overall
Lowest starting price	Starts at $1.59/mo (billed annually)	Starts at $1.99/mo (billed every two years)	Starts at $3.39/mo (billed every two years)
Blocks YouTube ads
Learn more	Get Total Adblock	Get Surfshark CleanWeb Ad Blocking	Get NordVPN Threat Protection

4.7

Editorial Rating

On AdGuard Ad Blocker's website

Ad Blocker

AdGuard Ad Blocker

Save up to 40%

User-friendly ad blocker that offers broad coverage across browsers and devices without compromising device speed
The free version provides basic extension-only coverage, while the premium plans boast robust app coverage
App plans include parental controls, browsing security, browser assistant, DNS leak protection, and a VPN

Author Details

Mary James

About the Author

Mary is a seasoned cybersecurity writer with over seven years of experience. With a B.S. in Liberal Arts from Clarion University and an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from Point Park University, she educates audiences on scams, antivirus software, and more. Her passion lies in educating audiences on helpful ways to protect their data.