AdLock Review 2026: A Truly Free Ad Blocker

The AdLock browser extension is a high-performing option that works well against ads, trackers, and other online nuisances. During our testing, it earned a near-perfect AdBlock Tester score and blocked most of what Can You Block It threw at it.

In our latest tests, the paid desktop app did a little better than the free extension on YouTube. Both blocked the ads, but the extension left a black screen in place of one ad for about 30 seconds. AdLock can also struggle with blocking some content, like interstitial ads.

Overview

Star rating summary

User-Friendly, Perfect Ad-Blocking Scores, and Comes With Antivirus

5.0

AllAboutCookies writers and editors score products based on a number of objective features as well as our expert editorial assessment. Our partners do not influence how we rate products.

Editorial Rating

Claim Deal

On Total Adblock's website

2026 Editors’ Choice

Best Overall Ad Blocker

Ad Blocker

Total Adblock

PROMOTION: Get 80% Off

• Top ad blocker that historically scores 100/100 on AdBlock Tester, passing every banner, interstitial, pop-up, and contextual ad test
• Successfully blocked YouTube ads in our testing, one of the trickier platforms for ad blockers to handle consistently
• Works across Chrome, Edge, Safari, and Opera, plus Android and iOS mobile apps

Our experience

We started our testing with the free AdLock Chrome extension and were pleasantly surprised. We visited sites populated with ads like Forbes and found a much more straightforward browsing experience.

We also tried the extension on YouTube. It blocked ads during the video, but a black screen played for about 30 seconds before the next video started.

We opted to purchase AdLock Premium so we could test its full capabilities, including blocking ads on apps and phishing protection. The Windows app provided an easy setup process, with tips and explanations for some of its features.

In our previous round of testing, the desktop app didn't block anything. But this time, it worked. With the app off, Forbes loaded with a large banner ad at the top of the page.

Once we turned the app on, the banner was gone, and the dashboard showed 231 blocked requests.

The app also keeps a list of every request it blocks, with the domain, the browser it came from, and the time. But you can't filter that list by website, so it's hard to tell what AdLock blocked on a specific page.

Mobile experience

We also tested AdLock on iOS, which had a similarly thorough setup process. We were also pleased to find that you can block YouTube ads by streaming them directly within the app.

All you have to do is tap Share on the video you're watching and select Ad-free YouTube with AdLock.

Thanks for subscribing!

Please check your email for your first message.

Take control of
your privacy.

Simple, actionable security tips
sent twice a week. No
spam. No nonsense.

Yes, keep me safe.

By submitting this form you agree to receive emails from All About Cookies and to the privacy policy and terms.

AdLock plans and prices

AdLock offers a free browser extension or a paid app for $1.08-$9.95/mo. You can purchase a monthly plan, annual plan, or five-year plan.

• 5 years/5 devices: $1.08/mo
• 1 year/5 devices: $3.29/mo
• 1 month/5 devices: $9,95/mo

The main limitation with the free plan is that it's limited to just your browser, so if you're annoyed by ads in other apps on your device, this won't help. Otherwise, it works well.

The paid plan promises no forced whitelisting, no tracking, a 30-day money-back guarantee, and 24/7 support. All payment options include the same features and differ only by the subscription type (monthly or annually). Overall, the yearly plan offers the best balance of price and commitment.

AdLock offers a 14-day free trial and a 30-day money-back guarantee. To receive your refund, you'll need to contact AdLock via email (support@adlock.com).

Main features

Like most ad blockers, AdLock has features to block ads and trackers. It also has unique features like filters for languages and social media widgets.

We'll break down AdLock's features below.

Ad blocker

AdLock’s browser extension gave us a quick view of what ads were blocked on the individual webpage and how many have been blocked overall.

AdLock runs only on your device, so it doesn't send your requests to outside servers.. You can toggle off the ad-blocking software off or on depending on the site you’re visiting.

If you open the app, AdLock will also list out the number of blocked requests and the amount of saved traffic from using the app. For more details, open Adblocking statistics, which lists each blocked request with its domain, the app it came from, and the time. If you spot an ad AdLock missed, you can flag it through Ads report.

Protection

On the app, you'll find the Protection tab, which is where you can keep tabs on AdLock's anti-tracking and anti-phishing features.

AdLock can help hide your online presence and personal data from advertisers as well as protect you from phishing, scammers, and malware. All you need to do is toggle the settings on from this tab.

You can also select Protection statistics for detailed information on blocked trackers, suspicious requests, and intrusion attempts.

Ad filters

If you go to AdLock's settings, you'll find a list of filters for various purposes. There's a spyware filter to help stop websites from tracking your activity, a social media filter to protect you from social media tracking, and an annoyances filter to block site elements like online chats and notifications.

AdLock also provides filters for multiple languages to block ads on international websites.

Unfortunately, the spyware filter and social media filter are only included with the paid tier.

Allowlist

With allowlist, you can designate favorite sites or sites that should run without an ad blocker. This is also known as whitelisting.

If you want to make sure your favorite creators get credit for their work, you can easily toggle off the blocker so they receive the ad revenue.

AdLock's test results

We used third-party sites AdBlock Tester and Can You Block It to put AdLock's claims to the test.

AdLock scores

AdBlock Tester checks a variety of ways ads and trackers can show up to see how your ad blocker performs. AdLock earned a near-perfect score with both the desktop app and the browser extension. Both blocked every contextual ad. 

The extension missed one error-monitoring script. With the desktop app, AdBlock Tester couldn't confirm a few checks either way.

Can You Block It tests ad blockers against self-hosted ads, including banner ads, interstitial ads, and ad blocker detection warnings. AdLock could only block banner ads and ad blocker detection warnings, though.

The interstitial ad appeared, but AdLock blocked its content, leaving only a blank page with text. This happened with both the AdLock desktop app and the AdLock extension. 

We're glad AdLock blocked the bulk of the ad, but we were annoyed we still had to deal with it rather than be able to skip it altogether.

YouTube ad test

AdLock's desktop app blocked every YouTube ad in our test. The free extension blocked them too, but it wasn't as seamless.

We tested the desktop app with an episode of Hot Ones Versus. With AdLock off, a pre-roll ad played before the video. Once we turned the app on, the ads disappeared. We watched the whole video without interruption, and no ads cluttered the page.

The extension blocked YouTube ads too, with one catch. We started another video with the extension off, and saw a pre-roll ad and a banner ad. Then we switched to a regular Chrome window with AdLock on. The video played with no ads.

When the next video started, we didn't see an ad. Instead, we got a black screen for about 30 seconds where the ad would have played.

AdLock compatibility

AdLock has two different types of products. The first is the free version for Chrome, Firefox, and Safari, which block ads when you're using your browser. The second is a paid version for operating systems.

AdLock customer support

If you need to get in touch with AdLock support, you can email AdLock or submit a form on its website. It also has multiple webpages for help, including a user guide, a blog, and FAQs.

There's also a phone number listed for support, but we're not sure of its hours.

In order to cancel AdLock, we had to contact customer support via PayPro Global's live chat. All we had to do was give them our order number and email, and they canceled our renewal right away.

AdLock reputation

• Apple App Store rating: 4.4
• Trustpilot rating: 1.6

AdLock has good star ratings on the Apple App Store. But we noticed that all the featured reviews on the Apple App Store are one or two stars due to AdLock breaking Chrome, slowing speeds, and poor customer service.

On the other hand, Trustpilot's TrustScore rates AdLock as bad. Half of reviewers rated AdLock one star, while 35% rated it five stars. The most common complaints in the Trustpilot reviews are due to the app not working and repeated charges despite not being subscribed.

AdLock privacy policy

Reviewing the privacy policy for products you use is important to make sure your data isn't shared or sold. We were pleased that AdLock "doesn't sell or share [usage information] with third parties."

It mentions collecting anonymous usage information, like browser language and number of blocked ad requests, but it's not sold or shared with third parties. AdLock gives each extension user an anonymous ID when they install it. AdLock keeps that ID on its servers until you uninstall the extension from your device.

The privacy policy also breaks down how your data is used by third parties for analytics, handling payments, hosting and backend infrastructure, and other uses. Although your email may be used for promotional and informational purposes, you do have the option to opt out.

Overall, we liked how easy AdLock's privacy policy is to read, and we feel good about its data usage.

How to use AdLock

To set up AdLock, you'll need to decide if you wish to use the AdLock app or browser extension (or both). Once you've selected your preferred software, you can visit the AdLock site to download it.

AdLock provides a 14-day trial for free users to test AdLock Premium. You can also take advantage of its 30-day money-back guarantee.

Once you've settled on AdLock, here's how to use it:

1. Open the AdLock extension.
2. Turn on the Block ads on this page toggle.
   

   

That's it! For Premium subscriptions with the app, here's what you need to do:

1. Install the AdLock app on your desktop or phone.
2. Select Activation from the left side bar.
3. Enter the nine-digit Activation code provided to you upon purchasing the subscription and tap Submit.
   

   

4. Once your subscription is activated, you can select Ad blocking or any of the other tabs to toggle on AdLock's features.

Top alternatives

AdLock has some handy features and impressive test scores, but it's not the only ad blocker on the market. Here are some of our top picks if you're not sold on AdLock:

	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

Bottom line: Is AdLock a good ad blocker?

AdLock really is a good ad blocker. Not only does it block out most ads with just the free browser extension, but it also respects your privacy. If you want increased protection, such as from data-mining social media sites, AdLock's paid tier adds that protection.

If you’ve been shopping for a powerful ad blocker that delivers without sacrificing your data, we suggest giving AdLock a try. If you're still not convinced, see how AdLock compares to other blockers:

• AdLock vs. Total Adblock
• AdLock vs. AdGuard
• AdLock vs. uBlock Origin

Change logs

FAQs

Blocks 'Acceptable Ads' by Default and Can Stop Social Media Tracking

4.6

AllAboutCookies writers and editors score products based on a number of objective features as well as our expert editorial assessment. Our partners do not influence how we rate products.

Editorial Rating

See Price

On AdLock's website

Ad Blocker

AdLock

• Free ad blocker extension for Chrome, Firefox, and Safari that scored 96/100 in our AdBlock Tester
• Blocked YouTube ads, banner ads, and tracking ads in our hands-on testing
• 30-day money-back guarantee on paid plans, which expand coverage to Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS apps

Author Details

Mary James

About the Author

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.