AdLock vs. AdGuard 2025: Which Has the Edge?

AdGuard is a free and easy-to-use ad blocker that's compatible with almost any device or browser. Its paid version starts at $2.80/mo (billed annually), with the option to cover three or nine devices, depending on the plan. Unlike most ad blockers, AdGuard even offers a one-time purchase Lifetime subscription. A standout feature of AdGuard is that its Windows app includes parental controls and phishing protection. 

AdLock is another trustworthy free ad blocker that provides impressive transparency regarding how your data is handled. The paid plan starts at $3.50/mo and includes rare features like the ability to block spyware and social media tracking. All premium AdLock plans include protection for five devices.

Let’s dive in deeper and see which ad blocker is right for you.

AdLock vs. AdGuard

When reviewing ad blockers, we use a series of tests to see how they hold up in a real-world environment. We also highlight useful features beyond the standard ad and tracker blocking.

AdGuard comes with whitelisting and blacklisting capabilities, allowing you to make exceptions for sites to never block ads or always block ads, respectively. AdLock only has whitelisting available.

AdGuard is also priced less than AdLock for the annual subscription, but both ad blockers have free plans. Finally, AdLock had a higher tracker blocking score, but AdGuard had a higher ad blocking score during our testing.

		Our Pick
Best for	Best for privacy	Best value
Price range	Free or $1.05-$3.50/mo	Free or $2.49-$5.49/mo
Ads blocked on Forbes	6	12
Does it block YouTube ads?
Compatibility	Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, Chrome, Firefox, Safari	Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, Android TV, Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge, Opera, Yandex
Mobile compatibility
Learn more	Get AdLock Read AdLock Review	Get AdGuard Read AdGuard Review

AdLock pros and cons

AdGuard pros and cons

AdLock vs. AdGuard: prices

		Our Pick
Price range	$1.05-$3.50/mo	$2.49-$5.49/mo
Best value plan	12 month plan for $2.80/mo (billed annually)	Personal yearly plan for $2.49/mo (billed annually)
Free version available
Money-back guarantee	Yes, 30 days	Yes, 60 days
Learn more	Get AdLock Read AdLock Review	Get AdGuard Read AdGuard Review

Both of these products have free versions, which is good if you’re looking to block intrusive ads without paying out of pocket. AdGuard is slightly more affordable than AdLock since the starting price and highest-cost tiers are both lower.

AdGuard offers a family plan that covers up to nine devices, making it convenient for families with multiple computers and smartphones.

However, we chose its personal plan as the best value. It protects up to three devices for $2.49/mo (billed annually). Most of us use both smartphones and computers or laptops. It’s reasonable to think you might want more than one device protected.

AdLock only covers up to five devices, but the pricing structure is simplified, as the device coverage remains the same across all plans. However, only five devices at most may be a deal breaker if you have a family and multiple devices to protect. For this one, we chose the annual paid plan because it offers more features than the free version, including the ability to block spyware and social media ads.

AdLock vs. AdGuard: features

		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 AdLock Read AdLock Review	Get AdGuard Read AdGuard Review

If you spend any time online, you know how intrusive ads can be and how much time they can take away from your online experience. Both AdLock and AdGuard have plenty to offer, with AdGuard having a slight edge due to its inclusion of a blacklisting feature. This option allows you to always block ads on specific websites.

Neither product was able to bypass a paywall, which isn’t unusual. These websites want you to spend money to view the content, but this is an option that would be nice to have.

Otherwise, these two products offer comparable base features for a strong ad blocker. As for premium features, AdGuard offers parental controls with its Windows app and the ability to hide search queries, while AdLock includes blockers for spyware and social media ads.

AdLock vs. AdGuard: test results

		Our Pick
Adblock Tester score	96/100	83/100
Cover Your Tracks score	1/3	2.5/3
Can You Block It score	2.5/3	3/3
YouTube ads blocked
Paywalls bypassed
Learn more	Get AdLock Read AdLock Review	Get AdGuard Read AdGuard Review

Overall, AdLock didn’t score as well as AdGuard in ad blocker tests, but the results were close. AdLock demonstrated improved performance by blocking annoying ads, including banner ads, pop-up ads, and other types of ads, in the AdBlock Tester test. On the other hand, AdGuard has better anti-tracking capabilities. 

AdGuard and AdLock demonstrated strong protection against web tracking, resulting in a nearly unique fingerprint. Fingerprinting creates a unique list of characteristics for a single user, their browser, and their hardware setup. Nearly-unique isn’t a perfect score, but it’s the closest we’ve found among the ad blockers we’ve tested. 

The Can You Block It test checks for ad blocker warnings, pop-up ads, and banner ads. For this one, AdGuard passed all three tests, but AdLock got two out of three, as it didn’t block the interstitial ads. Although it didn’t display the ad's content, dealing with the issue was still frustrating.

We also test whether ad blockers can bypass YouTube video ads. Both AdLock and AdGuard blocked YouTube ads with no issues.

AdLock vs. AdGuard: compatibility and customer support

	Our Pick
Windows
macOS
Android
iOS
Linux
Browser extensions	Chrome, Safari, Firefox	Safari, Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Opera, Yandex
24/7 customer support
Customer support options	Email, phone, online guides	Email, online guides, forums
Learn more	Get AdLock Read AdLock Review	Get AdGuard Read AdGuard Review

AdLock’s interface was simple to navigate. After installing the Windows extension to test the premium version, everything went smoothly. 

AdGuard’s installation was also easy to set up, and we noticed no interruptions in our online experience. It blocked YouTube ads and even saved us some data for the day. We had trouble deciphering the total number of ads blocked because the Statistics button shows Ad Blocking and Privacy numbers. We aren’t certain how these relate to each other or if they do.

Regarding customer support, AdLock offers email and phone assistance, as well as FAQs and a user guide. AdGuard provides email support, a knowledge base, FAQs, and a community forum.

FAQs

AdLock vs. AdGuard: which is better?

AdGuard is the better overall product based on our testing. It offers a rare lifetime subscription and includes robust phishing, tracking, and browser protection. As a bonus, the Windows app provides good parental controls. Although AdLock is one of the best blockers for social media, we like how well AdGuard blocks trackers across the web.

AdLock vs. AdGuard alternatives

Both AdLock and AdGuard are effective ad blockers with decent free tiers, and their premium plans offer various perks. If you want more than AdLock's ability to block social media trackers or AdGuard's parental controls for Windows, we recommend the following top-tested ad blockers. Total Adblock has a great introductory price and includes TotalAV antivirus protection.