The Best Ad Blockers for Chrome 2024

Best Overall

4.3

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.

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On Total Adblock's website

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Total Adblock

• Instantly blocks distracting ads on millions of websites, including YouTube video ads
• Blocks third-party trackers to protect your privacy and information
• Improves page load times and enables faster browsing
• Free version excludes top 15,000 websites

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Best for Blocking Malicious Ads

4.8

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.

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On NordVPN Threat Protection's website

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NordVPN Threat Protection

• Stops intrusive ads before they can even load, improving browsing experience and speed
• Identifies malware-ridden files and protects against visiting malicious websites
• Encrypts your data and blocks third-party trackers for increased security and privacy
• Lacks a dedicated firewall

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The best ad blockers can block annoying ads, stop slow page load times, and clean pages until only content remains. We've determined that Total Adblock, NordVPN Threat Protection, AdLock, and uBlock Origin are the best ad blockers for Chrome to access your content smoothly and without ads.

Total Adblock shines as the best overall, with its perfect ad blocking rates and ease of use. NordVPN Threat Protection is a great option if you're also looking to scan and block for malware as you surf the web. AdLock offers a solid free extension that's proven effective at blocking ads. Finally, uBlock Origin supports faster browsing as it blocks unnecessary clutter.

The best ad blockers for Chrome

We've determined that the following popular ad blockers are best for the Chrome browser:

• Total Adblock: Best overall
• NordVPN Threat Protection: Best for blocking malicious ads
• AdLock: Best free ad blocker
• uBlock Origin: Best system resources saver

Top 4 ad blockers for Chrome compared

Ad blocker
Chrome extension
Features	Tracker blocking, whitelisting, malware protection	Track blocking, whitelisting, malware blocking, malware scans	Tracker blocking, white listing, social media filter, spyware filter	Saves system resources, prevents tracking, open-source, configurable filters
Learn more	Get Total Adblock Read Total Adblock Review	Get NordVPN Threat Protection Read NordVPN Threat Protection Review	Get AdLock Read Adblock Plus Review	Read uBlock Origin Review

Total Adblock: Best overall

Best Basic Adblocker — Including YouTube Video Ads

4.3

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.

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On Total Adblock's website

Ad Blocker

Total Adblock

Special deal: Save 75% off

• Instantly blocks distracting ads on millions of websites, including YouTube video ads
• Blocks third-party trackers to protect your privacy and information
• Improves page load times and enables faster browsing
• Free version excludes top 15,000 websites

We think Total Adblock includes almost everything you'd want from an ad blocker. It's easy to use, works diligently in the background, and keeps tracks of ads blocked, trackers blocked, and data saved. 

It offers a comprehensive free version, which had impressive ad blocking test results, and a worthwhile premium plan with unlimited ad blocking potential and TotalAV antivirus. You can't go wrong with Total Adblock.

What we liked

Total Adblock only took minutes to setup and it got to blocking ads right away. We didn't have to do anything after installing the extension, but there are the options to adjust your trusted websites and ad preferences manually if you desire. 

We were impressed by Total Adblock receiving 100/100 test score from Adblock Tester, which is designed to test how effectively an ad blocker can prevent pop-ups, banner ads, Facebook ads, and much more. It's also a successful YouTube ad blocker, which is handy following YouTube's latest crackdown on ad blockers. All this testing was all conducted with the Total Adblock free version, so you can get a quality product at no cost to you. 

If you do wish to upgrade, Total Adblock's paid plan is only $1.99/mo (billed annually). The Premium plan blocks all ads, removes browser notifications, and comes with award-winning antivirus. 

What we didn’t like

As far as free ad blocker extensions go, Total Adblock can be limiting; it excludes the top 15,000 websites as listed on Alexa.com. We also found that some reviewers had trouble cancelling their subscriptions, which is worth noting if you're opting for the premium plan.

Total Adblock pros and cons

Get Total Adblock | Read Our Total Adblock Review

NordVPN Threat Protection: Best for blocking malicious ads

Enjoy Privacy and Security Even When Not Connected to a VPN

4.8

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.

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On NordVPN Threat Protection's website

Ad Blocker

NordVPN Threat Protection

Save up to 69% + 3 months free

• Stops intrusive ads before they can even load, improving browsing experience and speed
• Identifies malware-ridden files and protects against visiting malicious websites
• Encrypts your data and blocks third-party trackers for increased security and privacy
• Lacks a dedicated firewall

As far as virtual private networks (VPNs) go, NordVPN is one of the top providers on the market. What you may not know is that NordVPN comes with plenty of features to supplement your cybersecurity. One of those features is NordVPN Threat Protection, formerly known as Cybersec.  

But Threat Protection is more than just an ad blocker — it also blocks trackers, malware, and phishing scam attempts to keep your device and your personal data safe as you browse online. 

What we liked

NordVPN proved that it's a formidable opponent to ads during our testing. It received a 93/100 score with AdBlock Tester. With a near-perfect ad blocking score, you can rest assured that Threat Protection will improve your browsing experience. We were even impressed by its ability to block YouTube ads during the latest ad blocker crackdowns,

Unlike other ad blockers, Threat Protection also has features to scan for and block malware, like adware, phishing, and more. It offers real-time protection, so you'll receive an alert for any suspicious activity regardless of whether you're browsing on your desktop or scrolling on your phone. Threat Protection even passed our tests for malware detection and phishing detection, proving that Nord will reliably detect and block cyberthreats. 

We also like that you don't need to be running NordVPN to use Threat Protection. Depending on your preferences, you can turn the toggle on for Threat Protection if you want comprehensive malware, ad, and tracker blocking features, or just use Threat Protection Lite, which blocks ads and malicious sites.

What we didn’t like

NordVPN Threat Protection covers a lot of cyberthreats, but it's not the most comprehensive antivirus. Threat Protection doesn't have its own dedicated firewall, although it can be complemented with a firewall or antivirus that's purchased separately. 

Unfortunately, there's no free version of Threat Protection and it can only be purchased with NordVPN, which has costs ranging from $3.99–$15.99/mo. This might not be ideal if you're on a budget, or if you're only looking to invest in an ad blocker.

NordVPN Threat Protection pros and cons

Get NordVPN Threat Protection | Read Our NordVPN Threat Protection Review

AdLock: Best free ad blocker

4.3

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.

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On AdLock's website

AdLock

• No ads on YouTube
• Blocks tracking ads
• Social media blocker requires paid tier

For a free extension, AdLock proved to be a standout. During our testing, it block 15/15 ads that appeared on the Forbes homepage and it had a nearly perfect Adblock Tester score of 97/100. Although only the Pro plan is supposed to block all types of ads, it looks like the free version comes pretty close. 

What we liked

AdLock is another ad blocker we found easy to use. You can easily toggle the app on and off or add exclusions to an allow list, that way you can support specific content creators while keeping the rest of your browsing ad-free.

If you opt for a paid plan, AdLock’s extension has an integrated spyware filter with rules that stop websites from tracking your activity. AdLock Pro also comes with a social media filter to protect your data from being tracked as while you visit Facebook, Instagram, and other social media networks. 

We were also impressed by AdLock's transparent privacy policy. Its written in plain language, making it easy for any to read, and it doesn't sell your data, even if you choose the free plan. AdLock only collects data for analytics and usage purposes. 

What we didn’t like

There's not much to complain about when it comes to AdLock. Some features, like the social media blocker, are only available with the paid plans, so that's something to keep in mind when picking your plan.

We also noticed AdLock only accepts Visa, Mastercard, and PayPal, which is limiting if you're looking to pay with other credit cards, payment processors, or even cryptocurrency. 

AdLock Plus pros and cons

Get AdLock | Read Our AdLock Review

uBlock Origin: Best system resources saver

4.8

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.

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On uBlock Origin's website

uBlock Origin

• Free and open-source
• Compatible with multiple browsers
• Some features require technical knowledge

Browsers can slow to a crawl when large webpages are accessed. Then, there’s the addition of multiple tabs for the app to manage. uBlock Origin is designed to optimize memory and central processing unit (CPU) power usage. What does this mean for those massive pages? It means faster page loads and smoother scrolling.

uBlock Origin users can also look forward to comprehensive pop-up blocking, tracking prevention, and a slew of customization settings. The extension relieves pressure from struggling browsers, maximizes bandwidth, and passes the benefits straight to the device. The result? Faster browsing while the ad blocker runs in the background.

What we liked

uBlock Origin is a user-friendly extension; the software favors minimalist interactions but retains plenty of advanced settings. It achieves this by offering four different modes: easy, medium, hard, and nightmare. As part of that easy-to-operate mandate, uBlock Origin focuses primarily on device optimization, which means its code is optimized so there’s no noticeable lag. Tabs and multipage content may push Chrome to its functioning limits, but the extension won’t incur additional resource usage.

No compromises have been made in return for the low system usage design. The developers have incorporated as much functionality as other leading ad blockers. The software blocks ads and pop-ups, stops YouTube commercials, prevents privacy-jeopardizing tracking, and adds all the latest filtering lists into the mix.

Promoting itself as a “wide-spectrum content blocker,” in the developer’s own cleverly coined terminology, this extension has tons of features to explore. A quick test of the Element Zapper, found again on the extension panel, offered an entertaining and highly functional way to “zap” page elements. When activated, a mouse over a page section highlights it, at which point a single click makes the element vanish.

What we didn’t like

uBlock Origin’s advanced tools can also be perceived as drawbacks, though that depends on your technical skills. A warning would have been helpful for the advanced settings section. Otherwise, casual app adopters might experience tech-shock if they’re tempted to tinker.

We're also concerned about the future of uBlock Origin due to Google disabling extensions based on Manifest version 2. Extensions created with Manifest V3 will have a more limited feature set, and thus less extensive ad-blocking capabilities. uBlock Origin has already created uBlock Origin Lite, which is compatible with Manifest V3.

And, although this extension is packed with features and can block just about everything (including ads on social media sites), it seems strange that its development team hasn’t chosen to offer a mobile version. That’s a peculiar omission, especially considering the popularity of the mobile device sector.

uBlock Origin pros and cons

Read Our uBlock Origin Review

Honorable mentions

There are lots of ad blockers on the market, especially for Google Chrome. Although these ad blockers didn't make our top three, they may be better suited for you:

• AdGuard: AdGuard provides a cleaner, more enjoyable browsing experience, with dismissed pop-ups and banner ads, which leaves plenty of resources for smooth page loading. The extension panel integrates a statistics tab, so you can view a simple graph that shows the number of blocked ads on a website.

  Read AdGuard Review

• Adblock Plus: From malware contained in troublesome ads to cryptocurrency mining, Adblock Plus can block all kinds of content. It also supports whitelisting natively.

  Read Adblock Plus Review

• Ghostery: As powerful and customizable as any other ad blocker, Ghostery’s Chrome add-on blocks ads and protects online privacy with satisfactory accuracy.

  Read Ghostery Review

How we tested the best ad blockers for Chrome

All three ad blockers were chosen according to their abilities to freely block all kinds of ads on contrasting web platforms. News websites and general content sites were tested, as were social media sites and multimedia platforms. Free ad blocking ranks equally as highly as privacy here, with customization features following closely behind.

• The most important consideration was the elimination of intrusive ads.
• This was followed by privacy and tracker stoppage.
• Malicious content belongs here, so no malware code can be run.
• Key differences between free versions and subscription models should be made clear.
• Even if it is full of customizable tools, the extension should still be easy to configure.
• Finally, low system overheads go hand-in-hand with the above requirement.

Best ad blockers for Chrome FAQs

Bottom line: The best ad blockers for Google Chrome

Total Adblock, NordVPN Threat Protection, AdLock, and uBlock Origin are our four best Chrome ad blockers, and there’s good reason for their lofty positions. Beyond offering compatibility with Chrome, they're user-friendly and come with extensive features where you can customize your ad-blocking experience and protect yourself from malicious ads.

4 best ad blockers for Chrome 2024

	Best for	Compatibility	Learn more
	Best overall	Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge, iOS, Android	Get Total Adblock Read Total Adblock Review
	Best for blocking malicious ads	Chrome, Firefox, Edge, iOS, Android, macOS, Windows, Linux	Get NordVPN Threat Protection Read NordVPN Threat Protection Review
	Best free ad-blocker	Chrome, Firefox, Safari, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android	Get AdLock Read AdLock Review
	Best system resources saver	Chrome, Firefox, Safaru (prior to 13), Edge, Opera	Read uBlock Origin Review

Best Basic Adblocker — Including YouTube Video Ads

4.3

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

Learn More

On Total Adblock's website

Ad Blocker

Total Adblock

Special deal: Save 75% off

• Instantly blocks distracting ads on millions of websites, including YouTube video ads
• Blocks third-party trackers to protect your privacy and information
• Improves page load times and enables faster browsing
• Free version excludes top 15,000 websites

Author Details

Ryan L. Clancy

About the Author

Ryan Clancy is a freelance writer and blogger. With 5+ years of mechanical engineering experience, he's passionate about all things engineering and tech. He loves bringing engineering (especially mechanical) down to a level that everyone can understand.