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Best for extra features
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User-friendly design provides for seamless browsing
Keeps a regularly updated list of blocked trackers
Provides both whitelisting and blacklisting functionality
Best for budgets
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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
The best ad blockers promote a better online experience by blocking trackers, banners, and pop-up advertisements. Ghostery and Adblock Plus both promise to deliver.
Adblock Plus received higher test scores when we ran these two programs through rigorous testing. It also boasts a discounted rate when purchasing an annual plan, and provides social media tracking with the free plan.
Ghostery doesn’t fall short on options, though. For the cost of a subscription, you get priority customer support, an ad-free private search, and a few more options.
We take a deep dive into these two ad blockers and show you their features, test scores, and prices.
Ghostery asks for contributions, starting at $4.99/mo and topping out at $11.99/mo. Since Ghostery considers these donations, you don’t get more features for different plans.
In contrast, Adblock Plus has a Premium plan that costs $3.33/mo (billed annually) if you choose an annual subscription. Otherwise, the price is Free for month-to-month.
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| Best for | Extra features | Budget conscious |
| Price | $1.99-$11.99/mo | Free to $4.00/mo |
| Ads blocked on Forbes | 9 | 56 |
| Does it block YouTube ads? | ||
| Compatibility | Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge, Opera | Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge, Opera |
| Mobile compatibility | Android, iOS | Android, iOS |
| Learn more | Get Ghostery | Get Adblock Plus |
Our Pick |
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| Price range | $1.99-$11.99/mo | Free to $4.00/mo |
| Best value plan | Monthly contribution for $1.99/mo | Adblock Plus Premium for $3.33/mo (billed annually) |
| Free version available | ||
| Money-back guarantee | Yes — 60 days | |
| Learn more | Get Ghostery | Get Adblock Plus |
Both ad blockers have free versions if you’re on a budget or not ready to pay for the features that come with the paid subscriptions.
Typically, ad blockers work by keeping intrusions away. Normally, the more you pay, the more features you get. This isn’t the case with Ghostery, since all paid options are considered donations, which may also be why there isn’t a money-back guarantee.
Adblock Plus gives you 60 days to test the blocker and get a full refund if you’re not satisfied with the results.
Our Pick |
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| 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 Ghostery | Get Adblock Plus |
When looking at Ghostery and Adblock Plus side by side, they’re equal competitors. Both come with features like an ads blocked counter, whitelisting, and the ability to block multiple types of ads like banner ads, video ads, and push ads.
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Both services block YouTube ads, so you can enjoy your videos without interruptions.
Although both ad blockers claim to protect you from trackers, our testing noted otherwise. In fact, neither one passed our Cover Your Tracks test, leaving you vulnerable to tracking ads and invisible trackers.
However, that doesn’t mean that some trackers won’t get blocked, but it may illustrate that more will get through. That inconsistency alone may be enough to give you pause if anonymous browsing is your preference.
But Ghostery does come out a little bit on top when getting into the nitty gritty. You can find some extra features, like the option to automatically decline cookies.
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Our Pick | |
| AdBlock Tester score | 98/100 | 100/100 |
| Cover Your Tracks score | 0/3 | 0/3 |
| Can You Block It score | 3/3 | 3/3 |
| YouTube ads blocked | ||
| Paywalls bypassed | ||
| Learn more | Get Ghostery | Get Adblock Plus |
We perform extensive testing in our ad blocker reviews using AdBlock Tester, Cover Your Tracks, and Can You Block It. AdBlock Tester gauges how well your ad blocker works to block error monitoring, analytics tools, contextual advertising, and more.
Adblock Plus reigned supreme at blocking ads, scoring a perfect 100/100 from AdBlock Tester. Ghostery wasn’t far behind with 98/100, but not quite as good as Adblock Plus.
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Both Ghostery and Adblock Plus proved effective with perfect Can You Block It scores. This test determines how well your blocker works to block banner ads, interstitial ads, and disable ad blocker warnings. Both were also capable of blocking YouTube ads like pre-roll videos.
However, both ad blockers completely failed the Cover Your Tracks test. Cover Your Tracks reviews the effectiveness of your browser against tracking ads, invisible tracks, and browser fingerprinting. Since Ghostery and Adblock Plus both failed this test, neither is the best option to remain anonymous online.
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Our Pick | |
| Windows | ||
| macOS | ||
| Android | ||
| iOS | ||
| Linux | ||
| Browser extensions | Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge, Opera | Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge, Opera |
| 24/7 customer support | ||
| Customer support options | Email, online guides | Email, online guides, support forums |
| Learn more | Get Ghostery | Get Adblock Plus |
Installing Adblock Plus proved to be easy. The browsing was clean, and we noticed no system lag during testing. It blocked YouTube ads at the beginning and during the middle of our videos.
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The whitelisting and blacklisting are great features because you can accept certain harmless ads, like those when watching your favorite content creator, and block the ones you never want to see.
Ghostery was user-friendly and easy to navigate. Like Adblock Plus, the whitelisting and blacklisting features proved effective. The interface is clean, and you can stay engaged by viewing the ads blocked counter.
Ghostery results on Safari. /images/2023/03/03/ghostery-review_02.png)
Ghostery and Adblock Plus both provide a knowledge base with FAQs and both allow you to submit a ticket should you need to reach human support. Adblock Plus also has support forums where you can ask questions to other users.
If you want an ad blocker that protects you against trackers, Total Adblock successfully protected us from tracking ads and invisible trackers. Its paid version also includes TotalAV antivirus.
However, our top overall best ad blocker is NordVPN Threat Protection, which includes some antivirus protection and a virtual private network (VPN).
Microsoft Edge has an ad blocker that focuses on pop-up ads, but it mentions in the Microsoft literature that you can manage ads using other Edge ad blocker add-ons.
Ghostery is safe to use. Since the program is open-source, plenty of people view the software and can catch bugs or coding issues. It’s also updated frequently to give you the latest protection available.
Adblock Plus is the better ad blocker for various types of advertisements; it also has analytic services to show effectiveness when in use. Adblock Plus may be better at catching contextual ads, but it’s not a landslide victory.
Ghostery does a good job of blocking YouTube ads and various other ads. While not as good as Adblock Plus in our AdBlock Tester category, it still scored well.
Ghostery and Adblock Plus are both reliable ad blockers with plenty of features, but if you’re on a budget, Ghostery gives you most of them for free.
While both Ghostery and Adblock Plus have plenty of features and the prices aren’t unfair, you may be unhappy with the tracker scores. We were, too, so we’ve included some alternative ad blockers that might be more suitable — considering privacy and extra features — for your budget.
| Ad blocker |  |
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| Best for | Best for blocking YouTube ads | Best for streaming | Best overall |
| Price | Paid plan costs $1.59/mo (billed annually) | Paid plans start at $1.99/mo (billed every two years) | Starts at $2.99/mo (billed every two years) |
| Blocks YouTube ads | |||
| Learn more | Get Total Adblock | Get Surfshark CleanWeb Ad Blocking | Get NordVPN Threat Protection |
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
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