How We Test, Rate, and Review Ad Blockers

We've tested 20-plus ad blockers over three years, running each through third-party tools and real-world browsing scenarios across Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS. Our ratings are built on six weighted criteria, from blocking effectiveness to usability to value, so you can find the ad blocker that actually fits your needs, not just the one that scores well on a single test.

Test results (34%)

Making sure the ad blockers actually work is integral to our rating. We use several different trusted third-party tools to stress test the effectiveness of each ad blocker. We also use the software on websites known for a lot of ads to see how they do in a real-world environment.

AdBlock Tester

What it is: AdBlock Tester runs multiple types of ad scripts to see if the software blocks them, giving a final score out of 100. These are the following ad script types:

• Contextual advertising: The most common form of advertising and tracking, contextual advertising collects data about you to provide tailored ads.
• Analytics tools: These are web analytics services (e.g., Google Analytics) that monitor your activity and collect data about you.
• Banner advertising: These ads include flash banners, GIF ads, and static image ads. 
• Error monitoring: Services used to track and measure errors on websites. 

How we test it: After enabling the ad blocker, we open and load the AdBlock Tester page. Then, the page shows the four categories and flags whether the test was passed, failed, or AdBlock Tester was unable to check.

Sometimes, the ad blockers we test receive a less than perfect score because only some filters are enabled after installing. Before we record the score, we go into the ad blocker settings to enable any extra filters, such as the EasyList, AdGuard Other Annoyances filter, and the Online Malicious URL Blocklist.

How we rate it:

• Best: A perfect 100/100 score.
• Worst: Anything under 50 is considered a fail.

Can You Block It

What it is: The Can You Block It has three test types: Simple, Advanced, and eXtreme. We always go for the Simple test, which is focused on self-hosted ads. These include: 

• Disable ad blocker warnings: Pop-ups detecting your ad blocker and pressuring you to whitelist them.
• Banner ads: Rectangular ads surrounding the box on the webpage. 
• Interstitial ads: Ads that pop up before the page loads, which prevent you from viewing the page. Some ad blockers can block the content of the ad, but you'll still have to wait for the timer to complete before getting to the results page. 

How we test it: After enabling the ad blocker, we open and load the Can You Block It page. After taking a moment to load, we can view either the webpage with ads or the test results page.

How we rate it:

• Best: All three ad types are blocked, ensuring that the ad blocker is effective.
• Worst: None or only one of the attempts was blocked.

Value (21%)

Several ad blockers offer a free tier or are completely free, while others charge a recurring subscription. Neither automatically makes a product better or worse; what matters is whether the protection you get justifies what you pay.

To evaluate value, we look at the relationship between price and performance. A free ad blocker that blocks everything is an outstanding value. A paid ad blocker that matches or exceeds that performance can still represent strong value, provided the price is reasonable and the subscription includes meaningful extras like multi-device coverage or a generous trial period. 

Starting price

What it is: We weigh the cost of each tier against its real-world blocking performance using our standardized test scores. A higher price is only justified by meaningfully stronger results or added features.

How we rate it:

• Best: Strong blocking performance at no cost, or a paid product whose test scores and features clearly justify the price
• Worst: A paid product with poor or mediocre blocking results, or a free product that fails to block basic ad types

Money-back guarantee or free trial

What it is: For paid products, we check whether a risk-free evaluation period is available. This is especially important given that blocking effectiveness can vary depending on your browser, OS, and browsing habits.

How we rate it:

• Best: 60-day money-back guarantee or trial period
• Worst: Less than a week or no trial period

Max number of devices included

What it is: We review how many devices are covered under a single subscription, since households typically need coverage across multiple browsers and platforms simultaneously.

How we rate it:

• Best: Unlimited devices, or the product is entirely free
• Worst: Coverage limited to a single device

Features (18%)

Good ad blockers can thwart multiple ad types, including YouTube ads, push ads, trackers, and more. They also give you the ability to choose what sites will pause ad blocking, also known as whitelisting.

We evaluate each ad blocker against a six-point checklist. Every capability present earns one point, and the total determines the features score.

Blocks pop-up ads

What it is: Pop-up ads open new windows or tabs without you asking for them. They're among the most disruptive ad formats online and a common vector for scams and malware.

Blocks trackers

What it is: Trackers are third-party scripts embedded in web pages that follow your activity across sites, building a profile used to serve targeted ads. Blocking them improves both privacy and page load speed.

Blocks YouTube ads

What it is: YouTube serves users aggressive amounts of ads in an attempt to woo users into purchasing a subscription.

How we test it: First, we disable the ad blocker or open an incognito window to determine if there are any ads before the video. Then, we open a window with the ad blocker enabled and watch through a YouTube video to see if there are any ads before and during the video.

Most of the time, YouTube needs to be accessed from a browser rather than an app. Apps have a harder time regulating what happens in other apps, whereas browsers have an easier time blocking certain coding.

How we rate it:

• Best: No ads before, during, or after a YouTube video.
• Worst: Ads show up either before or during the video.

Blocks banner ads

What it is: Banner ads are the rectangular display ads that appear at the top, bottom, or sides of a webpage. They're the most common ad format on the web and a baseline test of any ad blocker's effectiveness.

Blocks push ads

What it is: Push ads are notifications sent through your browser that mimic system alerts. Sites request permission to send them, and once granted, can deliver ads directly to your desktop or notification tray even when you're not browsing.

Includes whitelisting

What it is: Whitelisting means creating a list of allowed things. In this instance, it means allowing certain pages to display ads. This is useful if you’re trying to support a creator or cause.

How we rate it:

• Best: You can add to the allowlist directly from the agent in the toolbar.
• Worst: No allowlist at all.

Editor's score (15%)

Good ad blocking software should be accessible to everyone, not just technically confident users. 

This section captures anything that can affect the day-to-day experience of using an ad blocker but isn't covered by our other criteria. This could include how intuitive the interface is, how easy it is to troubleshoot, and whether you can set and forget the software or it just creates friction.

How we test it: We use the software ourselves across Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS depending on system requirements, evaluating whether features are clearly surfaced, controls are logically placed, and the dashboard gives you a useful at-a-glance picture of what's being blocked. 

We also note anything that required us to consult documentation or support to figure out, since a well-designed ad blocker should be self-explanatory for most users.

How we rate it:

• Best: A clean, modern interface with intuitive navigation, clear feedback on blocking activity, and no unnecessary complexity
• Worst: A cluttered dashboard, unexplained technical terminology, or setup requirements that would frustrate a non-technical user

Customer support (7%)

Being able to reach a customer service professional in a timely manner can make or break your experience. What kinds of support are offered, and is it effective?

How we test it: We evaluate a product’s support offerings by reading the pages dedicated to troubleshooting. Often, we reach out to support for an issue to evaluate how long it took to receive a response, if it resolved our issue, and how easy the instructions were to understand.

How we rate it:

• Best: More than one option to talk to a real person, including live chat, email, and phone support.
• Worst: A support page with limited resources and no direct contact.

Compatibility (5%)

Since ads are rampant on every one of our devices, it’s important that ad blockers offer broad compatibility and support.

Desktop apps

What it is: This is for laptops and desktop computers. Apps tend not to provide as strong of blocking features, so we like to see them combined with browser extensions.

How we test it: We download and enable the app, then run our ad-blocking tests to see if it works.

How we rate it:

• Best: All ads blocked during testing.
• Worst: Nothing or less than 40% of items blocked.

Browsers

What it is: A browser extension is essentially a small plugin that alters how your browser interacts with the internet. Ad blocker extensions typically work better than apps on the desktop.

How we test it: We enable the extension in our browser, usually through the dashboard or main website of the ad blocker, then perform our tests.

How we rate it:

• Best: Multiple extensions are available for the most popular browsers, including Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Safari, Brave, Opera, and Yandex.
• Worst: There is no extension, it’s too difficult to install, or it’s only compatible with one browser.

Mobile apps

What it is: This refers to apps that can be downloaded onto a mobile device like an iPhone or an Android. They typically have less power than a browser extension.

How we test it: We download the app and then run our tests on our phones.

How we rate it:

• Best: The app blocks everything or comes with a browser extension that, combined, blocks everything.
• Worst: Nothing is blocked, and there are no additional extensions to help.

How we calculate our ratings

Once we’ve finished testing an ad blocker and written out all our testing notes, we evaluate our findings against the rating rubric we’ve created. Each section is worth points and is weighted based on its relevance to the product. The scores are then calculated using a weighted average, which forms the basis of our star rating system.

Decision factor	Weight	What's covered
Editor's score	15%	The ease of use and intuitiveness while testing the product
Value	21%	Lowest plan price, lowest renewal price, money-back guarantee length
Features	18%	Ability to block push ads, banner ads, trackers, YouTube ads, pop-ups, and if it includes whitelisting
Test results	34%	AdBlock Tester score and Can You Block It score
Compatibility	5%	Coverage for desktop, smartphone, and/or browsers
Customer support	7%	Number of methods available for human support

This is applied to every ad blocker we test and then maintained in a spreadsheet where the calculations are applied automatically when the metrics are inserted. This ensures consistency across the board, making sure we can confidently recommend the best ad blockers.