Privacy Badger Review 2026: A Free Privacy Tool That Blocks Trackers

Privacy Badger is focused on blocking trackers, but it works decently as an ad blocker as well. Privacy Badger earned decent test scores during our ad blocker tests, and it can be stacked with an ad blocker for comprehensive blocking.

We like that Privacy Badger can help discover trackers and automatically update your privacy settings. Keep reading to learn how Privacy Badger fared during our hands-on testing and if it can be a good enough ad blocker for your browsing needs.

 

Overview

Trackers blocked on Forbes	28
AdBlock Tester score	63/100
Can You Block It score	2/3
Does it block YouTube ads?	No
Whitelisting available	Yes
Blacklisting available	No
Compatibility	Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Opera
Paid version	Free (donations accepted)
Learn more	Get Privacy Badger

We last tested Privacy Badger on January 14, 2026.

Our experience

Privacy Badger is an effective and user-friendly tracker blocker. We installed the extension in Google Chrome and were prompted to complete a tutorial.

Privacy Badger has notifications to help you resolve any browsing errors you may experience while using the extension. For example, we once received a notification asking us to customize permissions for a Google tracker if we wanted to log in with our Google account.

Although Privacy Badger couldn't block video ads on YouTube, it did successfully block other ad types. Pop-ups disappeared or were replaced by a blank white space. We were impressed with how many trackers Privacy Badger blocked on popular news sites like Forbes and The Wall Street Journal. 

In previous testing, Privacy Badger only blocked 4 trackers on Forbes. In recent testing, it blocked 28. It also blocked a whopping 53 trackers on the WSJ during our paywalls test. 

Clicking on the extension shows you the trackers Privacy Badger is managing, options to customize permissions, and a donation option to the developers directly. 

Why doesn’t Privacy Badger block every ad?

Privacy Badger doesn't block all ads because it wasn't built to do that. Instead, it focuses on detecting and blocking invasive third-party trackers. 

Privacy Badger aims "...to prevent non-consensual invasions of people’s privacy because we believe they are inherently objectionable. We also want to create incentives for advertising companies to do the right thing."^[1]

Sometimes it will put trackers on a yellowlist to indicate those that may be necessary for website functionality. If a website is yellowlisted, it can still load, but Privacy Badger will attempt to block unnecessary cookies and referrers.

For a standalone privacy tool, Privacy Badger does what it claims to do. It's not designed to be a full-fledged ad blocker, which is why it didn't excel in our ad blocking tests. However, it would be an excellent free anti-tracker tool to pair with a reliable ad blocker. 

Even so, Privacy Badger may block most ads with attached trackers, but it doesn't primarily focus on stopping ads. If you want to block ads specifically, you're better off using a traditional ad blocker alongside Privacy Badger. 

The good news is that Privacy Badger is compatible with ad blocker extensions.

Main features

Privacy Badger doesn't function like your traditional ad blocker. Instead of focusing on blocking ads, it prevents third-party trackers from following your online activity. Since ads are usually third-party trackers, it blocks these types of ads. 

In this sense, Privacy Badger is more like a private online browsing tool instead of an ad blocker.

Automatic opt-out of data sharing and tracking

Here's how it works: Privacy Badger sends a Global Privacy Control signal to opt out of data sharing and selling. It also sends Do Not Track signals to notify websites that you don't wish to be tracked. 

If a website fails to comply with these wishes, then Privacy Badger starts blocking it.

Automatic tracker blocking

Instead of a list of blocked websites, Privacy Badger bases its blocking decisions on behavior. For example, if the same tracker appears across three sites, Privacy Badger automatically blocks it. 

For more advanced settings, click on the gear icon in the upper-right corner to reveal more options.

Whitelisting

Privacy Badger automatically blocks sites that track you, but you have the option to disable the tool from working on a list of curated sites.

Customized tracker blocking

You can also use the extension to customize privacy settings for individual trackers. You have three options in a slider: red to block a domain, yellow to block unnecessary cookies, and green to allow a domain to load without Privacy Badger interference.

Privacy Badger test results

We put Privacy Badger to the test against multiple types of ads and trackers. 

Privacy Badger scores

Test	AdBlock Tester	Can You Block It
Privacy Badger score	63/100	2/3

First, we used AdBlock Tester to see if Privacy Badger could successfully block contextual advertising, analytics tools, banner ads, and error monitoring. Privacy Badger was docked points for some tests due to failure to load. 

It largely failed to block banner ads and didn’t block Flash banners, GIFs, or static images. In previous testing, it had a slightly higher score but performed comparably.

We also wanted to see how Privacy Badger holds up against Can You Block It, which tests for common ad types such as ad blocker warnings, banner ads, and interstitial ads (ads that display while the webpage loads). 

Privacy Badger passed 2/3 of the Can You Block It tests. We saw the interstitial ad before the page loaded. 

Despite being focused on trackers, it was still nice to see Privacy Badger could block the banner ad and disable the ad blocker warning.

YouTube ads test

YouTube ads may be the most noticeable online ads you encounter during your browsing. You may get stuck watching ads for several seconds before your YouTube video starts, in the middle of the video, or even after it's done playing.

During our testing, Privacy Badger failed to block all YouTube ads for several videos. Since Privacy Badger predominantly identifies itself as a privacy tool and not an ad blocker tool, it's easy to see how YouTube ads slipped through its tracker-blocking services.

Many people use ad blockers to block YouTube ads, so it might make Privacy Badger unappealing. You may find that an alternative like Total Adblock or Surfshark CleanWeb is a better choice for ad-free YouTube sessions. 

However, if you are more interested in blocking trackers instead of ads, Privacy Badger may still be a good option. It may also still be a good choice if you want to support your favorite YouTube creators, who often rely on ads to make a living.

Bypassing paywall test

Paywalled content requires users to subscribe to access the content. Most ad blockers, free or paid, typically can't bypass hard paywalls like those on national news sites. Unsurprisingly, Privacy Badger couldn't bypass paywalls for The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, or The Atlantic.

However, we were still impressed by the sheer number of trackers Privacy Badger blocked on these popular news sites.

What browsers is Privacy Badger compatible with?

Privacy Badger is compatible with several popular web browsers and offers browser extensions for the following:

• Google Chrome
• Mozilla Firefox
• Microsoft Edge
• Opera

Notably, Privacy Badger doesn't work with Safari, but it's currently building an app for Safari on macOS.

Top alternatives

While Privacy Badger is a solid privacy tool, you may also need a traditional ad blocker. We’ve reviewed and tested the best options on the market, recommending those with premium features such as top-notch antivirus software and built-in VPN services.

Bottom line: Is Privacy Badger good?

Privacy Badger is a good, free option to stop trackers from monitoring your online behavior. It's also compatible with several popular browsers and easy to install and use. 

Plus, Privacy Badger is still working toward macOS support via a Safari extension and continues to improve its free product. 

Although Privacy Badger didn't block any YouTube ads, it did an excellent job blocking other ads during our testing, given its focus on trackers. For more extensive ad blocking, consider one of our top alternatives. 

You can also see how Privacy Badger compares to other ad blockers:

• Privacy Badger vs. Total Adblock
• Privacy Badger vs. uBlock Origin
• Privacy Badger vs. Adblock Plus
• Privacy Badger vs. Ghostery

Privacy Badger FAQs