Privacy Badger vs. Ghostery 2025: Which Is the Better Free Ad Blocker?

Ghostery passed all our ad-blocking tests, and it has several features so you can customize which ads you see. It's also compatible with popular browsers and devices, making it suitable for nearly everyone.

Privacy Badger wasn't as effective at blocking ads, but it did a better job at blocking trackers. However, it's still a good choice if you want to add a privacy-focused extension to your online security suite.

We dig into the details below in this head-to-head comparison.

Privacy Badger vs. Ghostery

Ghostery is highly effective at blocking ads, including ads on YouTube. While Privacy Badger can block some ads, its primary purpose is to stop trackers from collecting your data.

Best for	Blocking trackers	Blocking YouTube ads
Price	Free	Free
Ads blocked on Forbes	33	9
Does it block YouTube ads?
Compatibility	Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Opera	Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge, Opera
Mobile compatibility	Android	Android, iOS
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Privacy Badger pros and cons

Ghostery pros and cons

Privacy Badger vs. Ghostery: prices

	Our Pick
Price range	Free	Free
Free version available
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Privacy Badger and Ghostery are free ad blockers, but you can donate to either platform to show your support.

At Privacy Badger, you can donate using cryptocurrency, credit card, or PayPal. You can make a one-time donation or choose a monthly or annual donation. Privacy Badger also gives you a thank-you gift for donating, which can be stickers, pins, or Privacy Badger clothing.

Ghostery lets you make a monthly or annual donation using a credit card, Apple Pay, Google Pay, or PayPal. Unlike Privacy Badger, there's no option to make a one-time donation, and you can't use cryptocurrency.

Privacy Badger vs Ghostery: features

Feature		Our Pick
Whitelisting
Blacklisting
Ads blocked counter
Bypasses paywalls
Block pop-up ads
Block tracking
Block video ads
Block banner ads
Block push ads
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The biggest difference is that Privacy Badger claims it's not an ad blocker. Privacy Badger exclusively aims at blocking trackers and doesn't work as an ad blocker. Since many ads contain trackers, Privacy Badger ends up blocking them anyway.

Privacy Badger also has Global Privacy Control and Do Not Track signals, which let third parties know not to collect or share your data. It provides an extra layer of privacy without any extra thought from you.

Meanwhile, Ghostery focuses on blocking ads. It also offers more advanced features to protect your privacy. For example, it has whitelisting and blacklisting functionality. Ghostery also has additional tools like a private browser and private search.

Privacy Badger vs Ghostery: test results

Feature		Our Pick
Adblock Tester score	67/100	99/100
Cover Your Tracks score	2/3	0/3
Can You Block It score	2/3	3/3
YouTube ads blocked
Paywalls bypassed
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We examine all of our ad blockers by running them through a rigorous testing process. Ghostery did a stellar job at blocking ads with a 99/100 score on the Adblock Tester examination. It also successfully blocked ads on YouTube.

However, it didn't do so well in the Cover Your Tracks test, failing to block any trackers. It's pretty ineffective at stopping third parties from collecting data about you.

Privacy Badger scored lower with our ad-blocking tests, but it's not designed to block ads. Privacy Badger stops the trackers that sometimes come from ads, which is why some ads get blocked but others get shown. For example, Privacy Badger didn't stop ads on YouTube, but it did block other online ads.

Privacy Badger scored a 2/3 on the Cover Your Tracks test. It managed to block trackers, but it couldn't stop the creation of a unique fingerprint to identify your device.

Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) created Cover Your Tracks and is the same non-profit organization behind Privacy Badger.

Privacy Badger vs Ghostery: compatibility and customer support

		Our Pick
Windows
macOS
Android
iOS
Linux
Browser extensions	Yes — Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Opera	Yes — Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge, Opera
24/7 customer support
Customer support options	Email, forums, online guides	Email, online guides
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Ghostery impressed us with how easy it was to use. It was simple to customize settings to our preferences, but we did have some difficulty using Ghostery on Safari.

Privacy Badger doesn't work on Safari, which makes it impossible to use on macOS and iOS devices. The good news is that Privacy Badger was easy to install during our Chrome experience. We also received helpful notifications about any errors during the process.

Neither Ghostery nor Privacy Badger offer 24/7 support, so you’ll need to check the FAQ section or online guides to find the answers to your issues. However, Privacy Badger does provide an email address if you need direct support. Ghostery only has an online form.

Privacy Badger and Ghostery FAQs

Privacy Badger vs. Ghostery: Which is better?

Ultimately, Ghostery is a better choice overall, especially if you’re aiming to block ads. It passed our ad block tests and was effective at blocking YouTube ads. However, it's not a great choice for blocking trackers — Ghostery didn't pass the Cover Your Tracks test.

Privacy Badger is also a great choice to block trackers. While it doesn't focus on blocking ads, it does block ads that contain trackers. Privacy Badger is a great asset to stop third parties from collecting data about you.

Privacy Badger recommends using it with a traditional ad blocker, so you could use it with Ghostery to get the best of both worlds.

Privacy Badger and Ghostery alternatives

The best ad blockers have additional tools to secure your privacy. If you want the ultimate privacy experience, you may need a VPN, which hides your IP address and makes it harder for third parties to track your online behavior.