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Remove ads & trackers on YouTube, Facebook, and most websites
Hands-off ad-blocking experience
Easy to set up
Free version excludes top 15,000 websites
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There are a few important reasons to consider using ad blockers, like being able to browse the internet anonymously, protecting your digital privacy, and enjoying ad-free web surfing experiences. Total Adblock is an effective, easy-to-use ad blocker that delivers all these benefits.
The software is easy to set up and provides hands-off ad-blocking without disrupting your web surfing. It gets top results from ad blocker test sites, and its free version comes with a decent amount of ad- and tracker-blocking features. Its paid version offers all the ad-blocking you could want, in addition to award-winning antivirus protection.
Below, we dive into Total Adblock to share details about how it works, what it offers, and whether it’s worth the cost.
| Ads blocked on Forbes homepage | 7 ads and 7 trackers |
| Adblock Tester score | 100/100 |
| Cover Your Tracks score | 2/3 |
| Does it block YouTube ads? | Yes |
| Compatibility | Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Safari, iOS, Android |
| Paid version | Starts at $29/first yr |
| Details | View Total Adblock Plans |
Total Adblock Free comes with an array of features, including:
Additionally, information in the drop-down browser extension lets you know how many ads and trackers you have blocked — among other data points.
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The paid version (more on that below) also comes with the ability to remove unwanted browser notifications and block all ads from any site, as well as TotalAV antivirus protection.
We tested Total AdBlock using the Adblock Tester and EFF's Cover Your Tracks tools. AdBlock Tester tests for the following types of ads:
Total Adblock received 100/100, proving it’s a powerful ad-blocking tool.
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Cover Your Tracks tests for ads with trackers. Total AdBlock successfully blocked tracking ads, and invisible ads. However, our results also showed that our browser has a unique fingerprint, meaning that it's easier to profile you online.
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| AdBlock Tester | Cover Your Tracks | |
| Total Adblock score | 100/100 | 2/3 |
For many, YouTube is necessary for daily life. But now pre-video, in-video, and post-video ads are omnipresent on the platform, which breaks up your streaming experience and forces you to skip or listen to ads.
We put Total Adblock to the test by playing videos that run long with ad timestamps. Total Adblock was successful in blocking all ads for the entire duration of these videos. Videos played in an instant without stutters or lag. In total, Total Adblock stopped 21 ads and 227 trackers on YouTube alone. It felt good to watch videos of Disneyland secrets without getting cut off by an ad for Disneyland.
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If you're watching videos from your favorite YouTubers, it's better not to use Adblock. YouTubers rely on ads during their videos to generate revenue. If you wish to keep supporting them so their channel can grow, we suggest turning Total Adblock off. If you use private or Incognito windows in your browser, ads will play but their visuals get blocked. We noticed this in testing, so for seamless ad blocking, we recommend staying in a regular window.
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Keep in mind that we received Total Adblock pop-up banners on the bottom of some websites prompting us to upgrade to premium to "block unlimited in-play ads on YouTube" daily after installing Total Adblock on our browser.
Not only did Total Adblock not disclose these pop-up ads, but it feels ironic that a service designed to block pop-up ads repeatedly showed us a pop-up ad.
Total Adblock is an easy-to-use ad blocker app that blocks ads and pop-ups without intruding on the web surfing experience. Setting up Total Adblock couldn’t be simpler, with prompts explaining exactly how to install the extension on Chrome and get started.
Upon installing the extension, Total Adblock starts working right away. Click on the extension at any time to view what the software is blocking.
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During the setup process, Total Adblock ushers you through a couple of steps — all of which took less than five minutes to complete. In one step, it’ll ask how you want to manage your search history (with options to clear browsing history, junk images and files, and download history). Deleting this data can improve your browsing experience and improve page load speed.
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We chose to only clear our download history, and the software moved us forward to a step where we hand-selected which adverts to block. Total Adblock has a whitelist of acceptable ads to ensure it allows useful alerts, but despite this reliably blocks unnecessary pop-up ads that could be phishing scams.
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The program then tells you Total Adblock is on. If you want to take advantage of the mobile version, Total Adblock provides a QR code to scan so you can start blocking ads on your mobile device.
We did not experience any glitching websites while using Total Adblock (aside from the two YouTube videos mentioned above), and no ads made their way through the blocker. It began working immediately, and we didn’t have to do anything after installing the extension. It’s quite a hands-off experience.
However, if you want a more hands-on approach to your ad-blocking, Total Adblock allows you to manage your trusted websites and ad preferences manually.
Total Adblock is compatible with the following browsers and devices:
Total Adblock offers a paid plan option starting at $29/first yr for first-time users. After your first year, it jumps to $119 a year. We recommend the paid version for a few reasons:
| Free plan | Paid plan | |
| Price | Free | $29/first yr ($119/yr after) |
| Block ads | Limited | |
| Block trackers | ||
| Website and ads whitelist | ||
| Block browser notifications | ||
| Antivirus protection | ||
| Details | Learn More | Learn More |
Yes, it is real software published by TotalAV, which also publishes malware and antivirus protection software.
As a first-time user, you can benefit from a discount and pay $29/first yr. After that, you will pay $119 a year.
Navigate to “Manage Billing Preferences” when logged in to your Total Adblock account and cancel your subscription. You can also contact billing support by emailing cancel@totaladblock.com or by calling 833-201-8682.
Adblock Plus advertises many of the same features as Total Adblock, with the addition of disabling social media buttons so social networks can’t create profiles about you based on the websites you visit.
Adblock Plus also offers different pricing for its premium version, which includes a monthly subscription (rather than Total Adblock’s yearly plan). Adblock Plus specifically notes that its free version only blocks ads and pop-ups and stops trackers, whereas its yearly paid version also blocks site notifications, stops floating videos, hides newsletter pop-ups, and more.
Total Adblock does not mention those individual blockers, but it does seem to offer more with its free version than Adblock Plus.
Total Adblock is one of the best ad blockers, especially for those who want a “set it and forget it” experience while browsing anonymously. With a 100/100 score from Adblock Tester, you can’t get much better.
Even if you don’t opt for the paid version, you’ll still receive a solid amount of protection from trackers and a smoother web-surfing experience from Total Adblock Free. The downside to using the free version is the exclusion of the top 15,000 websites as listed on Alexa.com.
The paid version provides access to TotalAV’s renowned antivirus protection, which — coupled with Total Adblock — is worth the money if you are willing to pay. One downside: Some reviewers noted difficulty canceling their subscriptions.
But based on our testing, anyone looking for a simple yet powerful way to get rid of annoying ads need to look no further than Total Adblock.
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Remove ads & trackers on YouTube, Facebook, and most websites
Hands-off ad-blocking experience
Easy to set up
Free version excludes top 15,000 websites
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