All About Cookies is an independent, advertising-supported website. Some of the offers that appear on this site are from third-party advertisers from which All About Cookies receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site (including, for example, the order in which they appear).
All About Cookies does not include all financial or credit offers that might be available to consumers nor do we include all companies or all available products. Information is accurate as of the publishing date and has not been provided or endorsed by the advertiser.
The All About Cookies editorial team strives to provide accurate, in-depth information and reviews to help you, our reader, make online privacy decisions with confidence. Here's what you can expect from us:
Best for hands-Off Ad Blocking
/images/2023/03/01/logo-total-adblock.png){kind=logo}
Instantly blocks distracting ads on millions of websites, including YouTube video ads
Blocks third-party trackers to protect your privacy and information
Improves page load times and enables faster browsing
Best for Anti-Tracking Protection
/images/2023/06/14/logo-privacy-badger.png){kind=logo}
Completely free, open-source privacy tool that detects and blocks third-party trackers
Automatically opts out of data sharing and tracking
Can block some contextual ads and analytics tools
If you’re considering using a product for better online security, there are plenty of options on the market. Do you want to manage ad preferences and anonymously browse the internet?
If so, Total Adblock has you covered with its premium ad blocking features, TotalAV antivirus protection, and more.
But if you’re more concerned with third-party trackers and don’t want your data shared with websites, Privacy Badger is a free privacy tool that addresses these issues. It isn’t designed to block ads, but we found that it does block some of them.
We’ve tested both Total Adblock and Privacy Badger, so keep reading for a comparison of features, pricing, compatibility, and more.
The main difference between these two products is that Total Adblock is a traditional ad blocker, while Privacy Badger is a privacy tool not designed for blocking ads. If you want something that will block YouTube ads, Total Adblock checks the box. It’s one of our best ad blockers for YouTube this year.
If you want to effortlessly stop third-party trackers, Privacy Badger is a better fit. Even though it’s only a free browser extension (there’s no mobile app), you can add it to a few popular browsers on your iOS or Android device.
 |
 | |
| Best for | Best for hands-off ad blocking | Best for anti-tracking protection |
| Price | Free or $1.59/mo | Free |
| Ads blocked on Forbes | 12 | 33 |
| Does it block YouTube ads? | Yes | No |
| Compatibility | Chrome, Edge, Opera, Safari | Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Opera |
| Mobile compatibility | Android, iOS | Works as an add-on to Firefox on Android |
| Learn more | Get Total Adblock | Get Privacy Badger |
Our Pick
|
| |
| Price range | Free or $1.59/mo | Free (donations accepted) |
| Best value plan | Premium for $1.59/mo (billed annually) | Free |
| Free version available | ||
| Money-back guarantee | Yes, 30 days | |
| Learn more | Get Total Adblock | Get Privacy Badger |
With Total Adblock, you’ll pay $1.59/mo (billed annually) for the first year, but then the annual price for the premium plan jumps to $99/yr. Comparatively, Privacy Badger is free to use, but donations are accepted to help support the product.
While Total Adblock is compatible across popular browsers and has a mobile app, Privacy Badger has more limited compatibility. It’s also not the best ad blocker for Safari because it isn’t available for that browser yet. (Even though Privacy Badger doesn't work with Safari, it's currently building an app for Safari on macOS.)
But Privacy Badger wasn’t designed for ad blocking. It’s designed to detect and stop third-party trackers, and it does so at no cost to the user. Even so, while testing Privacy Badger, we encountered ads only when using YouTube. Conversely, Total Adblock is one of the best ad blockers we’ve tested, and it’s also one of the most effective for preventing YouTube ads.
If you want to try out a premium plan, Total Adblock comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee. We also picked the paid plan as the best value because it offers more features. For around two bucks per month to start, you can block third-party trackers, have unlimited ad blocking, and get award-winning antivirus protection. That’s a win in our book.
Our Pick
|
| |
| 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 Total Adblock | Get Privacy Badger |
Looking at the features table, you can see there are many differences between Total Adblock and Privacy Badger. Privacy Badger is not the best ad blocker around, but it was not created to be one. It’s a privacy tool rather than a traditional ad blocker. During our testing, we confirmed that it successfully blocks tracking ads. One of Privacy Badger’s unique features is that it independently discovers trackers and can automatically update your privacy settings to prevent further tracking.
Comparatively, Total Adblock is designed to block all types of ads. Other than no blacklisting option, Total Adblock shines in the features department. It also may be the best ad blocker for Chrome since it includes tracker blocking, improves page load times, and stops YouTube video ads.
If blocking as many ads as possible is crucial to you, Total Adblock is the better tool. But if you’re more concerned about privacy and want to stop trackers seamlessly, Privacy Badger is the tool you need.
Our Pick
|
| |
| Adblock Tester score | 100/100 | 67/100 |
| Cover Your Tracks score | 2/3 | 2/3 |
| Can You Block It score | 3/3 | 2/3 |
| YouTube ads blocked | ||
| Paywalls bypassed | ||
| Learn more | Get Total Adblock | Get Privacy Badger |
Again, there were quite a few stark differences when we tested Total Adblock vs. Privacy Badger. The AdBlock Tester website offers free comprehensive testing to gauge the effectiveness of your ad blocker. Total Adblock received a perfect test score of 100/100 due to its ability to detect and block all the tested advertising and analytic services, including contextual and banner ads.
/images/2023/10/12/total_adblock_review_102023_1.png)
Privacy Badger scored only 67/100. It effectively blocked contextual ads but wasn't able to block banner ads. Since AdBlock Tester is used to test ad blockers, not privacy tools, it’s hard to compare these two products based on this test alone.
/images/2024/04/25/privacy_badger_adblock_tester_results_2.0.png)
Both Total Adblock and Privacy Badger scored 2/3 for the Cover Your Tracks test. Since this gives an overview of how visible you are to trackers, we were a little surprised that Privacy Badger didn’t receive a perfect score. Privacy Badger is, by design, a tracker blocker. Still, the test showed that it provides strong web tracking protection akin to Total Adblock’s capabilities.
/images/2023/10/12/total_adblock_review_102023_2.png)
Can You Block It tests for common ads, such as ad blocker warnings, banner ads, and interstitial ads (those pesky ads that display while the webpage loads). Total Adblock blocked all the different ads, while Privacy Badger was unable to stop interstitial ads.
When we checked to see what would happen when attempting to bypass a paywall, Privacy Badger failed, and Total Adblock did, too. Neither of these services promises to bypass paywall ads, so we weren’t surprised. Even the best ad blockers can only do so much.
|
| |
| Windows | ||
| macOS | ||
| Android | ||
| iOS | ||
| Linux | ||
| Browser extensions | Chrome, Edge Opera, Safari | Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Opera |
| 24/7 customer support | Yes, for billing questions | |
| Customer support options | Online guides, email, phone, chat | Email, online guides |
| Learn more | Get Total Adblock | Get Privacy Badger |
For our review, we found Privacy Badger easy to install and use. We received notifications that would improve browser errors while using the extension. During testing, we had a permission notification for a Google tracker.
Total Adblock is also simple to use. Once you install the software, it begins blocking ads. There isn’t much for you to do. If you need to disable it, you can do so with a click of a button. You can also allow ads from certain websites that you deem acceptable. Total Adblock takes the guesswork out and makes browsing easy.
We wouldn’t consider either product to have stellar customer support. Total Adblock has 24/7 support for billing questions, but you’ll need to submit a ticket for technical support or find your answer in the help center. We found only an email option for Privacy Badger, but since it’s a free product, we didn’t expect over-the-top service.
Privacy Badger is a good option if you want a free product that stops third-party trackers from viewing your online activity. However, we wouldn’t call it the best privacy tool available.
Privacy Badger is a privacy tool that blocks third-party trackers. It is not a traditional ad blocker. Total Adblock is an ad blocker designed to block different types of ads, while Privacy Badger may block only a few. Total Adblock also includes advanced antivirus protection in its paid plan.
Total Adblock is one of the best ad blockers for many browsers, but certainly not all. For instance, it's not the best choice to block ads on Edge. For that, you may opt for NordVPN Threat Protection or another one of the best ad blockers for Edge.
Total Adblock’s downside is that the free version excludes thousands of the top websites. You’ll also get pop-ups encouraging you to upgrade to the paid plan, which is annoying and ironic for an ad blocker.
If you select the paid plan, this ad blocker costs $1.59/mo (billed annually). Alternatively, you can use the limited free version.
Total Adblock is one of the best ad blockers. It has a free plan and can be especially efficient when you want to know how to block ads on Amazon Prime or other streaming platforms. uBlock Origin is considered one of the best totally free ad blockers available.
It’s not easy to compare these products, though Total Adblock is one of the best ad blockers.
Privacy Badger can’t live up to Total Adblock’s features, but as we’ve pointed out, it was never designed to be an ad blocker. Knowing how ad blockers work may help differentiate between the two products. For the most part, ad blockers scan websites for identified ads and block them.
Privacy Badger is a browser extension that analyzes and blocks trackers. It doesn’t prioritize ad blocking and blocks only the ads that track you. If you’re looking for software that stops sites from tracking your online behavior, Privacy Badger is a great tool.
But if you want a full-on ad blocker that even blocks social media ads, Total Adblock is your best bet.
We’ve researched and tested many ad blockers and know that it comes down to which feature you want or need. If you’re not sold on Total Adblock due to its price point but love the inclusion of antivirus protection (or want other advanced security features like a VPN), consider Surfshark CleanWeb or NordVPN Threat Protection. If you want another free ad blocker to try out risk-free, consider AdLock. Plus, all three of our alternative recommendations block YouTube ads:
Get NordVPN Threat Protection | Read Our NordVPN Threat Protection Review
Instantly blocks distracting ads on millions of websites, including YouTube video ads
Blocks third-party trackers to protect your privacy and information
Improves page load times and enables faster browsing
/images/2023/10/11/best-data-removal-service.png)
/images/2022/09/02/adobestock_317300863_editorial_use_only.jpeg)
/images/2024/11/08/best_ghostery_alternatives.png)
/images/2024/11/06/best_adblock_plus_alternatives.png)
/images/2024/10/30/totalav-price.png)
/images/2024/10/29/1blocker_alternatives.png)
/images/2024/10/11/best-ublock-origin-alternatives.png)
/images/2024/07/29/block_paramount_plus_ads_featured_image.jpg)
/authors/patti-croft.png){kind=small}
/authors/kate_quinlan_headshot_april_2024.png){kind=small}
/images/2023/03/01/logo-total-adblock.png){kind=logo}
/authors/patti-croft.png)