Wipr vs. uBlock Origin 2025: The Battle of the Cost-Effective Solutions

If you’re an avid Apple user, Wipr may be a great solution since it’s built specifically for macOS and iOS. It’s also a no-frills ad blocker, so there’s not much to fiddle with once you’ve installed it on your device.

uBlock Origin is a free ad blocker, but it’s limited to browser extensions, so you cannot install the ad blocker on a device. However, uBlock Origin is extremely customizable, with plenty of filter lists you can use to block all types of content.

Let’s compare Wipr and uBlock Origin to see which ad blocker may be best for you.

Premium Ad Blockers for Any Browser or Device

Wipr vs. uBlock Origin compared

uBlock Origin and Wipr are effective ad blockers, but they differ in terms of compatibility and customization. Wipr is solely available for macOS and iOS devices and costs $4.99. It’s a low-key app with limited features, so you can set and forget it.

uBlock Origin is a completely free ad blocker, but it’s available only as a browser extension. There are currently no UBlock Origin apps available for mobile or desktop. Unlike Wipr, uBlock Origin is open-source software that offers extensive filter lists to block ads, maintain online privacy, protect against malware, and more.

		Our Pick
Best for	Apple users	Free ad blocker
Price	$4.99	Free
Ads blocked on Forbes	N/A	14
Does it block YouTube ads?
Compatibility	macOS, iOS, Safari	Edge, Firefox, Opera
Mobile compatibility	iOS	As an add-on to Firefox for Android only
Learn more	Get Wipr Read Wipr Review	Get uBlock Origin Read uBlock Origin Review

Wipr pros and cons

uBlock Origin pros and cons

Wipr vs. uBlock Origin: prices

		Our Pick
Price range	$4.99	Free
Free version available
Money-back guarantee	Yes —14 days through Apple	N/A
Learn more	Get Wipr Read Wipr Review	Get uBlock Origin Read uBlock Origin Review

If you’re looking to save money on an ad blocker, uBlock Origin and Wipr are both good solutions. Wipr costs $4.99 and you can purchase it from Apple’s App Store.

uBlock Origin is completely free, so you won’t have to worry about the cost.

Although Wipr doesn’t offer a trial or money-back guarantee, you can reach out to Apple support within 14 days for a refund.

Wipr vs uBlock Origin: features

Feature		Our Pick
Whitelisting
Blacklisting
Ads blocked counter
Bypasses paywalls
Blocks pop-up ads
Blocks tracking
Blocks video ads
Blocks banner ads
Blocks push ads
Learn more	Get Wipr Read Wipr Review	Get uBlock Origin Read uBlock Origin Review

uBlock Origin offers more ad blocking features than Wipr; however, to get the most out of it, uBlock Origin may require some research. If you open the settings, you can find the list filters you can check on or off. These include filters for: blocking multiple types of ads, protecting against tracking, blocking cookie notices, removing annoyances, and more.

You can also add trusted sites to the whitelist or set specific rules. For further information, you can review uBlock Origin’s GitHub. Thus, uBlock Origin provides much more flexibility if you research how to customize it to your needs.

Wipr is a more straightforward solution, but it doesn’t offer as many customization options. You can still whitelist sites where you don’t want ads blocked, but you can’t blacklist websites. There’s also no counter for ads blocked, so it’s hard to check how well it works.

Wipr vs uBlock Origin: test results

To better understand the effectiveness of each ad blocker, we ran them through several tests: AdBlock Tester, Cover Your Tracks, and Can You Block It. We also test how well ad blockers can block ads on YouTube and bypass paywalls.

		Our Pick
AdBlock Tester score	100/100	96/100
Cover Your Tracks score	1.5/3	2/3
Can You Block It score	3/3	3/3
YouTube ads blocked
Paywalls bypassed
Learn more	Get Wipr Read Wipr Review	Get uBlock Origin Read uBlock Origin Review

AdBlock Tester evaluates how well an ad blocker performs based on factors such as contextual advertising, analytics tools, banner advertising, and error monitoring.

We also referenced Can You Block It for each ad blocker’s capabilities. It tests how effective ad blockers are at disabling ad blocker warnings, blocking banner ads, and stopping interstitial ads. Wipr and uBlock Origin both received perfect scores on this test as well.

The Cover Your Tracks test measures the effectiveness of your browser in blocking tracking and fingerprinting.

uBlock Origin passed 2/3 Cover Your Tracks tests, proving it can block tracking ads and invisible trackers. Our browser had a unique fingerprint, meaning that tracking sites could effectively piece together our user data to form a profile of us. Most premium ad blockers fail the fingerprint component, so uBlock's results aren't a deal-breaker here. 

But on the other hand, Wipr provided only partial protection against tracking ads and invisible trackers with a score of 1.5/3. If you’re more focused on privacy, then Wipr may not be the best blocker.

Wipr vs uBlock Origin: compatibility and customer support

		Our Pick
Windows
macOS
Android		As an add-on to Firefox for Android only
iOS
Linux
Browser extensions	macOS, iOS, Safari	Edge, Firefox, Opera
24/7 customer support
Customer support options	Email, online guides	Online guides, forums
Learn more	Get Wipr Read Wipr Review	Get uBlock Origin Read uBlock Origin Review

uBlock Origin and Wipr both have limitations in terms of compatibility and support. Wipr is available on macOS and iOS operating systems, as well as in-browser on Safari. Comparatively, uBlock Origin is available on more browsers, but it’s not available as an app you can download on your device. 

uBlock Origin offers several unique support options, including a GitHub repository for the open-source code and a Reddit user community. However, there’s no way to contact a person for support. Considering how technical uBlock Origin is, this could be a pain point if you’re not tech-savvy.

Wipr offers minimal support, including a support page, but you can also reach out to the developer via email.

Wipr vs uBlock Origin FAQs

Wipr vs uBlock Origin: Which is better?

Overall, uBlock Origin provides a more robust ad blocking solution with greater flexibility compared to Wipr.

uBlock Origin is completely free, and you can use it on most devices with its browser extension options. Wipr is limited to the Apple ecosystem. We think if you're willing to pay for a premium ad blocker, it's better to go with one like Total Adblock, which offers broader compatibility, better anti-tracking technology, and bonus online security perks.