Adblock Plus vs Ghostery
Adblock Plus
adblockplus.org
Ghostery
ghostery.comSide by side
| Figure | Adblock Plus | Ghostery |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $3.33/mo | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | Yes | Yes |
| Android | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 4 | 1 |
| Spec score · Ad Blocking Software | 9.2 (#1) | 8.7 (#7) |
| Spec score · Chrome Extensions | 9.4 (#1) | 8.9 (#2) |
| Spec score · Ad blockers | 9.2 (#2) | 9.1 (#3) |
| Spec score · Browser Extensions | 9.4 (#1) | 8.8 (#5) |
| Spec score · Edge Extensions | 9.3 (#2) | 8.8 (#4) |
| Spec score · Extensions | 9.3 (#2) | 8.8 (#6) |
| Ad blocking | It blocks intrusive ads including YouTube video ads, Facebook ads, flashy banners, pop-ups, and pop-unders. | The extension blocks ads including banners, video ads, pop-ups, and sponsored content. |
| Browser support | major-browsers | The maker lists Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge, Opera, and Brave as supported browsers. |
| Cookie popup blocking | Yes | Yes |
| Custom filter lists | Yes | Yes |
| Device coverage | desktop-and-mobile | desktop-and-mobile |
| Element picker | Yes | Yes |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile support | Adblock Plus provides a Safari app for iOS and an Adblock Plus product for Samsung Internet on Android, while Adblock Browser is available as a dedicated ad-blocking browser. | Ghostery offers Safari protection on iOS and iPadOS and support for Edge and Firefox on Android; it says Ghostery is unavailable on Chrome for Android because Chrome does not allow extensions there. |
| Open source | The web extension is an open source project licensed under GPLv3, while some versions including Adblock Plus for Safari iOS version 3.x or higher are proprietary codebases. | Ghostery says its code is open source and identifies the extension’s license as GNU General Public License v3.0. |
| Supported browsers | The desktop add-on is available for Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Microsoft Edge, Opera, and Yandex Browser. | Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Opera, Safari, and Brave are supported. |
Plans
Adblock Plus
- Premium$40 a year
- Adblock Plus FreeFree
- Adblock Plus Premium$4 a month
- Adblock Plus Premium$40 a year
In their own words
Adblock Plus
Adblock Plus is a browser extension and mobile ad-blocking product that filters ads, third-party tracking requests and malicious domains using lists such as EasyList and EasyPrivacy. It blocks formats including video ads, banners, pop-ups and pop-unders, and can disable social buttons. Acceptable Ads are enabled by default, but users can turn that feature off. Users can also remove default filter lists, add other lists or create their own. EasyPrivacy targets tracking domains, fingerprinting scripts, analytics requests and data-collection domains. The desktop add-on supports Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Microsoft Edge, Opera and Yandex Browser. Mobile options include a Safari app for iOS, a product for Samsung Internet on Android and the separate Adblock Browser. The extension can access page URLs and content to block or hide ads; it does not track browsing history, record form typing or alter submitted data. Free ad blocking is available. Premium is listed at $4 a month or $40 a year.
Ghostery
Ghostery is a free, open-source browser extension combining ad blocking, tracker protection, cookie-consent handling, and tracker information tools. It blocks banners, video ads, pop-ups, and sponsored content. The Tracker Panel displays trackers it identifies and neutralizes, while WhoTracks.Me provides information about tracking activity and companies. Ghostery says its protection replaces personal identifiers with random values. Never-Consent rejects tracking cookies and sends opt-out signals on supported sites. Supported browsers include Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Opera, Safari, and Brave, and users can install the extension on as many devices as they like. On iOS and iPadOS, it offers Safari protection; on Android, it supports Edge and Firefox. Chrome on Android is unavailable because Chrome does not allow extensions there. Ghostery says extension telemetry is non-personal, with additional telemetry sent if users opt in. For phishing and malware protection, it says it sends a partial URL checksum to its backend rather than the full URL. Private Search is in closed beta.