AdBlocker Ultimate vs Ghostery

AdBlocker Ultimate blocks ads and trackers in browsers, apps and across devices, with products for Windows, Android and iOS as well as browser extensions. Its Windows app adds system-level ad and tracker blocking, phishing protection and customizable exceptions. Android offers system-wide filtering, per-app controls, malware and phishing protection, custom filter rules and encrypted DNS, including DNS-over-HTTPS, DNS-over-TLS and DNSCrypt. The iOS product blocks ads, malicious domains and trackers in Safari and supports custom filters and a whitelist. Browser extensions are listed for Chrome, Firefox, Opera, Yandex and Edge; they do not use a predefined acceptable-ads list. The maker says filtering is processed locally and browsing history is not tracked. A free plan and 14-day trial are available. Listed yearly plans cost $39.99 a year for either 3 or 10 devices; lifetime licenses cost $99.99 as a one-time purchase for either device count.

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.