AdNauseam vs Disconnect

AdNauseam is a free browser extension intended for people who want to resist advertising surveillance and tracking. Built on uBlock Origin, it blocks ads and quietly simulates clicks on blocked ads to add noise to advertising networks’ user profiles. Its interactive AdVault lets users inspect and explore captured advertisements. The FAQ says simulated clicks run as background requests, with responses discarded rather than executed in the browser.

AdNauseam supports major browsers, including Chromium-based browsers and Firefox derivatives, and is available on desktop and mobile. The Firefox add-on page lists availability for Firefox on Android. Google Chrome requires workarounds because the extension was disallowed there; the installation instructions describe those workarounds as temporary. The extension does not collect or click ads in private or incognito windows unless enabled manually. Its developer reports that it does not require data collection, while its Firefox add-on permissions include access to privacy settings, tabs, navigation activity, and data for all websites. It is licensed under GNU General Public License v3.0 only and is offered at free.

Disconnect exposes and blocks trackers, data brokers and surveillance networks across websites, apps and email. Its Basic Extension displays and blocks trackers on visited websites. On iOS and Android, Tracker Protection uses encrypted DNS to block trackers across apps and browsers without a VPN. Privacy Pro for iOS adds Smart VPN, custom blocking rules and activity logs. Disconnect Premium can encrypt internet activity and mask the user's IP address in encrypted mode, using AES 256-bit encryption and 2048-bit Diffie-Hellman key exchange. Users can choose Blocking mode, focused on privacy and performance, or Encrypted mode, which may slow connections. Its ad blocking targets privacy-invasive ads that track users or may distribute malvertising, rather than every advertisement. A free plan is available, and the pricing note lists paid plans from $50/yr; Premium is also listed at $5 a month. Website subscriptions cover three unique devices. App Store subscriptions are limited to the purchasing iTunes user and their iPhone or iPad devices.