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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 Privacy-focused users
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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
Best for Ad-blocking enthusiasts
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Free product blocks ads, pop-up, trackers, push notifications, social media icons tracking, and even YouTube video ads
Open-source software allows for custom filtering and community-based support
Privacy Badger is very useful for users who are privacy conscious and wish to have the ability to block third-party trackers without any cost involved. Privacy Badger offers suitable protection by blocking trackers and opting you out of data sharing automatically.
However, Privacy Badger has weak ad blocking capabilities and doesn’t effectively block video, banner, or push ads.
Adblock Plus is best for those who need to block ads across multiple platforms (including YouTube), as well as pop-ups, and banners. It is customizable, utilizing whitelisting and blacklisting.
Adblock Plus fared better on our ad blocking tests and offers some additional features in its $3.33/mo (billed annually) Premium plan.
Below is a thorough comparison of these two ad blockers, their features, and their prices.
Both Privacy Badger and Adblock Plus claim to make life on the net cleaner and safer, but they do so in different ways. Privacy Badger works to block third-party trackers to protect your privacy, whereas Adblock Plus focuses on ad blocking to provide browsing freedom.
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| Best for | Privacy-focused users | Ad-blocking enthusiasts |
| Price | Free (donations accepted) | Free with Premium options starting at $3.33/mo (billed annually) |
| Ads blocked on Forbes | 33 | 56 |
| Does it block YouTube ads? | ||
| Compatibility | Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Opera | Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari, Opera, Yandex |
| Mobile compatibility | Android | Available for Android and iOS |
| Learn more | Get Privacy Badger
Read Privacy Badger Review |
Get Adblock Plus
Read Adblock Plus Review |
Our Pick |
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| Price range | Free | Free to $4.00/mo |
| Best value plan | Free | Yearly plan for $3.33/mo (billed annually) |
| Free version available | ||
| Money-back guarantee | Yes — 60 days | |
| Learn more | Get Privacy Badger
Read Privacy Badger Review |
Get Adblock Plus
Read Adblock Plus Review |
Privacy Badger is completely free — supported by donations — and doesn’t offer any paid plans. This makes it an excellent choice for users looking for a cost-effective way to enhance their online privacy without additional expenses.
On the other hand, Adblock Plus offers both a free plan and a Premium version. The best value for Adblock Plus is its yearly plan at $3.33/mo (billed annually), which blocks a variety of ads, including YouTube ads, and offers additional privacy features.
Adblock Plus also provides a 60-day money-back guarantee, offering users a risk-free way to try the premium features.
| Feature | |
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 Privacy Badger
Read Privacy Badger Review |
Get Adblock Plus
Read Adblock Plus Review |
Privacy Badger focuses primarily on blocking third-party trackers to ensure users' online activities are not monitored. It supports whitelisting, allowing users to specify sites where tracking is allowed, but lacks a blacklisting feature.
Privacy Badger doesn’t effectively block video, banner, or push ads.
In contrast, Adblock Plus offers a more extensive feature set aimed at improving the browsing experience by blocking a variety of ad types. It supports both whitelisting and blacklisting, providing users with more control over their browsing.
Adblock Plus effectively blocks pop-up ads, video ads, banner ads, and push ads.
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| Feature | |
Our Pick |
| AdBlock Tester score | 67/100 | 100/100 |
| Cover Your Tracks score | 2/3 | 0/3 |
| Can You Block It score | 2/3 | N/A |
| YouTube ads blocked | ||
| Paywalls bypassed | ||
| Learn more | Get Privacy Badger
Read Privacy Badger Review |
Get Adblock Plus
Read Adblock Plus Review |
We run all of our ad blockers through thorough testing. In our tests, Adblock Plus performed exceptionally well, achieving a score of 100/100 from AdBlock Tester, where it effectively blocked a variety of ads, including contextual, banner, and video ads.
We couldn’t run the Can You Block it Test since it was blocked by Cloudflare. It also didn’t fare well on the Cover Your Tracks test, scoring 0/3 as it failed to block tracking ads and invisible trackers and did not protect against fingerprinting.
Adblock Plus, however, did effectively block YouTube ads.
Privacy Badger scored 2/3 on the Cover Your Tracks test, effectively blocking tracking ads and invisible trackers, although it did not protect against fingerprinting.
On the AdBlock Tester, Privacy Badger scored 67/100, showing mediocre ad blocking capabilities and failing to block all types of ads consistently.
Additionally, it scored 2/3 on the Can You Block It test, missing some interstitial ads. Privacy Badger also failed to block YouTube ads.
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Our Pick | |
| Windows | ||
| macOS | ||
| Android | ||
| iOS | ||
| Linux | ||
| Browser extensions | Yes (Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Opera) | Yes (Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari, Opera, Yandex) |
| 24/7 customer support | ||
| Customer support options | Email, forums, online guides | Email, forums, online guides |
| Learn more | Get Privacy Badger
Read Privacy Badger Review |
Get Adblock Plus
Read Adblock Plus Review |
Both Privacy Badger and Adblock Plus offer user-friendly interfaces that are easy to navigate. However, Adblock Plus stands out with its comprehensive customization options, which are readily accessible through its intuitive settings menu.
Users can easily find and configure features like whitelisting, blacklisting, and various blocking options without much hassle. Privacy Badger lacks some of these advanced features, which might limit its appeal for users seeking extensive control over their browsing experience.
Both options have extensions for popular browsers. Privacy Badger supports Chrome, Firefox, Microsoft Edge, and Opera, while Adblock Plus extends its compatibility to include Safari and Yandex as well.
In terms of customer support, neither product offers 24/7 support, live chat or phone support, which could impact users who prefer real-time assistance.
Privacy Badger provides support through email, forums, and online guides.
Adblock Plus offers similar support options, including forums, online guides, and a ticket submission system, which allows users to get more personalized help.
Privacy Badger remains a strong choice for users primarily concerned with online privacy and blocking third-party trackers.
While it doesn't block as many ads as traditional ad blockers like Adblock Plus, it excels at preventing trackers from following your online activity.
The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) maintains Privacy Badger, continually updating it to keep up with evolving tracking techniques.
No, Privacy Badger does not collect any personal data. The open-source tool may collect data if you submit a bug report, however.
Adblock Plus is considered highly trustworthy and is one of the most popular ad blocking tools available. It’s an open-source project, meaning its code is publicly available for review, which adds a layer of transparency and trustworthiness.
Adblock Plus is the better choice, especially for users looking for comprehensive ad blocking and willing to pay for premium features. It effectively blocks a wide range of ads, including YouTube ads, pop-ups, and banners.
Adblock Plus offers more customization options with whitelisting and blacklisting features, making it a versatile tool for users who want greater control over their browsing experience.
Privacy Badger excels in privacy protection, focusing on blocking third-party trackers for a more private browsing experience. It’s completely free, but its ad blocking capabilities are limited — it doesn’t block video, banner, or push ads effectively.
Free product blocks ads, pop-up, trackers, push notifications, social media icons tracking, and even YouTube video ads
Open-source software allows for custom filtering and community-based support
Some ad blockers provide better performance on specific browsers and operating systems, while others have advanced customization options and real-time customer support.
You might prefer an alternative ad blocker if you’re looking for a different balance of price, features, and test results. For instance, tools like uBlock Origin offer strong ad blocking capabilities and privacy features without the need for a premium plan.
If neither Privacy Badger nor Adblock Plus suits your needs, check out our breakdown of the best ad blockers.
| Ad blocker |  |
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| Best for | Best for blocking YouTube ads | Best for streaming | Best overall |
| Price | Paid plan costs $1.59/mo (billed annually) | Paid plans start at $1.99/mo (billed every two years) | Starts at $2.99/mo (billed every two years) |
| Blocks YouTube ads | |||
| Learn more | Get Total Adblock | Get Surfshark CleanWeb Ad Blocking | Get NordVPN Threat Protection |
Free product blocks ads, pop-up, trackers, push notifications, social media icons tracking, and even YouTube video ads
Open-source software allows for custom filtering and community-based support
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