Here is the list of 7 best adblocker extension for chrome along with their features, pricing, and pros & cons. Also, learn about ad blocker recovery solution.
Now that a huge number of applications and websites are using advertisements as their strategy for monetization, the increase in the utilization of ad blockers seems to be a natural progression.
Also, it is important to mention that some of these ads are not here to further the benefits of the business. The ads are often malicious and act as means of hackers to get you.
Did you know that, as per the latest data available, about 42.7% of people use ad-blocking software to get rid of annoying ads that often disrupt their online experience?
Also Read: How to Detect Ad Blockers – Everything You Need to Know
In this blog, we will discuss the following points to shed more light on the relevance and use of ad blockers.
What Should You Look for in An Adblocker Extension for Chrome?
It is true that choosing an effective and robust ad blocker is a daunting task as it is a matter of your digital convenience and security in the long run. So it is important to know about the basic criteria that these ad blockers should fulfil to be effective and beneficial for you. Here are the primary points you should look out for in an ad blocker:
Versatility
It is not fair to assume that only blocking ads will be sufficient for your digital well-being and security. Hence your ad blocker has to be versatile and should offer extra services like a built-in VPN, a comparatively safe search engine, an antimalware tool, etc.
Compatibility
Complete digital safety means safety on all platforms – both desktop and mobile. So it would be convenient for you if your provider offered a larger number of simultaneous connections so that you are ad-free and safe wherever you are digitally present at the moment.
Money-Back Guarantee
Like other things you shop for, it is always advisable to choose a provider who will give you the option to try out their services before committing fully. Choose an ad blocker chrome extension with free trials or a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Cost
The cost may not always be indicative of quality. So, the most expensive ad blocker will not necessarily be the best in the market. The trick here is to choose the best ratio in terms of price to quality.
Read More: All You Need to Know About Ad Blockers – Alternatives, & More
7 Best Chrome Ad Blocker Extensions
As promised, here is our list of 7 best adblocker extension for chrome compiled for you:
Total Adblock
If you are bothered by trackers and ad blockers only, then Total Adblock might be the perfect choice for you. It is, in fact, the best alternative to the ad blocker that Chrome has got as a built-in.
This application is a product of TotalAV, one of the best developers of Antivirus Software in the market. So you can rest assured that you are protected sufficiently against malware, adware, trackers, etc.
Pricing:
Features:
In terms of efficiency, Total Adblock is bound to surprise you and easily claims its position in the top adblocker extension for chrome. It has the capability to block almost all threats and is even able to block YouTube ads and Facebook ads on the Chrome browser. Trackers are blocked by them as well.
Although it is not very versatile, it will definitely meet all your ad-blocking needs. Its Script blocking feature has the ability to remove all the ads as it successfully filters out the code of the website before you even get to enter the specific page.
It also contains a panel that will give you an insight into how many ads and trackers have been blocked and how much data has been saved to date.
The only hiccup here is that its privacy policy states that the provider is entitled to collect quite a bit of personal information that belongs to you. So, it is a good idea to go through its terms and conditions before you decide to invest in it.
Pros
- Free Chrome Extension
- Extraordinary ad-blocking abilities
- Can block Facebook Trackers
- Can Block Scripts
- Has a Feature to Whitelist websites
Cons
- Does not have any extra feature
- Works only on iOS and Android
NordVPN
NordVPN is one of the top ad blockers in the market as it not only successfully blocks all ads and trackers but is also quite versatile when it comes to its features. The provider is one of the best secure VPN providers in the market, and of course, their threat protection feature is very safe.
This ad blocker chrome extension is also as effective as it successfully removes ads like videos and pop-ups, trackers, and malware.
Moreover, as the name suggests, NordVPN also provides a VPN feature that encrypts your online traffic with an AES-256 cipher, which, as you know, is the most secure among all in the market. Its independently audited privacy policy also ensures complete anonymity, which you would obviously love.
Pricing:
Features:
NordVPN Threat Protection helps you by offering all the relevant features that would provide immunity against trackers, ads, malware, etc. It has a URL trimming ability that rids the URL links of various tracking parameters and, in turn, boosts your digital privacy.
You can also get a weekly summary for analyzing the malicious websites, ads, and trackers that have been blocked. You will have the option of optimizing its ability and enabling or disabling its features according to your requirements.
Pros
- The Price to Quality Ratio is great
- Wonderful ad-blocking ability
- URL Trimming Feature
- Includes a VPN option
- Has a Chrome Extension
Cons
- There is no free version apart from a free 7-day trial
- Doesn’t let you whitelist websites
Surfshark CleanWeb
Surfshark CleanWeb is an adblocker extension chrome containing various next-generation features which will make your browsing experience a lot better. Along with ad-blocking features, its speciality lies in removing viruses as well as hiding your IP address, online activity, etc.
Considering this is part of a VPN security suite, this is as safe as it goes. The app is also independently audited, and the providers make it a point to follow a strict privacy policy that promises not to log your personal information.
Pricing:
Features:
The most important features of Surfshark are its Wireguard tunnelling protocol and AES-256 encryption, and if you are willing to pay an extra charge, you can also have their full-fledged antivirus features.
The database it has contains over a million infected websites, which essentially means that it can successfully block a malicious webpage even before you enter it. The provider also offers a cookie pop-up blocker which will block all cookie consent requests from disrupting your browsing experience. If you think you do not need to block certain websites, you make use of a Bypass list.
Pros
- Includes an advanced VPN
- Safe Search Engine
- Huge Database of Blacklisted websites
- Multiple simultaneous connections
- 100 points from AdBlock Tester’s challenge
Cons
- No free version apart from the 7-day free trial
- Works only with VPN connections
- Antivirus will charge you extra
Atlas VPN SafeBrowse
Atlas VPN SafeBrowse is quite beginner-friendly and is one of the best VPN providers in the market. However, you’ll find the ad-blocking feature in the application and not as a browser extension.
It is important to note that ad blocking is only one of its many features. The security it provides is also quite robust and effective. It not only blocks ads and trackers but also helps remove spyware and malware. This provider also has a no-logs policy, meaning you remain anonymous and your security as it is.
Pricing:
Features:
This effective yet uncomplicate application will be all that you need to improve your browsing experience. The built-in VPN encrypts your online data using advanced AES-256 encryption, and the anti-malware feature secures your surfing experience by stopping you from entering malicious websites. You can also keep track of the trackers that could have disrupted your privacy.
Pros
- Simple
- Cheap
- A good score in blocking ads
- Advanced VPN Built-in
Cons
- No option to Whitelist Websites
- Does not block all the trackers
- No Browser Extension
Proton VPN NetShield
The Proton VPN Netshield helps you in removing malware, avoid adware, and also increasing the speed of your browser to a great extent. It is quite reliable and can promise you an overall secure browsing experience.
Its ad-blocker feature also has an entire VPN Security Suite. As a result, you can be rest assured that you are staying safe and secure from adware, malware, and other security threats and also remaining anonymous at the same time.
The VPN makes your online data encrypted by using advanced encryption, and the provider’s independently audited policy lets your personal info remain unlogged.
Pricing:
Features:
As discussed, it has a VPN feature as well as a robust ad and tracker blocking mechanism, which will keep you protected from online threats. The only thing that it does not do is give you the list of blocked ads and trackers.
It also does not have a whitelisting feature. However, it does give you the option to customize the level of protection you require, e.g. Block Malware Only, Don’t Block, Block Malware, ads, and trackers, etc.
Pros
- Built-in VPN
- Can boost the loading page speed
- Helps protect from phishing attacks
- Customization feature of ad blockers
Cons
- Price to Quality ratio is not very good
- No Chrome extension
- Sometimes overlooks some ads and trackers
AdGuard
Adguard offers you quite a strong and robust option for safe browsing as well as malware. Their products are compatible with all platforms – Mac, Windows, iOS, and Android.
The provider also offers a home solution that will provide protection to all the devices in a home along with an AdGuard DNS. The best part is that it’s completely free, and you don’t need to install any application to use it. You can just change the DNS settings in a device and use it.
Pricing:
Features:
AdGuard has a number of products, including AdGuard DNS, browser extensions, and AdGuard for Windows, iOS, Mac as well as Android. It also provides a very effective mechanism of ad blocking that ensures that your browsing is secure and also gives you parental control. In fact, it helps you protect your entire home network by blocking trackers and ads.
Pros
- Provides protection to the entire home network
- Needs no installation of a separate application
- It’s free
- Compatible with various platforms
- Parental control
Cons
- It is not part of the acceptable ads
Ghostery – Free Ad Blocking Extension
Ghostery is an open-source ad blocker, which like AdGuard, is also free. Its smart blocking technology is highly efficient and capable of optimizing your browsing experience as it blocks ads and trackers quite successfully.
Its interface is also quite user-friendly, which shows you the analytics and also lets you customize what you want to block and what not.
Features
Ghostery provides a safe and secure browsing experience and successfully blocks most ads and trackers. However, in this one, you can customize the features as per your requirements and get the best out of it. It will also give you an analytical report on the ads and trackers blocked so far.
Pros
- User-friendly interface
- Analytics Available
Cons
- Only works for browsers
Ad Blocker Recovery Solution – How to Stop Losing Revenue to Ad Blockers?
If you are a publisher, you would know how ad blockers have been a cause of considerable loss in revenue for a decade now.
When ads are blocked, a publisher is denied the scope of gathering impressions or clicks, which is the basis of revenue generation. Apart from this, ad blockers also tend to break site functionality, distort Google analytics, and break the data connections of third parties, which previously helped the publishers in funding more content with a lesser number of ads.
So as a publisher, it makes sense to look for ad blocker recovery solutions for mitigating the losses and trying to recover the revenue lost and, of course, reducing the effect that ad blockers have on their websites.
Ad block recovery is actually an umbrella term for a number of methods that publishers can adopt to compensate for the revenue lost. Best of all, ad recovery solutions use a combination of options, which helps optimize the experience of both the visitor as well as the publisher in a way which is sustainable.
AdPushup adblock recovery solution helps web publishers recover the ad revenue that they would have otherwise lost to ad blocking software. Our solution adheres to the Acceptable Ads (AA) standard, ensuring the ads are user-friendly and non-obstructive.
In a Nutshell
To summarize, although ad blockers have turned out to be a boon for internet users, for publishers, they have not really been good news. So in spite of there being a need for ad blockers, there is also a need for ad recovery solutions for the publishers if the ad tech ecosystem is to be saved and to be thriving in the long run.
The ad recovery solutions will help the publishers, not disrupting the online experience of the users in any way.
FAQ – Chrome Ad Blocking Extensions
The main benefits of ad-blocking extensions are:
i) It Hides Cookie Notifications
ii) Block Pop-ups
iii) Improves Page Load Times
For Chrome users, it will show next to your display URL. For mobile ads, the extension will appear below the ad.
i) Total AdBlock
ii) NordVPN Threat Protection
iii) Surfshark CleanWeb
iv) Atlas VPN SafeBrowse
v) Proton VPN NetShield
vi) AdGuard
vii) Ghostery
Shubham is a digital marketer with rich experience working in the advertisement technology industry. He has vast experience in the programmatic industry, driving business strategy and scaling functions including but not limited to growth and marketing, Operations, process optimization, and Sales.