Ad blocker is a little software created to work with your web browser as an extension or an add-on. This software is capable to effectively remove the advertisements from any website you visit.
The Best Ad Blocker Extensions
In this article, I am going to test several popular ad blocker extensions and show you which was the best – in terms of memory usage and, of course, ability to block advertisements.How ad blockers work?
This type of extensions are able to block HTTP and HTTPS requests according to their main address and additional ways to block specific scripts, iframes and flash animations.
These programs can also block custom elements and hide them when loading the web pages automatically.
We are going to test four most popular ad blockers which you can use on multiple browsers:
AdBlock
Release: December 2009 | Platforms: Chrome, Safari, Opera and Firefox
AdBlock is the most popular extension for Google Chrome and Safari browsers with over 40 million of active users across all platforms.
Their extension is highly improved from the latest versions and now it is able to block any kind of ads you might find online. It is also able to recognize and block content on flash-based movies and games.
The only downside is memory consumption which migh slow down your browser if multiple tabs are open. AdBlock uses much more memory than competitor products.
AdBlock Plus
Release: December 2006 | Platforms: Firefox, Chrome, Safari, Opera, Internet Explorer, Maxthon, Yandex and Android.
AdBlock is not related to the above extension. It is the most popular extension for Mozilla Firefox web browser with almost 20 million of active daily users of this browser.
Each Adblock Plus feature functions because of a filter list. You can use pre-made filter lists or create your own – just like any other ad blocker extension listed here.
AdBlock Plus also have an unique feature among competition and that is a web browser created for smartphone devices and tablets based on Android and iOS.
AdGuard
Release: November 2013 | Platforms: Windows (paid), Firefox, Chrome, Safari, Yandex and Opera
AdGuard is relatively new player in this market. Lately it became very popular because of a very good detection engine and extremely low RAM and CPU resources.
Unlike other ad blockers listed here, AdBlocker has a fully functional Windows application with which you can block advertisements on your system level (for example to hide ads from uTorrent).
However, this function is not free. 1 year of using this AdGuard for Windows and Mac costs $25 and a lifetime license costs $60. Web browser extensions are free of course.
uBlock Origin
Release: June 2014 | Platforms: Firefox, Chrome, Safari, Opera and Android (extension for mobile Firefox browser)
uBlock is another popular ad blocker extension for the most popular web browsers. It is known for fast performance and a lot of customization options and list support.
uBlock was initially named “μBlock” and forked from the code-base of HTTP Switchboad. Interestingly, the whole uBlock Origins project officially refuses donations and it is mainly focused on a free service.
Memory and CPU Usage
Each additional extension or add-on you install on your browser uses additional RAM and CPU resources. Ad blockers can use a lot of resources which might slow down your browser in general.
Ad Blockers – RAM Usage Test
As you can see, according to our test AdGuard was the best ad blocker when it comes to RAM consumption.
AdGuard uses 21% less RAM then uBlock Origin, 38% less than ABP and 58% less memory than AdBlock.Ad Blockers – CPU Usage Test
On our CPU usage test, uBlock Origin was the best ad blocker extension in CPU consumption percentage.
uBlock was 49% faster than AdGuard, 92% than ABP and 110% than AdBlock when it comes to CPU consumption.Ad Detection Test
An ad blockers are created to detect and block “any” kind of advertisement you might find while browsing the web, which includes the following:
Contextual Ads (Google AdSense, Facebook etc.)
Pop-up Ads (annoying pop-up ads and offers)
Video Ads (contextual and image ads in online videos)
According to our tests, AdGuard is the best ad blockers in advertisement detection. This ad blocker was most successful in ad detection when we compare it to other similar products.
The Best Ad Blocker is AdGuardIn 2 out of 3 tests AdGuard was the best ad blocker extension. It was the best ad blocker in RAM usage and Ad Detection. Additionally, it was at the second place in the CPU usage test.