There are too many ad blockers to choose from in 2025. However, two names stand out. Total Adblock and AdBlock. And no, they’re not the same ad blocker. Their similar branding often confuses many people. One of them aims to provide a smooth and secure browsing experience. The other one sticks to the browsers and tries to offer more control and flexibility. We’ll talk more about which is which.
They both kill ads. They both block trackers. Let’s unpack what actually matters: ad blocking, privacy, mobile support, and whether either one is worth paying for.
Quick Comparison Between Total Adblock and Adblock
| 🌟 Feature | Total Adblock | Adblock |
| ⭐ AdBlock Tester Score | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| 🆓 Free Plan | 7-day trial only | Fully functional |
| ▶️ YouTube Ad Blocking | Yes, (except shorts) | Yes. Works great |
| 💻 Custom Filters | Not available | Yes |
| 📱 Platform Support | Chrome, Edge, Safari, Android, iOS | Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari, iOS |
| ⛔ System-Wide Blocking? | On Android (VPN) | No |
| 📞 Support | Premium, live chat | Ticket support via form, fast responses |
| 💰 Price | $19.99/year (1st year), renews at $99 | $4/month, $40/year |
Key Differences at a Glance (TL;DR)
Before we get into the nitty-gritties, let’s have a look at the highlights.
- They both block YouTube Ads. But Total Adblock occasionally misses a few here and there, especially in shorts.
- Total Adblock is just a 7-day trial. AdBlock remains functional indefinitely, with only minor upgrades available.
- AdBlock allows “non-intrusive ads” by default; you’ll need to turn them off manually. While Total Adblock doesn’t do that, its free tier intentionally allows ads from the top 15000 websites.
- AdBlock offers advanced filter lists, element hiding, and custom rules. Total Adblock doesn’t.
- Total Adblock works across Android apps via VPN. AdBlock is browser-only on all platforms.
- Total Adblock includes protection against phishing, malware, and scams. AdBlock offers basic cryptomining filters but no full suite. However, you can add custom filters for those security features on AdBlock.
- Total Adblock bundles antivirus and costs more in the long term. AdBlock Premium is cheaper but now includes a basic VPN.
Real-World Ad Blocking
Both Total Adblock and AdBlock got a perfect 100 on AdBlock Tester. However, the score doesn’t always represent the real-world use. We then took both of them through a more rigorous testing method. Let’s have a look at how they perform.
News Sites
Total Adblock: Removed banner ads, mid-article promos, popups and cookie prompts on major sites like Forbes and NYT. Soft paywalls still appeared after a few articles, which is expected behaviour.
AdBlock: Same results, blocked most visible ads and popups. A few newsletter modals and floating signup banners slipped through on the free tier, especially on more dynamic layouts.
YouTube
Total Adblock: Blocks most video ads, including pre-rolls, mid-rolls, and homepage banners. But in YouTube Shorts, some product placements occasionally sneak past.
AdBlock: Outperforms here. Blocks all ad types, including Shorts, in-feed ads, and back-to-back mid-rolls. For YouTube-specific blocking, AdBlock has the edge.
Social Media & Streaming
Total Adblock: Removed sponsored posts on Reddit and X (formerly Twitter). Also wiped out Twitch banners, though in-stream creator sponsorships remained.
AdBlock: Matched Total Adblock on Reddit and X, and blocked similar elements on Twitch. Performance was almost identical, though Twitch sidebar banners were hit or miss.
Shopping Sites
Total Adblock: Removed overlays, cart reminders, discount banners, and newsletter prompts on sites like AliExpress, Crocs, and Shein.
AdBlock: Handled popups well but allowed some persistent banners and product carousels through. You’ll still see “Recommended for you” sections unless you manually hide them.
To sum up, if you want an ad blocker for YouTube, AdBlock is the better option. However, if you’re looking for better coverage, you might want to opt for a Total Adblock annual subscription.
Privacy & Security
The real-world tests check the surface-level ad blocking, which is definitely important. However, you need your ad blocker to take care of the invisible, behind-the-scenes stuff too.
Trackers, fingerprinting, malicious script execution, and scam domains are just a few examples of privacy hazards that you need protection from. And a good ad blocker should cover these basics. We have tested both of them with our tools.
Tracker & Script Blocking
Total Adblock: Comes with built-in filters that automatically block trackers, analytics scripts (like Google Analytics and Hotjar), and social widgets. There is no setup required.
AdBlock: Handles standard ad trackers well, and you can enable additional privacy filters for better protection. But it struggles with advanced fingerprinting and newer stealth trackers unless you get hands-on with custom lists.
Malware & Phishing Protection
Total Adblock: Integrates with TotalAV to block phishing domains, malvertising, and scam popups. It’s practically a lightweight security tool, not just an ad blocker.
AdBlock: Includes filters for malware and cryptomining protection, but nothing beyond that. You can manually add filter lists to block phishing sites, but it’s not automatic.
Transparency & Data Handling
Total Adblock: Closed-source. The company claims not to collect or share user data without consent, but you’re still placing trust in a black box.
AdBlock: Not open-source either (unlike Adblock Plus), but its privacy policy is clear. It only collects minimal, anonymised usage data, and you can opt out. Being under Eyeo GmbH, though, it’s still tied to the Acceptable Ads business model.
Total Adblock wins with it’s built-in protection and security suite integration. It’s ready out-of-the-box with anti-scam and anti-malware filters that don’t require any extra setup. AdBlock, however, is more flexible for users who want to customise their privacy stack, but only if you’re willing to get hands-on with filters.
Platforms, Compatibility & Mobile Support
Both work in browsers, but their reach beyond that is very different, especially if you want to block ads across your whole device.
Browser Support
Total Adblock: Total Adblock falls behind on browser support. Only Chrome, Edge, and Safari are supported. They don’t have any add-ons built for Firefox.
AdBlock: AdBlock was initially built for Chrome and Chromium-based browsers. However, it now also works with all versions of Firefox, including the forks. There is also Safari support, covering all of the bases.
Mobile Experience
Total Adblock
- Android: System-wide ad blocking using a local VPN. Ads get blocked across apps and browsers.
- iOS: Safari content blocker. It won’t cover other apps, but it works inside the browser.
AdBlock
- Android: No standalone app. You can use it in Firefox for Android or the AdBlock Browser, but it won’t block ads outside the browser.
- iOS: Has an app to block content in Safari, similar to Total Adblock, but again, browser-only.
System-Wide Blocking
- Total Adblock: Android only via VPN. No desktop-wide blocking on Windows or macOS.
- AdBlock: No system-wide blocking on any platform. It’s a browser-only tool by design.
Total Adblock is better suited for mobile devices, especially if you want to block ads in Android apps. AdBlock, on the other hand, wins for the better browser support, but won’t protect you outside your browser window.
Usability & Control
Whether you want a no-effort ad blocker or prefer to fine-tune every rule, how a tool feels day-to-day makes a big difference. Here’s how Total Adblock and AdBlock compare in setup, ease of use, and customisation.
Installation & Setup
- Total Adblock: Quick installation via browser extension or mobile app, but it immediately prompts you to a 7-day trial (email required). After that, most blocking stops unless you pay.
- AdBlock: Fast, frictionless install from any extension store. There’s no signup or upsell. It works right away, although you’ll need to disable “Acceptable Ads” in two separate settings to achieve full blocking.
Ease of Use
Total Adblock: Extremely beginner-friendly. Minimal interface with basic toggles (ads, trackers, malware) and a visual status indicator. Ideal for users who want it to “just work.”
AdBlock: Slightly more complex, but still easy to navigate. The extension menu offers quick controls like pausing, blocking, allowlisting, and accessing premium tools. The settings menu is powerful, but cluttered, with some duplicate options.
Customisation
Total Adblock
Very limited customisation options. You can toggle broad categories (e.g., ad blocking, phishing protection), but there’s no support for filter lists, custom rules, or manual element blocking.
AdBlock
It is highly customisable. You can:
- Import or create custom filter lists
- Use the element picker to hide any part of a webpage
- Build rules based on CSS or URLs
- Adjust region-specific filters and allowlists
To summarise, Total Adblock is perfect if you want a simple, hands-off blocker that does most of the work for you. However, AdBlock is the better pick for users who want more control and customisation and don’t mind spending a few minutes fine-tuning their experience.
Pricing – Are Total Adblock and Adblock Worth It?
To get the best out of both of these ad blockers, you need to spend some money. They both have free tiers and premium plans. Let’s compare them and see which one offers better value for your money.
Total Adblock
Free Plan
There is an automatic 7-day trial when you install the extension. You’ll get full access to Total Adblock and no credit card is required. However, the free tier kicks in after the trial ends, which is not really good. It stops blocking ads on the top 15,000 websites (including YouTube, social platforms, and major news sites). Not very useful as a long-term option.
Premium Plan
$19.99/year (first year), renews at $99/year
The premium plan of Total Adblock includes:
- Full ad and tracker blocking
- YouTube ad blocking
- Malware/phishing protection
- TotalAV antivirus (in bundles)
- 60-day money-back guarantee
Is it worth it?
At the first-year pricing, yes. It is worth it. Especially if you just want your ad blocker to work as intended, without having to tweak a bunch of settings. However, the renewal cost is too high, especially if you don’t need the antivirus and all the other stuff that it comes bundled with.
AdBlock
Free Plan
AdBlock’s free plan is a lot more functional right out of the box. However, we highly recommend turning off Acceptable Ads. The free plan includes most essential features, such as filter support, element blocking, and cryptomining protection.
Premium Plan
$4/month or $40/year
The premium plan adds:
- Distraction controls (cookie banners, popups)
- Cosmetic upgrades (themes, image replacements)
- A basic VPN
Is it worth it?
For most users, the free version is more than enough. The Premium plan is affordable, but the bundled VPN is very basic. There’s no cheaper plan for users who want premium features without the VPN.
Support & Reliability
When something goes wrong, or when a renewal charge sneaks up on you, good customer support can make or break the experience. Here’s how both tools handle user help and long-term reliability.
Support Options
Total Adblock
Support is mostly about billing. You can email or call them, but only for payment issues. Technical support is limited to a help centre with basic articles. No live chat, and free users won’t get much beyond self-service resources.
AdBlock
Support is more user-friendly overall. There’s a help centre, in-extension bug reporting, and a ticket system that works for both free and premium users. When we tested it, the team responded to a general question within 24 hours with a personalized answer.
User Experience & Reports
Total Adblock
Polished and easy to use, but support complaints arise, especially regarding cancellations of subscriptions and disabling auto-renewals. It’s reliable in performance, but not so much in customer experience.
AdBlock
Overall positive feedback. The extension works consistently, and the open ticket system is liked. Not perfect, but overall, AdBlock treats its users well, even on the free tier.
Final Verdict
Total Adblock and AdBlock are both great tools, but for different people.
Total Adblock is for convenience. It blocks aggressively, includes phishing and malware protection, and requires zero setup. But that convenience comes at a cost: it’s behind a paywall after the first week, and the long-term pricing is expensive.
AdBlock is for freedom. It’s free to use forever, works on all major browsers, and has powerful customisation, if you’re willing to dig into the settings. It’s especially beneficial for users looking for YouTube ad blocking without incurring any costs.
| If you want… | Go with… |
| Set-it-and-forget-it blocking with built-in security | Total Adblock |
| Strong YouTube ad blocking (even Shorts) for free | AdBlock |
| Advanced filter customisation and element blocking | AdBlock |
| System-wide Android ad blocking (across apps) | Total Adblock |
| A free ad blocker that works out of the box | AdBlock |
| Extra malware/phishing protection + antivirus | Total Adblock |
So if you’re choosing between them, it really comes down to how much you’re willing to pay and how much control you want.