Both AdGuard and Adblock Plus have been industry veterans in the ad-blocking space for decades now. Both started their journey in the 2010s.
AdGuard has been the ultimate ad-blocking solution for all kinds of devices since 2009. System-wide ad blocking, network-wide ad blocking, DNS-based ad blocking… You name it, it’s got it all. AdGuard has ensured no device is left unprotected, so it blocks ads at multiple levels.
Adblock Plus has a bit more experience. As one of the first ad blockers for Firefox, ABP has been active since 2005. It is one of the most widely used ad-blocking browser extensions, with millions of installations.
Both of these have been around long enough and have been used by enough people to be called reliable. And surely they do what they’re supposed to. But how well do they work? What are the shortcomings? And more importantly, which one should you choose? We will be answering these questions and more in this in-depth comparison.
Quick Comparison Between AdGuard and Adblock Plus
| AdGuard | Adblock Plus | |
| Starts at | $29.88/year | $4/month |
| Free version | Yes | Yes |
| Blocks YouTube Ads? | Yes | Yes |
| Blocks Trackers? | Yes | Yes |
| Compatibility | Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Edge, Windows, macOS, Android, iOS | Chrome, Safari, Firefox, and Edge |
Pros and Cons
AdGuard
Pros
- Strong blocking out of the box, no “acceptable ads” compromise
- Stealth Mode, DNS filtering, and HTTPS filtering for stronger privacy control
- System-wide blocking through desktop and mobile apps
- More reliable on annoying site clutter (pop-ups, overlays, nags)
- Better toolbox for fixing broken pages (filters, rules, allowlisting)
- Bigger support ecosystem (docs + community help)
Cons
- More settings than casual users need
- Support is not instant; email tickets can take time
Adblock Plus
Pros
- Very easy install and beginner-friendly interface
- Strong ad blocking once configured properly
- Filter list support + manual element blocking available
- Lightweight extension-only setup, low overhead
- Simple whitelisting for sites you want to support
Cons
- Acceptable Ads is enabled by default, so strict blocking requires a settings change
- Weaker privacy toolkit overall (no Stealth Mode, no DNS/HTTPS filtering layer)
- Support is mostly email, and the Acceptable Ads model drags down public sentiment
Key Differences at a Glance (TL;DR)
- AdGuard blocks more by default, while Adblock Plus needs setup (turn off Acceptable Ads and enable extra blocking).
- AdGuard has a stronger privacy toolkit with Stealth Mode, DNS filtering, HTTPS filtering, and security lists.
- Adblock Plus stays browser-only and lightweight, with fewer privacy and security layers.
- AdGuard is better at handling annoyances, especially pop-ups, overlays, and “site clutter” on tougher pages.
- Adblock Plus is easier for beginners, with a simpler interface and fewer settings to manage.
- AdGuard scales beyond the browser through its apps, while Adblock Plus stays inside the extension world.
Real World Ad Blocking
Before we get to the features and benchmarks and all that, let’s have a look at how well they actually work when you’re performing day-to-day tasks on different websites.
YouTube
- On YouTube, you get a near ‘premium’ experience with both AdGuard and Adblock Plus in action.
- The one thing you need to do to Adblock Plus first is turn off whatever its “Acceptable Ads” thing is and flip on the extra blocking options – that way it performs pretty much the same level as AdGuard.
Forbes
- Both blockers do a great job of cleaning up Forbes for you, making all the banners and annoying floating video ads and pop-ups that come with newsletters and notifications just disappear
- Still, though, you can still hit the paywall once you’ve hit the limit for free articles.
The New York Times
- Same story on the New York Times: ads and banners just get wiped out, and it’s much easier to read.
- That being said, the paywall still shows up after a few articles.
Both tools do the job for you on Reddit. Promoted posts get removed, and your feed starts looking organic again.
X
Adblock Plus & AdGuard block those annoying sponsored posts, so scrolling feels way cleaner.
Twitch
- Now we get to where they’re not quite equal.
- The thing about AdGuard is that it blocks those annoying self-promo banners on the home page of Twitch, but Adblock Plus doesn’t.
Crocs
- Both tools are good at blocking pop-ups, no surprise there.
- Unfortunately, native discount banners still show up, which is what you’d expect, since they’re built right into the layout rather than being some annoying ad the site’s injected.
Once you get Adblock Plus sorted out (disable acceptable ads), they’re pretty equal on most mainstream sites, except for Twitch, where AdGuard is clearly the stronger performer.
Key Features
Ad Blocking Capabilities
AdGuard and Adblock Plus both do a great job of blocking ads, but they’re built with different priorities in mind. AdGuard is a full-on toolkit that can adapt to whatever level of ad blocking you need, from a basic extension to a robust system-wide filtering option. Adblock Plus, on the other hand, feels more like the classic, easy-to-use ad blocker that works best once you’ve flipped a few of the right switches.
AdGuard
- Blocking YouTube ads: Blocks the pre-rolls, mid-rolls, and any other annoying ads you get on the homepage, plus the annoying ads on YouTube Shorts for real users.
- Getting rid of all those annoyances: Removes those cookie popups, newsletter banners, overlays, and all the other stuff that drives you crazy when you enable the right filter lists.
- Cosmetic filtering: Makes pages look whole again by hiding all the empty ad spaces.
- Killing off tracking and ads: Blocks all those third-party tracking requests and analytics alongside the ads.
- System-wide ad blocking: Blocks ads in all your apps and desktops, not just in your browser (via the desktop and mobile apps).
- Blocking at the DNS level: Stops any ad or tracking domains before they even load – depending on how you’ve set it up.
- Your own rules: Let’s you set up your own custom rules for site-specific fixes and tougher ad layouts.
- Allowing certain sites: Gives you quick and easy controls to allow or block certain sites when things go wrong.
Adblock Plus
- Blocking YouTube ads: Works pretty well once you turn off Acceptable Ads and switch on the extra blocking options.
- The Acceptable Ads toggle: Lets you turn on or off non-intrusive ads by default, or switch it off for super strict blocking.
- Blocking common ads and clutter: Handles pop-ups, banners and all that other display ad nonsense on most sites.
- Using filter lists: Works with all the big ones and lets you add more of your own for better ad coverage.
- Element blocking: Lets you manually hide specific elements on a page when something slips through the net.
- Whitelisting: Simple and straightforward allowlisting to quickly fix page breakage on a site.
- Keeping it simple: Keeps the settings really approachable so you don’t get pushed into all sorts of power user territory.
If you want the full set of ad-blocking features and the option to filter the whole system, AdGuard is the way to go. If you just want a simple ad blocker that blocks all ads once you get the settings right, Adblock Plus will do the job.
Privacy & Security
AdGuard and Adblock Plus cut down on tracking, but they’re taking a distinctly different approach. AdGuard comes loaded with multiple privacy tools that you actually get to shape to your liking. Adblock Plus, on the other hand, will block a sizeable chunk of trackers if you’ve got the settings right, but it doesn’t have the same level of depth that AdGuard has.
AdGuard
- Tracker blocking: By default, AdGuard blocks common analytics, those pesky pixels, and third-party tracking requests.
- Stealth mode: This is where you can really reduce what sites are able to collect on you – we’re talking cookie controls, stripping out tracking parameters… the whole nine yards.
- DNS filtering: This is where AdGuard stops ad and tracking domains at the DNS level, before they even get to your browser, depending on how you’ve set it up.
- HTTPS filtering: This allows AdGuard to filter encrypted traffic directly within the app, giving you a much broader coverage.
- Phishing and malware protection: This is where AdGuard blocks known dodgy domains and scam pages using security lists.
- System-wide privacy: In contrast to some other ad blockers, this one can filter traffic on an app-by-app basis, giving you protection that goes way beyond just one browser.
Adblock Plus
- Tracker blocking: If you’ve got the right filter lists enabled – especially the privacy-focused ones – then Adblock Plus will work a treat.
- The Acceptable Ads policy: If you disable Acceptable Ads and tighten up the filters, then your privacy and security settings will get a lot stricter.
- Basic malicious domain blocking: Adblock Plus will block some known bad domains, but this is mostly down to the filter coverage – and to be honest, it’s not a dedicated security layer.
- Just for the browser: Unlike AdGuard Adblock Plus is stuck in the browser. No DNS level filtering, no system-wide protection, no HTTPS filtering layer to speak of.
If keeping your private life private is why you’re even using an ad blocker, then AdGuard is probably the better bet. Adblock Plus will keep your average mainstream site clean of tracking, but on the other hand, it relies a lot more on getting the filter lists and settings right.
Performance & Resource Usage
Adblock Plus stays lean because it lives in the browser, just doing its extension thing. AdGuard can stay lean too, but it gives you a choice: extension-only or full-blown desktop app.
Here’s what you’ll notice when you’re browsing every day:
Page Load Speed
Both help pages load a lot faster by chopping out ad scripts, trackers, and all that heavy media. On site’s that are just bursting with ads, you’ll probably notice it right away.
Smooth Performance with Lots of Tabs Open
- Adblock Plus: Just an extension doing its thing, so it stays steady as a rock.
- AdGuard: In extension mode, it’s smooth sailing, but that full app mode of theirs has a lot more going on in the background, which can make your system slightly busier.
Resource Footprint
- Adblock Plus: it’s low, low, low in terms of resource usage, because it’s only doing basic extension work.
- AdGuard: if you go for the full app, it’s gonna be a bit higher because it can block stuff system-wide and use some extra tools like DNS and HTTPS filtering
The One Thing That Really Matters
Adblock Plus uses less because it’s not trying to block as much. Adguard uses a bit more because it blocks ads at many more levels.
To sum up…
If your priority is keeping your browser as lightweight and stable as possible, Adblock Plus is your easiest win. If you want to block ads across the whole device, not just in your browser, and you’re willing to give your system a bit more work to do, then AdGuard is probably worth it.
Usability & Customization
Installation & Setup
AdGuard
AdGuard gives you a super easy in, or the option to go full-on with the browser extension or the full app. The extension is a snap to install and starts blocking ads right out of the gate. If you opt for the desktop or mobile app, the setup process takes a bit longer – you need to decide whether to enable system-wide filtering and what kind of private settings you want to use, like DNS and Stealth Mode. It’s a guided set-up, just more involved than just clicking a button and installing a plugin.
Adblock Plus
Adblock Plus is super easy to install and get running. Just add the extension, and it’s working right away. But, you do need to pop into the settings and switch off Acceptable Ads if you want it to block everything – if you don’t, you aren’t going to get the full ad-blocking experience.
Day-to-Day Experience
AdGuard
Day-to-day with AdGuard is just plain easy. You get quick controls for each site, an easy way to add sites you want to keep out of the filter, and category-style toggles which make it super easy to figure out why something’s not working. If a page breaks and you can’t get to it then you don’t have to spend ages trying to figure out what’s going wrong – just pause the protection for that site, or switch off the specific list that’s causing the problem and move on.
Adblock Plus
Adblock Plus keeps things nice and simple. The pop-up tells you what you need to know – how many things it’s blocked, whether it’s on or off, and what sites you’ve got on your whitelist. It doesn’t try to push lots of advanced tools in your face, which is probably just what a lot of people like about it.
Customization
AdGuard
AdGuard gives you loads of options without overwhelming you. You can do things like turn on extra privacy and security features, add custom lists, even write your own rules for tricky sites, adjust the Stealth Mode settings to get just the right level of protection, or use the app to control filtering on your whole system. It’s a really powerful tool.
Adblock Plus
Adblock Plus, on the other hand, offers some useful controls, but ultimately it’s a bit limited. You can add or remove filter lists, manually block bits of pages, or whitelist sites, even disable Acceptable Ads to get tougher ad blocking.
Customer Support
AdGuard
Support channels: Email tickets ([email protected]) , check out the full support portal, plus you can try getting a sanity check on community forums and social channels when you’re in a hurry.
The reaction from customers online is a mixed bag.
- On Trustpilot, people are often praising the super-fast and polite replies that actually sort out the problem.
- But flip to Reddit, and it’s a whole different story: people are regularly complaining about how long it takes to get a response to their tickets, and sometimes weeks can pass before your issue gets dev reviewed.
- Plus there’s the feeling that public channels (like them messaging you on social) get more attention quicker than waiting for an email.
- It’s worth noting that public channels get more action than private ones, especially at first.
Adblock Plus
Support channels: Adblock Plus has a pretty simple setup: a basic help centre and email support at [email protected] – that’s it, no muss, no fuss.
ABP support mostly works by email.
- On Trustpilot, the product rating isn’t great, but it does seem that the company tries to respond to its critics and usually manages to do so within a week or so. Trustpilot+1
- Outside of review sites, a lot of the biggest complaints aren’t actually about the support ticket process itself; they’re about the Acceptable Ads controversy and how that eroded trust.
- You see that debate occasionally spilling over into “support experience” discussions, even when the resolution to the issue is easy.
So if you’re the type to want multiple channels to get help from (official support plus community channels), AdGuard has a stronger support ecosystem going on. On the other hand, if you’re all about keeping it simple, Adblock Plus does just the one email support thing.
Final Verdict
AdGuard and Adblock Plus are both easy to recommend.
Disable Acceptable Ads, and Adblock Plus becomes a solid ad blocker for casual browsing. It’s easy to use and good for people just starting out.
AdGuard, on the other hand, still manages to block a lot more, with more options to control your privacy and even more tools to deal with the occasional site that decides to fight back.
If you want a quick decision, here is the lowdown:
- If you’re a complete newbie to ad blockers and just want to get rid of ads, go with Adblock Plus (but switch off Acceptable Ads the second you’re set up).
- If you’re a YouTube or news site regular and you never mess with settings, Adblock Plus should do the trick.
- If you want your ad blocker to be super strict from the start, without any room for “acceptable” anything, then AdGuard is the better choice.
- If you’re keen on all the extra tools like Stealth Mode, DNS filtering, security lists, and want to add some extra security to your browsing, then AdGuard’s your man.
- If you’ve got really tough sites to block (think Twitch-style clutter and sites that really don’t like you using ad blockers), AdGuard’s got this.
- If you want ad blocking to work on more than just one browser tab, and you want to use it on your phone or other devices for a more comprehensive ad-blocking experience, AdGuard’s got that covered.
They both do the job, but for most people who want to block ads, keep their data private and safe, and avoid having to make too many compromises, AdGuard just has the better all-around offer.