AdGuard and Surfshark CleanWeb are two of our most recommended ad blockers. And rightfully so. They both have extremely high scores on Adblock Tester, and it’s reflected in the performance as well. However, that’s where the similarities end. Functionality-wise, they could not be more different from each other.
AdGuard is an ad blocker. The whole company is dedicated to making the most advanced ad-blocking solutions available. They offer browser extensions, system-wide ad blocking with HTTPS filtering, both public and private DNS with ad and content blocking, VPN-based ad blocking, and much more. If there’s a device that can run ads, AdGuard can attempt to block it.
Surfshark is a VPN. That is its main identity. And the ad blocker is more of a feature than a standalone product. However, since Surfshark is mainly a VPN, it’s available on many more devices and web stores than AdGuard, putting it in a unique position to offer ad blocking on devices where it’s hard to block ads.
In this article, we will be going much deeper to determine which one is the best option for you.
Quick Comparison Between AdGuard and Surfshark CleanWeb
| AdGuard | Surfshark CleanWeb | |
| Starts at | $29.88/year | $41.85/year + 3 months |
| Free version | Yes | Yes |
| Blocks YouTube Ads? | Yes | Yes |
| Blocks Trackers? | Yes | Yes |
| Compatibility | Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Edge, Windows, macOS, Android, iOS | Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Windows, Linux, macOS, Android, and iOS |
Pros & Cons
AdGuard
Pros
- Strong ad blocking on YouTube and most websites
- System-wide blocking on desktop and mobile apps
- Stealth Mode for serious privacy controls
- Custom rules, extra filter lists, element blocking
- DNS-level and HTTPS filtering for cleaner, faster browsing
Cons
- Paid product if you want the full app across devices
- Settings can feel a bit much if you never tweak anything
- Support is mostly docs and email, no instant hand-holding
Surfshark CleanWeb
Pros
- Included with Surfshark VPN, one toggle handles both
- Blocks ads and trackers at the network level
- Works inside apps and browsers when VPN is on
- CleanWeb 2.0 adds pop-up, malware, and breach warnings
- 24/7 live chat and stronger overall support
Cons
- Needs the VPN running, which can affect speed and latency
- No real customisation or cosmetic filtering
- Does almost nothing against anti-adblock detection
- Not as strong in advanced privacy or fingerprinting tests
Key Differences at a Glance (TL;DR)
- AdGuard is a dedicated ad blocker first, with strong YouTube blocking, great performance on news and e-commerce sites, and system-wide blocking through its apps.
- Stealth Mode and custom rules give AdGuard real privacy power, letting you strip trackers, tweak behaviour per site, and quietly bypass a lot of anti-tracking and anti-adblock tricks.
- Surfshark CleanWeb is a VPN add-on, good for “one toggle” ad and tracker blocking across apps when the VPN is on, but it offers almost no fine control or cosmetic filtering.
- CleanWeb shines if you already use Surfshark VPN and just want fewer ads and some basic protection without installing another tool.
- If you care about control, privacy features, and clean browsing, AdGuard is the better overall choice.
Real World Ad Blocking Performance
We’ll get to the slightly more technical side of the ad-blocking performance. But first, let’s just see how these two ad blockers perform on some regular websites one might visit.
YouTube
AdGuard
AdGuard is an easy recommendation for YouTube, as it surgically removes all ads from the website, even after YouTube’s crackdown on ad blockers and the extension being nerfed by the MV3 update. During our test, there were no ads on the homepage, no pre-rolls, no mid-rolls, and no ads in shorts.
- Skippable in-stream ads: Blocked
- Non-skippable ads: Blocked
- In-feed video ads: Blocked
- Bumper ads: Blocked
- Masthead ads: Blocked
- YouTube Shorts ads: Blocked
Surfshark CleanWeb
Surfshark CleanWeb in the Surfshark app is a bit of a hit-or-miss when it comes to YouTube. However, when we installed Surfshark as a Chrome extension and enabled CleanWeb 2.0, that was a whole different story.
- Video ads: Blocked
- Banner ads: Blocked
- Shorts ads: Blocked
Forbes
AdGuard
Got rid of giant homepage slides, ads in the middle of articles, and the floating video windows. Pop-up sign-up forms and notification requests were also blocked.
However, as soon as the number of free articles ran out, we hit a paywall with no way around it.
Surfshark CleanWeb
We got an identical performance here, too. CleanWeb blocked everything we needed it to block. But it couldn’t bypass the paywall.
We also got a “data breach warning,” which shows whether a site has been breached before. And it looks like Forbes did get breached.
The New York Times
AdGuard
Here too, AdGuard cleared out the large and small banners. The NY Times has some animated banners alongside the static ones. AdGuard blocked them all.
However, just like before, we hit a paywall that couldn’t be bypassed with the blocker.
Surfshark CleanWeb
Almost identical performance here, too. But we did see one or two banner ad placeholders for a couple of seconds before they disappeared.
However, similar issues do not persist on CleanWeb 2.0. Extensions can modify the HTML to give you a clean web (geddit?) that VPN-based ad blockers often struggle with.
Yahoo
AdGuard
We saw no ads on Yahoo News, which is usually more ads than content. And AdGuard also managed to clean the Yahoo Mail ads. Those are hard to get rid of. Only uBlock Origin can get rid of those. And since AdGuard uses a lot of the same filters, the functionality also transfers here.
Surfshark CleanWeb
CleanWeb also adequately removed all the icky ads on Yahoo News. But unlike AdGuard, it failed to get rid of the ads in Yahoo Mail.
AdGuard
Reddit shows you “promoted” posts every few cards. And sometimes you also see ads within threads. With AdGuard enabled, we got rid of those sponsored posts entirely. And none of the organic content was affected.
Surfshark Cleanweb
CleanWeb 2.0 also blocked promoted posts and ads across Reddit.
Takeaways
- AdGuard’s app and extension work pretty much the same way, since the app also uses a companion extension.
- CleanWeb 2.0 is definitely the way to go if you want more ads blocked, compared to CleanWeb 1.
- Surfshark’s filters are not as extensive as AdGuard’s. CleanWeb often misses pop-ups and sponsored posts.
- For regular day-to-day use, most users will not notice any difference between AdGuard and Surfshark CleanWeb 2.0.
Key Features
Ad Blocking Capabilities
We’ve seen the real-world test results; now let’s take a look at how they really work and what features they have.
AdGuard
AdGuard is first and foremost an ad blocker. And with the browser extension, it can:
- Get rid of annoying banner ads, pop-ups, and overlays.
- Zap out YouTube ads, including pre-rolls, mid-rolls, and the ads in Shorts.
- Hide social media widgets and cookie prompts, and remove newsletter pop-ups.
- Give your pages a cosmetic overhaul, so those empty ad slots go away immediately.
Under the hood, it’s got a massive library of filter lists, plus its own rules, so you can basically go to town on any annoying ads you don’t like. And on your desktop or mobile, AdGuard can block ads all over the system, routing everything through it’s own local VPN. Which means:
- The ads in your apps and games get blocked right off the bat.
- Any trackers or analytics calls get shut down.
- News and shopping apps feel a lot cleaner.
Moreover, you can even add your own custom rules, crank up the annoyance lists, or just dial back the aggression on a site-by-site basis if you really need to.
Surfshark CleanWeb
Surfshark CleanWeb takes a different tack. Instead of poking around in the browser and fiddling with the page layout, it just runs as part of your VPN and chops off any connections to ad, tracker, or malware sites before they even get a chance to load.
Which means:
- You get to enjoy ad-free browsing, YouTube, and social media, all without any browser extensions or messing with your pages.
- Many in-app ads and tracking calls get filtered out while your VPN is on.
- Any dodgy domains get blocked at the DNS level too.
But because it doesn’t do any cosmetic tweaking, you might see the odd empty space where an ad would otherwise have been, especially on sites that are really, really cash-hungry. And of course, you won’t get the same level of fine-grained control over individual elements, or the ability to add custom rules. CleanWeb is all about keeping things simple – just toggle the VPN, and all the ads, trackers, and dodgy domains get blocked across your device.
In practice, AdGuard feels a lot more precise and surgical in its ad-hacking, while Surfshark CleanWeb feels more like a broad shield that just absorbs everything that might be a problem using your VPN connection.
Privacy and Security
AdGuard and Surfshark CleanWeb both try to go beyond “just blocking ads”, but they protect you in very different ways.
AdGuard
AdGuard leans hard into privacy features on top of its ad blocking. It is actively cutting out the things that track you or try to mess with you.
- Tracker and analytics blocking: AdGuard blocks scripts, analytics tools, third-party cookies, and beacons that follow you around the web.
- DNS-level filtering: It works as a DNS resolver to block ads and trackers before they even reach your network.
- HTTPS filtering: Most modern sites use HTTPS, so AdGuard sets up a secure connection with your browser and with the site, then filters traffic in between.
- Stealth Mode: Stealth Mode adds serious privacy tweaks to the mix as it:
- Hides search queries
- Auto-clears cookies
- Limits or spoof browser data
- Shuts down unnecessary third-party requests
It is designed to reduce how much data sites and advertisers can collect about you in the first place.
- Phishing and malware protection: AdGuard checks the domains you visit against blocklists of phishing, scam, and malware sites and blocks anything that looks suspicious.
- Data handling: According to its own policy, AdGuard does not collect or sell your data. It’s open-source and compliant with EU GDPR.
AdGuard won’t replace a full antivirus or a dedicated security suite, but as an ad blocker with strong privacy controls and some security layers baked in, it goes quite far.
Surfshark CleanWeb
CleanWeb plays in a slightly different league. It starts with the VPN and then layers ad blocking and security on top of that.
- VPN + ad blocking combo: When you enable CleanWeb inside the Surfshark app, your traffic is encrypted and routed through the VPN, while domains are checked against lists of ad, tracker, and malware providers. That means:
- Your IP is hidden.
- Your ISP cannot see what you are doing.
- Many ad and tracker connections are stopped at the network level.
- Tracker blocking: CleanWeb blocks domains known for tracking and profiling. So even if a site tries to load analytics or behavioural tracking, those calls get cut off, and you are less visible to advertisers and data brokers.
- Malware and phishing protection: CleanWeb warns you if a site is known for malware or has a bad breach history, and blocks malicious domains outright.
- Data breach and malware alerts: In the browser extension, CleanWeb 2.0 can:
- Alert you if your credentials show up in a data breach
- Warn you about malware on compromised sites
- Encrypted traffic by default: Once paired with Surfshark’s VPN, your traffic is encrypted end to end.
CleanWeb does show its weaknesses in advanced tracking tests, but that’s expected, as it’s not primarily an ad blocker; however, in regular usage, that shouldn’t matter much.
Performance and Resource Usage
Both tools remove junk and speed up browsing, but their impact on performance varies.
AdGuard
AdGuard tries to get the most amount of work done while staying very lightweight.
- Browser extension performance: The extension is pretty nippy, even with multiple filter lists enabled. Ads are blocked fast enough that they rarely even flash on screen.
- DNS-level setup: When you use AdGuard DNS, the blocking happens before the content even reaches your device. That means: fewer requests, less data used, and less work for your browser.
- System-wide apps: On desktop and mobile apps, AdGuard routes your traffic through a local filter (or local VPN tunnel) and blocks ads and trackers across apps. Yeah, that does use a bit more resources than a simple extension, but in normal use, it still holds up pretty well and feels a lot more lightweight than a full security suite.
Overall, AdGuard is built to be snappy, even when you turn on extra filters and features. If it does start to feel slow, it’s usually the website’s fault, not AdGuard’s.
Surfshark CleanWeb
CleanWeb’s performance story is very much tied up in how you use Surfshark.
- With the VPN enabled: When CleanWeb runs inside the Surfshark app with the VPN on, there’s an extra layer of encryption and routing overhead, and your device also performs additional domain filtering at the network level.
- CleanWeb 2.0 browser extension: In browser-only mode without the VPN on, CleanWeb 2.0 behaves more like a traditional extension. It blocks the usual ads, strips out the resource-intensive elements, and reduces data usage by not downloading ad assets.
- Data and bandwidth usage: By not loading ads, tracking scripts, and malicious content, CleanWeb cuts down on how much data your browser or apps pull in.
In day-to-day use, AdGuard is probably your best bet. If you’re already on Surfshark’s VPN for other reasons, the extra cost of CleanWeb is low enough that it’s still worth considering.
Anti Adblocking & Detection Bypass
Bet you’ve gotten a few “turn off your ad blocker” screens while browsing. It’s not pleasant. Let’s see how they handle it.
AdGuard gets proactive
On desktop & mobile apps, Stealth Mode tries to disguise the fact that an ad blocker is running by stripping back some of the signals that sites use to detect it’s there. If you stick to the browser extension, pairing it with AdGuard Extra helps out a bit with those pesky anti-adblock scripts and warnings, but it’s not foolproof. On the other hand, it’s actually trying to circumvent detection rather than throw in the towel as soon as it hits a wall.
Surfshark CleanWeb pretty much gives up
There are no clever anti-adblock filters, no cosmetic tricks to fool the system, no extra script layer to try & sneak past the blocks. CleanWeb just blocks domains. Which means if a site decides to block VPN or ad-block users, you’re out of luck. The only tiny glimmer of hope is that, because CleanWeb works at the VPN level and not as a visible extension, some basic anti-adblock checks will never even spot it and let you in by mistake.
Usability & Customisation
Both of these tools are pretty straightforward to get going with.
AdGuard
AdGuard is actually pretty snappy, even when you’re digging deep into its settings. After you’ve installed the app or extension, you get that big ol’ toggle and instant ad blocking, and it all just works. No fuss.
Of course, if you do take the time to dig into the settings, there’s a whole lot to play with, but even then you’re not gonna get lost. You’ve got your filters grouped up into logical sections like “Ad blocking”, “Privacy”, “Security”, “Social widgets”, and “Annoyances”, so you can flip on or off whatever suits your needs. You can:
- Add your own custom filter lists right from a URL
- Write your own user rules, including some pretty advanced HTML/CSS shenanigans
- Manually block any element on a page so it just vanishes
- Use an allowlist, and flip the switch so it only lets select sites through
It looks like a fine ad blocker on the surface, but there’s a whole toolkit hidden under the hood.
Surfshark CleanWeb
Surfshark CleanWeb keeps things simple and low-key.
In the app, CleanWeb is just a toggle buried in the VPN settings. It’s a simple “on” or “off,” and that’s it. Turn it on, and it starts quietly blocking ads, trackers, and dodgy domains in the background. You won’t find much to configure.
CleanWeb 2.0 in the browser adds a bit more control – you can switch on and off ad blocking, pop-up blocking, malware alerts, and data breach alerts separately. You can switch ’em on and off, but that’s about it – you can’t add in custom lists, write your own rules, or fine-tune specific sites
So, in terms of usability, Surfshark is a bit more “turn it on and forget it,” while AdGuard lets you have both simplicity and deep customisation if you want.
Customer Support
AdGuard
AdGuard’s support setup is pretty minimal. You get a detailed knowledge base and email support, but there is no live chat or phone line. If something goes wrong, you are mostly expected to solve it through the docs or send an email and wait. The documentation is solid and covers most use cases, but response times over email can be slow.
Surfshark CleanWeb
Surfshark does a much better job here. Because CleanWeb is part of Surfshark’s VPN ecosystem, it benefits from the full support stack: 24/7 live chat, email, and a well-organised help centre. If the ad blocker misbehaves or you run into VPN-related issues, you can get a real person on chat within minutes, which is a big step up from email-only support.
Final Verdict
AdGuard and Surfshark CleanWeb both do many things right. They block ads, clean up clutter from web pages, and cut out a good chunk of the tracking junk that just slows everything down. The difference is in how they approach the problem.
AdGuard behaves like an ad and tracker-killing machine that is pretty into privacy and control on the side. Surfshark CleanWeb feels more like a VPN feature that just happens to include ad removal and domain blocking.
If you want a fast way to make a decision here, try thinking of it this way:
- If you’re already using Surfshark VPN and want to cut down on ads without installing another program, CleanWeb is a good option.
- If you mainly browse on a phone and like the idea of setting up a quick VPN and ad blocker with just one tap, then CleanWeb is super convenient.
- If you’re the type of person who never messes with settings and just wants one switch that quietly keeps things tidy, CleanWeb won’t annoy you.
- If you value the look of web pages feeling nice, you know, like YouTube and news sites feeling as good as they used to, then AdGuard is the way to go.
- If you want stealth mode, custom rules, and the ability actually to control what gets blocked, then, again, AdGuard is probably your best bet.
- If you want a standalone ad blocker that works with or without a VPN and can do its thing across different computers and devices, then once again, AdGuard is the better choice.
Both are good, but as a pure ad blocker with actual privacy tools, a significant impact on blocked websites, and deep customisation options, AdGuard is the better all-around choice.