AdBlocker Ultimate is an open-source, cross-platform solution that claims to offer not just ad blocking but a full set of filters that help protect your privacy and speed up your browsing experience. But how does AdBlocker Ultimate really stack up against all the competition? That’s what we’re here to figure out.
In this review, we’ll see what AdBlocker Ultimate brings to the table. We will explore its core features and evaluate how it handles the increasingly complex challenge effectively blocking ads while maintaining its MV3 compliance. But we won’t stop at just the feature set. We will also be putting AdBlocker Ultimate through rigorous testing to see how it performs against the best ad blockers of 2025.
So, let’s figure out if this ad blocker really lives up to its “Ultimate” name.
| ⭐ Rating | 8.7 out of 10 |
| 💵 Price | $29.95/year |
| ▶️ Blocks YouTube Ads? | Yes |
| ⛔ Blocks Trackers? | Yes |
| 💻 Compatibility | Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Edge, Windows, and iOS |
Pros and Cons
Here’s a list of pros and cons that should summarise the article by highlighting the advantages and disadvantages of Total Adblock.
Pros
- Blocks trackers and malicious sites
- User-friendly interface
- Free and open-source
- Cross-platform compatibility
Cons
- Paid version not worth it
- Customer support is lacking
- No macOS app
AdBlocker Ultimate Features Overview
AdBlocker Ultimate is good at blocking ads, just like every other ad blocker out there. But it also has a focus on security. Its robust set of filters work overtime to rid you of the malicious ads and domains that may pose a threat, keeping you safe from bad actors looking to exploit vulnerabilities in your system. In addition to the security features, it also protects your privacy by actively preventing online trackers from monitoring your browsing behaviour. These trackers can be found lurking behind ads, scripts, and even seemingly harmless images, silently collecting data on everything from your shopping habits to personal preferences. AdBlocker Ultimate ensures that your data stays yours by neutralising these trackers, blocking scripts that could otherwise compromise your online privacy.
It is now standard practice for websites to secure connections using HTTPS, and for good reasons too. However, that makes it challenging for ad blockers to intercept. AdBlocker Ultimate employs HTTPS filtering to tackle this issue by intercepting traffic and analysing it to identify ads, trackers, and potentially harmful content. But it does so while making sure your sensitive information remains encrypted and uncompromised.
While this next one shouldn’t be a feature, but with more and more ad blockers whitelisting advertisers in exchange for payments, it is refreshing to see that AdBlocker Ultimate takes a hardline stance against it. No ads get through unless you explicitly allow them.
AdBlocker Ultimate also takes on the challenge to handle websites that deploy anti-adblock techniques. These websites actively detect when users have ad blockers enabled and either restrict access or try to bypass the blocker’s filters. While these techniques have become more sophisticated, AdBlocker Ultimate constantly updates its filters and offers solutions.
We’ve identified the key features every top-tier ad blocker should have, and now we’ll see how AdBlocker Ultimate measures up.
Ad Blocker Features
| Features | Status |
|---|---|
| Blocks Banner Ads? | Yes |
| Blocks Video Ads? | Yes |
| Blocks Pop-ups? | Yes |
| Blocks Social Media Widgets? | Yes |
| Blocks Sponsored Posts? | Yes |
| Blocks Floating/Overlay Ads? | Yes |
| Blocks Trackers? | Yes |
| Blocks Malicious Sites? | Yes |
| Blocks Notification Requests? | Yes |
| Hides Cookie Prompts? | No |
| Score (Out of 10): | 9 |
After evaluating AdBlocker Ultimate against our checklist of essential features, it’s clear that it ticks most of the boxes, and securing a score of 9 out of 10 in this section.
Performance Test
With ad blockers, at the end of the day, it all comes down to the performance. We have an elaborate system that helps us test just that.
How We Test Ad Blockers
To evaluate an ad blocker, we use a five-stage testing process. We first check its compatibility and ease of installation across various platforms. Then, we dive into ease of use and customization options, ensuring both simplicity and control. Next, we assess pricing and customer support to see if the ad blocker delivers value for money. Finally, we put it through real-world testing on popular websites like YouTube and Reddit, followed by benchmark tests to validate its performance against industry standards.
Want to learn more about our comprehensive testing process? Check out the full article How We Test Ad Blockers.
Testing Websites
Ad blocking performance can vary depending on the type of website, so we tested AdBlocker Ultimate across a variety of platforms. From news outlets to social media and e-commerce sites, we evaluated how well it blocked ads and protected users against trackers in real-world conditions.
YouTube
These days YouTube is simultaneously adding more ads into the platform and cracking down on ad blockers. So we put AdBlocker Ultimate to the test. The results were impressive. We found no ads anywhere on the site. It effectively blocked video ads, banner ads, and even the ads on YouTube Shorts. We checked for pre-rolls, mid-rolls, bumper ads. Nowhere to be found. AdBlocker Ultimate ensured a completely uninterrupted experience even with its Manifest V3 compliance.
- Skippable ads: Blocked
- Non-skippable ads: Blocked
- In-feed video ads: Blocked
- Bumper ads: Blocked
- Masthead ads: Blocked
- YouTube Shorts ads: Blocked
For more options, check out our guide on the Best Ad Blocker for YouTube.
Ad Blocker Ad Types
| Ad Type | Status |
|---|---|
| Video Ads | Blocked |
| Banner Ads | Blocked |
| Shorts Ads | Blocked |
| Score (Out of 10): | 10 |
Yahoo
The Yahoo News homepage typically displays a large number of banner ads, sponsored content, and video ads. During our tests, AdBlocker Ultimate managed to block all display ads, providing a much cleaner browsing experience. However, it failed to remove ads from Yahoo Mail. And we saw floating videos that weren’t ads, but still an annoyance.
- Banner Ads: Blocked
- Floating Videos: Allowed
- Mail Ads: Allowed
Forbes
On Forbes, AdBlocker Ultimate blocked most of the intrusive elements. We encountered no banner ads, video ads, or floating videos. Overall, it provided a much cleaner reading experience. Additionally, it effectively blocked notification requests and newsletter pop-ups. However, after a few free articles, we did run into a paywall, which is typical for sites like Forbes that limit free access.
- Self-report (homepage): Blocked 14 ads and trackers
- Banner Ads: Blocked
- Floating Video Ads: Blocked
- Newsletter Pop-ups: Blocked
- Notification Request: Blocked
- Paywall: Did Not Bypass
The New York Times
The New York Times features a variety of ad types, including banner ads, sponsored content, and inline video ads. During our testing, AdBlocker Ultimate effectively blocked all of these elements. However, similar to many other content sites, we faced a paywall after accessing a limited number of free articles.
- Self-report (homepage): Blocked 13 ads and trackers
- Banner Ads: Blocked
- Paywall: Did Not Bypass
AdBlocker Ultimate successfully removed all sponsored posts from the Reddit home page. We looked around and browsed the site, visited a few subreddits, and posts, the overall experience was very smooth and free from interruptions.
- Self-report (homepage): Blocked 3 ad or tracker
- Promoted Posts: Blocked
Twitch
On Twitch, AdBlocker Ultimate offered partial ad blocking. While it successfully removed self-promotion banners, such as the sign-in prompt, the banner promoting discounts on subscriptions remained visible. Aside from that, Twitch does not feature any traditional ads and the viewing experience is largely ad-free. However, it’s worth noting that many Twitch streamers feature sponsor endorsements on their “About” pages, which may resemble ads. These endorsements are manually placed by the creators themselves, and therefore, cannot be blocked by AdBlocker Ultimate or any other ad blocker.
- Self-report (homepage): Blocked 4 ads and trackers
- Self-promotion Banners: Partially blocked
X
AdBlocker Ultimate effectively blocked all ads on X, including Promoted Ads, Follower Ads, and Trend Takeovers, which are typically marked with an “Ad” label. During our testing, we encountered none of these common ad formats, giving us an uninterrupted doom scrolling session.
- Promoted Posts: Blocked
- Follower Ads: Blocked
- Trend Takeovers: Blocked
Crocs
We usually check Crocs site because it includes pop-ups for discounts and sign-ups. AdBlocker Ultimate made sure none of those pop up.
- Homepage: Blocked 2 ads and trackers
- Pop-ups: Blocked
Overall, AdBlocker Ultimate proved to be highly effective at blocking ads and various annoyances across a wide range of websites. The only partial blocking occurred on Yahoo and Twitch. Despite these minor setbacks, AdBlocker Ultimate delivered a consistently smooth and ad-free experience, earning it a solid score of 8.6 out of 10 in our website testing.
Ad Blocker Website Categories
| Category | Subcategory | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Websites | Yahoo | Partial |
| Websites | Forbes | Blocked |
| Websites | New York Times | Blocked |
| Websites | Blocked | |
| Websites | Twitch | Partial |
| Websites | X | Blocked |
| Websites | Crocs | Blocked |
| Score (Out of 10): | 8.6 | |
Third-Party Ad Block Testing
- AdBlocker Ultimate managed to secure 90 points in Adblock Tester, where it failed to block a few scripts from loading.
- In d3ward Ad Block Test, the extension got a 94% score. I could not block some social trackers from Meta.
- It performed admirably in Cover Your Tracks by blocking tracking ads and invisible trackers. The website found that our browser with AdBlocker Ultimate, has a nearly-unique fingerprint.
- Finally in Can You Block It, AdBlocker Ultimate blocked every ad the website could throw at it, but failed to avoid detection.
Here’s a breakdown of the scores:
Ad Blocker Test Results
| Test Name | Test Score |
|---|---|
| Adblock Tester | 90 |
| d3ward Ad Block Test | 94 |
| Cover Your Tracks | 2/3 |
| Can You Block It | 2/3 |
| Score (Out of 10): | 8.6 |
AdBlocker Ultimate Plans, Pricing, Free Tiers, and Trial
The browser extension of AdBlocker Ultimate is completely free. And while there is a premium plan for the Windows app, it does not enhance any of the essential ad blocking functionalities of the browser extension. Which means the free version of the AdBlock Ultimate is completely usable.
Two premium plans are available for the windows app users. $29.95 a year for the personal plan with up to 3 devices and $59.95 a year for the family plan with up to 10 devices. The desktop app also comes with a 14-day free trial that does not require a credit card, and they offer a 30-day money-back guarantee.
If we’re talking value for money, their competition provides more for similar prices. With AdGuard, you get more filters, and parental controls, and Total AdBlock comes bundled with an anti-virus. So while it still does the job, the paid plan does not provide the best value for money.
Ad Blocker Evaluation Categories
| Category | Score |
|---|---|
| Value for Money | 3/5 |
| Free Version Usability | 5/5 |
| Score (Out of 10): | 8 |
How Usable is AdBlocker Ultimate?
Compatibility:
AdBlocker Ultimate is available on quite a few platforms. The browser extension supports all Chromium based browsers, such as Google Chrome, Edge, Opera, Vivaldi, and more with proper Manifest V3 implementation. And you can also find it for Firefox and Safari. For a more comprehensive ad blocking experience, you can install the AdBlocker Ultimate app on your Windows pc. There are also mobile apps for iOS and Android. However, the iOS app only works with Safari, and the Android app is a mobile browser with the extension built-in. The compatibility here is wider than most other ad blockers, and system-wide support for Windows is nice to have. But there is a lack of a macOS app, and the iOS app does not work system-wide. Moreover, we can’t really count the Android app as it requires you to switch to their browser.
Ad Blocker Platform Availability
| Platform | Availability |
|---|---|
| Chromium Extension | Yes |
| Firefox Add-On | Yes |
| Safari Extension | Yes |
| MV3 Compliance (Chrome) | Yes |
| Windows App (System-wide) | Yes |
| macOS App (System-wide) | No |
| Android App (System-wide) | No |
| iOS App (System-wide) | Yes |
| Score (Out of 10): | 8 |
Installation
AdBlocker Ultimate was very easy to use. If you’re using Chrome, you should find it on the Web Store very easily. It is also available on the Firefox’s extensions store. But if you are not sure which browser you are using, it is always a good idea to visit their official website. From there, you should be directed to the add-on store of your browser. Overall, the installation process was very easy, and clear to follow. The extension started blocking ads immediately after installation.
Installation Evaluation
| Installation | Status |
|---|---|
| Quick Installation | Yes |
| Beginner Friendly | Yes |
| Clarity of Instructions | Yes |
| Score (Out of 10): | 10 |
Ease of Use
AdBlocker Ultimate is one of the user-friendly ad blockers out there. In the main page of the extension, there’s a toggle for enabling and disabling the ad blocking on the site you are on, followed by an element blocker and the settings page. You can see the number of ads and trackers being blocked in real-time time right from the extension icon.
The general settings lets you automatically enable language filters. This is a feature that most ad blockers don’t have, and definitely a welcome addition. You can also toggle the option to show or hide the number of ads being blocked on each website in the extension icon here. And finally you can enable or disable the context menu.
And for most users, that is pretty much it. The settings are easy to navigate and all the options are explained with subtext.
Ease of Use Evaluation
| Ease of Use | Status |
|---|---|
| One Click Use | Yes |
| User Friendly Settings | Yes |
| Automatic Updates | Yes |
| Score (Out of 10): | 10 |
Customization
As for customization features, AdBlocker Ultimate covers all the bases without going overboard like uBlock Origins. There are included filters, the ability to add your own filters and custom rules, and a whitelist.
For the filters, it includes four categories. Ad-blocking, privacy, security, and language specific filters. While it uses open-source, community-maintained filters, similar to AdGuard, the number of said filters is underwhelming. But you can always add more.
The addition of an element blocker right on the main page is a bonus here. The element blocker easily lets you get rid of web elements manually, which is always a nice to have.
Customizability Evaluation
| Customizability | Status |
|---|---|
| Accessible Filter List | Yes |
| Custom Filters | Yes |
| Manual Element Blocking | Yes |
| Score (Out of 10): | 10 |
Customer Support
In terms of customer support, all we could find was a web form where you can submit your issue and include your email address. Their premium plan mentions that the paid users will get priority support. However, as we were only using the web extension, we did not opt for the premium plan. We filled up the form, with our standard support queries.An their team got back to us within the first 24 hours with follow up questions, and gave us suggestions for troubleshooting our problem. There is also a help centre, but it was not very helpful for user support.
Customer Support Evaluation
| Customer Support | Description / Score |
|---|---|
| Availability of Support | Email Form, Help Centre |
| Response Time | 2/3 |
| Support Quality | 3/3 |
| Score (Out of 10): | 7 |
Top Alternatives for AdBlocker Ultimate
While AdBlocker Ultimate is a comparatively newer extension, it performs admirably. Lets see how it really stacks up against Ghostery, AdGuard, and uBlock Origin.
AdBlocker Ultimate | Ghostery | AdGuard | uBlock Origin | |
Our Rating | 8.7 | 8.8 | 9.6 | 9.4 |
Best For | User-Friendly Interface | Online Privacy | System-wide ad blocking | Customizability |
Adblock Tester Score | 90 | 98 | 95 | 96 |
Cover Your Tracks | 2/3 | 0/3 | 2/3 | 2/3 |
Compatibility | Browsers, Windows, iOS | Browsers | Browsers, Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS | Browsers |
MV3 Compliance | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
Open-Source | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Support | Email, Knowledge Base | Community | ||
Starts At | $29.95/year | Free | $29.88/year | Free |
Verdict
During our testing, we found that AdBlocker Ultimate remains consistent with its scores. We usually consider all scores over 7.9 to be good, and except for the customer support, AdBlocker Ultimate has maintained an 8 or higher score for all the categories. It is an easily recommendable ad blocker.
However, in our tests we have also observed that the AdBlocker is too similar to AdGuard, from the UI elements right down to the pricing. When comparing the two head to head, AdGuard comes out on top. So while we do recommend AdBlocker Ultimate, as it will get most of the job done, you may be benefitted from exploring some of the alternatives.
Now let’s round up all the scores and see how AdBlocker Ultimate performed in our tests.
Ad Blocker Category Scores
| Category | Score | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Features | 9 | 20 |
| YouTube | 10 | 10 |
| Websites | 8.6 | 10 |
| Independent Tests | 8.6 | 15 |
| Pricing | 8 | 15 |
| Compatibility | 6 | 5 |
| Installation | 8 | 5 |
| Ease of Use | 10 | 10 |
| Customizability | 10 | 5 |
| Support | 7 | 5 |
| Final Score: | 8.7 | 100 |
Frequently Asked Questions about AdBlocker Ultimate
Is AdBlocker Ultimate Safe to Use?
AdBlocker Ultimate is completely safe to use. According to their privacy they collect very minimal user data in order to provide the best services for you. Their data collection and sharing practices comply with GDPR act, and you can ask them for the data they have on you. Other than that, it is an open-source ad blocker which makes it safer as anyone can view their source code and identify potential vulnerabilities.
Is AdBlocker Ultimate an AdGuard Clone?
No, AdBlocker Ultimate is not an AdGuard clone. However, over the years users on Reddit and GitHub have found code in AdBlocker Ultimate that is directly copied from AdGuard. And the UI and filter list does look very similar on both of the ad blockers. Since then developers of AdBlocker Ultimate have come clean about using codes from multiple other open source projects. However, their use of said codes are justified as they also transferred proper licences avoiding any copyright infringements.
Related Guides: