AdGuard is a freemium DNS and ad-blocking tool known for its efficiency. It is very effective against intrusive ads, pop-ups, trackers, third-party cookies, and other annoyances.
While it is very easy to set up and use, that doesn’t mean it lacks any features. On top of regular ad blocking, the free tier of AdGuard also provides protection against malware and phishing sites, blocks search ads and websites’ self-promotion, lets you add custom user rules, and has the ability to invert allowlist.
But with all these features, how does it stack up against other ad blockers? Is it safe to use? Is the premium tier worth it? Let’s figure it all out.
| ⭐ Rating | 4.8 out of 5 |
| 💵 Price | $29.88/year, or $79.99/lifetime |
| 🏷️ Free version | Yes |
| ▶️ Blocks YouTube Ads? | Yes |
| ⛔ Blocks Trackers? | Yes |
| 💻 Compatibility | Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Edge, Windows, macOS, Android, iOS |
Pros and Cons
Let’s weigh the pros and cons and see how AdGuard holds up as an ad blocker. This should also serve as a summary for the entire article.
Pros
- Excellent ad blocker with almost perfect test scores
- Free and Open-Source
- Blocks scripts, analytics, and trackers
- Allows whitelisting and invert whitelisting
- Compatible with a wide range of devices including Raspberry Pi
- The free plan is packed with features
Cons
- Can’t avoid detection
- No 24/7 live chat support
AdGuard Features Overview
AdGuard is first and foremost a DNS resolver. Now what does that mean? A DNS is a directory that translates domain names into IP addresses. For example, when you go to www.google.com on your browser your DNS resolver goes through its directory to look for it’s IP address which is 172.217.164.110. Now there are other DNS resolvers like Google and Cloudflare, but what makes AdGuard special is that it can block ads on a DNS level, which means the ads get blocked before they can even reach your home network. So yes, Aduard is really good at blocking all kinds of ads. But it doesn’t stop there. AdGuard also puts a stop to those pesky third-party trackers, preventing advertisers from bombarding you with targeted ads. It also blocks search ads and self-promotions.
Like most other ad blockers, AdGuard lets you put sites into its allow list. But what makes AdGuard’s implementation unique here is that it also gives you the ability to invert your allow list, meaning only the sites on the allow list will be subject to ad blocking.
AdGuard puts your safety on the front seat with features like HTTPS filtering, Stealth Mode, and an elaborate phishing and malware protection.
HTTPS filtering ensures your safety on the vast majority of websites that now use HTTPS, including popular platforms like YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter. AdGuard achieves this by establishing secure connections with both your browser and the website, allowing it to analyze and filter out ads and trackers while keeping your data encrypted.
Stealth Mode shields you against online trackers and data collectors. It prevents websites from accessing your search queries, automatically clears cookies, and provides other privacy-enhancing features, ensuring your personal information remains confidential.
AdGuard’s phishing and malware protection is a vigilant guardian, protecting you from malicious websites and online threats. AdGuard constantly checks the websites you visit and blocks access to dangerous ones keeping your digital experience secure.
Now let’s have a look at the table of core features and see if AdGuard checks most of the boxes.
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 Annoyances? | Yes |
| Hides Cookie Prompts? | Yes |
| Has an Allow List? | Yes |
| Bypasses Soft Paywall? | No |
Performance Test
AdGuard’s features make a solid ad blocker on paper, but does it really work? We’ll find out once we run it through our tests. But let’s start with how we test ad blockers.
How Do We Test Ad Blockers?
Step 1
We install the ad blocker extension on our browser of choice, Google Chrome. Why Chrome? Because it covers a lot of other browsers that are also built on the same Chromium project. So Edge, Opera, Yandex, and so on. While this does exclude browsers like Firefox and Safari, the results should be similar, if not the same.
Step 2
After we’re done with the installation, we look into the extension’s main page and settings to objectively look at the usability and customizability of the ad blocker.
Step 3
For real-world day-to-day use, we visit some popular websites like YouTube, Forbes, and Reddit to ensure the ad blocker is effective at blocking different kinds of ads, cookie prompts, notification requests, and other annoyances. At the same time, we also test the specific claims made in their marketing materials.
Step 4
Then we move on to four third-party ad block testing websites that help us determine its effectiveness against different types of ads and trackers.
- To evaluate the effectiveness of ad blockers, Adblock Tester employs a range of advertising and analytical services.
- The d3ward ad block testing tool gauges an ad blocker’s performance by testing it against various ad providers, filters, scripts, analytics, trackers, and OEMs.
- Can You Block It runs three tests that include all types of ads. If the ad blocker is functioning the right way, none of the ads should be visible.
- Cover Your Tracks tests your browser to see how well-protected you are against tracking and fingerprinting.
An ad blocker that successfully passes all these tests should be considered reliable for most users.
After all our testing and evaluation, we round up the scores and give the adblocker an editorial rating out of 5.
Testing Websites
We will be testing YouTube, Forbes, The New York Times, Reddit, X, and Twitch with AdGuard. These sites contain, different kinds of ads, pop-ups, cookie consent notices, and other annoyances. Let’s see how AdGuard handles them.
YouTube
On YouTube, we usually browse through the home page first. There are often banner ads right on the home page. Then we search for videos from many popular content creators like MKBHD, Mark Rober, Linus Tech Tips, PewDiePie, BuzzFeed, and Cocomelon. During our testing of AdGuard, we saw no ads on the home page, before, after, or during watching videos, We even scrolled through about 25 YouTube Shorts, and no ads were found.
- Skippable in-stream ads: Blocked
- Non-skippable in-stream ads: Blocked
- In-feed video ads: Blocked
- Bumper ads: Blocked
- Masthead ads: Blocked
- YouTube Shorts ads: Blocked
Forbes
In Forbes, there are giant banner ads on the home page and in the middle of the articles. There are also video ads on the right side of the article that float when you scroll down. We did not find any such ads during our tests. However, once we hit our limit for free articles, we were hit with a paywall that AdGuard could not remove or bypass. But it did remove annoyances like newsletter pop-ups and notification requests.
- Self-report (homepage): Blocked 14 ads and trackers
- Banner Ads: Blocked
- Floating Video Ads: Blocked
- Newsletter Pop-ups: Blocked
- Paywall: Did Not Bypass
The New York Times
With The New York Times, we usually get a lot of banner ads of different kinds. Large banners that take up a chunk of the screen, smaller banners on the side, animated GIFs, and statics.
Similar to Forbes, AdGuard removed all of the banners we previously found. But again, our browsing was interrupted by a paywall.
- Self-report (homepage): Blocked 15 ads and trackers
- Banner Ads: Blocked
- Paywall: Did Not Bypass
While browsing the frontpage of Reddit you may come across some ads that may look like regular posts. But have “Promoted” mentioned on them. While we found these promoted posts after every 3-4 posts on the home page, after enabling AdGuard, they were all gone.
- Self-report (homepage): Blocked 1 ad or tracker
- Promoted Posts: Blocked
Twitch
Twitch has a lot of self-promotion banners for “sign up” and “discounts”. AdGuard removes these banners. But this is one of those instances where you may want to put a website in our allow list if you want to know about those discounts. But keep in mind that if a creator includes their sponsors in their About page, while that may look like an ad, they cannot be removed.
- Self-report (homepage): Blocked 7 ads and trackers
- Self-promotion Banners: Blocked
X
Similar to Reddit, X has a lot of “sponsored posts” on their home page. During our tests, with AdGuard, we did not notice any of such posts.
- Promoted Posts: Blocked
Crocs
Crocs has discounts and newsletter pop-ups show up when customers visit the site. While we saw discount banners on my places on the site, AdGuard successfully blocked all pop-ups.
- Self-report (homepage): Blocked 8 ads and trackers
- Pop-up: Blocked
AdGuard did great on our tests as it blocked every ad, tracker, and pop-up that came its way. In our tests, it scored a perfect 9 out of 9.
Category Status
| Category | Subcategory | Status |
|---|---|---|
| YouTube | Video Ads | Blocked |
| YouTube | Banner Ads | Blocked |
| YouTube | Shorts Ads | Blocked |
| Websites | Forbes | Blocked |
| Websites | New York Times | Blocked |
| Websites | Blocked | |
| Websites | Twitch | Blocked |
| Websites | X | Blocked |
| Websites | Crocs | Blocked |
Score: 9/9
Third-Party Ad Block Testing
- AdGuard got an impressive score of 97 out of 100 on AdBlock Tester. It managed to pass almost all the checks, testing it against contextual advertising, analytics tools, banner advertising, and error monitoring. However, it could not block flash banners which are rarely used these days anyway, so it shouldn’t affect usage much.
- In the d3ward ad block test tool, AdGuard managed to get a 96% score blocking 130 out of 135 ads and trackers. This tool checked AdGuard against multiple scripts, filters, analytics, social trackers, and ads from different providers.
- It also passed all 3 of the tests performed by Can You Block It, including the content blocker test.
- And finally, in Cover Your Tracks AdGuard passed the test by blocking tracking ads, and invisible trackers. However, it could not protect your browser from fingerprinting.
AdGuard scored 11 out of 12 in the third-party tests we conducted using independent tools. Here is a breakdown of the scores:
Test Scores
| Test Name | Test Score | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Adblock Tester | 97 | 3/3 |
| d3ward Ad Block Test | 96 | 3/3 |
| Cover Your Tracks | 2/3 | 2/3 |
| Can You Block It | 3/3 | 3/3 |
| Total | 11 |
AdGuard Premium, Pricing, Free Tier, and Trial
AdGuard’s Chrome extension is free to use however, to unlock its full potential, AdGuard recommends using its app on Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS. The app comes with a lot of additional features and enhanced ad blocking. It also requires a paid licence. Buying a licence would give you access to the following features:
- System-wide Ad Blocking: Block ads in non-browser apps, both on desktop and mobile.
- Tracking protection: Block tracking requests, online counters, UTM tags, analytics systems, and more.
- Browsing security: Get a warning every time you try to visit a potentially dangerous website.
- Parental Controls: Monitor your child’s online activities and block inappropriate content.
- Custom filters and user rules: Add your own filtering rules and third-party filters to fine-tune ad blocking.
- Userscripts: Extend the functionality of the browser and use AdGuard Extra which prevents ad reinjection.
For personal use up to 3 devices, you can get a yearly licence of AdGuard at $29.88, which comes down to $2.49 a month. For a family licence with up to 9 devices, the cost of the yearly licence is $65.88. However, AdGuard also offers lifetime licences at $79.99 for personal plans and $169.99 for family plans. Based on when you make the purchase, you can avail up to a 40% discount on yearly licences and a 30% discount on a lifetime purchase.
AdGuard also offers a 3-day trial when you install the app on your computer. This trial does not require any credit card information. Moreover, AdGuard also offers a 60-day money-back guarantee.
But with all that being said, do you really need to upgrade? Well, AdGuard surely provides a lot of value for money. If you really like using it, purchasing a lifetime licence could also be totally worth it. But the free version offers great ad blocking without any limitations whatsoever. So you don’t necessarily need to upgrade.
Category Scores
| Category | Score |
|---|---|
| Value for Money | 3/3 |
| Free Version Usability | 3/3 |
AdGuard provides a great value for money while ensuring that the free version is just as usable as the paid tier. This makes it an easy recommendation for anyone who is looking for a free ad blocker, as well as someone who is okay with spending some money for extra protection online.
How Usable is AdGuard?
AdGuard is excellent at blocking ads, has a lot of features, provides a great value for money, and passed every test we could throw at it. But what about its user-friendliness? Do all these bells and whistles come at the cost of ease of use, or compatibility? Let’s find out.
Compatibility
AdGuard is compatible with every device. Windows, macOS, Android, iOS. It is also available as an extension on almost all browsers. And even if you can’t find support for a specific browser, the system-wide ad blocking provided by the desktop apps should cover that. Now what about Chrome’s new Manifest v3 platform? Well, it’s not supported yet, which means users of Chrome and Chromium-based browsers may lose support soon. But the system-wide app and its companion extension should cover that too.
Platform Availability
| Platform | Availability |
|---|---|
| Chromium Extension | Yes |
| Safari, Firefox Support | Yes |
| Windows App | Yes |
| macOS App | Yes |
| Android App | Yes |
| iOS App | Yes |
Installation
It is fairly easy to get AdGuard set up on your phone or computer. You can install it as an extension on almost every browser right from the add-ons store or the AdGuard website. But AdGuard also has apps for Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS. While the macOS and iOS apps are available on the App Store, you will need to download the Windows and Android app directly from their website. The browser extensions are pretty much a one-click install, while the apps may take a few extra steps like clicking “next” two or three times. It’s a very guided process and nothing you can’t handle.
Installation
| Installation | Status |
|---|---|
| Quick Installation | Yes |
| Beginner Friendly | Yes |
| Clarity of Instructions | Yes |
Ease of Use
After installing the extension of the app, the first thing you should see is a toggle button, turning it on will enable the ad blocking. And you should be good to go. Which is great from a usability perspective. But, if you want to figure things out more, you may want to browse through the settings page and enable or disable features.
During a quick look at the settings, we found that you can explore a lot, as the settings have sub-settings, and those sub-settings have their own pages of more things you can enable or disable. But at the same time, everything is clearly labelled and should be easy to understand for just about anyone.
You may wanna make sure that features like “Block search ads and websites’ self-promotion” and “Phishing and malware protection” are enabled. And you could also enable a few more filters for a better ad blocking experience. There’s also an allow list that can be inverted.
For ease of use, AdGuard checks all our boxes.
Ease of Use
| Ease of Use | Status |
|---|---|
| One Click Use | Yes |
| User Friendly Settings | Yes |
| Automatic Updates | Yes |
Customizability
AdGuard’s customizability is best shown in the filter section, you will probably find “Ad Blocking” enabled, but you may also want to enable Privacy, Security, Social Widgets, and Annoyances. Each of these a list of ads, trackers, and annoyance filters inside them, you can customise how you want them to work for you. Moreover, you can also add your own custom filters from the URL.
But that’s not all, If you are an advanced user, you may find the user rules section quite interesting as it lets you add custom HTML/CSS scripts. Finally, a rare feature, if you don’t like a particular element on a webpage, you can manually block it so that the next time you visit the page, it doesn’t load.
Customizability
| Customizability | Status |
|---|---|
| Accessible Filter List | Yes |
| Custom Filters | Yes |
| Manual Element Blocking | Yes |
Customer Support
In terms of support, AdGuard offers a knowledge base and an email. There’s no live chat or phone for a more quick response. We prepared some specific questions asking for support that wasn’t covered in their knowledge base, and emailed them. There was an immediate automatic response assigning us a ticket number. However, we did not receive a follow up email from an actual representative in over 24 hours, so the response time is not that good. However, the knowledge base is very helpful and covers a lot about the ad blocker and other related products.
Customer Support
| Description | Score |
|---|---|
| Availability of Support | Knowledge Base and Email |
| Response Time | 0/5 |
| Support Quality | 2/5 |
Top Alternatives for AdGuard
AdGuards covers all its bases and then some. But you can’t tell how good it really is unless you don’t compare it against the competition.
| AdGuard | Total Adblock | uBlock Origin | Adblock Plus | |
| Our Rating | 4.8 | 3.9 | 4.6 | pending |
| Best For | System-wide ad blocking | Security features | Customizability | YouTube ad blocking |
| Adblock Tester Score | 95 | 100 | 96 | 100 |
| Cover Your Tracks | 2/3 | 2/3 | 2/3 | 0/3 |
| Compatibility | Browsers, Windows, macOS,Android, and iOS | Chromium Based Browsers,Android, and iOS | Browsers | Browsers, Android Browser |
| Open-Source | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Support | Email, Knowledge Base | Email, Phone | Community | Email, Community |
| Starts At | $29.88/year | $19.99/year | Free | $40/year |
Verdict
AdGuard is an easy ad blocker to recommend. It checks all the boxes, blocks intrusive ads and unwanted trackers, and it does so in both the free and paid tier. It has a reasonable subscription charge for the premium features, and if you like it, you can even purchase it for a lifetime.
While it would be great to have better customer support, it’s a small trade-off for an excellent service. AdGuard’s wide compatibility is also a plus in our book. You can install it in your browser, on your desktop, and even on a Raspberry Pi.
Now let’s wrap it up with a round up of all the scores from different categories.
Category Scores
| Category | Score | Out of |
|---|---|---|
| Features | 11 | 12 |
| YouTube | 3 | 3 |
| Websites | 6 | 6 |
| Independent Tests | 11 | 12 |
| Pricing | 6 | 6 |
| Compatibility | 6 | 6 |
| Installation | 3 | 3 |
| Ease of Use | 3 | 3 |
| Customizability | 3 | 3 |
| Support | 1 | 6 |
| Bonus | 4 | 6 |
| Total (w/o bonus) | 53 | 60 |
| Overall Rating | 4.8 | 5 |
AdGuard got 4 bonus points because of its open source ad blocker, content blocker, and filters.
Frequently Asked Questions About AdGuard
Is It Safe To Use AdGuard?
Yes, AdGuard is safe to use. According to their privacy policy, the service does not collect or share user data. Moreover, most of AdGuard’s products, including their content blocker, are open-source. Which means anyone can see its code available on GitHub.
However, a lot of concerns about AdGuard’s safety comes from the fact that it was founded in Russia, and the country has since increased its online censorship. But you can rest assured, as AdGuard is currently based in Cyprus and complies with the laws of EU and not Russia. EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) applies to AdGuard, making it a safe option for ad blocking.
Is AdGuard Free?
AdGuard is a freemium DNS and ad blocker. All of its ad blocking features are free to use. However, it also offers a premium subscription that can be purchased as an annual plan or for a one-time fee. The premium subscription includes, a VPN and parental controls. However, all of its essential ad blocking features are free for all users.
Does AdGuard Sell My Data?
According to AdGuard’s privacy policy, the company does not collect or share any user data. And while AdGuard is a commercial company, most of their products are open-source, which means anyone can access the codes. So your data should be safe with AdGuard.
Does AdGuard block viruses?
AdGuard does not block viruses. But it can block malicious URLs online. AdGuard also has blocklists for phishing, scams, and badwares. Overall, AdGuard provides some security against online threats. But it should not be used as a substitute for an antivirus or other internet security tools.