AdGuard and uBlock Origin are two of the best ad blockers out there. They’ve both been available for quite some time. AdGuard started its journey in 2010. First as a paid application for Windows, then a browser extension. uBlock Origin started a bit later in 2014. It’s a community driven project and there’s no giant corporation backing them.
While they have their differences, we have also found many similarities. In this in-depth comparison, we will look into ad blocking, privacy features, speed, paid plans, customisability, ease of use, cross-platform availabity, and much more.
Comparison Overview: AdGuard vs uBlock Origin
| Feature | AdGuard | uBlock Origin |
| Ad-Blocking Quality | Excellent – blocks most ads, incl.YouTube, in browsers and apps | Excellent – browser-only but blockseverything inside |
| Platform Support | Windows, macOS, iOS, Android,browser extensions, DNS | Browser extensions only(Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Brave, etc.) |
| System-Wide Blocking | Yes (via app or DNS) | No |
| DNS Filtering | Built-in, with DNS-level blockingand parental modes | Not built-in (requires separateDNS setup) |
| Privacy Protection | Stealth Mode, tracker blocking,HTTPS filtering | Strong anti-tracker filters, butbrowser-only |
| Anti-Adblock Bypass | Built-in with AdGuard Extra script | Possible via extra filters (manual) |
| YouTube Ad Blocking | Yes, including workaround on mobile | Yes, in browser only |
| Anti-Fingerprinting | Partial (via Stealth Mode) | No (only blocks known scripts) |
| Custom Rules | Yes – static rules, cosmetic filters,URL rewrites | Yes – static and dynamic filtering |
| Parental Controls | Yes – DNS and app level | No native support |
| Ease of Use | Very user-friendly,app-based interface | Simple, but more technicalunder the hood |
| Open Source | Partially (some filters areopen) | 100% open-source,community-maintained |
| Free Version | Free browser extensionand DNS | Fully free forever |
| Paid Version | Optional ($2.49/month or lifetimelicense) | None (free forever) |
| Support | Email, ticketing system, GitHub,Reddit | GitHub issues, Reddit,community forums |
| Best For | Users who want full-device protection,DNS control, and extra privacy features | Users who want a free, no-frills,powerful browser ad blocker |
| AdGuard Full Review | uBlock Origin Full Review |
Ad Blocking Capabilities
Both AdGuard and uBlock Origin are excellent at blocking ads. They use extensive filter lists to remove ads before they can even load. They can handle most common ad formats (banner ads, pop-ups, video ads, etc.) with high accuracy. But there are some differences in their capabilities and approaches.
Ad-Blocking Technique
Both tools work by intercepting network requests for ads/tracking domains and applying cosmetic filters to hide any remaining ad containers.
uBlock Origin uses the browser’s filtering API (declarative rules in Chromium and dynamic webRequest in Firefox) to block requests and inject CSS to hide elements.
AdGuard’s browser extension works similarly using filtering rules. AdGuard’s standalone apps however go further. They act as a local proxy/VPN to filter traffic at the network level. So AdGuard can block ads outside of browsers, in other apps.
Filter Lists & Blocking Accuracy
Out of the box, both have a strong set of filters.
uBlock Origin has multiple lists enabled by default (EasyList for ads, EasyPrivacy for trackers, uBlock’s own filters, Peter Lowe’s blocklist for malware). So it has broad coverage without extra setup.
AdGuard’s extension/app uses the AdGuard Base Filter (similar to EasyList) and other AdGuard maintained lists (AdGuard Tracking Protection, Social Media, Annoyances filters) depending on user settings.
In practice, both block most of the ads on websites. And they even share many filters. Moreover, they both block annoyances like cookie banners or social media widgets if you enable those optional filters. And neither participates in “acceptable ads” programs. By default, they block all ads, including those some other adblockers might let through.
In a head-to-head test, both scored 100/100 on Adblock Tester. They blocked all types of test ads and trackers thrown at them. The core ad-blocking performance is almost identical; both can neuter annoying ads and save bandwidth by not loading those ad resources at all.
Advanced Filtering Options for Tough Ads
Rarely, one blocker might succeed where the other fails until filters are updated. Some ads are much more complex than the others.
AdGuard’s filtering engine supports some pretty advanced rule syntax and its apps can do HTTPS filtering using a local TLS certificate. That lets it strip out ads from encrypted streams, like in-app ads. Moreover, AdGuard really shines in its “Advanced filtering” option on iOS. That uses more complex rules to catch ads that slip past basic content blocking.
uBlock Origin, on the other hand, has dynamic filtering for advanced users which can block entire script or iframe domains that serve ads. This process cuts off troublesome ads at the source.
Both AdGuard and uBlock Origin have filters that are actively maintained and quickly updated as soon as users report new ads or anti-adblock mechanisms.
In the EFF’s Cover Your Tracks test, both blockers stopped tracking ads and invisible trackers pretty effectively. But neither could block browser fingerprinting by default as that’s a browser-side challenge.
YouTube and Video Ads
Both AdGuard and uBlock are great at blocking video ads in the browser. If you watch YouTube on your computer using a web browser with either extension installed, you won’t see any ads. It’s as simple as that.
On mobile, though, only AdGuard can help. Its Android and iOS app lets you share a video to the AdGuard app’s player to watch it ad-free. It’s not as smooth as watching natively, but it’s a solution that uBlock just can’t match, as it doesn’t really support mobile devices.
Both blockers handle in-browser video ads with ease. YouTube, Hulu web, and others are included.
Anti-Adblock Detection Bypass
AdGuard and uBlock are locked in an ongoing “cat-and-mouse” game with sites trying to detect ad blockers. Both have measures to counter anti-adblock scripts, but they might not always work.
AdGuard has a specialized userscript called AdGuard Extra that it injects into pages to fight back against those sites that retaliate against ad-blockers. That script targets the worst offenders and stops them from re-inserting ads or showing the “disable your ad blocker” messages you hate. AdGuard Extra is automatically used in the their apps and can be installed as a browser extension seperately. That gives AdGuard an edge against anti-adblock tactics. In many cases, it just bypasses those anti-adblock pop-ups without you even noticing.
uBlock doesn’t come with a dedicated anti-adblock script out of the box, but it does offer various filter lists that can do the job. Those include uBlock’s own filter repository and community lists like EasyList’s Anti-Adblock filters or Fanboy’s Annoyances list. Advanced users can add custom filters or use a companion userscript if needed. You can set up custom filter rules in uBlock Origin to ignore or neuter anti-adblock scripts. You can add specialized filters from resources like FilterLists.com to counter specific sites, but that might require a bit of manual effort (or some patience while you wait for list maintainers to update). When properly configured, uBlock is very capable of bypassing most anti-adblock measures.
In practice, AdGuard’s approach is a more automatic solution that just works right out of the box via its Extra script. uBlock, on the other hand, might need you to enable an additional filter or two to get the job done.
Paywall Bypass
It’s worth mentioning that neither AdGuard nor uBlock is designed to bypass paywalls for premium content.
During our tests, we failed to get past “hard” paywalls on major news sites (like WSJ or Bloomberg), which is expected, as paywalls aren’t ads.
They can sometimes bypass “soft” paywalls (metered paywalls or ad-wall overlays) by blocking scripts or banners that enforce them, but this is a “side effect” of blocking specific scripts, not a guaranteed feature.
Privacy Protection Features
Modern adblockers help protect user privacy by blocking trackers, spyware, and other online snooping techniques in addition to blocking ads.
Tracker Blocking
Both uBlock and AdGuard have multiple anti-tracking filters.
uBlock Origin comes with EasyPrivacy and other anti-tracker lists enabled by default. That removes a lot of beacons, analytics scripts, and tracking pixels from the webpages you visit.
AdGuard has a “Tracking Protection” feature (in its premium apps) that targets tracking URLs, web analytics, and social trackers.
In testing, both tools performed extremely well in blocking trackers. They passed EFF’s Cover Your Tracks test. That means they blocked tracking ads and invisible trackers with ease. As a result, you’ll find that both tools cut down the amount of data sent to Google Analytics, Facebook, and other third-party trackers in normal browsing.
They can also remove tracking query parameters (like “utm_source” tags) from URLs using filter rules. AdGuard has a dedicated URL Tracking filter list for this. uBlock users often enable AdGuard’s URL Tracking list or ClearURLs extension to achieve the same result.
DNS Filtering & Encryption
AdGuard has a big advantage in that it has DNS-level blocking of trackers/ads. The AdGuard apps allow you to set a custom DNS server (for example, AdGuard’s own DNS service which filters ads or any secure DNS of your choice).
By filtering at the DNS level, AdGuard can block requests to ad/tracker domains before the browser even tries to connect. This also works for apps outside the browser (e.g., stopping an app from contacting a tracking domain).
AdGuard for iOS’s premium mode is heavily based on DNS filtering to block ads in other apps since iOS doesn’t allow full packet filtering by third-party apps.
uBlock Origin doesn’t provide DNS filtering (it works at the browser content level only), though you can manually use DNS services like Nextif DNS or AdGuard DNS alongside uBlock for additional tracker blocking.
AdGuard’s DNS filtering can also be configured with family protection modes (to block adult content) or with custom allow/block lists at the DNS level. These features go beyond what a browser extension can do.
HTTPS Filtering and Malware Protection
AdGuard’s system-wide apps can intercept HTTPS traffic (with a local root certificate you install) to filter ads on encrypted sites and block access to malicious sites. AdGuard has a “Browsing Security” database, which is essentially a blocklist of phishing, scam, and malware sites. And the app will check URLs against it and warn you if you try to visit something dangerous. This is similar to Google Safe Browsing but under AdGuard’s control.
uBlock Origin, on the other hand, relies on third-party filter lists for malicious or scam domains (e.g., Malware Domain List, etc.). While these lists are good, uBlock won’t show a big warning page most of the time; it will just block the request in the background or block scripts on those pages.
AdGuard’s approach might be more user-friendly for security because it will alert the user. Both can block known malicious domains, but AdGuard’s dedicated module and regularly updated database can catch more phishing sites proactively. (AdGuard can also optionally integrate with antivirus software on Windows for browsing security.)
Anti-Fingerprinting
Browser fingerprinting is a sneaky way of tracking. It uses combinations of system attributes to identify you.
Out of the box, neither uBlock nor AdGuard stops fingerprinting. Both fails the fingerprinting test in Cover Your Tracks.
However, AdGuard’s paid apps have a “Stealth Mode” (also labeled Tracking Protection in some UI), which includes anti-fingerprinting options. Stealth Mode can block or randomize certain browser APIs used for fingerprinting, hide your IP in tracking requests, block WebRTC leaks, and strip tracking headers.
According to AdGuard, enabling Stealth Mode can “prevent fingerprinting almost completely” in the Windows version, although in practice some super advanced fingerprinting might still get through.
uBlock Origin doesn’t have an anti-fingerprinting setting; it relies on filter lists to block known fingerprinting scripts (which helps, but can’t cover all techniques).
Users who are concerned with fingerprinting often pair uBlock with browser-level anti-fingerprinting (for example, Firefox’s Enhanced Tracking Protection or the Brave browser’s anti-fingerprint features).
Parental Controls
If you want to block adult content or enforce safe search, you’ll find them on AdGuard.
On both iOS and Android, enabling “Family protection” DNS will block known adult domains across your entire system.
AdGuard for Windows and Mac lets you block adult content and set safe search locks.
uBlock Origin doesn’t have a built-in parental control feature, though you can manually subscribe to some parental filter lists (which is possible, but not as straightforward as having it out of the box).
Data Collection & Telemetry
When it comes to data collection and telemetry, both AdGuard and uBlock Origin are focused on protecting your privacy. uBlock Origin, being open-source and non-commercial, doesn’t send any stats or user info back to a home server. It only connects to fetch updates for filter lists and extension updates. That transparency and lack of tracking are part of what you get with uBlock Origin.
AdGuard’s extensions and apps don’t send your browsing history out either. Any browsing security or DNS queries can be handled locally or via AdGuard’s servers (if you use their DNS or cloud features). You trust AdGuard as a provider when you use those services. AdGuard’s privacy policy states it doesn’t collect personal data from ad blocker usage. While it’s a closed-source company product (though parts like filter lists are open), AdGuard has a good reputation in the privacy community. There haven’t been any significant privacy scandals associated with it.
Customization and Advanced Options
Both AdGuard and uBlock Origin allow significant customisation, which allows users to fine-tune their ad blocking. And the interfaces are designed to be as much or as little tweakable as possible, catering to different users.
One-Click Controls
Surprisingly, many ad blockers miss this simple feature. Both uBlock Origin and AdGuard have on/off toggles and site-specific controls.
uBlock Origin’s toolbar icon opens a popup where you can turn off/on blocking for the current site (whitelist it temporarily or permanently), see how many were blocked, and access other modes.
AdGuard’s extension popup has an on/off switch for the site, a counter of blocked ads and menus to block specific elements or report an issue. AdGuard’s desktop apps have a browser Assistant tool (an overlay button or context menu) to turn off filtering for a site or block elements without opening the app interface. So quick customisation (whitelisting a site etc) is well handled in both.
Filters List
Both ad blockers support a wide range of filter lists.
AdGuard comes with its “Base Filter” (main ad filter) and language-specific filters for regional ads enabled by default. Users can easily add to that with a few clicks. AdGuard’s own Annoyances filter (for cookie notices, pop-ups, and the rest), Social Media filter, Tracking Protection filter, or one of the many other options like Fanboy’s or EasyList variants. You can browse a catalog of filters right in the app or extension, and add any custom list URL you like.
uBlock Origin, on the other hand, has a rich set of built-in lists. By default, it’s got multiple lists enabled (many more than just EasyList, which is the default in some other blockers). uBlock’s filter list pane organizes lists by type (ads, privacy, malware, regional, etc.). You can turn on Fanboy’s Annoyances, uBlock’s own Annoyances list, regional filters, or add custom URLs.
Both tools support using hosts files as filters (so you can paste a hosts file URL to block at the domain level). They automatically update the lists you subscribe to and also let you manually update them. That gives you full control over filter subscriptions in both AdGuard and uBlock.
Where they differ is in the user interface. AdGuard might be a bit more user-friendly when listing available filters by name with descriptions. uBlock’s dashboard is utilitarian but functional.
Custom Rules (Static Filtering)
You can define your own filtering rules in both ad blockers. For example, if you find an ad that isn’t blocked, you can right-click and block that element or write a rule to remove it. Both support the standard Adblock Plus filter syntax with some extensions.
AdGuard’s apps and extension have a “User Filter” section where you can paste custom rules or allowlist entries. uBlock Origin has a “My Filters” tab where you can add custom static rules. These can be cosmetic or network rules.
uBlock’s element picker UI helps you create cosmetic filters by clicking on an element, and AdGuard’s element blocker (in extension) does the same.
So for basic custom rules, both are equal. You can fine-tune to your heart’s content.
Advanced User Features (Dynamic Filtering)
uBlock Origin really comes into its own for power users with its dynamic filtering. It’s basically a mini firewall for web content. You can block or allow scripts, frames, and other resources on a site-by-site or global basis. By checking the “I am an advanced user” box, you unlock the logger and can create those dynamic rules. It gives you incredibly granular control. You can block one analytics domain without blocking others, or allow a content delivery domain only on specific sites.
That level of control just isn’t there with AdGuard (the extension or app). You can’t interactively allow or block specific third-party requests on the fly with AdGuard’s UI. Any such control would have to be done through custom static rules or by disabling the blocker on a site. Some users appreciate that AdGuard keeps things simple by automating decisions via filter lists.
User Interface and Usability
Right off the bat, AdGuard has a nicer UI and it’s easier to use as well. However, uBlock Origin isn’t that far behind.
Setup and Installation
uBlock Origin is just a browser extension. Install from the extension store. Once installed, it works with default settings.
AdGuard’s browser extension is similar. However, the standalone apps on Windows, Mac and mobile are a bit more involved. Generally, though, AdGuard’s apps have a guided setup. The difference is minor, but if someone is not comfortable installing software, they might stick to the free browser extension.
AdGuard also has a lot of different ad blocking products and each of them have a different installation process. For example, if you want to block ads using AdGuard DNS, the process is very different.
UI Design and Responsiveness
AdGuard’s UI is often praised for being sleek. The desktop app has a clean dashboard with a big “Protection On/Off” toggle, stats and a sidebar for settings. It looks like a commercial software with clear sections for General settings, Stealth Mode, Filters etc. The mobile app has an easy interface with toggles for different modules. The browser extension UI for AdGuard is also user-friendly with a green shield icon and a simple menu.
uBlock Origin’s UI is utilitarian. The icon badge shows how many items were blocked on the current page. Clicking it brings up a basic dropdown: there’s a big “Power” button to turn blocking off for the site, a domain summary and some small icons for options, element picker, logger etc. It’s not “pretty” but it’s clean and functional. And it lets you have as many or little information on the main page.
Both extensions are very responsive. The uBlock popup might feel spartan but it appears instantly and toggling things is immediate. AdGuard’s extension popup is similarly quick. AdGuard’s desktop app runs in the background; opening its window to view stats or change settings is usually fast but it’s a separate app UI as opposed to uBlock which is all within the browser.
Ease of Use
AdGuard’s approach with their apps is more newbie-friendly. The app can auto-configure a lot of things, and the user doesn’t need to know about filter lists. They can just select categories like “Ads”, “Trackers”, “Social widgets” from a GUI. AdGuard’s terminology is more layman-friendly. AdGuard also explains each setting in the UI or in their Knowledge Base.
uBlock Origin is simple by default (you actually don’t need to touch anything for it to work great), but if you open the dashboard, you’re presented with several tabs (Filters, My Filters, My Rules, Settings) that might confuse a completely non-technical person. Still, the defaults work so many users never even open that dashboard.
Free vs. Paid Versions
uBlock Origin
uBlock Origin is completely free and open-source. There’s no paid version for monetisation. While that comes with a lot of limitations (the main one is that it’s browser-only). Moreover, the developer refuses any donation as this is a truly community project.
AdGuard
AdGuard uses a freemium model. However, just like uBlock Origin, the browser extension of AdGuard is completely free. However, if you want system-wide ad blocking and some of the advanced privacy protection features that we mentioned earlier, you may want to subscribe to the premium version.
Cost
For personal use with up to 3 devices, an AdGuard license costs $29.88 a year and $79.99 for a lifetime. Family plans cost $65.88 a year or $169.99 lifetime. While these are already discounted prices, you can get an additional 30% off if you use code CHECKADBLOCK30 at checkout.
Platform Availability
AdGuard
Available on almost every platform. Desktop apps for Windows and macOS, command-line (beta) app for Linux, mobile apps for Android (including Android TV) and iOS.
AdGuard also has browser extensions for all major browsers including Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Opera, Yandex. And a special AdGuard for Safari extension (to comply with Safari’s content blocker requirements).
Since AdGuard can run as a standalone app, it can filter ads system-wide (in all browsers and even inside other apps) on supported platforms. This means AdGuard has reached across multiple devices (desktop and mobile) and even network-level blocking via AdGuard DNS.
uBlock Origin
Available only as a browser extension, uBlock Origin supports Chrome, Chromium and Firefox based browsers and was previously available for Safari (Safari support only up to version 12).
No standalone app for uBlock Origin. It only works within browsers. On Android, uBlock can be used with Firefox (which allows extensions), but no uBlock Origin app for system-wide blocking or for Safari on iOS.
In practice, this means uBlock Origin is great for desktop browsers, but can’t natively block mobile apps or Safari due to platform restrictions.
uBlock Origin is still fully supported on Firefox and other browsers. But due to Google Chrome’s Manifest V3 changes, the original uBlock Origin extension (a Manifest V2 extension) is no longer available in the Chrome Web Store.
Chrome users will have to either use the limited “uBlock Origin Lite” or switch to browsers that still support uBlock’s full functionality.
Community & Support Resources
uBlock Origin
Since it’s free and open-source, support is informal but good. The developer is active on the GitHub issue tracker for uBlock Origin, where you can report bugs or ask for help. There’s also an official subreddit (r/uBlockOrigin) and other forums where users help each other.
But there’s no official support hotline for uBlock (no email or chat support). So if you have a problem, you either troubleshoot via the documentation/wiki or ask the community. The documentation (GitHub wiki) is quite detailed if you want to learn advanced usage.
uBlock has a huge user base (tens of millions) so there’s plenty of online discussions, guides and Q&A if you look for them. But you won’t get “24/7 tech support”. Issues get solved via community collaboration.
AdGuard
AdGuard being a commercial product has more traditional support channels. They used to have an official forum where users and AdGuard staff discuss issues and beta test new versions. However that has since moved to reddit and GitHub.
They also have email support and a knowledge base/FAQ on their website. Premium users can contact support if something isn’t working and AdGuard’s team will help.
While they don’t have a 24/7 live chat, they do respond to queries and have a support ticket system.
AdGuard’s support is more direct than uBlock’s community driven support.
Final Verdict
If you just want a reliable, no-nonsense ad blocker for your browser, something that works out of the box, doesn’t nag you, and doesn’t sell you out, uBlock Origin is still the gold standard. It’s lightweight, fiercely privacy-respecting, and doesn’t need a subscription or fancy features to do its job. You install it, and it quietly kills ads, trackers, and annoyances without a fuss. However, it doesn’t work on every browser.
But if you’re looking for more than just browser-level protection (think blocking ads in mobile apps, YouTube ads on iOS, setting parental controls across your whole system) then AdGuard’s premium suite is worth considering. Its system-wide filtering, DNS-level blocking, stealth mode, and polished UI make it feel like a professional, all-in-one privacy tool.
In short:
uBlock Origin: perfect if you live in your browser and want control without complexity.
AdGuard: ideal if you want full-device coverage, custom DNS, and advanced privacy tools beyond the browser.