uBlock Origin 2024 Review

uBlock Origin is a lightweight, no-nonsense, free and open-source ad blocker extension that gets the job done. Yes, there are other open-source ad blockers out there like AdGuard and Adblock Plus. But uBlock Origin is different. It’s completely supported by the community and has no big corporation backing it.

With controversies surrounding other ad blockers whitelisting “acceptable ads” and locking essential features behind a premium plan, a lot of privacy-focused users have been flocking to uBO because of its large list of filters. Currently, it has close to 50 million active users across different browsers, and that number is on the rise. 

Despite its popularity among users possessing technical proficiency, the ad blocker is very easy to use and suitable for most users. So is uBlock Origin the right ad blocker for you? Let’s find out.

⭐ Rating	4.6 out of 5
💵 Price	Free
▶️ Blocks YouTube Ads?	Yes
⛔ Blocks Trackers?	Yes
💻 Compatibility	Chrome, Safari, Firefox, and Edge

Pros & Cons

uBlock Origin checks a lot of boxes on the pros list, but it also has a few cons that may be a dealbreaker for you.

Pros

• Excellent ad blocker with robust features
• Free and Open-Source
• CPU and memory efficient
• Dynamic and highly customizable filters
• Highly customizable settings
• Trustworthy

Cons

• Advanced features need technical knowledge
• Too many settings can be a bit overwhelming
• Only available as browser extensions
• No 24/7 live chat support

uBlock Origin Features Overview

uBlock Origin’s star feature is its dynamic filtering. While it’s a targetted towards more advanced users, it’s still a nice one to have. Dynamic filtering lets you choose which scripts and domains you allow a web page to load in real-time. And it is accessible right from the main page of the extension. 

Don’t like a particular element on a webpage? uBlock Origin lets you inspect all web elements, lets you temporarily remove them, or block them from loading altogether. How about those annoying soft paywalls that show up after you’re done reading a certain number of articles? uBlock Origin can bypass them with ease. This is not an ad blocker specific feature, but it’s still a welcome feature.

One other thing uBlock Origin prioritises over other ad blockers is its efficiency. It’s extremely lightweight and not at all resource hungry. Modern web browsers can hog a lot of your system memory, it’s nice to know that uBO does not contribute much to that problem. 

Now let’s run uBlock Origin to our tests and see if its features meet all our criteria. 

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?	Yes

uBO checks all 12 of our boxes of features, making it one of the most feature-packed ad blockers we have tested. But it certainly has a lot more features that are not in our lists. 

Performance Test

uBlock Origin is an efficient ad blocker that can block all kinds of ads, annoyances, trackers and more. It has a number of unique privacy features, and it gives the users a lot of control over what to block. Let’s figure out how it holds up in our performance tests. 

How Do We Test Ad Blockers?

We run every ad blocker through a long list of rests before we rate them. Let’s walk you through our testing process. 

Step 1

First things first, we install the ad blocker on Google Chrome. Why Chrome? Well, it’s based on the Chromium project, just like other popular browsers such as Edge, Opera, and Yandex. So, testing on Chrome gives us a good idea of how the ad blocker performs across a wide range of browsers. While Firefox and Safari aren’t part of this test, the results should be pretty similar.

Step 2

Once the ad blocker is set up, we dive into its homepage and settings. We have a close look at how user-friendly and customisable the extension is, making sure it’s easy for anyone to navigate.

Step 3

For this real-world test, we usually visit YouTube, Forbes, The New York Times, Crocs, Reddit, X, and Twitch. We want to see if it properly blocks all ads, pop-ups, cookie prompts, and those pesky notification requests. 

Step 4

Now it’s time for some deeper testing. We turn to four trusted third-party websites designed specifically to test ad blockers. Each one helps us evaluate how well the ad blocker handles different types of ads and trackers:

• Adblock Tester: This site runs various advertising and tracking services to see how well the ad blocker can handle them.
• D3ward Test Ad Block: This tool tests the ad blocker against a wide range of ad providers, filters, scripts, and trackers.
• Can You Block It: It runs three comprehensive tests, and if the ad blocker is doing its job, you won’t see a single ad.
• Cover Your Tracks: This one focuses on tracking and fingerprinting, showing how well your browser is protected.

If the ad blocker passes all these tests, it’s safe to say it’s solid for most users.

After wrapping up all our testing, we calculate the results and give the ad blocker an editorial score out of 5.

Testing Websites

We’ll be running tests on a handful of popular sites: YouTube, Forbes, The New York Times, Reddit, X (formerly Twitter), and Twitch. Each one is packed with ads, pop-ups, cookie consent requests, and other digital clutter. Let’s see how uBlock Origin handles all of that.

YouTube

We start with YouTube, browsing the homepage where banner ads typically appear. Then we dive into videos from creators like MKBHD, Cleo Abram, Linus Tech Tips, PewDiePie, BuzzFeed, and Cocomelon. With uBO, no ads showed up before, during, or after the videos. We also scrolled through about 25 YouTube Shorts without encountering a single ad.

• Skippable ads: Blocked
• Non-skippable ads: Blocked
• In-feed video ads: Blocked
• Bumper ads: Blocked
• Masthead ads: Blocked
• YouTube Shorts ads: Blocked

Forbes

Forbes is notorious for its large banner ads on the homepage and mid-article. There are also floating video ads that stick to the screen as you scroll. uBlock Origin did a great job here, blocking all of these. And once we reached the free article limit, we did not see any paywall. uBO successfully bypassed all paywalls on the site. It also blocked newsletter pop-ups and those annoying notification requests.

• Homepage: Blocked 15 ads and trackers
• Banner Ads: Blocked
• Floating Video Ads: Blocked
• Newsletter Pop-ups: Blocked
• Paywall: Bypassed

The New York Times

The New York Times is full of various banner ads—big ones that take up a lot of screen space, smaller ones on the side, and even animated GIFs. uBO blocked them all. Similar to Forbes, it also got past the paywall that pops up after browsing a few articles.

• Homepage: Blocked 16 ads and trackers
• Banner Ads: Blocked
• Paywall: Bypassed

Reddit

On Reddit, ads often appear as “Promoted” posts scattered throughout the homepage. These posts usually show up after every few regular posts, but with uBO enabled, they were completely gone.

• Homepage: Blocked 4 ad or tracker
• Promoted Posts: Blocked

Twitch

Twitch tends to show self-promotion banners for things like sign-ups or discounts. uBO successfully blocked these, but you might want to disable the blocker here if you’re interested in seeing those deals. Just a note, if creators feature sponsor banners on their About page, those can’t be blocked.

• Homepage: Blocked 7 ads and trackers
• Self-promotion Banners: Blocked

X

Like Reddit, X is loaded with “sponsored” posts. During our tests, uBO wiped out every single one of them.

• Promoted Posts: Blocked

Crocs

When visiting Crocs, we encountered discount banners and newsletter pop-ups. While the discount banners were left untouched, uBO effectively blocked all the pop-ups.

• Homepage: Blocked 8 ads and trackers
• Pop-ups: Blocked

uBO performed excellently across all these websites, effectively removing the all the ads and unwanted clutter. While we do not score ad blockers for bypassing soft paywalls, uBO successfully got rid of those too, getting a 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	Reddit	Blocked
Websites	Twitch	Blocked
Websites	X	Blocked
Websites	Crocs	Blocked

Score: 9/9

Third-Party Ad Block Testing

• uBlock Origin got a score of 96/100 on AdBlock Tester. While it did not fail any of the tests, it could not find out a few script loading test results. The tool tested it against contextual advertising, analytics tools, banner advertising, and error monitoring.
• In d3ward ad block test tool, uBlock Origin got a 99% score, blocking 134 out of 135 ads and trackers. This tool evaluated uBlock Origin against various scripts, filters, analytics, social trackers, and ads from different providers. It only failed to block one of the ad scripts from loading.
• It also passed all three of the tests performed by Can You Block It. Including the Advanced Adblocker Test, where the extension’s presence on my browser was not detected.
• Finally, in Cover Your Tracks, uBO blocked tracking ads, and invisible trackers, but failed to protect against fingerprinting. 

Let’s break down the scores in one place and see how uBO did:

Test Scores

Test Name	Test Score	Score
Adblock Tester	96	3/3
d3ward Ad Block Test	99	3/3
Cover Your Tracks	2/3	2/3
Can You Block It	3/3	3/3
	Total	11

uBlock Origin Plans, Pricing, Free Tiers, and Trial

uBlock Origin is a completely free and open-source browser extension. That means no subscription based models, no user licence keys, no free trials. It’s just free to use for everyone on as many devices they like. Moreover, it also allows users to sync their settings on multiple browsers, a feature that most ad blocker reserve for their paid tiers. 

Being a free ad blocker, it puts a lot of paid ones to shame. It has a huge number of filters, including dozens of localised ones. And it performs better than a lot of the paid options out there. While projects like these rely on user donations, uBO refuses all donations and instead recommends that users donate to the community-maintained list of filters that they include in their ad blocker. 

Category Scores

Category	Score
Value for Money	3/3
Free Version Usability	3/3

So upon consideration, we just thought it’s only fair to give uBlock Origin a 6/6 on our pricing category and move on. But technically, for a free ad blocker, it does provide great value for money. And the free version, although it is the only version, is in fact very usable. 

How Usable is uBlock Origin?

uBlock Origin has earned a reputation as one of the most powerful, free, open-source ad blockers out there. It’s lightweight, highly customisable, blocks paywalls, and doesn’t have any “acceptable ads” policies. But while it excels at blocking ads and trackers, how user-friendly is it?

Compatibility

uBlock Origin plays nicely with most major browsers, including Chrome, Safari, Opera, Edge, and Firefox. But it should be noted that Safari support is only up to version 13. It won’t work with the latest version. And with Chrome’s upcoming shift to Manifest v3 extension platform, uBlock Origin might lose some functionality on Chromium-based browsers soon, but for now, it’s still working like a charm. There is already an MV3 compliant version of the ad blocker called uBlock Origin Lite, and as the name suggest, it is a lite version of the ad blocker, losing many of the original’s key features. Sadly, there is no support for Android or iOS. And even for Windows and macOS, there is no system–wide ad blocking.

Platform Availability

Platform	Availability
Chromium Extension	Yes
Safari, Firefox Support	Yes
Windows App	No
macOS App	No
Android App	No
iOS App	No

Installation

Getting uBlock Origin up and running is incredibly simple. A quick search for uBlock Origin will direct you to your browser’s add-on store, and installation is just one click away. Once installed, there’s no complicated setup process, you won’t even be greeted with a welcome screen. Just reload your tabs, and the ads should disappear.

For those who like things easy, uBlock Origin can definitely be beginner-friendly. But for more advanced users, there’s a ton you can customize through the extension’s menu.

Installation

Installation	Status
Quick Installation	Yes
Beginner Friendly	Yes
Clarity of Instructions	Yes

Ease of Use

Once uBlock Origin is installed, you’ll find the extension in the top-right corner of your browser, ready to go. It’s very straightforward, toggle the button to turn it on or off, and that’s it. But if you want to dive deeper, uBlock Origin’s widget and settings give you all kinds of options. From blocking pop-ups to zapping specific elements on a webpage, the power is literally at your fingertips.

The main extension page is packed with features like element zapper and picker modes, which let you remove individual elements from a webpage, or even block things like JavaScript, large media files, and remote fonts. This might sound overwhelming at first, but don’t worry, it’s all clearly laid out. Plus, colour-coded filters show you exactly what’s being blocked or allowed in real-time.

For casual users, you can just install it and forget it’s there. But if you want more control, the advanced settings offer endless possibilities, but it can also be a bit overwhelming.

Ease of Use

Ease of Use	Status
One Click Use	Yes
User Friendly Settings	No
Automatic Updates	Yes

Customizability

Customization is where uBlock Origin truly shines. The extension offers a rich selection of filters that block ads, privacy-invading trackers, cookies, and even social media widgets. You can add your own custom filters or enable additional community-created lists, depending on what you want to block.

Advanced users will love the “My Rules” feature, which allows you to create custom dynamic filters, scripts, and element rules. And for those who like to manually block specific parts of a webpage, uBlock Origin lets you zap any element, ensuring it won’t load the next time you visit the page.

This level of customization is unmatched, but it does require some technical know-how if you want to make the most of it. The good news? All the essentials are enabled by default, so regular users won’t have to tinker with the settings unless they want to.

Customizability

Customizability	Status
Accessible Filter List	Yes
Custom Filters	Yes
Manual Element Blocking	Yes

Customer Support

uBlock Origin’s customer support is practically non-existent. There’s no support over email or phone. And don’t even think about live chat. But the beauty of open-source projects like this is that there is community support. You can just join uBO’s subreddit if you have a problem, and you will find other dedicated users, moderators, and sometimes even the developers replying to you. Moreover, there is a knowledge base on GitHub that you can utilise. 

Customer Support

Description	Score
Availability of Support	Knowledge Base
Response Time	N/A
Support Quality	N/A

Top Alternatives for uBlock Origin

uBlock doesn’t really have a real competition because of the value it offers while being fully free. But the other options may be a bit more user-friendly.

Verdict

uBlock Origin is one of the most feature packed ad blockers available right now. It is highly customisable and very suitable for advanced users. However, we also believe that any regular user can use this ad blocker very easily, because it makes it easy enough to do so. Just installing this uBlock Origin and running it in the background will do the job.

However, it may soon lose support on Chrome due to its implementation of Manifest V3 extension platform. So you may want to switch to uBlock Origin Lite, if you are using a Chromium browser. Or you can switch browsers altogether. But in its current state, we recommend uBlock Origin, as it does its job really well. 

Now let’s wrap it up with the tally of all the scores. 

Category Scores

Category	Score	Out of
Features	12
YouTube	3
Websites	6
Independent Tests	11
Pricing	6
Compatibility	2
Installation	3
Ease of Use	2
Customizability	3
Support	1
Bonus	6
Total (w/o bonus)	49	0
Overall Rating	4.6	5

Category		Score	Out of
Features		12
YouTube		3
Websites		6
Independent Tests		11
Pricing		6
Compatibility		2
Installation		3
Ease of Use		2
Customizability		3
Support		1
Bonus		6
	Total (w/o bonus):	49	0
	Overall Rating:	4.6	5

uBlock Origin receive the 6 bonus points for being a free and open–source project, having a long list of community supported auto–updated filters, and its robust customizability options. 

Frequently Asked Questions about uBlock Origin

Is uBlock Origin Trustworthy?

uBlock Origin is one of the safest and most trustworthy ad blockers. Why? Mainly because it’s open-source. Open-source software is considered safer compared to proprietary ones because anyone can access the source code and identify security vulnerabilities. As it maintains transparency, there is nothing to hide from the users. And finally, uBlock Origin does not depend on a single vendor or a commercial company. Which means no one controls the software, and no one can claim your data. Moreover, if you look at the features of uBlock Origin, it is blocking ads, trackers, and malicious websites for you. This tool is designed to keep your data safe and protected. 

What Are the Differences Between uBlock Origin and uBlock Origin Lite?

To avoid being taken down by Google, uBlock Origin Lite was created. It is a watered down version of uBlock Origin that is compliant with Manifest v3, Chrome’s latest extension platform. The lite version lacks a lot of features such as real-time filter updates, custom filters, element picker, and dynamic filtering. The full version of uBlock Origin may lose support on Chrome soon. So if you want to keep using it, you may want to switch from Chromium based browsers.

Does uBlock Origin sell your data?

No, uBlock Origin is an open-source project, and it does not collect or sell your data. As anyone can see its source code, anyone can also verify that there is no data collection happening here. Moreover, as many people have access to the source code, many privacy vulnerabilities get detected really fast and patched quickly. 

Does uBlock Origin block ads on YouTube?

Yes, uBlock Origin blocks ads on YouTube. However, uBlock Origin Lite does not. YouTube has been cracking down in ad blockers for some time now, making it more and more difficult to block ads on YouTube. With the implementation of Chrome’s Manifest V3 extension platform, it may be difficult for ad blockers to keep blocking YouTube ads in the future.