What AdBlock is

AdBlock blocks pop-ups, banners, and video ads and can disable third-party tracking, with allowlists, custom filters, and dark mode. Its help center says AdBlock joined Adblock Plus in 2021 and that default settings show occasional non-intrusive ads; Premium adds cookie-banner hiding, distraction control, image swap, and a VPN.

Feature coverage

  • Ad and tracker blocking via filter lists
  • Allowlists and custom filters
  • Acceptable Ads toggle under Filter lists

What stands out

  • Largest public footprint among our blockers
  • Updated October 2026
  • Listing declares no data collection

Tradeoffs to know

  • Acceptable Ads allowed by default
  • Several extras sit behind Premium
  • Broad page access is central to blocking

Is AdBlock safe to use?

AdBlock is safe for everyday use: the largest rating sample of any blocker we cover, a no-collection declaration on its listing, and same-day maintenance at verification. Its broad access is what blocking requires. The caveat is that Acceptable Ads are allowed by default, so some ads stay visible until you change the setting.

Page access Broad

Requests page-content access across sites. Broad access is not itself a red flag — the question is whether the job justifies the reach, and whether the publisher's record earns it.

Ad blocking requires access to every page you load so the extension can block requests and hide ad elements. You can pause AdBlock on a site, allowlist it, or limit site access in Chrome, each of which trades some blocking coverage for less access on that site.

Store-disclosed data

The listing carries the developer’s declaration that it will not collect or use your data.

The listing carries the developer's declaration that it does not collect or use user data. AdBlock's privacy policy, from controller Adblock, Inc., still describes anonymous usage statistics such as counts of blocked ads tied to a random installation ID, plus error reports. The optional Premium VPN runs through IPVanish under its own policy.

Does AdBlock block all ads by default?

No. AdBlock's help center says that with default settings you will see occasional non-intrusive ads from the Acceptable Ads program. To turn them off in Chrome, click the AdBlock icon, open settings with the gear icon, go to the Filter lists tab, and deselect Acceptable Ads.

Is AdBlock the same as Adblock Plus?

They are separate extensions with separate listings, but AdBlock's help center says AdBlock joined Adblock Plus in 2021, and both take part in the Acceptable Ads program that eyeo created.

Does AdBlock collect my data?

Its listing declares no collection of user data. The privacy policy still describes anonymous usage statistics, such as how many ads were blocked, linked to a random per-installation ID rather than to your identity.

How we judge this: our extension safety guide · how we rate

Pricing

Free; optional paid AdBlock Premium adds cookie-banner blocking, distraction control, and a VPN. Pricing and plan limits change more often than store metadata, so use the linked developer page as the final check before subscribing.

Alternatives

AlternativeuBlock Origin LiteAlternativeAdGuard AdBlockerAlternativeAdblock Plus

Head-to-head comparisons

ComparisonAdBlock vs Adblock Plus

Sources

We used the official Chrome Web Store listing and first-party developer material. Public metrics can change after the fact-check date.

  1. Chrome Web Store listing

    Rating, rating count, public users, version, update date, and publisher disclosures verified 2026-10-12.

  2. AdBlock product documentation

    First-party product, feature, support, or project documentation used for workflow context.

  3. Extension Reviewer methodology

    How public claims, permissions, evidence, and tradeoffs are reviewed.

View in Chrome Web Store Developer site
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