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Best for anti-tracking protection
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Completely free, open-source privacy tool that detects and blocks third-party trackers
Automatically opts out of data sharing and tracking
Can block some contextual ads and analytics tools
Best for ad-blocking protection
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One of the best totally free ad blockers available
Highly customizable, open-source ad blocker that's compatible with multiple browsers
Can block advertising and analytics tools, including banner ads, video ads, and trackers, and can even bypass soft paywalls
Ad blockers can prevent pesky pop-ups, banner ads, and even trackers. There are plenty of ad blockers on the market, and choosing the best ad blocker can be tricky. Privacy Badger and uBlock Origin are two completely free ad blockers worthy of consideration.
While Privacy Badger lacks some ad-blocking capabilities, its tracker blocking is superior to most competitors. uBlock Origin’s ad blocking is better, but some components require technical knowledge that might deter some users.
This article compares Privacy Badger and uBlock Origin to determine which free ad blocker is best for you.
Both Privacy Badger and uBlock Origin can block ads and trackers which help clean up your online experience. Some of the key differences lie in the ad-blocking capabilities.
uBlock Origin blocks ads on YouTube, but Privacy Badger can’t. Privacy Badger is designed to block trackers, so it only blocks ads if they contain trackers.
Privacy Badger may be a good fit if you’re more concerned with your online security and blocking third-party trackers. If you’re looking for a traditional ad blocker, uBlock Origin might be a better option.
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| Best for | Best for anti-tracking protection | Best for free ad-blocking protection |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Ads blocked on Forbes | ||
| Does it block YouTube ads? | ||
| Compatibility | Chrome, Firefox, Microsoft Edge, Opera | Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari 12 or earlier, Opera, Chromium |
| Mobile compatibility | ||
| Learn more | Get Privacy Badger | Get uBlock Origin |
| Feature |
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Our Pick
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| Whitelisting | ||
| Blacklisting | ||
| Ads blocked counter | ||
| Bypasses paywalls | ||
| Block pop-up ads | ||
| Block tracking | ||
| Block video ads | ||
| Block banner ads | ||
| Block push ads | ||
| Learn more | Get Privacy Badger | Get uBlock Origin |
Privacy Badger and uBlock Origin offer different features with little overlap. Both offer whitelisting, which is a strategy that allows you to approve apps and ads you deem appropriate to see and block tracking.
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Privacy Badger Disabled Sites customization
That’s about where the similarities end. Privacy Badger’s features are a bit lackluster, which makes sense since it wasn’t designed to be an ad-blocking service. But when compared to uBlock Origin, Privacy Badger’s lack of features leaves much to be desired.
uBlock Origin not only offers whitelisting but blacklisting as well. It includes a blocked ad counter, can bypass soft paywalls like common news sites, and blocks a wide range of ads, including pop-up, video, banner, and push ads.
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Last but not least, uBlock Origin blocks trackers as well.
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Our Pick
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| Adblock Tester score | 61/100 | 100/100 |
| Cover Your Tracks score | 2/3 | 2/3 |
| Can You Block It score | 2/3 | 3/3 |
| YouTube ads blocked | ||
| Paywalls bypassed | ||
| Learn more | Get Privacy Badger | Get uBlock Origin |
To test Privacy Badger and uBlock Origin, we used three ad blocker website tests: AdBlock Tester, Cover Your Tracks, and Can You Block It. We tested each on YouTube to determine if either service blocked video ads, and we checked to see if either service could bypass paywalls.
AdBlock Tester rates the effectiveness of ad blockers by testing contextual advertising, analytics tools, banner ads, and error monitoring. uBlock Origin received a perfect score of 100/100, while Privacy Badger’s had a less-than-stellar score of 61/100.
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Can You Block It tests to see if an ad blocker is working as intended. These tests can help you identify what formats of advertisements are blocked — or not blocked. uBlock Origin performed perfectly, blocking all ads and scoring a 3/3. Privacy Badger scored a respectable 2/3.
Cover Your Tracks tests an ad blocker’s effectiveness at blocking trackers, invisible tracking, and fingerprinting. We were pleased that both Privacy Badger and uBlock Origin received a 2/3.
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| Windows | ||
| macOS | ||
| Android | ||
| iOS | ||
| Linux | ||
| Browser extensions | Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Opera | Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari (prior to 13), Opera, Chromium |
| 24/7 customer support | ||
| Customer support options | Online guides, support forums | |
| Learn more | Get Privacy Badger | Get uBlock Origin |
Our experience testing uBlock Origin was seamless and intuitive. uBlock Origin effectively blocked ads across most websites and worked instantly. The extension offers various modes to accommodate all levels of users: easy, medium, and hard blocking.
For more technical users, advanced options include the element zapper, which removes specific icons and buttons from websites, and the element picker, which can permanently delete these elements.
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uBlock Origin is compatible with many popular browsers, including Chrome, Firefox, Safari (prior to 13), Edge, Opera, and Chromium. A big downside to uBlock Origin is that it’s only a browser extension, so there’s no app to download to your mobile device.
uBlock Origin is a great free ad blocker, and if you’re a Chrome user, uBlock Origin is one of the best ad blockers for Chrome. However, we were disappointed that it’s not compatible with all browsers and doesn’t have a mobile app. While the advanced options are a bonus for many users, the lack of customer support — only Github — could deter other users.
Privacy Badger was similarly easy to install and use. We even received notifications to help improve any browsing errors we encountered. For example, we received a notification to customize permissions for a Google tracker if we wanted to log into our Google account.
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It was slightly disappointing that Privacy Badger didn’t block YouTube ads, but that’s not really what it was designed for. It’s great at preventing third-party trackers from tracking your online footprints.
It’s worth noting that a major downside to Privacy Badger is that it lacks compatibility with Safari.
Privacy Badger is a legitimate tool that can help improve your online security. The extension did ask for permission to access our data when we installed it, but that doesn’t mean it tracked our data or our online activity.
Privacy Badger claims these are necessary permissions to block third-party trackers, and it also claims never to share your data.
uBlock Origin is a safe, effective ad blocker. It’s open-source, so it’s constantly being tweaked and improved by users.
According to uBlock Origin’s privacy policy, they don’t collect any data, let alone sell it.
Comparing Privacy Badger and uBlock Origin is tricky. They both bring a unique set of features to the table, and both services are reliable free ad-blocking options.
Privacy Badger does what it’s designed to do — it blocks trackers from following your online activity, and it may block some ads in the process.
Overall, however, we pick uBlock Origin because it provides a more comprehensive ad-blocking experience, including removing YouTube ads, blocking banner and push ads, and blocking pop-up windows and other distractions.
[Editor will add the winning ad blocker’s product card here.]
One of the best totally free ad blockers available
Highly customizable, open-source ad blocker that's compatible with multiple browsers
Can block advertising and analytics tools, including banner ads, video ads, and trackers, and can even bypass soft paywalls
While Privacy Badger and uBlock Origin are both solid free ad blockers, there are also many other good options out there. Some of the best ad blockers include more advanced security features while others cater to streaming apps.
| Ad blocker | 
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| Best for | Best for blocking YouTube ads | Best overall | Best for parental controls |
| Price | Paid plan costs $1.59/mo (billed annually) | Starts at $3.39/mo (billed every two years) | Paid plans start at $2.49/mo |
| Blocks YouTube ads | |||
| Learn more | Get Total Adblock | Get NordVPN Threat Protection | Get AdGuard |
Instantly blocks distracting ads on millions of websites, including YouTube video ads
Blocks third-party trackers to protect your privacy and information
Improves page load times and enables faster browsing
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