All ad blockers. Best ad blocker

Documentation 05.08.2021
Documentation

Adobe together with PageFair, this market has a serious threat in the form of ad blockers such as Adblock Edge and Adblock Plus. Over the past year, the number of their users has grown by 70% and now accounts for about 5% of network users, or 140 million people.

Of course, such rapid growth cannot please either advertisers or sites that survive on advertising.

Previously, this was an extremely small proportion of users that could be neglected, but now it is becoming more and more of a clear force. It is also worth noting that the majority of blockers are used by young people and 5% of those who do not see advertising is an average value. Among young users this percentage should be significantly higher. That’s why blockers primarily affect those who target young people.

As a result, this leads to real battles for the opportunity to show advertising to the user. Many sites, for example, include special scripts that determine the operation of Adblock and in one way or another limit the display of content to the user. Among video hosting sites, it is popular to completely or partially refuse to display videos in a browser running Adblock.

An advertisement may appear in place of the content, stating that the video will not be shown or the user will only be able to see it in low quality.

There are also more aggressive mechanisms: after the robot on the site detects that advertising is blocked, it launches certain mechanisms that display banners to the user, bypassing the blocked elements. Blockers may be powerless in the face of such forced display, but, as Gazeta.Ru told Chief Operating Officer Adblock Plus Ben, this doesn't make much sense.

“It's a game of cat and mouse between blacklisters and website owners. But does it really make sense for a site owner to show someone a second ad if the first one was blocked? We don't think so," Williams said.

There are other methods: advertisers and companies that provide advertising scripts, and these are often companies not associated with site owners, negotiate with blockers so that their ads are not hidden from the user. As Williams pointed out, about 10% of advertisers end up on “white lists” for money. The remaining 90% of those who are not hidden at the level of the blocking mechanism are displayed free of charge.

According to the Financial Times, among such “user access subscribers” are , and , which, of course, deny such activity.

Of course, there is the most radical way to fight ad blockers - this is the court.

Thus, Eyeo GmbH, the developer of Adblock Plus, was sued by German and ProSiebenSat in February. However, the company itself is not too worried about this. As Ben Williams pointed out, in 2004 Federal Court Germany's highest court has confirmed the legality of ad blocking, ruling in proceedings related to the blocking of advertising on TV.

“In addition, only last year the District Court of Hamburg recognized our specific model as valid after legal proceedings with a large publisher speaking out against Adblock Plus,” recalled an Eyeo representative.

It is worth understanding that advertising is often the only source of income for Internet portals. And if you completely remove it from the Internet, then most sites will close almost instantly. But it causes dislike from users not by its existence, but by its intrusiveness. After all, if it literally gets on your nerves, then you want to get rid of it.

And these are not empty words: at one time, even Ethan Zuckerman, the inventor of pop-up apps, apologized to the world. advertisements pop-up

According to him, this decision was born after an advertisement for the automaker appeared on a page dedicated to anal sex. Since such a “neighborhood” cannot be called successful for the advertiser, a mechanism was invented that would display the ad in a separate window.

The Adblock Plus developers themselves believe that they are only providing users with a tool that helps bring the Internet back into their hands.

"At the same time, we are committed to working with publishers - to the extent that they will allow us - to promote unobtrusive advertising and a balanced Internet ecosystem," Williams concluded.

The Internet is replete with advertising, the methods of display of which are becoming more and more aggressive. Animated gifs and flash, individual frames and pop-up windows are just a few things. Phishing redirects, Trojans and hidden miners that extract cryptocurrency when visiting sites are becoming increasingly common. Browser extensions help protect the user from them, but not all blockers have proven to be honest and effective.

In today's article we will talk about the evolution of ad blockers, how and from what they make money. We will choose the best ad blocker and fight hidden mining and content blockers.

How to block ads and harmful content

Modern web development tools help not only to create cool web services, but also to get rich through not entirely legal methods. Intrusive advertising, changing browser settings, JS miners hidden in the code of pages - all these are consequences of the endless pursuit of profit.

You can combat this on the user side using filtering. In the simplest case, known resources with false advertising, phishing sites and other network junk are simply added to the hosts file, where they are hardwired to be redirected to the local host instead of a remote IP address with a dubious reputation.

The advantage of this method is that it does not depend on the browser used. Localhost is the same for all programs, and it can be used in any modern operating system. For example, the open source AdAway program allows you to rid a rooted device with Android 4.1 and later from advertising.

Another popular option is to use browser extensions that filter content. Among such anti-advertising fighters, AdBlock and its analogues have gained great popularity.

The most annoying advertisements began to be filtered out at the browser level. By default, Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge block pop-ups. Also, browsers began to block Flash a long time ago, since they are often used to track user activity, and Flash Player itself is replete with security holes.

Since version 53, Chrome first tries to load the non-Flash version of the page, and other developers have started doing the same. Safari, starting with version 11, prevents videos from automatically playing on a page. And such functions are becoming more and more common. Therefore, before installing any blocker, open your browser settings. Some of the annoying nonsense can be hidden using built-in tools.

Why AdBlock is not the best ad blocker

Many people confuse AdBlock and Adblock Plus, considering them to be the second advanced version of the first. In reality, the history of their creation is much more complicated. Here is how it was…

The first version of the extension, called AdBlock for Firefox, was written by Henrik Aasted Sørensen in 2002. As you might guess, it only worked in Firefox. Due to the limitations of the browser engine, AdBlock for Firefox struggled with insertion of advertisements, and the interface was rather poor. A couple of years later, the Adblock Plus fork appeared, in which many things were improved. Partly because of this, development of the original AdBlock for Firefox stopped in 2006.

After a three-year lull, another developer, Michael Gundlach, used the developments of Adblock Plus, took the name of the original project AdBlock and released his version of the ad blocker in 2009.

The new AdBlock is a fork of a fork that has little in common with its predecessor of the same name. It was written as an extension for Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Opera and Edge. Among the advantages of this add-on are versatility, a completely redesigned interface and the ability to use Adblock Plus lists that match the format. However, not all innovations were to the taste of users and site owners.


Website "Echo of Moscow". Display without blockers

Do you see the difference? I don’t see it either, but the AdBlock counter shows that it is there!

At the same time, on the RenTV website (yes, we specially selected the most “delicious” pages) the picture is different. If you access it without AdBlock, you can get psychological trauma. There will be so many advertisements that it won’t fit on one screenshot.

As soon as AdBlock is enabled, entire strips are cut out and the page is compressed vertically several times, but some advertising still remains.


Ad blockers as a source of income

Millions of dollars in budgets are associated with advertising, and a logical question arises: why do people write AdBlock clones and then spend years supporting these projects? It is unlikely that the authors are driven solely by altruistic considerations. Blocking ads may simply be more profitable than displaying them. According to Quora users, AdBlock brought the developer from 6 to 25 million dollars annually only through voluntary donations to support it.


Fundraising

How much was actually collected under the freemium donation scheme is not officially reported. However, technically, shady monetization methods are also possible here. For example, the new AdBlock can not only block ads, but also replace cut out banners with anything. In 2012, Gundlach began replacing them with photographs of smiling cats (this experiment was explained as a prolonged April Fool's prank), and in 2016, instead of banners, links to articles about Snowden and other Amnesty International propaganda appeared. As they say, your advertisement could be here.

Currently, Gundlach has stepped away from development, and AdBlock development is led by Gabriel Cubbage and Antoine Boegler. The details of this transaction were not officially announced, but there have been talks about the sale of AdBlock for a significant amount since 2015. At the same time, AdBlock uses volunteer labor. Dozens of people continue to make translations for free and help improve the product.

Adblock Plus ad blocker

Today, the Adblock Plus extension is available for Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Opera and Edge browsers. It is one of the most popular ad blockers with over 100 million downloads. It can selectively filter ads (including videos), disable social media buttons, prevent transitions to phishing sites, and protect the user from surveillance through counters and ad units. However, it also requests an impressive set of permissions. Much more than analogues.


Allow Adblock Plus everything

Adblock Plus is distributed free of charge under the GPLv3 license, but this does not mean that it does not bring profit to its owners. It’s just that the developers of this fork have slightly different approaches to monetization.

Eyeo, a company created to promote the blocker, relies on whitelists. They are enabled by default and contain rules that allow "some unobtrusive advertising."

Since 2011, Eyeo has been interacting with advertisers through the AAP - Acceptable Ads Platform. “Acceptable” ads may also appear in place of the “unacceptable” ones that are cut out.

Adblock Plus developers openly enter into contracts with advertising networks who want to add their content to whitelists. Officially, they must undergo verification and ensure that their advertising meets the eligibility criteria, but these criteria are determined by Eyeo itself. Of course, frankly intrusive advertising is unlikely to pass moderation even for a large reward. A long-term reputation is simply worth more than a one-time profit.

Some website owners consider the practice of selectively blocking ads and replacing them with “correct” ones to be an unfair competition scheme. Instead of participating in the AAP program, they file lawsuits and sometimes even win. For example, German Publishing House Axel Springer obtained through the court a free addition of its magazines to the Adblock Plus white list.

In our test, Adblock Plus performed on par with other participants, regularly cutting out ads. However, some sites simply refused to load until we disabled it.


Login is prohibited with Adblock Plus!

How filter lists are created

All blockers use open lists of unsafe sites and sources of annoying advertising. They are updated by different organizations, each of which is guided by its own criteria for a ban.

Typically, a site or its individual component receives a “black mark” after user complaints about annoying advertising or fraud. A site is considered potentially dangerous when it comes into the crosshairs of a cloud-based anti-virus scanning system. For example, such as Google Safebrowsing or Norton Safe Web.

List of popular blacklists with their brief description available . They overlap, so before using them you need to combine them, clearing them of duplicate entries. AdAway and modern blockers do this automatically. It is acceptable to use any number of lists, as long as their format matches.

It is much more important to take into account regional characteristics. For example, lists of annoying advertisements that bother web surfers in Argentina are unlikely to be relevant to users from Russia. In practice, it turns out to be more effective to use default regional lists and add your own individual filters to them, rather than trying to immediately attach as many ready-made ones as possible.

Alternatives to AdBlock

In addition to the old-new AdBlock and its fork with the Plus subscript, there are a lot of other ad blockers, but mostly these are highly specialized add-ons or just handicrafts that are much inferior in functionality. However, there are also pleasant exceptions.

uBlock Origin ad blocker

In my opinion, uBlock Origin by Raymond Hill deserves special mention. It uses more filters, but manages to use fewer system resources than Adblock Plus. Here are the developer's own tests confirming the quality of the code.

uBlock Origin is very highly configurable. I have not seen more detailed settings in any other blocker. Rules for filtering regular and annoying advertising, fraudulent and malicious sites, regional and universal lists are loaded in separate lists. Additional lists also block tracking components of sites, taking care of privacy.


Large selection of subscriptions

In addition, uBlock Origin allows you to separately configure the disabling of pop-ups, blocking the download of large media files to reduce traffic, and the use of “cosmetic filters”. Essentially, these are style sheets, without which empty rectangles would be displayed instead of cut-out elements. They relay the page on the fly, making it more compact by moving the main content to replace the removed advertisement. Other blockers have similar features, but in my experience, uBlock Origin works best.

It’s easy to set your own settings for each site, and it’s also easy to disable uBlock Origin completely or selectively for individual pages of the site. It’s even easier to allow or deny access to certain third-party sites. To do this, just click on the list of blocked elements on the current page.

Setting rules on the fly

uBlock Origin also has a white list. By default, add-on sources and a behind-the-scene component are added to it. This is how uBlock flags all HTTP requests that cannot be associated with a specific browser tab. Such requests include automatic updates of the browser itself and its add-ons, search suggestions systems and other service traffic.

If uBlock Origin skipped advertising or you simply do not want to see some typical fragment of a web page, you can set own rule blocking. To do this, you need to go into the erase mode and click on what you don’t like.


Mash mode

This way I easily removed messages and video inserts on websites - not advertising, but simply distracting.


Selecting an item to delete

Advanced uBlock settings become available after checking the “I - advanced user" After this, dynamic content filtering mode is activated, which is aimed primarily at blocking cross-site requests in order to increase privacy and security.


uBlock Origin - settings for advanced users

Starting with version 1.1.0.0, uBlock Origin supports cloud synchronization of settings via Firefox Sync or Google account. With its help, all filtering rules configured on one device can be easily exported to others. You can also use the settings backup function for these purposes.


Saving filtering settings

AdGuard ad blocker

When there were no browser extensions yet, I used the AtGuard software firewall. In the nineties, on a dial-up connection, it was a real salvation, as it effectively reduced the amount of traffic. AtGuard did not specifically combat advertising, but was able to “freeze” GIF animations and block scripts and ActiveX components. This not only added comfort, but also greatly helped to avoid infection.

Much has changed since then, and today there are two different products under the similar name AdGuard: a free browser add-on authored by Andrey Meshkov and a paid cross-platform firewall created by his own company AdGuard Software.

In this article we will look at the browser extension “AdGuard Anti-banner”. It is free and open source. In addition to regular and intrusive advertising, Anti-Banner can block advertising videos on YouTube and other sites, as well as social network widgets.

“AdGuard Anti-banner” is also interesting because it not only cuts out advertising, but also prevents the installation of Spyware and Adware. At the same time, he himself advertises the complete AdGuard version(a separate application), whose default installer tries to stuff the system with dubious partner software - in particular, Yandex software. I reflexively cleared the checkboxes before taking the screenshot.
A little bit of Yandex goes a long way

Additionally, AdGuard Anti-Banner blocks almost all systems for tracking user actions on the Internet and checks visited sites against a database of malicious and phishing ones.


It has a whitelist, and by default it is empty. There is a fun “invert white list” feature in the settings. Then advertising will be allowed everywhere except the marked sites.

In general, I had extremely pleasant impressions of the work of AdGuard Anti-banner, but purely subjectively, using uBlock Origin seemed much more convenient.

Ad blockers against hidden miners.

Recently, many sites have appeared (JS miners), which are launched hidden when pages are visited, regardless of user actions. Moreover, in most cases this turned out to be a surprise for site owners. Someone quietly infected popular web pages and forced them to mine cryptocurrency on all computers and mobile devices visitors.

Since September 2017, Adblock Plus has added a feature to ban hidden mining scripts. Technically it's just another filter like *coinhive.min.js, so you can manually turn any custom blocker into an "anti-miner". Moreover, in addition to Coinhive, there are many other scripts for online mining. Their list can be found in the description of add-ons such as Mining Blocker or NoMiner.

PayWall: disable your ad blocker or leave

Surely you have often seen requests to disable AdBlock and its analogues on various sites. At some point, these requests turned into demands. Some web pages now hide their content until you whitelist them. This phenomenon is called adwall by analogy with paywall - restricting the display of content only to paid subscribers.

Let's take forbes.com for example. If you go to it without blockers, then advertising will start popping up even when loading. Next, it will be displayed on each page in priority places. For example, at the top, moving article titles.

If you have some kind of blocker installed, then with a high probability you will simply be blocked from viewing the site. This behavior is increasingly common on large Western websites, especially those related to finance and business. The expectation is that a decent person, who for some reason has Adblock Plus, will simply add the site to the white list and move on.

Blocker for ad blockers

A separate extension, IsraBlock, hides requests to disable AdBlock and its analogues from web pages.


Example of how IsraBlock works

The latest version of IsraBlock 0.0.35 works much better in Chrome than in Firefox. While the version for Chrome allows you to set advanced settings, the add-on for Firefox has no settings at all.

Currently, development of IsraBlock is suspended, but it still works properly.

What is the answer to the main question? 42!

In our test, uBlock Origin and AdGuard Antibanner easily overcame the adwall on Forbes.com. No requirements to disable AdBlock when visiting this site appeared with them, and advertising elements were carefully cut out from the page content.

Forbes website when visiting with AdGuard

Hello! Nowadays, the problem of viruses is not very acute - most users already generally understand what can be opened and what is highly discouraged... and modern Windows 10 is already less vulnerable to malware. And what do most users use a computer for? — surf the Internet and watch a movie. But with browsers, not everything is so simple, so the issue of blocking ads in the browser is more relevant than ever before.

If you are interested in the issue of ad blocking... or you have started to notice ads where there were never any (and even worse if advertising is already popping up in the browser), then I can tell you with confidence that you are not alone, and I will try to explain to you how to get rid of this illness.

How to block ads in your browser - simple steps to a clean Internet

  • Advertising, which was deliberately installed by the site owner, is the most common and easiest method of advertising to block.
  • Crashing, infuriating advertising on all sites... pop-up windows, spontaneous opening of the browser, various casinos and other nonsense - it is much more difficult to treat, but it’s possible (the problem is that your computer is showing you ads)

Initially I want to show basic setup blocking ads in the browser (if this does not help, then you most likely have advertising modules or, as they are called, AdWare).

Recognizing AdWare is quite simple - it is a pop-up flashy advertisement in the browser on all pages (for example, on Yandex a Vulcan casino may be advertised or a browser with advertising may open spontaneously).

It’s clear that this is not normal... so I want to tell you about a method for blocking Yandex Browser (now I use it myself and can recommend it to you). In the instructions we will consider universal options that are suitable even for Internet Explorer or EDGE. Let's look at both paid and free extensions - don't switch, it will be interesting!

How to remove advertising in the Yandex browser

Do you know why I like the Yandex browser? — it contains a lot of useful things for a Russian-speaking user. In addition, there is a built-in ability to filter ads using the third-party service AdGuard (I previously used AdBlock Plus, but after switching from Firefox to Ya.Browser there is no point in installing a third-party extension). This extension can be turned on simply - open the menu and go to “Add-ons”... and turn on the “Adguard” extension.

By default, advertising from Yandex and Google will not be blocked (and even normal advertising there, sometimes even useful) - whether to disable it or not is up to you. On my own behalf, I would like to add that sometimes this is the only way for the author of a resource to earn money... after all, you need to pay for hosting, spend time writing posts like this one. Well, monetization is a great motivation to develop and fill your resource.

Well it was small lyrical digression— you can go to the extension settings and disable the “Allow search advertising and site’s own promotions” option. This way you will completely disable all advertising on websites known to the extension.

ADGUARD is an excellent ad blocker for any browser

Since we are talking about ad blocking, it would be a crime not to talk about the wonderful AdGuard application. What if I told you that you can block ads not only in the browser, but also in various applications where they are often found? Skype, Viber, uTorrent - all these programs are popular and constantly annoying with ads, but AdGuard will automatically remove them all. You can download it from the official website...

AdGuard deserves a separate note, which I plan to write in the future, but for now a short overview of the capabilities

Installation is the same as everywhere else, nothing new was invented... however, I would advise not to install recommended products (well, if we want, we’ll install it ourselves, I don’t like this intrusiveness)

What can I tell you about the best application for blocking ads on your computer? Many people are looking for ways to disable advertising on Skype or torrent, delve into the code, edit something there - this is all real and tested in practice... but you can just install AdGuard and it will automatically block ads in all popular applications - isn’t it beautiful?!

The Parental Control feature seemed useful. I don’t know what filters this works on - but the joke is not in blocking porn sites and other bad resources... but in the inability to even find them in the search.

But of course, it is not without its drawbacks - the application is paid, but its price does not exceed the cost of pizza... support the developers, do not bother with torrents! And don’t forget - the AdGuard application is used to block ads; it will not help against viruses. You can use a good antivirus for free against all evil spirits.

How to remove ads in Google Chrome browser and other browsers

Now let's move on to the easiest way to get rid of ads in the browser - I used this extension until I switched to Yandex Browser with the AdGuard extension. Suitable for any browser (or almost, all known to me are supported) - just go to the official website of the extension...

I’ll tell you using Google Chrome as an example (but everything is similar for any other - be it Firefox or Opera) - find the largest button “Install for YOUR_BROWSER”. Agree with the installation of the extension and restart your web browser - the lion's share of advertising on sites will disappear.

How to remove ads in the browser? — We choose the best

If you are constantly seeing ads pop up in your browser, and all the methods described above have not corrected the situation, then you most likely have a malicious program on your computer, a browser extension, or the system settings have been changed. The whole problem with this infection is that antiviruses don’t see them, in fact it doesn’t harm the computer... but it infuriates the user. Let's start with disassembling pop-up advertising in the browser.

How to remove pop-up ads automatically

With the spread of this infection, it is not surprising that entire companies gradually began to appear producing applications to combat this advertising ransomware. Thanks to them, most advertising inserts are treated automatically and require virtually no user intervention - I highly recommend you use them.

AdwCleaner - an easy way to remove ads from your computer

In order not to bother you too much and not to bother you with places in the Windows system that are unclear to the average user, I suggest initially trying to remove pop-up ads in the browser automatically. There are many software products to remove AdWare, but my experience tells me to stick with AdwCleaner - in my opinion the most The best decision remove all known extensions from any browser.

Download only from !OFFICIAL site and nowhere else! After launching the application, click “Scan” and wait for the end of the search for harmful programs... check that the results do not contain anything unnecessary and click clean - check after rebooting.

Please note that AdvCleaner also considers all programs from Mail.RU to be malicious. If you use any Mail Agent, do not forget to remove it from the purge list.

HitmanPro - good way remove pop-up ads in browser

A small utility from Malwarebytes, Hitman Pro will find most malware on your computer and can remove them. The application is paid, but with test period- it will be more useful than ever for us for a one-time cleanup. As usual, download from the official website of the program.

To avoid installing the program on your computer, use the “I’m going to scan the system only once” option. In this case, we will start scanning immediately operating system for unwanted programs.

As you can see, malware was found in our system (in our example it is a system activator, but it will do for the example) - just click “Next” to clear the found threats.

Remember I wrote that the application is paid? - so, to clean the system, you can activate a free license... click the appropriate button and specify email to issue you a temporary license.

After cleaning, you should restart your computer and check whether our problem with pop-up advertising inserts has been resolved or not.

Removed pop-up ads in the browser - the Internet does not work

An unpleasant situation happens - you removed pop-ups and ads in your browser and now the Internet does not work. The browser reports that it is unable to connect to the proxy server. The problem is quite common, but has an elementary solution.

Most likely, the left DNS server was used, and since we removed the malicious application - using DNS data turned out to be impossible and useless - you just need to reset the settings to standard

To solve the problem with the error “Cannot connect to the proxy server,” we need to go to the “Control Panel,” open the “Network and Internet” section and in the “Browser Options” category, select “Manage browser settings.”

Make sure that the “Use a proxy server for local connections” checkbox is unchecked and that the “Automatic detection of parameters” option is active.

If the steps taken did not give the desired result, write in the comments, we’ll try to figure out the problem together.

How to remove pop-up ads in your browser manually

If all the above methods to get rid of viral advertising in the browser did not help, then extreme measures remain - we’ll try to fix the situation manually.

Task Scheduler - if ads pop up in the browser

The trend of 2017 is not a new frameless iPhone, but a problem of users who periodically have ads popping up in their browser... and not a single program sees them. I first encountered this species at the end of 2016 (and to be honest, for a very long time I could not understand what the problem was). The situation is as follows: an advertising site periodically opened, even if the browser was closed.

As it turned out, the malware used a task scheduler and simply periodically launched a task - launch the browser at the required time interval and open the site it needed in it (! brilliant).

To improve the health of our system, let’s open the task scheduler and delete it from there...

Open the Start menu and type “Task Scheduler” - find it in the search list and open it. Alternatively, press WIN + R on your keyboard and type taskschd.msc

In one of the tasks, you will probably see the path to the browser with a postscript in the form of a site that constantly opens for you - you should delete it (right-click on the task - delete). There are situations when different sites open all the time - in in this case one site opens, and then redirects to one of many (you just don’t have time to notice it) - just delete dubious tasks with additions to the path to the browser file.

What to do if advertising appears in the browser? — Disable extensions

You can clear your browser of ads and pop-ups simply by disabling the bad extension. Not long ago I installed a browser add-on that allowed me to watch torrents online... everything was great until I noticed that advertising appeared where there had never been one. Unfortunately, I did not notice this right away and therefore the solitaire did not work out right away - it helped that the extension was not installed in another browser and there were no left-handed advertisements there.

I just disabled the browser add-on and the ads disappeared. Try going to the list of extensions:

  • For Yandex Browser this is Settings > Add-ons (in the same place where you enabled AdGuard)
  • For Google Chrome - Settings > Additional tools> Extensions

Disable all extensions one by one until the ads stop appearing. This way you will identify a malicious extension - you need to remove it and forget about it forever.

Unfortunately, this point is often ignored, but it is one of the most common. You can’t trust anyone... there are often cases in which the extension that everyone is familiar with starts telling us all sorts of nasty things. We trust him, why do we need to turn him off and check him?! We will look in the place where it is not there... but until the last minute we will not try to simply turn it off for a minute and check.

The Hosts file is the reason for advertising in the browser

Many Adware use the Windows system hosts file to display advertisements. Currently, it is practically not used by advertising malware - usually left-handed Google addresses are registered there or social networks are replaced.

You can correct the hosts file using notepad (which, by the way, must be opened as an administrator, otherwise you will not be able to save changes in it). It is necessary to delete all lines that are under the lines starting with a hash.

Why do ads pop up in the browser? — Editing shortcuts

If, after completing all the steps described above, advertising starts only when you launch the browser itself, then it’s time to pay attention to program shortcuts. In the shortcut properties, delete everything that is outside the quotes (usually the address of the annoying site)... and create new shortcuts for the browser.

This method is incredibly simple, but many people overlook it. In my practice, this option of pop-up advertising occurs very often, so do not underestimate it.

Conclusions about pop-up advertising in the browser and blocking it

Constantly popping up ads in your browser can be very annoying, so be careful when installing different applications and try to use official download sites to minimize the possibility of picking up something unusual, but extremely unpleasant.

I hope this small instruction was useful to you (and it is really small - I described only a small part of the problem areas, but they are the most common) and you were able to defeat advertising in the browser. If something doesn’t work out, write in the comments, we’ll figure it out together!

Hello, dear friends and guests of my blog site! Today's topic is ad blocking in the browser. In this regard, I want to tell you about the TOP 15 best ad blockers for 2018. If you are interested in this question, then read on...

Some statistics

Internet reports confirm that approximately 11% of web users use ad blockers to get rid of online advertisements while surfing the web. This is equivalent to 600 million users using the Internet on both smartphones and computers.

It also notes that browser ad blocking through the use of ad blockers is increasing by 30% annually, as published by PageFair, a company that helps marketers hide lost revenue.
Facebook has tried to block ad blockers. Google has also made an attempt to defeat the blocking.

But even though the tech giants (Facebook, Google, etc.) are trying their best to outdo the use of the best ad blockers among the majority of users, its use is gaining momentum around the world.

We all understand how important these advertisements are for the survival of websites, mainly for their revenue generation. We can browse almost all websites for free just because they run advertisements. If they don't display ads, they will certainly charge a certain amount to access the content.

Hence, it is actually a good idea to support these websites. But you must have also come across some web pages that are flooded with banners and advertisements appearing from time to time. Instead of improving our viewing experience, it forces us to look for an alternative. This is where browser ad blocking comes into play.

What is ad blocking in the browser and why is it used?

Blocking ads in the browser These are special programs. They come in the form of applications or extensions that remove annoying advertisements from a web page and give you a more enjoyable web browsing experience. There are various ad blockers available that can be used on laptops, desktops, smartphones and tablets.

Websites look much cleaner when they remove ads and improve browsing speed. Additional benefit for mobile users is that your data package will be consumed less as the ads will not load on their own. Finally, it also helps protect your privacy. With these eye-catching advertisements, marketers track your browsing habits and, in turn, send you even more targeted ads.

Based on this, I have compiled a list of the 15 best ad blockers for 2018 to help you get rid of those annoying ads. You can use these ad blockers for Android, Chrome, Firefox, Yandex, Safari and some other browsers. If you want to know how to block pop-ups, check out this guide.

Note. Remember that you should only whitelist websites that you trust and use.

1 Ad blocking in the browser by Ghostery

A New York-based company called Ghostery has been around for years and makes apps and extensions to block ads and trackers that invade users' privacy. Ghostery is considered one of the best ad units for Chrome, Opera, Firefox, Edge and Internet Explorer. It is also used for Android and iPhone.
Ghostery detects your information online that is picked up by marketers and rewrites it before passing it on to third parties, making it anonymous. If you do not want your information to be available to anyone, you can do that too.

You can simply stop using the extension.
The icon can be found in the top right corner of the browser along with all other extensions. You can click on it to see the main window and also pause the lock by selecting the available option. First of all, it's free. to install Ghostery, .

2 Well-known - AdBlock Plus

AdBlock Plus- the most popular ad blocker in the browser. This is a free extension available for Yandex, Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer, Opera, Safari and Android. Along with ad blocking, it also prevents tracking and blocks domains that are known to distribute malware. This gives you the opportunity to create filters according to your requirements.

AdBlock Plus does not work on its own. It only works according to users' instructions. Therefore, the filter list plays an important role here. You can either select options available from the list of existing filters or create your own list. to install AdBlock Plus, .

To learn more about AdBlocker Plus, check out complete guide.

3 Simple - AdBlock

AdBlock often confused with AdBlock Plus. But both of them are developed by different developers. It is currently used by 40 million users. AdBlock works best with Chrome and Safari. Although it is supported by other browsers such as Yandex, Firefox, Internet Explorer and Opera. AdBlock requests a small donation from its users, but it is completely voluntary. If you don't want to pay, you can simply skip this option.
It blocks all advertisements on the Internet. You can also block ads on various social media platforms such as Facebook, YouTube, etc. Another key feature The thing about AdBlock is that it also removes the warning message that appears on some web pages where you have your browser's ad blocker enabled.

AdBlock gives you the ability to block everything on the Internet, or if you want, you can also create a whitelist for your favorite sites. to install AdBlock, Click here.

4 Firefox Focus - ad blocking in the browser for Android and iOS

Firefox Focus— dedicated ad unit for Android and iOS. This gives you the option of private browsing. There are times when you don't want to be distracted while surfing the web. It removes all ads and tracking cookies, blocks ads instantly from the moment you install it. Ideal for people who love simplicity.

Firefox Focus is also known as the "Privacy Browser". Private browsing is usually not exhaustive or in a simple way. But Mozilla-backed, non-commercial Firefox Focus gives you the much-needed browsing experience confidential information, and it's free too. to install Firefox Focus, .

5 Adguard

Adguard considered one of the best ad blockers these days. This will not only help you get rid of flashy ads, but also provide protection from malware. Adguard removes tracking cookies and simplifies page loading, giving you an easy and convenient surfing experience.

Adguard mainly offers desktop software. It can be easily downloaded to your desktop or laptop. Adguard allows you to block ads everywhere, including ads in videos and games. There are many filters available, giving you best quality filtration. It is available for all browsers, but is best used for Chrome and Firefox. Application Adguard also available for Android and iPhone. For installation .

6 Clear Seven - ad blocking in the browser for Android

Ad Clear is the most popular ad blocker in the browser for Android. Ad Clear removes intrusive ads even before advertisers try to track your browsing activity. They block encrypted ads first. Ad Clear resets all ads, including YouTube ads.

An additional benefit of using Ad Clear is that it saves mobile battery, speeds up page loading time, and also protects its users from malware and other phishing sites. For installation .

7 AdBlock Pro - Browser Ad Blocking for Chrome

AdBlock Pro is a Chrome add-on that blocks all online ads. Whether it's banner ads or those annoying pop-ups, get rid of everything that's interrupting your browsing experience.

AdBlock Pro is very effective because it works on filter lists. You have the opportunity to either block all ads or several. If you want to support your favorite site or YouTube channel You can simply add it to the whitelist.
AdBlock Pro is also a user-friendly ad blocker. With just one click, it allows you to do so many things, such as removing ads for specific sites, accessing the main menu, creating whitelists and filters, etc. And don't forget, it's completely free! For installation .

8 Super Browser Ad Blocker for Chrome

Super Ad Blocker blocks all online advertisements, including the latest form of advertising. Be it flash ads, rich media, pop-ups, slide-ins, malware or any other internet irritation, you just need to download Super Ad Blocker and the rest will be taken care of by Super Ad Blocker's in-browser ad blocking.

Super Ad Blocker also removes tracking files. This way, you save yourself from the clutches of marketers who are trying to monitor your browsing activities. The automatic update feature always keeps it updated. Another great feature it offers is detailed statistics on the number of ads blocked as well as the type of ads.

Note. This extension has been removed because it distributed malware.

9 AdBlocker Ultimate

AdBlocker Ultimate is another good option if you want to get rid of online advertising. This free extension is available for Yandex, Chrome, Firefox, Opera, Internet Explorer and Safari. AdBlocker Ultimate blocks ads, removes tracking files used by marketers, and also blocks phishing domains that distribute malware.
AdBlocker Ultimate consists of a variety of filters that provide maximum protection to its users. Whether it's pop-ups, commercials YouTube, pop-ups or any other commercial ad, it disables all ad types. Unlike other ad blockers, it does not have any websites or advertisers on a white background. However, AdBlocker Ultimate allows you to return to specific ads if you wish.

Removing all unwanted ads also helps improve page loading speed and reduce memory usage. You can learn more about increasing web page loading speed. to install AdBlocker Ultimate, .

10 Ad blocking in the browser from uBlock Origin

uBlock Origin is a simple but very advanced and effective ad blocking tool. This free extension is available for Yandex, Chrome, Firefox and Opera Mini Browser. Like AdBlock Plus, uBlock Origin also works on a filter list system. These are the two main filter lists, namely: EasyList and EasyPrivacy. They are enabled by default. But users can also create a new filter list as per their requirement.
uBlock Origin allows you to enable ad blocking, disable tracking, and prevent phishing domains from invading your browsing experience. Some other features include dynamic script filtering, a tool that helps hide a web page element, active URL filtering feature, and many more advanced features. Its version of Firefox has an additional feature that helps check if websites are trying to bypass ad blockers.

In short, if you want a browser ad blocker with all the advanced functionality and a user-friendly option, then uBlock Origin is a reliable service. For installation .

11 Block This - Ad blocking in the browser for Android

Block This is a free browser ad blocker app for Android that works in both apps and browsers. It disables all types of advertisements such as video ads, pop-ups, banner ads, audio ads, etc. Block This also prevents marketers from tracking your browsing information. Its antivirus feature also takes good care of your security. Their large list of malware distributors blocks all unwanted domains that distribute viruses.

It also significantly increases browsing speed and battery usage, allowing its users to navigate through web content that is otherwise buried under advertisements flooded all over the Internet.

To download Block This and view the instruction manual, .

12 Simply Block Ads - blocking ads in the browser for Chrome

As the name suggests, Simply Block Ads is very simple for those who use it. This is a free extension and is considered one of the most promising ad blockers. Unlike other ad blockers that allow you to customize it by creating a whitelist, filters, etc., making it even more complex, Simply Block Ads does not have such critical features.

All you need to do is install the extension and your browser's ad blocking will work. It runs ad blocker protocols on all websites you visit. You just need to select the option to turn it on or off. No other settings are required. This is the simplest ad unit I've come across.

Block Ads blocks all types of ads such as banner ads, YouTube ads, pop-ups and more. Its interface is clear and easy to use. Doesn't even require any recommendations for use. Being the lightest option available in the market, weighing only 477kb, it also saves your memory space. It has been used by a million users so far. This in itself can vouch for its performance.

The only drawback is poor customer service. The only way to contact them is to fill out the text box that mentions your problem and wait for their feedback. Unlike other ad blockers, it does not provide direct chat or direct mail.

Note. This extension has been removed because it worked with the latest ToS Chrome.

13 Opera – built-in ad blocking in the browser

Opera is a web browser with a built-in ad blocker. No hassle installing extensions or add-ons. Just download the Opera browser. All you need to do is enable or disable ad block settings in your browser. This way, you can unblock your favorite website with just the click of a button.

Opera blocks ads as soon as you request a specific web page to load. This way the page loads much faster. Opera says it loads web pages 90% faster when its ad blocking feature is turned on. It's better than the Opera browser when combined with other ad blocking add-ons. Opera also shares statistics regarding how many ads have been blocked.

In a nutshell, Opera offers a wide range of features beyond ad blocking. Some of the great features include Messenger, disable tracking cookies, free VPN, battery saver, news reader, currency and time zone converter and more.

Although Opera is not as famous as Yandex, Chrome or Firefox, it has gained popularity in recent years. Opera is also available for Android. Download Opera Mini Browser for Android, which has similar features to Opera. To download Opera browser, .

14 DNS66 - Ad blocking for Android

DNS66 allows you to block ads on Android devices. As the name suggests, DNS66 uses DNS to block domains and ads, and also gives you the ability to add additional DNS servers. Although it may seem a little difficult at first, don't panic. Its use is quite simple.

In settings, you can choose which DNS servers to block and which to allow. You can also select the applications for which you want to enable DNS66. This comprehensive ad unit can be set up in just three simple steps: run, run and install. For installation .

15 Netguard - ad blocking in the browser for Android

Netguard is another great ad unit for Android. Simple yet advanced features allow you to block all types of online advertising. You can customize it by adding apps and web pages to the list, then choose which ones to allow and which ones to block.

Netguard helps reduce data usage, increases battery consumption, and also protects your browsing pattern. It also has a new app notification that gives you the option to directly allow or block that app. You can also change the theme and color of the app. It has five different options.

There are others important functions, such as support for multiple device users, tethering support, roaming blocking capability, etc.

Conclusion

Marketing is truly beneficial on both sides - both for marketers and for consumers. But these days, due to the overuse of various marketing tactics, it is becoming more and more annoying. Consequently, blocking ads in your browser has become a necessity rather than an option.

Web surfers can change the entire landscape of how the Internet works. Ultimately, marketers and content creators need to think about their preferences. target audience, before bombarding them with every possible form of advertising. Instead of flooding the web with unnecessary ads, they should use strategies that provide a satisfying web experience for both consumers and marketers.

This is the TOP 15 best services that block ads in the browser for 2018. They have been carefully selected by me for you. Choose the one that the best way meets your requirements. Get rid of those unwanted advertisements and have a hassle-free browsing experience at a much faster speed. If you know of any other ad blocker that I have missed, or if you have come across any of the above mentioned ad blockers and experienced any problems, feel free to leave a comment.
Thank you for your attention! Good luck and prosperity to everyone! See you again!

You will be the first to rate!

Below is a list of the best free ad blockers. But none of them is perfect, so it is most effective to use several solutions at once.

Types of Advertising

When choosing the best blockers, we adhered to the following criteria:

  • Completely free;
  • Good user ratings;
  • No need to register an account to use;
  • Recently updated (within the last 12 months);
  • Implementation as a plugin for at least one browser or operating system;
  • Blocks “media ads” (pop-ups, banners, videos, static images, wallpapers, text ads);
  • Blocks advertisements in videos (for example, on YouTube).

To test blockers, we used several sites with various types advertisements. Among them: Forbes.com, Fark.com, YouTube and OrlandoSentinel.com.
On Orlando Sentinel, we found aggressive ad formats that most ad blockers cannot block. In fact, only a few of them effectively blocked all ads shown on the Orlando Sentinel.

We've tested each of these free tools based on the criteria provided and given them a rating. In addition, the ad blockers listed below, with the exception of Stend Fair Adblocker, are open source software.

The best ad blockers - browser plugins and applications

The best option for blocking ads is to install a specialized plugin or use a browser with a built-in blocker. They interact with sites much more accurately than standalone programs running in the background on your computer.

Stands Fair AdBlocker
It is only available for the Google Chrome browser. With this plugin you can block all types of advertising. But it is only available as an add-on for the Google Chrome browser.
Stands Fair AdBlocker is not designed to block ad blocks, although it can be used for that as well. The development company believes in honest advertising and encourages users who create white lists of ads shown on sites.

Luckily, Stands does a great job of blocking all other ads. Including the aggressive advertising formats shown on the Orlando Sentinel. Plus display ads, autoplay videos, and YouTube ads.

Rating: 7/7

Main advantages: Block ads on Facebook and Google search.

Works with: Google Chrome

AdBuard AdBlock
AdGuard AdBlock was able to block all types of ads. But the biggest disadvantage of this ad blocker is that all the features are only available in the premium version. However, the difference between blocker versions is explained only in the reference documentation.

Many users have rated AdBuard AdBlock positively. It has been downloaded over 4 million times and received high ratings.
When we tested it, it was one of the ad blockers that not only effectively blocked ads shown on the Orlando Sentinel website, but also blocked advertising frames with the word “advertisement.”

Rating: 7/7

Main advantages: Possibility to convert whitelist to blacklist.

Works with: Google Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Opera, Microsoft Edge, Yandex Browser.

Opera Browser
One of the fastest and most productive browsers. He was one of the first to offer his users a built-in ad blocker.

Once you enable the ad blocker in your settings, it blocks almost every ad you come across. But the browser was unable to block interstitial ads on the Forbes website (blocks of quotes that appear before articles). Most other ad units were blocked.
In addition, the Opera ad blocker successfully blocked advertisements shown on the Orlando Sentinel.

Rating: 7/7

Main advantages: built into a popular browser, simple work with a white list.

Works: with Opera.

Adblock Plus
Is the most popular software to block ads with over 10 million downloads in the Google Chrome browser alone. This is a free and open source project. Adblock Plus is the basis for many other free blockers.

By default, Adblock Plus is designed to only block ads that are considered intrusive or potentially harmful. Therefore, it requires additional configuration.
If you want to block most ads (including auto-playing videos), you'll need to disable the "Allow some non-intrusive ads" option in Settings. But even in this case, ABP does not block everything.

Adblock Plus was one of the tools that failed to do anything about the ads shown on the Orlando Sentinel. Unfortunately, even the “element blocking” function could not help. ABP is good and popular, but far from perfect.

Rating: 6.5 / 7

Main advantages: presence of anti-blocking filter.

Works with: Google Chrome, Firefox, Microsoft Edge, Internet Explorer, Opera, Safari, Yandex Browser, iOS, Android.

uBlock AdBlocker Plus
Unlike other tools, uBlock AdBlocker Plus is easy to use. However, there are some things that the developer could improve. For example, the blocker's website is just a page with the name of the plugin and no additional information.

Block AdBlocker Plus effectively blocks most advertisements, but still lets some through. For example, it did not block the automatic playback of advertising on one of the sites.

When some advertisements were loading, I used the "element blocking" feature to block specific advertisements on the webpage. For example, on the Orlando Sentinel, element blocking worked fine. And its use did not lead to a page reload (as was the case with other ad blockers).

Rating: 6.5 / 7

Main advantages: easy to use, ability to lock elements.

Works with: Google Chrome.

uBlock Plus Adblocker
The biggest drawback of this plugin is that it has a clunky interface. There are several settings that are activated using switches. But most of the work involves digging into the parameters. However, uBlock Plus Adblocker effectively blocked all advertisements, including autoplay videos.

The main advantage of the plugin is the presence of a large library of third-party filters. The tool also includes advanced custom settings that allow you to create your own content filters.
During testing, uBlock Plus Adblocker blocked most advertisements. But I couldn't do anything about it banner advertising, shown on the Orlando Sentinel.

Rating: 6.5 / 7

Main advantages: filters elements and unsafe advertisements.

Works with: Google Chrome.

AdBlocker Genesis Plus
If you have used uBlock Origin or AdBlock Plus, this plugin is for you. AdBlocker Genesis Plus is a fork of other popular plugins. It uses the same basic source code, but implements many of its own features.

Its user interface is slightly different, but the ad blocking functionality is the same. The plugin's developer claims to have specifically removed tracking code from the uBlock/AdBlock Plus source code to ensure greater privacy.

This ad blocker has a high rating (4.34 out of 5) based on over 100,000 ratings. But I found that Genesis Plus doesn't block all ads. The plugin blocked simple display ads on one site (Fark.com), but was unable to block a display ad on the Orlando Sentinel.

Rating: 6/7

Main advantages: no tracking code, simple whitelist button, block items button.

Works with: Google Chrome.

Adblock Ultimate
Open source project. The tool allows you to deal with most advertisements. In testing, it was able to block YouTube ads and most display ads on websites. This ad blocker has high ratings: 4.84 out of 5 from Google Chrome users and over 600,000 installations.

The plugin was unable to handle the ads shown on the Orlando Sentinel. It did not block ads broadcast on this site at all. But for those who only need to cut out most of the ads, this is a good option. Unfortunately, the plugin has not been updated for over a year. Because of this, his rating was lowered.

Rating: 6/7

Main advantages: Quick “item blocking” feature that allows you to instantly block any advertisements.

Works with: Google Chrome.

NoScript

This tool is only suitable for Firefox and is more of a script blocker than an ad blocker. NoScript prevents all types of scripts from loading on web pages: JavaScript, Java, Flash and others. You can allow certain types of scripts to be loaded. But by default, the tool applies a fairly “hard” filter.

As a result of its work, most display ads are blocked. This includes aggressive advertising on the Orlando Sentinel, which other tools could not cope with. But NoScript does not block ads in videos at all.

Rating: 5.5/7

Main advantages: Complete blocking of scripts.

Works with: Firefox.

Why aren't Privacy Badger and Ghostery on this list?

You may have heard about the popular ad blockers Privacy Badger and Ghostery. The fact is that these plugins are not designed to block ads, but to refuse ads and other elements of sites that violate user privacy. As a result, they both block certain types of advertisements. But first and foremost, the tools are aimed at protecting privacy.

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