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Last updated Nov 25, 2020
When a salesman comes to your door, you always have the option of not listening. You can shut the door in their face, if you want to, or never open it in the first place. Unfortunately, that’s harder to do on your web browser. Pop-ups clog your computer desktop, and some websites are so littered with advertisements that they’re almost impossible to read. Not to mention how long they take to load!
To add insult to injury, those ads rely on the use of your browsing history. Third-party data brokers buy and sell your private web info to customize ads for you, but the whole system is built on surveillance. Websites use trackers to record what you view, what ads you click - and of course, what you buy.
Uncomfortable with that scenario? You’re not alone. More and more people are turning to ad blockers to make their surfing experience, cleaner, faster, and less intrusive. In this article, we’ll cover how ad-blockers work, what benefits they offer, and whether you really need one or not!
How do ad blockers work?
Most ad blockers start with a list. Specifically, when you tell your browser to load a website, the ad blocker will look at the various resources to load on the site, compare them to a list of known advertisements, and block them accordingly.
That seems pretty simplistic, but the actual process is more complicated. Ad blockers will follow a list of rules to determine what is an ad, and what isn’t. With most ad blockers, not all ads are forbidden - there are further rules to separate “bad” ads from “good” ones. Ads that follow certain rules and generally stay unobtrusive might be allowed to get through.
Adblock Plus, one of the most popular ad blocking extensions, follows a whole list of rules for ads. These include restrictions on how much space an ad can occupy on a given webpage, animated ads, video ads with autoplay, and more.
After checking scripts against the lists and rules, most ad blockers use two methods to prevent the ads from appearing on your screen:
HTTP request blocking
Most ads are stored on a different server from the website they are displayed on. Ad blockers can identify ads and then block the requests to load them - essentially cutting them off early and preventing them from ever being loaded.
Element hiding
If an ad is stored on the website itself, an ad blocker can conceal the ad using a CSS script that overwrites the ad script. This is less common than request blocking, which stops ads before they ever load.
What is the best ad blocker for Chrome?
1. uBlock Origin
The list of best ad blockers begins with uBlock Origin. A free and open-source ad blocking extension, uBlock Origin offers a few unique features. There aren’t any “acceptable ads”; uBlock blocks everything, giving fewer opportunities for trackers to follow your activity. The open-source nature of uBlock Origin means there are a lot of options when it comes to which lists to use for ad-blocking, and more lists can be added or removed as needed.
Of course, blocking everything poses its own problems. Some elements may not display correctly, and uBlock Origin doesn’t have any allowances for the supposedly “good” ads that most websites rely on for financial support. Since those ads still track your activity, uBlock stops them as well.
Pros:
- Completely open-source
- Cross-browser support
- Strong privacy features
- Add or remove lists as needed
Cons:
- More elements may not display correctly than with other ad blockers
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2. Adblock Plus
Adblock Plus originated as a small project way back in 2002, and today is by far the most popular ad blocking tool available. Adblock Plus is available as an extension for Google Chrome and gives users a number of settings for how strict Adblock Plus will be.
The biggest concern with AdBlock Plus is the presence of a default list of “acceptable” ads - pay-to-play ads sponsored by AdBlock Plus.
Pros:
- Effective
- Well-established
Cons:
- Built-in exception list for “acceptable” ads
- Could be resource-heavy, can slow things down
3. AdGuard
A popular alternative to Adblock Plus, AdGuard blocks ads before they load to your browser, speeding up your browsing experience. AdGuard still provides options for security, privacy, and targeting filter lists, and has received overwhelmingly positive feedback from users.
Pros:
- Less resource-heavy than other ad blockers
- Complete suite of extras, including AdGuard DNS and AdGuard Home for home server protection.
Cons:
- Limited customer support
- Need to upgrade to the paid version to take advantage of all the features
What is the best ad blocker for Android?
If anything, pop-up ads seem even worse on mobile devices. Not surprisingly, many of the extensions available for Chrome also work to block ads on Android devices.
1. AdGuard
Offers the same features as the desktop version, and a subscription to the paid version of AdGuard that works for both desktop and mobile.
2. AdAway
Free to use, with an unusual approach - rather than block any ads, AdAway simply intercepts the request to load them and redirects it to a nonexistent location. It’s a simple approach, but has at least one drawback; AdAway works by detecting ads from other domains and redirecting, but if the ad is hosted on the source domain (the webpage in question), then the ads will get through. Third-party ads are blocked effectively, but some first-party ads will still be displayed.
3. AdBlock Plus
Once again, AdBlock makes the list with a comprehensive approach to ad blocking. AdBlock also offers some limited blocking of trackers and malware, making it more than just an ad blocker.
Ad blockers and Internet privacy
Almost every web browser offers its own integrated ad blocker. In most cases, these aren’t very good, and users will need to install a third-party extension to block ads.
However, adding extensions to your browser does come with some risks of its own. There can be security issues with extensions and add-ons, and there is the added drawback of increased load on your web browser, which can lead to a slower browsing experience. Extensions also increase your online fingerprint, making you more identifiable to the sites you visit.
The ideal ad-blocking solution is a browser that actually blocks ads automatically, giving you a high level of ad blocking without the need for a risky extension. That’s where Brave comes in.
Building a better Internet: Brave and the future of ad blockers
What is the biggest problem with ad blockers? Ironically, it’s the fact that they block ads. While everyone agrees that blocking annoying pop-ups, flashing gifs, and autoplay videos is a good thing, there is an underlying problem: the entire Internet economy relies on those ads.
Google? The search engine giant is actually an advertising company (as an example, you can read here about how much information Google tracks on your searching habits). All your favorite blogs and websites? They rely on paid ads as their primary source of income. If you take away those ads, you undermine the entire economy.
Of course, this assumes that spying on your browsing habits to customize ads - also referred to as the Internet surveillance economy - is the best way to operate the Internet. Not everyone agrees, which is why Brendan Eich, the creator of Javascript, founded the Brave browser.
Brave features a unique approach to Internet ads. Any creepy or unwanted ads are blocked outright, with the only exceptions being ads you choose to view. It is similar to the approach other ad blockers take, but to avoid the same problems for Internet content creators, Brave rewards users for viewing those ads and lets them pass those rewards on to the creators they enjoyed as tips in the form of Basic Attention Tokens (BAT).
The result is a radically different Internet. Creators, like the news agencies, small bloggers, and channels on YouTube and Twitch that we all know and love, can be rewarded simply and directly. No more obscure Google Ads middle-man, just a direct contribution from consumers to creators, all powered by Brave’s privacy-based Internet economy.
Brave - the browser you’ve been looking for
With Brave, you get a faster browsing experience, quicker load times, and cleaner websites. You also get second-to-none privacy thanks to the third-party tracker blocking.
Most importantly, you get an approach to the Internet that starts with keeping your personal data to yourself. No company deserves your data automatically, so Brave empowers you to view the ads you want to on your terms. At the same time, Brave enables you to reward content creators directly. Brave doesn’t just disrupt the old surveillance-based Internet economy - it demonstrates a better alternative. Download Brave now.
Browse the web faster and privately!
Within a short period of time, Brave has become one of the most popular web browsers for privately surfing the internet. Like other options, it allows you to seamlessly navigate websites, play or view online content, and run web apps. Additionally, it remembers website authentication information. Where Brave trumps its counterparts is the fact that it effectively blocks online ads on websites.
One of the fastest, most secure browsers!
An anti-ad attitude for private browsing!
Since its release, Brave has been preferred for an aggressive anti-ad policy. Designed to block online ads on websites, it follows an innovative business model that replaces the generic and usual advertisements with the ones from its own network.
Brave Ad Blocker
Moreover, the browser eliminates ad trackers, which are page components website publishers and advertisers deploy to identify users. Trackers let publishers know about your preferences and the websites you prefer to visit.
In simple terms, these trackers help ad networks display similar products to the ones purchased or viewed. Since Brave efficiently blocks ad trackers (not the ones on Google search engine but in the browser), it keeps your surfing experience private and doesn’t share data with third-party ad networks.
Familiar design cues
Brave browser for desktop has been designed upon Chromium, which is Google’s open-source project for maintaining Chrome. On iOS, Brave uses the WebKit, an open-source foundation that powers Apple’s native Safari browser. As such, it takes a lot of design cues from popular browsers and provides you with a familiar surfing experience. WebKit is considered to be the backbone of third-party web browsers submitted to the App Store on Apple.
Brave Ad Blocker Review
Plenty of extensions but more needed
One area where Brave needs some improvements is the number of available extensions. While the browser includes add-ons for a wide range of third-party password managers, PDF creators, and translators, you won’t find as many options as Google Chrome. Hopefully, Brave will introduce more extensions in the coming months.
With a simple and clean interface, Brave is an excellent browser for surfing the internet privately. The built-in password manager ensures better security, and blocking ad trackers improves the speed of loading pages. Moreover, the popular browser is lightweight and doesn’t take a toll on system resources. Recently, Brave even tied up with DuckDuckGo to provide an improved private browsing experience.
Where can you run this program?
While Brave is getting increasingly popular on iOS, it’s also available for Mac, Windows, and Android devices. On iOS, it’s recommended to have iOS 12 or above.
Is there a better alternative?
While you could check out Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, or Safari, Brave is an excellent choice for better security and private browsing. Although other browsers sport ad-blockers to some extent, they aren’t as effective in providing you with a secure and private surfing experience. Still, if you’re looking for a familiar interface on your Apple device, Safari could be a sound choice. Similarly, Google Chrome is a better choice for anyone interested in loads of extensions.
Our take
Brave browser’s speed, security, and ad-blocking capabilities make it a great choice. While using the browser, all the features look exciting and ensure you get an amazing surfing experience with a neat interface.
Should you download it?
Yes, definitely! In recent times, people around the world have been concerned about privacy issues and data handling. In such times, it’s great to see a company focusing on users’ interests and safety. With ad-blocking, faster speed, and an easy-to-use interface, Brave is an excellent choice to make the transition to a safer web browser.
Highs
- Built-in password manager
- Simple and clean interface
- Exceptionally fast
- Lightweight on system resources
Lows
- Fewer extensions than Chrome
- Occasional lags and crashes
Brave Browser: Fast AdBlockerfor iOS
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