Ghostery vs Adblock Plus
Both are open-source blockers that work on Chrome's Manifest V3. Pick Ghostery if you want cookie pop-ups removed for free and a look at the trackers on each site. Pick Adblock Plus if you want a classic ad blocker, and know that Acceptable Ads is on by default. We did not test speed or blocking rates.
Key takeaways
- Ghostery removes cookie pop-ups for free. In Adblock Plus, that is a Premium feature.
- Both are open source (GPL) and both work on Manifest V3.
- Adblock Plus has Acceptable Ads on by default. You can turn it off.
- Both need access to all sites, and both stores say the developer will not collect or use your data.
Ghostery vs Adblock Plus at a glance
| Feature | Ghostery | Adblock Plus |
|---|---|---|
| Made by | Ghostery GmbH (Munich, Germany) | eyeo GmbH (Berlin, Germany), the parent company of Adblock Plus |
| Store version when we checked | 10.6.7 (7 October 2026) | 4.46.0 (6 October 2026) |
| Price | Free. Optional contributions (monthly, yearly or one-time) do not give extra products or services, per Ghostery | Free to install. Optional paid Premium, with a monthly plan and a yearly plan |
| Open source | Yes, GPL-3.0 | Yes, GPLv3 |
| Manifest V3 on Chrome | Yes (declarativeNetRequest) | Yes. First MV3 build was version 4.0, announced 29 April 2024 |
| Site access | All websites | All sites |
| What it blocks | Ads (including on YouTube and Facebook), trackers and cookie pop-ups. Shows tracker info for each site | Pop-ups, video ads, banners, third-party trackers and malicious ads |
| Cookie pop-ups | Removed automatically, free | Premium only |
| Data it handles | A daily non-personal install snippet. Extra telemetry only if you opt in. Anonymous tracker reports to WhoTracks.Me from users who accept the policy | Update and filter-list downloads send your IP address (hashed with a daily salt for aggregation) plus browser and extension versions. Issue reports only when you send them |
| Sells data? | Policy says no personal data is shared with third parties | Policy: "We do not sell any of your Personal Information, and we never will" |
| Store privacy statement | "Will not collect or use your data" | "Will not collect or use your data" |
Which is better, Ghostery or Adblock Plus?
Neither wins on everything. Ghostery is the better fit if you want trackers and cookie pop-ups handled in one free extension. Adblock Plus is the better fit if you want a long-established ad blocker and are fine with Acceptable Ads. Both are open source and both work on Manifest V3. We did not test blocking.
Is Ghostery free?
Yes. Ghostery's pricing page lists optional contributions (monthly, yearly or one-time) and says they do not entitle you to additional products or services. So the cookie pop-up blocking and tracker blocking are in the free extension. Adblock Plus is also free to install, but its cookie banner blocking is in the paid Premium plan.
Does Adblock Plus block cookie pop-ups for free?
No. According to the Adblock Plus Premium page, cookie banners, newsletter pop-ups and floating videos are Premium only. The same page says the upgrade does not provide additional ad blocking. We print no Premium price here, because the plan page shows two sets of numbers that it does not explain. See the plan page for current prices.
What are Acceptable Ads?
Acceptable Ads is an Adblock Plus setting that lets some non-intrusive ads through. Adblock Plus says it is on by default. To turn it off, click the gear icon, open the General tab and clear "Allow Acceptable Ads". We do not state Ghostery's position on this, because we could not find it on a page we could read.
What data does each one handle?
Ghostery's policy says it never collects personal information. It sends a daily non-personal install snippet, extra telemetry only if you opt in, and anonymous tracker reports to WhoTracks.Me from users who accept the policy. Adblock Plus sends your IP address (hashed with a daily salt), plus browser and extension versions, when it downloads updates and filter lists. These are the companies' own statements.
Do both work with Manifest V3?
Yes, both. Ghostery's source manifest sets manifest version 3 and uses declarativeNetRequest. Adblock Plus shipped its first MV3 build, version 4.0, in late April 2024. Both need access to all websites to work on every page. For what MV3 changes for blockers, read our Manifest V3 ad blockers guide.
FAQ
Can I run both at once?
We advise against it. They do the same job and each needs access to all sites. Pick one.
Is Ghostery an ad blocker?
Yes, and also a tracker and cookie pop-up blocker. Our page lists it under VPN and privacy because of its privacy focus.
Which one has a safety check on Xplorekit?
Adblock Plus has one: Is Adblock Plus safe? Ghostery does not yet.
Good to know
Acceptable Ads: Adblock Plus has it on by default. For the claim that some larger sites pay to be allowlisted, see our Adblock Plus page, which links the source. If you would rather not deal with the setting, look at uBlock Origin Lite or read Adblock Plus alternatives. Limit of this page: we compare what each company publishes. We ran no speed or blocking tests, and store versions change often.
Sources (last checked 9 October 2026)
- Ghostery on the Chrome Web Store
- Adblock Plus on the Chrome Web Store
- Ghostery pricing and Ghostery privacy policy
- Ghostery source and licence: GitHub repository, README and Chrome manifest
- Adblock Plus Premium, Acceptable Ads and privacy policy
- Adblock Plus README (GPLv3, eyeo)
- Adblock Plus 4.0 announcement (29 April 2024)
Read more
Both are third-party extensions, not built by Xplorekit. We link to the official Chrome Web Store listings. We don't show ratings or user counts because we can't verify them.