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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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There are a few important reasons to consider using ad blockers — like being able to browse the internet anonymously, protecting your digital privacy, and enjoying ad-free web surfing experiences. Total Adblock is an effective, easy-to-use ad blocker that delivers all these benefits.
The software is easy to set up and provides hands-off ad-blocking without disrupting your web surfing. It's gotten top results from ad blocker test sites, and its free version comes with a decent amount of ad-blocking and tracker-blocking features. Its paid version offers all the ad-blocking you could want, in addition to award-winning antivirus protection with TotalAV.
In our comprehensive Total Adblock review, we explore why Total Adblock is one of the best ad blockers, including how it works, what it offers, and whether the premium plan is worth the cost.
| Ads blocked on Forbes homepage | 6 ads and 6 trackers |
| Adblock Tester score | 100/100 |
| Cover Your Tracks score | 2/3 |
| Can You Block It score | 3/3 |
| Does it block YouTube ads? | Yes |
| Whitelisting available | Yes |
| Blacklisting available | No |
| Compatibility | Chrome, Edge, Safari, Opera, iOS, Android |
| Paid version | Starts at $1.99/mo (billed annually) |
| Learn more | Get Total Adblock |
Each ad blocker we review goes through a standardized test designed to push the limits of what the software is capable of. This includes vigorous third-party testing using websites like adblock-tester.com, coveryourtracks.eff.org, and canyoublockit.com. We also visit popular websites to test the ad blocker’s day-to-day capabilities, including watching YouTube videos and browsing Forbes.
Once we’ve completed the testing, we calculate our editorial rating by taking into account key features you’d expect from a good product. We score each ad blocker in the following categories and use a weighted average to calculate the final rating out of 5 stars:
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
The Total Adblock app is easy to use and easy to install. All you have to do is follow the prompts explaining exactly how to install the extension on Chrome and get started, then you should automatically enjoy an ads-free experience. If you want to take advantage of the mobile version, Total Adblock provides a QR code to scan so you can start blocking ads on your mobile devices.
Once it's installed, you can click on the extension at any time to view what the software is blocking.
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We didn't experience any glitching websites while using Total Adblock, and no ads made their way through the blocker. It began working immediately, and we didn’t have to do anything after installing the extension. It’s quite a hands-off experience.
However, if you want a more hands-on approach to your ad blocking, Total Adblock allows you to manage your trusted websites and ad preferences manually.
One major downside of the free version, besides not having unlimited adblocking, is you receive Total Adblock pop-up banners on the bottom of websites letting you know that you've reached your ad limit or your trial has expired (long before the 7-day trial was up).
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Not only did Total Adblock not disclose these pop-up ads, but it feels ironic that a service designed to block pop-up ads repeatedly showed us a pop-up ad. Luckily, you can disable notifications in the app.
Total Adblock offers a paid plan option starting at $1.99/mo (billed annually) for first-time users. After your first year, it jumps to $99 a year. We recommend the paid version for a few reasons:
| Free Adblock | Premium | |
| Price | Free | $1.99/mo (billed annually) ($99/yr after) |
| Blocks unlimited ads | ||
| Block trackers | ||
| Website and ads whitelist | ||
| Block browser notifications | ||
| Antivirus protection | ||
| Details | View Plan | View Plan |
Total Adblock comes with an array of features on top of simply blocking ads. Here are some of the extra features you can expect.
On top of the ads that you're sick of seeing plastered all over every webpage, Total Adblock will also block trackers that websites set up to keep tabs on you.
These trackers are usually for advertising or analytical purposes, but a lot of people are not comfortable with what feels like spyware.
If you want to enable ads or pop-ups on certain websites, you can easily set up whitelists right in the app or extension by clicking on the settings cog and adding the website in the Acceptable Ads and Acceptable Pop-ups sections.
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This is useful if certain trusted websites have important pop-ups that keep accidentally getting blocked by Total Adblock. It can also make a huge difference for content creators and websites that rely on ad revenue for their business, such as your favorite YouTuber or blogger.
Additionally, information in the drop-down browser extension lets you know how many ads and trackers you have blocked — among other data points.
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We tested Total AdBlock using the Adblock Tester and EFF's Cover Your Tracks tools. AdBlock Tester tests for the following types of ads:
Total Adblock received 100/100, indicating that it’s a powerful ad-blocking tool.
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Cover Your Tracks tests for ads with trackers. Total AdBlock successfully blocked tracking ads and invisible ads. However, our results also showed that our browser has a unique fingerprint, meaning that it's easier to profile you online.
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Finally, Can You Block It tests if your adblocker can block "Disable adblocker" warnings, banner ads, and interstitial ads. Total AdBlock aced the test by blocking all three types, and actually was able to pass the eXtreme Test as well.
| AdBlock Tester | Cover Your Tracks | Can You Block It | |
| Total Adblock score | 100/100 | 2/3 | 3/3 |
We put Total Adblock to the test by playing videos that run long with ad timestamps. Total Adblock was successful in blocking all ads for the entire duration of these videos. Videos played in an instant without stutters or lag. In total, Total Adblock stopped 21 ads and 227 trackers on YouTube alone. It felt good to watch videos of Disneyland secrets without getting cut off by an ad for Disneyland.
With YouTube's latest attempts to bring down ad blockers, we've been relieved to see Total Adblock consistently thwart its ads, from ads in-video to banners on the page.
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If you're watching videos from your favorite YouTubers, it's better not to use Adblock. YouTubers rely on ads during their videos to generate revenue. If you wish to keep supporting them so their channel can grow, we suggest turning Total Adblock off.
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Total Adblock can't bypass paywalls currently. Thankfully they don't advertise that they do, so this isn't a failure as much as it's just a missing feature. With paywalls getting more and more difficult to bypass, this doesn't come as much of a surprise.
That said, some adblockers, such as uBlock Origin, were able to bypass "soft" paywalls that you usually find on smaller sites, like local news blogs. Unfortunately, Total Adblock wasn't able to complete this task.
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Total Adblock is largely a set-it-and-forget-it software. All you need to do is install the extension or app for your preferred device, and it'll immediately begin blocking ads.
If you're a free user, you'll be enrolled in a 7-day free trial period to block unlimited ads on every website. If you want to continue this feature, you'll need to upgrade to premium. To do so, simply follow this link and enter your payment information.
You're able to enable and disable Total Adblock with a push of a button. Simply open the extension or app and toggle the slider.
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If you want to automatically allow ads to be shown on specific websites, you can follow these steps:
Total Adblock is compatible with the following browsers and devices:
Though Total Adblock is a top option when you want to get away from pesky ads, there are other alternatives that may fit your needs better. Here's a list of some of your best choices if you're still on the fence about Total Adblock:
 |
 Threat Protection |
 CleanWeb |
|
| Best For | Best for free adblocking | Best overall | Best for blocking streaming ads |
| Price | Free | Starts at $3.99/mo | Starts at $2.29/mo (billed biennially) |
| Free version? | |||
| Adblock Tester score | 100/100 | 93/100 | 96/100 |
| Cover Your Tracks score | 2/3 | 2/3 | 0.5/3 |
| Can You Block It score | 3/3 | N/A | 3/3 |
| Blocks YouTube ads? | |||
| Compatibility | Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari (prior to 13), Opera, Chromium | Threat Protection: Windows, macOS
Threat Protection Lite: |
Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, Linux, Chrome, Edge, Firefox, FireTV |
| Learn more | Get uBlock Origin | Get NordVPN Threat Protection | Get Surfshark CleanWeb |
Yes, Total Adblock is real software with a perfect ad-blocking score and it's from the makers of TotalAV, an award-winning antivirus program.
As a first-time user, you can opt for the free version or benefit from a discount and pay $1.99/mo (billed annually) for the premium plan. After that, you will pay $119 a year. Keep in mind that the high yearly cost accounts for the inclusion of the top-rated antivirus protection TotalAV.
Navigate to “Manage Billing Preferences” when logged in to your Total Adblock account and cancel your subscription. You can also contact billing support by emailing cancel@totaladblock.com or by calling 833-201-8682.
Total Adblock, and here's why. Adblock Plus advertises many of the same features as Total Adblock, with the addition of disabling social media buttons so social networks can’t create profiles about you based on the websites you visit. Total Adblock doesn't mention those individual blockers, but it offers more with its free version than Adblock Plus.
Comparatively, Adblock Plus offers more flexible pricing for its premium version, which includes a monthly subscription (rather than Total Adblock’s yearly plan). Adblock Plus specifically notes that its free version only blocks ads and pop-ups and stops trackers, whereas its yearly paid version also blocks site notifications, stops floating videos, hides newsletter pop-ups, and more. But Total Adblock's premium plan includes real-time phishing and malware protection with WebShield, a feature of the included antivirus software TotalAV. In short, Total Adblock is a more comprehensive ad blocking solution.
Total Adblock is one of the best ad blockers, especially for those who want a “set it and forget it” experience while browsing anonymously. With a 100/100 score from Adblock Tester, you can’t get much better.
Even if you don’t opt for the paid version, the Total Adblock free download offers a solid amount of protection from trackers and a smoother web-surfing experience. So you can block unwanted ads seamlessly. The downside to using the free version is that it excludes the top 15,000 websites listed on Alexa.com.
The premium plan provides access to renowned antivirus protection TotalAV, which — coupled with Total Adblock — is worth the money if you're willing to pay. One downside to Total Adblock is that some reviewers noted difficulty canceling their subscriptions, plus you'll have to disable notifications to avoid a fake pop-up about your free plan expiring.
But based on our testing, anyone looking for a simple yet powerful way to get rid of annoying ads needs to look no further than Total Adblock. If you're considering the paid plan, read our TotalAV review to learn more about the antivirus that comes with it.
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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