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Block individual ads, whitelist certain websites and only allow legitimate ads with this add-on for Chrome

Block individual ads, whitelist certain websites and only allow legitimate ads with this add-on for Chrome

Vote: (154 votes)

Program license: Free

Developer: Adblock Plus

Version: 3.18.1

Works under: Windows

Vote:

Program license

(154 votes)

Free

Developer

Version

Adblock Plus

3.18.1

Works under:

Windows

Pros

  • Does a smart job of blocking many of the common types of ads
  • Comes with many filters and lets you make your own filters
  • Blocks individual features of specific ads
  • Reduces the number of ads that you see on any website
  • Is one of the best free ad blocking programs available

Cons

  • Requires some trial and error to use all features
  • Sometimes blocks content that is not an ad
  • May not block all the ads on a single page
  • Doesn't work as effectively with certain types of ads
  • Will only work with the Google Chrome browser

Now you can stop those annoying ads that you often see online with AdBlock Plus for Chrome. Designed specifically for the Google Chrome browser, this simple app will eliminate ads that pages run to help you see only the text, videos, or photos you want to see.

Web sites of all types run a variety of ads, including the smaller blogs that you read every week and the news sites that you view daily. Some ads run on the side of a page or underneath a post, but other ads will pop up as soon as you load a page. When using a touchscreen device, closing those ads is hard. Sites run ads to make money from advertisers. Since some sites receive money for each ad that a visitor sees, they might run so many ads that you have a hard time reading an article or even watching a video. Thanks to AdBlock Plus for Chrome, you can now visit those sites and spend time reading or watching without ads slowing you down.

AdBlock Plus for Chrome adds a small red symbol that looks like a stop sign to the end of your Chrome address bar. The ABP inside the symbol lets you easily identify it. Clicking on this symbol will bring up some information like whether you enabled the program and if it blocked ads on your current page. It also has a feature that lets you block a specific type of element or ad. The app will also show you the number of ads blocked on the page you have open and the total number of ads it blocked since you first used it.

Opening the app will also let you access the options menu. The options menu shows you all the available filters and lets you select the ones that you want to use. You can click on the “add your own filters” button to set up filters that you want to use on ads that you see online. There is even a whitelisted domains feature that gives you the option of blocking certain pages based on the type of ads run on those sites or keywords found on those pages.

This ad blocking program does a great job of blocking some of the more common types of ads. The ads that run online often play crazy music or have flashing lights that can keep you from concentrating. Some even include video ads that will both play music and start a video when you load a page. There are also ads called dancing ads that will bounce across the screen. AdBlock Plus for Chrome eliminates all of these.

AdBlock Plus for Chrome also does a good job of blocking the ads that you see on video and software sites. These sites often run ads that have a fake download button somewhere in the image. As the ads look exactly like the real download buttons, you might click one and load a page that installs malware on your computer. AdBlock Plus for Chrome will prevent that malware from taking over your device. Instead of showing you the whole ad, it places a large white box over it.

Although this program may not block all the ads that you come across on the web, it does come with customizable filter settings that will help you block more ads than ever before. When you see a specific type of ad that you dislike, you can simply right click on that ad and select block element from the drop-down menu that you see. This lets the program know that you never want to see an ad like this or a similar element in the future.

Creating your own filters is tricky, but making those filters is an excellent way to reduce the number of ads that appear on each page. With AdBlock Plus for Chrome, you can even create filters that will block ads that contain certain keywords. This is a great way to reduce the number of the same ads that you see on similar pages.

Many users like turning off this program because they want to support some of their favorite independent websites. You might want to visit a friend's page, the site of a local band or even a neighborhood restaurant and help them get some extra ad dollars. Turning off AdBlock Plus for Chrome is a snap. That same symbol that appears on your address bar functions like a power switch. Simply click on the button, disable the program and visit that site. When you want to turn it back on, you can click on that symbol again and select the enable button. The program will always show you when it's on and off.

Some of the issues you might come across include a reduction in your browsing speed and aggressive blocking. It may make Chrome run a little slower than it did before, though some users do not notice any difference in their browsing speeds. AdBlock Plus can also block too many elements on a page and identify videos, photos or even portions of text as ads and block you from seeing those elements. If you're looking for a way to reduce the prevalence of online ads without paying a subscription fee, AdBlock Plus for Chrome is surely the way to go.

Pros

  • Does a smart job of blocking many of the common types of ads
  • Comes with many filters and lets you make your own filters
  • Blocks individual features of specific ads
  • Reduces the number of ads that you see on any website
  • Is one of the best free ad blocking programs available

Cons

  • Requires some trial and error to use all features
  • Sometimes blocks content that is not an ad
  • May not block all the ads on a single page
  • Doesn't work as effectively with certain types of ads
  • Will only work with the Google Chrome browser