Is Adblock Plus the same thing as AdBlock?
In short — no. Both are ad blockers, but they are separate products. Adblock Plus was born in 2006 as a Firefox add-on, while AdBlock originated in 2009 for Google Chrome.
In early 2021, Adblock Plus teamed up with AdBlock. Although we have joined forces, we remain two different products.
The longer version…
Adblock Plus (ABP) was created as a Firefox add-on way back in the day. AdBlock was created as a Google Chrome add-on. Later, the Adblock Plus team decided to support Chrome as well. Over time, both AdBlock and ABP added support for additional browsers and platforms. In 2021, Eyeo, the company behind Adblock Plus, acquired AdBlock. Though the two products remain separate, the teams will collaborate on future projects. We're happy to introduce AdBlock VPN as the first product from the combined team.
What's the difference between AdBlock and Adblock Plus? Which one should I use?
We recommend only using one ad blocker. Using multiple ad blockers can reduce your browser speed, display multiple update pages, and create issues when encountering anti-adblocking walls.
Which one you choose, however, comes down to personal preference. They both use the same ad blocking technology and they both have their own Premium upgrade. You can compare their differences and similarities below.
|
Feature |
AdBlock |
Adblock Plus |
|
Free Ad Blocking |
✅ |
✅ |
|
Manual Ad Blocking |
✅ |
✅ |
|
Acceptable Ads |
✅ |
✅ |
|
Chrome Extension |
✅ |
✅ |
|
Firefox Extension |
✅ |
✅ |
|
Edge Extension |
✅ |
✅ |
|
Opera Extension |
|
✅ |
|
Safari (Mac App) |
✅ |
✅ |
|
Blocked Ads Statistics |
✅ |
|
|
Mobile App (iOS/Samsung Internet) |
✅ |
✅ |
|
Premium: Distraction Control |
✅ |
✅ |
|
Premium: Cookie Consent Blocker |
✅ |
✅ |
|
Premium: Ad Blocking in iOS Apps |
|
✅ |
|
Premium: Themes & Image Swap |
✅ |
|
|
Premium: VPN |
✅ |
|
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|
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ABP desktop extension menu
|
What about the other ad blockers?
You’ve likely seen other ad blockers such as Total Adblock, Ad Remover, AdLock, AdGone, AdTranquility...the list goes on and on! It's important to note, we aren't affiliated with any of these.
Most Adblock Plus products use open-source code, which means that other ad blockers can use our code to offer similar software provided they comply with the applicable open source requirements. Unfortunately, there isn't much we can do to stop them from using that code so long as they use it appropriately.
We own trademark rights in Adblock Plus and we take appropriate action to protect our Adblock Plus trademarks and other intellectual property. We also take action when we feel our code has been adapted to infect users' computers with adware or if we feel other companies have used our open source code in violation of the open source requirements, including reporting those violations to Google, Mozilla, Microsoft, or Apple, as appropriate.