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.
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Free ad blocking
Desktop extensions for Chrome, Firefox, Edge, and Opera
Mac app for Safari Mobile apps for Safari and Samsung Internet
Free features (desktop extensions only)
Adblock Plus Premium (desktop extensions only)
Price: Buy Premium
Features:
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desktop extension menu |
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Free ad blocking
Desktop extensions for Chrome, Firefox, and Edge
Mac app for Safari (+ optional VPN) Mobile apps for Safari and Samsung Internet
Free features (desktop extensions only)
Features:
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desktop extension menu
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What about the other ad blockers?
You probably also have seen other ad blockers with similar names: Total Adblock, Ad Remover, AdLock, AdGone, AdTranquility...the list goes on and on! It is important to note, we aren't affiliated with any of these.
Adblock Plus uses an open-source code, which means that other ad blockers can use our code to imitate our software. Unfortunately, there isn't much we can do to stop them.
Since product names cannot be trademarked, we cannot prevent other ad blockers from using a similar name or logo. However, whenever we feel our intellectual property has been violated or our code has been adapted to infect users' computers with adware, we report them to Google, Mozilla, Microsoft, or Apple, as appropriate.