AdBlocker Software: AdBlock vs Stop All Ads

Surfing the internet can sometimes be a hassle if some unnecessary and annoying ads come along every page we browse. These ads are part of a large group of software known as Adware. Just like every poison has its antidote, so does Adware and that antidote is known as AdBlocker Software. Let us understand Adware and the way to get rid of them in detail.

Stop All Ads vs AdBlock

	Stop All Ads (Free) Blocks Pop-ups and Website ads Disable Social Media interaction. Protects against Malware.	Best choice
	AdBlock (Premium) Prevent Pop-ups while browsing. Blocks Video Streaming Ads. Whitelist Websites	Best choice

What is Adware?

In simple terms, Adware is a mini-program, developed to exhibit advertisements on the internet via browsers, websites, applications, games and sometimes even through the operating system. It is a part of digital marketing, and its purpose is to generate revenue for anyone who displays them. The idea is that when a user views the ad while surfing the internet or playing a game, he/she might click on the ad, which would lead the person to a new website or application, and display pages relating to what the ad displayed. If more and more people purchase the product, then it would mean that the ad campaign has run successfully.

Adware can be of many types, the most common ones being an image being projected as a floating banner, somewhere on the website or in the application. Other adware types include videos, interactive quizzes, polls on a trending topic etc. If the ads displayed are not promoting a product, then they are collecting information that would be analyzed by data researchers to understand the market trend and most importantly, what people want.

Being a user, I would say that these ads are annoying, and no matter how large my screen is, a floating banner trying to sell me something I don’t want, gets on my nerves. I hope many of you have experienced the small popups which appear from anywhere, and then you have to search for the small X to cross it out. In worst cases, when you click on a link, it redirects you to an unknown page. Moreover, it takes a while to realise that you need to close this tab and relocate to the previous one, which has advanced to the next page. The next question, probably would be, Is there anything we can do against Adware?

What is an AdBlocker software?

To quote the Holy Bible “Where There’s Life, There’s Hope” (Ecclesiastes 9:3-5).

And for us, a ray of hope has come in the form of AdBlocker software or extensions, which not only secure our privacy but also prevent our browsers from displaying these annoying ads. Having installed one, I felt my computer would boot up faster, the battery would last longer, and of course a pleasant surfing experience, without any ads floating around. I had faced far too many ads than I can remember and after using an Ad Blocker for a couple of days, I seem to miss those irritating ads as I had grown accustomed to them.

On a serious note, it is important to find the right kind of AdBlocker for our browser among a few hundreds now available on the internet. After extensive research, I found two of them to deliver the most satisfying results. I have thoroughly compared both here and left it up to you to choose the best one for yourselves.

• AdBlock
• Stop All Ads

1. AdBlock (Premium)

One of the most popular extensions for the browsers is AdBlock, which blocks those infuriating ads, and lets us take control of our life, especially when it comes to what we want to surf on the internet. It is simple to use, installs easily as a browser extension, and works quickly with immediate effect. AdBlock extension can be installed on Edge, Firefox, Chrome, Opera, Safari, Internet Explorer and mobile OS like iOS and Android. Some of its features are:

Stops annoying pop-up ads.

AdBlock is the actual name of an AdBlocker Software, which is used to stop ads. It prevents the browser from displaying the small popups, which appear out of nowhere.

Blocks ads embedded on the web page.

Many websites allow ads to run on their main page, and many times, the ads are placed in between the content, making it quite infuriating, while we are trying to focus on reading something important. AdBlock in Chrome acts as an ad blocker and ensures that those ads are not displayed.

Prevents ads on YouTube and other streaming services.

Have you experienced an ad start to play while you were watching something on YouTube? It is something that spoils the feeling of emotion or tension that had built up. AdBlock in Chrome adds as a savior and adblocker, which maintains the tempo by preventing those ads to come in between.

Customizable with options to block ads on a particular website and set filters.

AdBlock in Chrome allows the user to set certain filters and prevent a few select websites, which show inappropriate ads, while the rest of the websites are allowed to display ads.

Whitelisting ads for a select few websites.

This is the reverse of the above option, where you can restrict all websites to display ads and whitelist a few which can.

Regular updates.

To carry out all the above-mentioned tasks, an ad locker must be vigilant at all times and must receive updates frequently so that it can identify the latest threats, which arrive in form of ads.

Important: AdBlock is an adblocker with its own unique identity, and is different from Adblock Plus which is an adblocker too but is not efficient as AdBlock.

Get it Here

2. Stop All Ads (FREE)

Another AdBlocker Software which stops ads and is worth using is Stop All Ads. It is the final resolution to the commonly faced ads issue and augments your surfing experience. Stop All ads is a sort of software that follows firm policies to let its users enjoy a seamless browser. It only requires installing a secured extension to any of your browsers, and you are all set to live through a total ad-free life.

Acceptable ads that show non-intrusive content.

Not all ads are unwanted, and Stop All Ads has a smart filter which judges the content of the ads before displaying them, thus filtering out those, which promote adult content or gather personal information.

Identifies and Protects against Malware.

Cybercriminals use every possible way to infiltrate your PC, and one way is to release malware through ads. Stop All Ads is one of the few adblockers which identifies malicious software and prevents it from entering the system. It even blocks all domains that can inject malicious software in your system and this makes it a preferred AdBlocker Software among the rest.

Avoid website tracking.

Stop All Ads browser extension is maintained by a dedicated team which release updates and prevents your activities on the internet from being tracked by Ecommerce giants.

Disable Social Media.

A unique feature in Stop All Ads is that it lets the users deactivate Social media features on a website while you are browsing. You can also use this option to block social networking links attached to many websites.

Apart from the features listed above, it does carry out the usual functions of preventing the pop-up ads, ads on the web page and streaming services like YouTube, and offers many other customizable options like whitelist and setting up your own custom filters. Another important feature is that Stop All Ads does not maintain any records of your browsing data and rest assured your surfing history is not tracked at all.

Get It Here

Comparison between AdBlock and Stop All Ads

Once you have made up your mind getting rids of those annoying ads once, and for all, the next option lies between choosing an adblocker out of the two. I hope the comparison table makes it easy for you to decide. But remember, although these ads are irritating, they act as a source of income for some websites, which offer free services, and also inform us about new products and applications in the market.So, it is recommended to whitelist such websites, which offer something of value to allow them to continue providing those free services. All others can be blocked!

Waiting to hear about your ad-free surfing experience and any suggestions of what more could be added in an AdBlocker software. Drop a note in the comments section, and subscribe to our blogs for resolutions to any tech-related issues that you may be facing.