It is certainly discomforting to know that someone somewhere is monitoring your activities on a PC or mobile device that they didn’t contribute a cent to your purchasing it.  At the end of this Ghostery vs Adblock comparison, our readers would be able to take back control of their browsing records by using the best adblocker.

Surfing the internet opens you up to a plethora of information. But it could also leave you vulnerable to trackers!

With each browsing session you engage in, there are companies that use trackers to monitor your browsing habits and sell your web browsing data to third-party organizations. These organizations, in turn, would use this information to create targeted ads.

On the surface, it seems like nothing because “Heck, who cares what they do with it!”  but think about it this way; Let’s say you got on the phone and called your friend and spoke to them about how you are interested in selling toothbrushes and then the very second you get off the phone, your creepy neighbor from an entirely different block knocks on your door and says “So, I hear you are interested in selling toothbrushes!”

Freaked out? Well, that’s what we’re talking about.

This is why we have ad-blockers!

Think of ad-blockers as a shield to keep you and your online activities away from the prying eyes of nosey marketing companies. And while some shields are strong, others are weak and some others are like the mythical Trojan horse – they claim to protect you but they sell your data!

Also Read: Adblock vs Adblock Plus

Ghostery vs Adblock

Within this article, we would be comparing two of the most popular ad-blockers on the internet sphere – ghostery vs adblock. We have put together this ghostery vs adblock comparison to help our readers decide what ad-blocker is best for their online activities.

We would be comparing both ad-blockers across an array of qualities and functions that play a role in ensuring that an internet user’s activities are protected!

Let’s start with Ghostery (Not to be confused with Ghostery MCM).

Ghostery

Created in 2009, Ghostery is an ad blocking browser extension that offers users a relatively unmatched flexibility when it comes to blocking ads. Available for browsers such as Chrome, Opera, Firefox, Internet Explorer, and Safari, Ghostery not only gives users a count of blocked trackers, it also lets the user choose which tracker and ad they want to block. Ghostery is also available for iOS and Android.

AdBlock

Adblock is an easy to use extension inspired by another ad-blocker called “Adblock Plus” but both ad-blockers are not related at all.  Created for Google Chrome by Michael Gundlach, Adblock was originally found on just Chrome browsers but it soon became so popular amongst internet users looking to block intrusive advertisement that it quickly became popular on other browsers as well.

Ghostery vs Adblock: Pricing and Features

Ghostery is a free extension tool compatible with a plethora of browsers, but with emphasis on Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Opera, and Microsoft Edge. Ghostery is also downloadable for mobile devices from the Amazon App Store, Google Playstore, or the Apple App Store.

Adblock is also a free extension tool for web browsers and Adblock developer Michael Gundlach when asked, said he preferred “Thank you” notes to money. However, the company accepts donations to their cause as well as tech help. If you are technically-savvy, Adblock is open to let you test their beta version for bugs before it is released. Adblock is available in all major browsers.

Ghostery vs Adblock: Ease of Use

Using Ghostery cannot get any easier than it already is. Simply install the tool and it automatically starts counting the trackers that follow you on a page, then it provides a full list with tracker’s details so you can block the trackers you dislike.

The downside to this process is that most ad-blocking users would much rather have the ad-blocker blocking the ads automatically. Especially since the tracker’s list could have a whole boatload of trackers.

Adblock, on the other hand, has the same stringent filter that Adblock Plus is known for. This tool automatically blocks malware, popunders and popups, ads on Facebook and ads on YouTube. Not to mention that its extension button gives users more control over ad-blocking.

Ghostery vs Adblock: Flexibility

Ghostery offers users an unmatched level of control, so you can configure ads that are present on a page. Users can choose to support a website that shows non-obtrusive ads, by simply unblocking it from their tool’s list, while still blocking pop-ups and flashy banners.

Ghostery’s user-friendliness and flexibility give users the choice to do whatever they want, whenever they want.

Adblock offers a certain extent of flexibility seeing as it is open-source and supports user-modification. But just like Ghostery, Adblock automatically allows “allowable ads”. These are ads that follow the rules of acceptable advertising like ads have to be labeled “ads”, pop-outs are not allowed, auto-plays and animations are not allowed, ads must not block main content etc.

However, users are allowed to turn this feature off by unchecking “allow allowable ads” in the settings.

Ghostery vs Adblock: Data Security

Ghostery unfortunately, has been found to sell user data to ad companies and this is basically the description of the fabled Trojan horse. Most users who do not know how to turn this feature off in the Ghostery setting would still be hit with allowed “non-intrusive ads” that are tailored based on their data and browsing history.

Adblock is becoming more commercial and users are worried about some privacy policy concerns. However, as of the time of this writing, user data is still safer in Adblock’s hands than in Ghostery’s.

Now that we have a comparison drawn out, let’s aggregate our thought on Ghostery and Adblock in a Ghostory vs Adblock comparison table

 Ghostery vs Adblock – Conclusion

The decision to use an ad-blocker when surfing the internet is one that should not be taken lightly. In an objective suggestion, we would ask you to choose whichever one works best for your needs. But if we had to be subjective, other than the fact that Ghostery has been known to sell user data to ad companies, it is a better alternative when compared to Adblock.

Also Read: uBlock Origin vs Adblock Plus