uBlock Origin vs AdGuard: Which Ad Blocker Should You Use Now?

Short answer: if you're on Chrome, Edge, or another Chromium browser, the full version of uBlock Origin no longer works — Google removed Manifest V2 extensions from the Chrome Web Store, and uBlock Origin's maintainer has stopped actively developing the old build for Chromium. Your real Chrome options now are uBlock Origin Lite (free, lighter, Manifest V3) or AdGuard, which ships a free Manifest V3 browser extension plus a paid desktop app that filters system-wide and sidesteps Chrome's extension limits entirely. On Firefox, nothing has changed: full uBlock Origin still works exactly as before and remains the stronger free pick.

What changed: Chrome killed Manifest V2

For a decade, browser extensions — including ad blockers — ran on an API called Manifest V2 (MV2). Google began retiring it in favor of Manifest V3 (MV3) back in 2022, and the rollout has moved in stages ever since. According to Chrome's own developer documentation, Manifest V2 extensions were disabled by default across all channels on March 31, 2025, and with Chrome 138 (July 24, 2025) that disabling became permanent for ordinary users, who could no longer re-enable MV2 extensions. Chrome 139 and later versions don't run MV2 extensions at all. The final step came on August 31, 2026, when Google removed all remaining Manifest V2 extensions from the Chrome Web Store entirely, so they can no longer be installed, reinstalled, or updated there.

uBlock Origin's full-featured build was one of the most prominent casualties, because its core blocking engine depended on MV2's blocking webRequest API — the mechanism that let it inspect and block network requests dynamically. MV3 replaces that with a more restricted declarativeNetRequest system that caps the number of rules an extension can apply and limits how it can modify traffic. We covered the underlying mechanics of that API swap in our explainer on what Manifest V3 changed for uBlock Origin, if you want the deeper technical breakdown.

The practical result: Chrome, Edge, Vivaldi, and other browsers built on Chromium that follow Google's extension policy can no longer run full uBlock Origin. uBlock Origin's own Wikipedia entry notes that the extension "is being deprecated" on Chromium-based browsers for this reason, and that its developer, Raymond Hill, has said it works best on Firefox — partly because Chromium's MV3 implementation can't perform certain tricks (like CNAME uncloaking of disguised trackers) that Firefox's API still allows.

uBlock Origin on Chrome now: meet uBlock Origin Lite

Hill's answer for Chromium users is uBlock Origin Lite, a separate, from-scratch MV3 extension rather than a cut-down port of the original. Its Chrome Web Store listing (maintained by Hill under the same developer account, "gorhill") describes it as blocking "ads, trackers, miners, and more immediately upon installation," using declarative rulesets built from uBlock Origin's own filter lists, EasyList, EasyPrivacy, and Peter Lowe's ad and tracking list. As of this writing it has roughly 21 million users and a 4.5-star rating from about 3,700 reviews.

The trade-offs versus the original are real. Because it's declarative rather than dynamic, uBlock Origin Lite offers less granular per-site control, doesn't support importing arbitrary custom filter lists, and has weaker cosmetic filtering (hiding specific page elements) than the full extension. Wikipedia cites a 2025 study finding uBlock Origin Lite's ad- and tracker-blocking is roughly on par with full uBlock Origin, but its cosmetic filtering was about 20% less effective. For most people who just want ads and trackers gone, that's a narrow gap. For power users who build custom filter rules or rely on advanced dynamic filtering (blocking scripts/iframes per-site, for example), it's a meaningful downgrade.

It's also worth being precise about what "Chrome killed uBlock Origin" does and doesn't mean: existing installs of the full extension on Chrome 138 or earlier kept running after being disabled only if users had re-enabled them before that window closed, but even those stopped receiving updates once Google pulled the listing from the Store on August 31, 2026. For anyone reinstalling or starting fresh on current Chrome, uBlock Origin Lite is effectively the only uBlock option.

Full uBlock Origin on Firefox, Brave, and Safari

Away from Chrome and its policy, the picture is different:

• Firefox still supports Manifest V2 and has not announced plans to drop it, so Firefox users keep running the full, original uBlock Origin with all its dynamic filtering, custom lists, and CNAME uncloaking intact. Mozilla's continued MV2 support is the single biggest reason Hill recommends Firefox for the "complete" uBlock Origin experience.
• Brave, which is Chromium-based but maintains its own extension policy separate from Google's Chrome Web Store, has begun self-hosting full uBlock Origin (alongside AdGuard, uMatrix, and NoScript) so it can keep offering the MV2 build outside the Store. Brave users can find it under the browser's extension settings rather than the Chrome Web Store.
• Safari never ran uBlock Origin's MV2 build the way Chrome did — Apple's content-blocking model has long been more restrictive. uBlock Origin Lite shipped for Safari on macOS, iOS, and iPadOS in August 2025, giving Safari users a Hill-maintained option for the first time. AdGuard's Safari-focused apps (AdGuard Mini for Mac, AdGuard Pro for iOS) are the longer-established alternative there.

If your workflow spans multiple browsers, this is the single biggest factor in choosing a blocker: Firefox and Brave still let you run the "real" uBlock Origin; Chrome, Edge, and other strict-MV3 Chromium browsers do not.

AdGuard's two-pronged approach: browser extension plus desktop app

AdGuard, founded in 2009 and now headquartered in Cyprus, has always sold two different kinds of product, and that split happens to line up well with the post-MV2 world. According to AdGuard's own product page, the AdGuard Browser Extension is free, requires no registration, and is available for Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Opera, and Yandex Browser. Like uBlock Origin Lite, it now runs on Manifest V3 in Chromium browsers, and AdGuard is direct about the consequence: its own page states that "Manifest V3 restricts how extensions filter content," and that browsers may cap how many filters and rules can be active, so some ads and trackers can get through. In other words, AdGuard's Chrome extension faces the same structural MV3 ceiling that uBlock Origin Lite does — no browser extension, from any developer, can fully escape it on Chrome.

The part that's different is AdGuard for Windows, Mac, Android, and Linux — standalone apps that don't run as browser extensions at all. Instead, per AdGuard's own description, they filter traffic system-wide, including inside other apps, by working beneath the browser layer rather than through its extension API. Because they're not Chrome extensions, Manifest V3's rule-count and API limits simply don't apply to them. That's the trade AdGuard is selling: give up running as a free browser add-on and get filtering that MV3 can't constrain. The catch is that the desktop and mobile apps are paid products — AdGuard offers a 14-day free trial on Windows, Mac, Android, and Android TV, after which a license is required for full functionality, sold as a Personal plan (3 devices) or a Family plan (9 devices), each available as either a yearly subscription or a one-time lifetime purchase. AdGuard's pricing is not fixed in its public marketing copy and varies by region and promotion, so check AdGuard's own license page for current rates before buying.

AdGuard also publishes a lighter mobile Content Blocker (free, for Samsung Internet and Yandex Browser) and AdGuard Home, a free, self-hosted DNS-level blocker that filters an entire network rather than a single device — a different category of product from either ad blocker discussed here.

Feature and filtering comparison

Here's how the realistic Chrome-era choices line up. "uBlock Origin" below refers to the full build, usable today only on Firefox or Brave's self-hosted copy; "uBlock Origin Lite" and "AdGuard Extension" are what's actually installable from the Chrome Web Store.

Privacy approach

Both projects are built around local, on-device filtering rather than routing your traffic through a third-party ad-blocking proxy. uBlock Origin is open source under the GPLv3 license, and its entire codebase — filtering logic, filter-list handling, everything — is publicly auditable on GitHub; its Chrome Web Store privacy disclosure states the developer does not collect or sell user data. AdGuard's browser extension is also open source, with its code published on GitHub per AdGuard's own description, and the company states on its site that it does not share personal information with third parties. The AdGuard desktop apps necessarily see more of a device's traffic than a browser extension would, since they're filtering system-wide, which is worth weighing if you're specifically trying to minimize what any single piece of software can observe — though AdGuard's local, on-device filtering model is the same basic approach as its extension, just applied beneath the browser rather than inside it.

Price

uBlock Origin and uBlock Origin Lite are both free and always have been — Hill has never sold a premium tier or charged for filter lists. AdGuard's browser extension is also free. Where AdGuard charges money is its desktop/mobile apps and premium features: a Personal license (3 devices) or Family license (9 devices), sold as a yearly subscription or one-time lifetime purchase, with a 14-day trial available on Windows, Mac, Android, and Android TV before you need to pay. Exact prices shift with region and ongoing promotions, so treat any number you see on a third-party deal site skeptically and confirm current pricing directly on AdGuard's license page before buying.

Platform support at a glance

• Chrome: uBlock Origin Lite (free) or AdGuard Browser Extension (free); AdGuard for Windows/Mac/Android app available as a paid upgrade for system-wide filtering.
• Edge / other strict-MV3 Chromium browsers: Same situation as Chrome — full uBlock Origin is not installable.
• Firefox: Full uBlock Origin (MV2, free) remains the strongest option; AdGuard's Firefox extension is also available.
• Brave: Full uBlock Origin is self-hosted by Brave outside the Chrome Web Store and remains usable.
• Safari (macOS/iOS/iPadOS): uBlock Origin Lite (since August 2025) or AdGuard's Safari-specific apps, AdGuard Mini for Mac and AdGuard Pro for iOS.

Which should you use? Recommendation by browser

If you can choose your browser freely, the simplest fix is to move your ad-blocking-critical browsing to Firefox or Brave, where full uBlock Origin is still available for free with none of the MV3 trade-offs. If you're locked into Chrome for work, extensions, or sync reasons, the decision comes down to how much you value convenience versus control:

• Want the simplest free option on Chrome and don't mind MV3's limits: uBlock Origin Lite. It's maintained by the same developer as the original, uses the same default filter lists, and needs no account or payment.
• Want a free extension with slightly more configurability and an actively marketed MV3 roadmap: AdGuard's browser extension is a reasonable alternative, with the same MV3 ceiling as uBlock Origin Lite but a different feature set (built-in element-blocking tool, anti-adblock handling).
• Want filtering that genuinely isn't capped by Chrome's extension rules, and are willing to pay for it: AdGuard's desktop app is the only option here discussed that sidesteps Manifest V3 entirely, because it isn't a browser extension. That also means it blocks ads and trackers in apps outside your browser, not just on web pages — useful if that matters to you, irrelevant if it doesn't.

For context on why Chrome arrived at this point, see our coverage of recent Chrome security updates and what's landing in upcoming Chrome releases — Google has tied much of its extension platform hardening to the same security rationale it gives for MV3.

What to do next

Check which browser you actually need ad-blocking on, since the right move differs sharply between Chrome and Firefox/Brave. If you're on Chrome and want to stay free, install uBlock Origin Lite or AdGuard's extension from the Chrome Web Store and accept the MV3 trade-offs. If you're on Chrome and want to remove those trade-offs entirely, try AdGuard's desktop app during its 14-day trial before deciding whether the paid license is worth it for your setup. If you're not tied to Chrome, switching your ad-blocking-sensitive browsing to Firefox or Brave is the one move that restores full uBlock Origin with no compromises. Either way, confirm you're running the current, officially listed version of whichever tool you choose — avoid any site other than the Chrome Web Store, Mozilla Add-ons, the Microsoft Store, the Mac App Store, or the developer's own GitHub page when installing.

Written bySana Qureshi

Sana Qureshi runs the security and privacy desk. She reports on actively exploited vulnerabilities, vendor patches and data breaches, and covers the password managers, VPNs and authentication tools readers use to protect themselves. Her alerts cite vendor advisories, CISA and the CVE record directly.

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