Ad Blocking and Privacy β
Focuses heavily on network-level filtering efficiency, extension integrity, open-source auditing, and maintainer track records.
Adblocking β
- Note - Many sites contain ads, popups or redirects, so we highly recommend using an adblocker. Don't run multiple general adblockers (e.g., uBlock Origin and AdGuard) simultaneously to avoid breakage. Combining general adblockers with tools like SponsorBlock is fine. Also note full version of uBO works significantly better than the lite version.
- uBlock Origin, AdGuard or uBO Lite (MV3) - Adblockers / Redundant Extensions
- SponsorBlock - Skip Sponsored YouTube Ads / / Subreddit / /
- Popup Blocker (strict), Popupblocker All or PopUpOFF - Popup Blockers / Userscript
DNS Adblocking β
- Note - If your goal is to block browser ads, it's best to just stick with uBlock Origin, as additional filters can cause conflicts or anti-adblock.
- Pi-Hole - Self-Hosted DNS Adblocking / / Subreddit /
- AdGuard Home - Self-Hosted DNS Adblocking / / Subreddit / /
- Mullvad DNS - DNS Adblocking / Filtering / Extension /
- NextDNS - Customizable DNS Adblocking Service / Guide /
- AdGuard DNS - Customizable DNS Adblocking Service / / Subreddit /
Antivirus / Anti-Malware β
- Note - It's best to keep Windows Defender's real-time protection on. You can select 'Allow on device' for pirated software detections like patches, or exclude by 'File' in 'Exclusions' for false positives when needed + More Info.
- Malwarebytes / or ESET - Antivirus
- AdwCleaner - Anti-Adware /
- Triage, ANY.RUN / or Cuckoo - Online Sandboxes
- Sandboxie Plus - Sandbox Environment / Guide /
Privacy / Security β
- Whonix / Subreddit / / / , Qubes / Subreddit / / or Tails / / / - Privacy-Focused Operating Systems
- W10Privacy - Privacy and Data Protection Tools
Web Privacy β
- Tor Browser, 2 - Onion-Routed Browser / TG Downloads / Bridges / GitLab
- Mullvad Browser - Tor Browser Fork (without Tor network) /
- arkenfox - Firefox Privacy Tweak / Video / GUI
- Brave Browser - Privacy Chromium Browser / Debloat / Hardening / Subreddit /
VPN β
- Note - It's generally best to use a paid VPN, especially if you have privacy or speed in mind. Free VPNs are mostly useful for things like unblocking websites. Remember to bind your VPN to your client to avoid ISP letters.
- Proton VPN - Free & Paid / Unlimited / No Torrenting w/ Free Plan / Wireguard / Subreddit / / /
- WireGuard - VPN Tunnel / Guide / Web UI / Source Code
