ad blocker · Electronic Frontier Foundation

Privacy Badger

Free open-source extension that learns to block trackers from their behaviour.

60/100

#11 of 12 ad blockers
Facts checked 8 Oct 2026

In short

It is a free browser extension from a nonprofit, with optional donations¹.
Install buttons are listed for Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Opera and Brave, plus Firefox and Edge on Android¹.
It blocks a third party it sees tracking you across 3 separate sites¹.
The vendor says it blocks ads only when they track you¹.
The extension is licensed GPL v3 or later².

Privacy Badger suits people who want free, open-source tracker blocking that needs no setup or account^1,2. It learns which third parties track you and blocks them¹. The catch: the vendor calls it a privacy tool, not an ad blocker, and the vendor's pages show no custom rules or cookie pop-up blocking¹.

Best for: People who want free tracker blocking that learns on its own.

Where the points come from

Where it blocks15 of 23

Blocking0 of 26

Privacy and trust14 of 20

Price31 of 31

Where it blocks 15 of 23 points

Rule	What is published	Points
Windows browsers	Chrome, Edge, Firefox, OperaThe homepage lists Add to Chrome, Firefox, Edge and Opera buttons¹.	12 / 12
Blocks outside the browser	NoPrivacy Badger is described only as a browser extension^1,2.	0 / 5
Phone protection	AndroidAdd to Firefox for Android and Edge for Android; the vendor says Safari on iOS lacks needed capabilities¹.	3 / 6

Blocking 0 of 26 points

Rule	What is published	Points
Still works in Chrome after Manifest V2	Not publishedRelease notes mention Manifest V3 limitations but do not say the Chrome extension uses it; the repository manifest declares version 2^3,5.	0 / 4
Your own block rules	Not publishedNot published on the vendor's homepage FAQ or permissions page^1,4.	0 / 7
Malicious site blocking	Not publishedNot published on the vendor's homepage FAQ¹; it describes tracker blocking only.	0 / 5
Cookie pop-up blocking	Not publishedNot published on the vendor's homepage FAQ¹.	0 / 4
No ad allow-list on by default	Not publishedNot published on the vendor's homepage FAQ¹; it describes a cookie-blocking yellowlist, not an ad allow-list.	0 / 6

Privacy and trust 14 of 20 points

Rule	What is published	Points
Open source	YesThe README says Privacy Badger is licensed under GPL v3 or later².	10 / 10
No browsing history kept	Not publishedNot published on the vendor's pages^1,4; the permissions page says it logs tracking destinations locally and shares nothing outside the browser.	0 / 6
Works without an account	YesThe homepage offers direct Add to browser buttons and mentions no sign-in¹.	4 / 4

Price 31 of 31 points

Rule	What is published	Points
Free plan	YesFree extension with no time limit; it blocks trackers, including advertisers that track you, but is not a general ad blocker¹.	12 / 12
Cheapest paid plan	$0A free extension with no paid plan; donations are optional¹.	12 / 12
Devices on one paid plan	99No paid plan, so recorded as 99 under the rule¹.	4 / 4
Money-back guarantee	YesNo paid plan, so nothing to refund; recorded as true under the rule¹.	3 / 3

The rule behind each line: how we score ad blockers.

Plans and prices

As the vendor lists them, before tax. Prices are in US dollars unless the plan shows euros; the points use US dollars, with euros converted at the ECB rate.

Plan	Price as listed	Per month	Notes
Free1 person	Free¹	$0	Donations to EFF are optional

Strengths

Free, from a nonprofit¹.
Open source under GPL v3 or later².
Learns trackers from behaviour and gets periodic learning updates¹.
Sends the Global Privacy Control and Do Not Track signals by default¹.
Available on Android through Firefox or Edge¹.

Limits

The vendor says it does not block ads unless they track you¹.
Not supported on iOS¹.
Browser extension only; no Windows app or system-wide mode¹.
The vendor's pages document no custom rules or cookie pop-up blocking¹.

Other ad blockers

1
uBlock OriginPeople who want a free, open-source blocker with their own filter rules
95/100
$0cheapest paid plan
2
GhosteryPeople who want a free, open-source blocker with cookie pop-up handling
82/100
$0cheapest paid plan
3
AdGuard DNSPeople who want device-wide blocking and a plan with their own rules
77/100
$1.67/mocheapest paid plan
4
Control DPeople who want to filter every device by DNS and write their own domain rules
73/100
$2.50/mocheapest paid plan

All 12 ad blockers

Sources

Privacy Badger, Electronic Frontier Foundation. Accessed 8 Oct 2026.
EFForg/privacybadger, GitHub. Accessed 8 Oct 2026.
Privacy Badger releases, GitHub. Accessed 8 Oct 2026.
Privacy Badger permissions, GitHub. Accessed 8 Oct 2026.
Privacy Badger manifest.json, GitHub. Accessed 8 Oct 2026.

Website: privacybadger.org · Markdown version · We are not affiliated with Electronic Frontier Foundation.