Softwr

Cybersecurity · head to head

IVPN vs uBlock Origin

I

IVPN

Cybersecurity

Privacy-focused VPN with anonymous account numbers instead of email signup

From
$6/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
uBlock Origin logo

uBlock Origin

Browser Extensions

Free, open-source ad content blocker

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only uBlock Origin has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: IVPN has no free tier, unlike several consumer VPN competitors with limited free plans.; uBlock Origin cNAME uncloaking of third-party trackers disguised as first-party is only available on Firefox, because the required DNS API does not exist in Chromium
  • They diverge on capability: IVPN covers Anonymous account numbers, uBlock Origin covers Ad blocking.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which IVPN and uBlock Origin actually diverge.

Attributes where IVPN and uBlock Origin differ
AttributeIVPNuBlock Origin
Starting price$6/monthFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionfree
Free tierNoYes
Platformswindows, mac, linux, ios, androidChrome, Firefox, Edge, Opera
CategoryCybersecurityBrowser Extensions
FoundedUnknown2014

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in IVPN

  • Anonymous account numbers
  • Multi-hop connections
  • Independent audits
  • WireGuard and OpenVPN support
  • AntiTracker

Only in uBlock Origin

  • Ad blocking
  • Tracker blocking
  • Malware domain blocking
  • Custom filter lists
  • Chrome support
  • Firefox support
  • Edge support
  • Opera support

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

IVPN

  • Signing up for a VPN without providing an email addressnot uBlock Origin
  • Verifying a VPN's no-logs claims via independent auditsnot uBlock Origin
  • Layering multi-hop routing for higher-anonymity browsingnot uBlock Origin
  • Blocking trackers and ads via built-in AntiTrackernot uBlock Origin

uBlock Origin

  • Ad and tracker blocking in web browsersnot IVPN
  • Privacy protection while browsing the webnot IVPN
  • Reducing bandwidth usage by blocking adsnot IVPN
  • Users seeking open-source browser extensionsnot IVPN

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

IVPN

  • Has no free tier, unlike several consumer VPN competitors with limited free plans.
  • Standard plan's two-connection limit is lower than many rivals offering five or more devices.
  • Smaller server network than large mainstream VPN providers, which can limit streaming unblocking.
  • Pricing is higher than budget VPN competitors for comparable simultaneous-connection counts.

uBlock Origin

  • CNAME uncloaking of third-party trackers disguised as first-party is only available on Firefox, because the required DNS API does not exist in Chromium
  • HTML filtering of response bodies requires the webRequest.filterResponseData API, which is only available in Firefox
  • On Chromium-based browsers uBO is not reliably ready at browser launch, so tracker and advertisement payloads can reach already-open tabs before filtering starts
  • Pre-fetch blocking is not reliable on Chromium-based browsers because they give websites precedence over user settings
  • The Chromium build does not use the WebAssembly filtering code paths, because the extra manifest permission would create friction publishing to the Chrome Web Store
  • LZ4 storage compression is Firefox only, and on Chromium in incognito mode IndexedDB resets, so uBO launches with out-of-date filter lists

Pricing, plan by plan

IVPN

$6/month
  • Standard$6/month
    • 2 simultaneous connections
    • $60/year billed annually
    • WireGuard and OpenVPN support
  • Pro$10/month
    • 7 simultaneous connections
    • Multi-hop connections
    • $100/year billed annually

uBlock Origin

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Ad blocking
    • Tracker blocking
    • Custom filter lists

Which should you pick?

Choose IVPN if

  • You need anonymous account numbers.
  • You work on windows, mac, linux, ios, android.
  • You also want multi-hop connections.
IVPN review

Choose uBlock Origin if

  • You need ad blocking.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Opera.
  • You also want tracker blocking.
uBlock Origin review

Questions people ask

Is IVPN or uBlock Origin better?
Neither clearly leads. IVPN starts at $6/month and uBlock Origin at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, IVPN or uBlock Origin?
uBlock Origin has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $6/month for IVPN and Free for uBlock Origin.
Does IVPN or uBlock Origin run on more platforms?
IVPN runs on windows, mac, linux, ios, android. uBlock Origin runs on Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Opera.
Can I use uBlock Origin for free?
Yes. uBlock Origin has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. IVPN starts at $6/month.
What is IVPN best used for?
IVPN is most often used for signing up for a vpn without providing an email address, verifying a vpn's no-logs claims via independent audits, layering multi-hop routing for higher-anonymity browsing, blocking trackers and ads via built-in antitracker. Of those, signing up for a vpn without providing an email address and verifying a vpn's no-logs claims via independent audits are not what uBlock Origin is typically brought in for.
What can IVPN do that uBlock Origin cannot?
IVPN covers Anonymous account numbers, Multi-hop connections, Independent audits, WireGuard and OpenVPN support. uBlock Origin covers Ad blocking, Tracker blocking, Malware domain blocking, Custom filter lists.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

uBlock Origin: How much does uBlock Origin cost?

uBlock Origin is completely free and open-source software with no licensing fees, subscriptions, or commercial restrictions.

Source
uBlock Origin: Is uBlock Origin open source?

Yes, uBlock Origin is distributed under the GPL-3.0 License with source code publicly available on GitHub. The project encourages community review and contribution.

Source
uBlock Origin: Does uBlock Origin accept donations?

No, uBlock Origin explicitly does not accept donations. The project instead encourages users to support the developers maintaining the filter lists that power the extension.

Source
Share

Related pages

More on IVPN

More on uBlock Origin

Keep looking

Other head to heads