Softwr

Software · head to head

Stylus vs uBlock Origin

Stylus logo

Stylus

Software

Restyle the web with custom CSS

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
uBlock Origin logo

uBlock Origin

Software

Free, open-source ad content blocker

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Stylus crashes and instability when applying certain styles; 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: Stylus covers Custom CSS injection, uBlock Origin covers Ad blocking.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Stylus and uBlock Origin differ
AttributeStylusuBlock Origin
Founded20172014

Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (free), free tier (Yes), platforms (Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Opera), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).

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 Stylus

  • Custom CSS injection
  • Style management
  • userstyles.world integration
  • Built-in editor

Only in uBlock Origin

  • Ad blocking
  • Tracker blocking
  • Malware domain blocking
  • Custom filter lists

Both cover

  • Chrome support
  • Firefox support
  • Edge support
  • Opera support

What people use each for

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

Stylus

No use cases recorded yet. See the Stylus review.

uBlock Origin

  • Blocking advertisements and third-party trackers in the browsernot Stylus
  • Running a default-deny policy on third-party scripts and resourcesnot Stylus
  • Element picking and cosmetic filtering of unwanted page contentnot Stylus

Where each one falls short

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

Stylus

  • Crashes and instability when applying certain styles
  • No visual element selector tool for identifying page elements to style
  • Security risk if downloading and applying untrusted user-created styles

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

Stylus

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Custom CSS
    • Style library
    • Style editor

uBlock Origin

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

Which should you pick?

Choose Stylus if

  • You need custom css injection.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Opera.
  • You also want style management.
Stylus 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 Stylus or uBlock Origin better?
Neither clearly leads. Stylus starts at Free and uBlock Origin at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Stylus or uBlock Origin?
Stylus starts at Free and uBlock Origin at Free.
Does Stylus or uBlock Origin run on more platforms?
Both run on Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Opera, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use Stylus for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What can Stylus do that uBlock Origin cannot?
Stylus covers Custom CSS injection, Style management, userstyles.world integration, Built-in editor. uBlock Origin covers Ad blocking, Tracker blocking, Malware domain blocking, Custom filter lists. Both handle Chrome support, Firefox support, Edge support, Opera support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Stylus: Is Stylus free?

Yes. Stylus is completely free and open-source, available for Chrome, Firefox, Edge, and Opera browsers.

Source
Stylus: Can I use Stylus to change the browser UI?

No. Due to WebExtensions security restrictions, Stylus can only customize website pages, not the browser interface itself.

Source
Stylus: What CSS pre-processors does Stylus support?

Stylus supports CSS, LESS, and Stylus syntax with built-in linting using Stylelint and CSSLint-mod with customizable rules.

Source
ShareXLinkedInRedditWhatsAppEmail

Related pages

More on Stylus

More on uBlock Origin

Keep looking

Other head to heads