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uBlock Origin
Free, open-source ad content blocker
As of 30 August 2026, uBlock Origin is free to use. uBlock Origin is a free and open-source browser extension for content filtering, including ad blocking. Softwr lists it under Browser Extensions. uBlock Origin is made by Raymond Hill, launched in 2014, available on Browser extension.
Overview
What uBlock Origin does
uBlock Origin is a free and open-source browser extension for content filtering, including ad blocking. It is known for being lightweight and efficient, using less memory and CPU than other popular ad blockers while providing powerful filtering capabilities through various filter lists.
What people use it for
- Ad and tracker blocking in web browsers
- Privacy protection while browsing the web
- Reducing bandwidth usage by blocking ads
- Users seeking open-source browser extensions
Related searches
The honest half
Where it falls short
Concrete and checkable, so you can decide whether any of them matter to you. This is the half of a review a vendor will not write about 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- LZ4 storage compression is Firefox only, and on Chromium in incognito mode IndexedDB resets, so uBO launches with out-of-date filter lists
Cross-shopped
What people choose instead of uBlock Origin
Each pairing was judged by two reviewers asking whether a buyer would genuinely weigh the two against each other. The ones that failed were deleted rather than published.
- uBlock OriginvsDark Reader
Dark Reader: Dark mode for every website
- uBlock OriginvsPrivacy Badger
Privacy Badger: Automatically learn to block invisible trackers
- uBlock OriginvsRaindrop.io
Raindrop.io: All-in-one bookmark manager
Pricing
What uBlock Origin costs
Taken from the vendor's own pricing page. Prices move, so check before you buy.
Free
Free
- Ad blocking
- Tracker blocking
- Custom filter lists
- Element picker
Capabilities
Features
Ad blocking
Tracker blocking
Malware domain blocking
Custom filter lists
Chrome support
Available on chrome
Firefox support
Available on firefox
Edge support
Available on edge
Opera support
Available on opera
Answered, with sources
Questions people ask
Each answer names the page it came from, so you can check it rather than take our word for it.
How much does uBlock Origin cost?
uBlock Origin is completely free and open-source software with no licensing fees, subscriptions, or commercial restrictions.
SourceIs 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.
SourceDoes 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.
SourceBehind it
Who makes uBlock Origin
- Company
- Raymond Hill
- Based in
- Open Source Project
- Founders
- Raymond Hill
Keep looking
Where to go from uBlock Origin
- uBlock Origin alternativesEvery product people weigh against it
- uBlock Origin pricingPlans, floors and what the tiers exclude
- uBlock Origin badgesWhich rules it meets, and the figure behind each
- All Browser Extensions softwareThe full category
- Best Browser Extensions softwareThe shortlist, and how it was cut
Best Browser Extensions software for
Compare uBlock Origin with
- AdBlock Plus
- Privacy Badger
- Ghostery
- Dark Reader
- Raindrop.io
- Arc
- LanguageTool
- Violentmonkey
- Save to Google Drive
- Fireshot
- JSON Viewer
- Rakuten
- Hemingway Editor
- Night Eye
- React Developer Tools
- Tampermonkey
- Save to Google Drive
Other Browser Extensions software
Softwr does not host reviews and shows no star rating for uBlock Origin, because a rating we did not collect is not ours to publish. What is here is the pricing and platform detail from the vendor’s own pages, limitations we could state concretely, and alternatives a reviewer confirmed people weigh against it. Tell us if any of it is wrong.
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Best Browser Extensions software alternatives
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