Do you sometimes wish you could block those ads on your computer? Video ads on Youtube and Facebook, banner ads on news websites or popup ads trying to fight for your attention. Not only are they very annoying, they also tend to drain your laptop batteries faster when you’re surfing the web.
The other day I had to turn off my ad blocking plugins for a project and forgot to turn them back on. Instantly I was bombarded by ads everywhere. Youtube video ads. Facebook ads.
All my regular websites suddenly were clustered with banners everywhere. I had gotten so used not seeing ads that I was shocked by how much garbage is out there now.
The best tools to block ads on your computer
Luckily we can do something about it. Here’s a list of a few tools that will help you block ads on your computer:
AdBlock This useful software blocks ads on most popular browser, including on mobile. It also blocks the Youtube video ads succesfully.
AdBlockPlus Unrelated to AdBlock, but does basically the same thing. Also very good, if some ads don’t get blocked with AdBlock you might want to try with AdBlockPlus.
Ghostery This tool blocks entire scripts running on website. The goal is to avoid those scripts from tracking you, which also includes ads. So if you’re looking for extra navigation speed and privacy on the internet, this tool will bring you a step closer to that goal.
These are the one’s I’ve used personally at one point or another, so I can recommend them. Tom’s Guide has a great list of other tools I have never used and that might do the job for you.
Be aware that some companies like Facebook are investing an enormous amount of money and resources to make sure that their ads are delivered to you; after all, this is where they make their money with. However, many ad blockers are quick to react and release updated filter lists, allowing you to block as many ads as possible.
I hope you found this article useful, if you’re not sure how to use an adblocker, here’s a video I made sometime last year: