Compare A Fine Start and AdGuard AdBlocker: Which Extension is the Best?
A Fine Start is a minimalistic new tab page extension for Chrome, offering a clean list of links, customizable themes, and optional syncing for a streamlined browsing experience. | AdGuard Adblocker is a browser extension with over 14 million users, designed to block ads, enhance privacy, and protect against online threats. Read our detailed review to see how it performs. | |
| Key Features A summary of the most important features offered by each extension. |
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| Our Rating Tooltivity's expert review score for each extension, based on hands-on testing and research. | 8.7 | 9.0 Winner in this category |
| Total users Total active users across all major browsers: Chrome, Edge, Firefox, and Safari. | 1,598 | 27,243,321 Winner in this category |
| Total ratings Total number of user ratings received across all supported browsers. | 51 | 77,929 Winner in this category |
| Average rating Average user rating across all browsers, calculated from available store ratings. | 4.3 ⭐ Winner in this category | 4.3 ⭐ |
| Entry Level Price The minimum price required to start using the extension. "Free" means a free tier is available. | Free | Free |
| Chrome User rating and stats for the extension on Chrome browser. |  4.9 4.94 Average Chrome Web Store rating from the last 100 reviews 1.0K+Users Winner in this category | 4.7 4.07 Average Chrome Web Store rating from the last 100 reviews 14.0M+Users |
| Edge User rating and stats for the extension on Edge browser. |  3.4 3.4 Average Microsoft Edge Store rating from the last 100 reviews 363Users | 4.8 4.20 Average Microsoft Edge Store rating from the last 100 reviews 11.8M+Users Winner in this category |
| Firefox User rating and stats for the extension on Firefox browser. |  4.6 4.63 Average Mozilla Firefox Add-ons Store rating from the last 100 reviews 235Users | 4.7 4.42 Average Mozilla Firefox Add-ons Store rating from the last 100 reviews 1.4M+Users Winner in this category |
| Safari User rating and stats for the extension on Safari browser. | - | - |
| Features Tooltivity's expert score for the 'Features' aspect of each extension. | 8.0 A Fine Start offers features for users looking for a minimalist approach to managing their new tab. Organizing links into groups and sorting them via drag-and-drop allows for a tidy and efficient workspace to stay focused. Some functions must first be activated in the settings. For example, groups can be collapsed to hide sections that are not needed at the moment. In addition, all pages from an entire group can be opened simultaneously with one click. 
| 9.3 Ad Blocker:In our tests, ad banners and ad videos were blocked on all websites, including YouTube and Twitch. Blocked ads also include social media widgets and pop-ups, among other things.  Privacy and Malware Protection:The extension blocks tracking by blocking third-party trackers on all websites and protects your personal data. It also detects and blocks malicious websites and spyware.  CustomizableAdGuard Adblocker offers the option of activating or deactivating all functions yourself. Winner in this category |
| Performance Tooltivity's expert score for the 'Performance' aspect of each extension. | 9.7 In terms of performance, we did not notice any problems during the test. No slow loading times or anything similar were detected, even when opening groups with a high number of bookmarks, these were always opened immediately. Overall, A Fine Start offered impressive performance here. Winner in this category | 9.0 A recent user complained in a review that it had YouTube problems that affected the performance and speed of the website. In our test, we did not notice any performance problems. The extension generally works quickly and reliably. There are also regular updates, so the problem may already have been solved. |
| Design Tooltivity's expert score for the 'Design' aspect of each extension. | 8.2 The design of A Fine Start is characterized by a clean and minimalist aesthetic that emphasizes focused work. The design is very intuitive and you can choose from basic themes, including dark mode. From our point of view, even though the design is meant to be minimalistic, it could be a little more customizable for the user. For example, it would be handy if you could move the groups around the website flexibly, as they can currently only be moved to certain predefined positions. A very rarely seen and positive aspect is a function in the settings. The extension offers the option of hiding the button for premium advertising and the footer on the New Tab page.  | 9.2 The design is very clear and well-organized. The display of the settings is significant for adblockers. Here, great importance has been attached to user-friendliness and highlighting the customizable settings. Winner in this category |
| Value for Money Tooltivity's expert score for the 'Value for Money' aspect of each extension. | 8.7 A Fine Start offers all functions in the free version, only the cross-device synchronization is an added value of the premium subscription. For most users, the price-performance ratio of the free version is therefore perfect. However, users for whom synchronization is important may wonder whether just this one function is worth the cost of the premium model. There is still potential here to include other minimalist functions such as those offered by competitors to offer even more added value. | 9.2 The free browser extension offers numerous functions that worked perfectly in the test. Compared to competitors, you get many functions here that others offer for a fee. Winner in this category |
| Ease of Use Tooltivity's expert score for the 'Ease of Use' aspect of each extension. | 8.3 A Fine Start offers a straightforward setup process. The drag-and-drop functionality for organizing links is intuitive, allowing users to quickly rearrange their bookmarks to suit their needs. Setting up the required bookmarks initially takes a little time, and a function for transferring bookmarks already in the browser could simplify the whole process. The additional functions that are initially somewhat hidden in the settings may also not be found directly by all users.  Overall, the existing functions and the setup are easy to use, but there is still room for improvement. | 9.5 Installation is quick and easy. What impressed us in comparison to other competitors was that AdGuard Adblocker clearly shows which functions it offers and explains them in the introduction, and you can activate them directly if you wish. The extension therefore attaches great importance to ensuring that every user recognizes and uses the options. With competitors, some functions were somewhat hidden in the settings.  Winner in this category |
| Security & Privacy Tooltivity's expert score for the 'Security & Privacy' aspect of each extension. | 9.5 A Fine Start attaches great importance to security and data protection. The extension collects only minimal personal data and focuses only on what is necessary for the core functions. The privacy policy is transparent and makes it clear that data is not sold to third parties. The optional premium subscription requires an account, otherwise, not even an account is needed. Winner in this category | 8.0 Strong privacy protection by preventing tracking. Also features malware detection and blocking, although public complaints could raise concerns. |
| Conclusion A summary of our findings and final thoughts for each extension. | A Fine Start is a well-designed tool for anyone who just wants to have their bookmarks sorted on their new tab page. Its focus on privacy and user-friendly features makes it a perfect choice in this area. While the free version offers a wealth of features, the premium subscription adds little value. Overall, A Fine Start is a good choice for users who want to stay focused and have a New Tab page without a lot of distractions. | AdGuard Adblocker is, in our opinion, a very good ad-blocking tool compared to its competitors, offering a range of features in the free extension that you often have to pay for. In our test, all ads were blocked. Other ad blockers currently fail because of YouTube's advertising videos, but AdGuard currently seems to have this fully under control. Overall, it is the choice for a free browser extension with many features. Finally, we would like to point out that our test is about the browser extension. If you work in different browsers and don't want to install a new extension in each one, or if you work a lot in apps that carry out advertising and tracking, AdGuard Adblocker offers an app for comprehensive security outside the browser. The AdGuard app allows you to block advertising in other apps outside of your web browser, for example, and keep your data secure. Here is an overview of the additional functions:  Currently, you have the opportunity to purchase the app as a lifetime plan. Here you can decide whether the app should be installed on 3 or 9 devices.  |
| Our Recommendation | In our comparison between A Fine Start and AdGuard AdBlocker, AdGuard AdBlocker came out on top, scoring 9. AdGuard AdBlocker is the most widely used, with over 27 million users and 78k+ reviews—and it also delivered the strongest performance in our tests. User reviews reflect our findings. Notably, A Fine Start has the highest user rating in the Chrome Web Store at 4.31, which supports its strong performance in our review. In the end, the differences between these extensions are minimal, so your choice may come down to personal preference or specific features.
If you want a quick recommendation, AdGuard AdBlocker is our top pick. But as always, the best choice depends on what matters most to you. | |
