Compare Decentraleyes, AdGuard AdBlocker, and AdBlock Max: Which Extension is the Best?

Decentraleyes enhances browsing by locally emulating CDN resources, boosting privacy and speed. Our detailed review reveals its features, pros, and cons.
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.
AdBlock Max is a great ad blocker designed to enhance your browsing experience by eliminating intrusive ads. With a user-friendly interface and powerful features, it stands out among competitors.
Key Features
  • Local CDN Emulation: Reduces reliance on third-party servers by serving local copies of CDN resources.
  • Privacy Protection: Prevents tracking by major CDN providers.
  • Speed Enhancement: Improves page load times by using local resources.
  • Open Source: Transparent and community-driven development.
  • Block Ads: Blocks video ads, pop-ups, banners, and text ads on all websites.
  • Privacy Protection: Blocks third-party trackers and protects your privacy.
  • Customizable: Offers allowlists and custom user rules.
  • Malware Protection: Blocks malicious websites and spyware.
  • Crypto-jacking Protection: Blocks known crypto-jackers for added security.
  • Comprehensive Ad Blocking: Blocks pop-ups, banners, and video ads.
  • Customizable Filters: Allows users to tailor their ad-blocking preferences.
  • Enhanced Browsing Speed: Reduces page load times by eliminating ads.
  • Privacy Protection: Prevents tracking and protects user data.
  • User-Friendly Interface: Easy to navigate and configure.
Our Rating
9.3
9.0
8.6
Total users
637,389
27,263,830
200,000
Total ratings
3,313
77,976
8,244
Average rating
4.8 ⭐
4.3 ⭐
4.8 ⭐
Entry Level PriceFreeFreeFree
Chrome
Chrome Web Store logo
4.8
4.57
235 ratings
100.0K+Users
Chrome Web Store logo
4.7
4.32
64.8K+ ratings
14.0M+Users
Chrome Web Store logo
4.8
3.90
8.2K+ ratings
200.0K+Users
Edge
Microsoft Edge Store logo
4.8
4.71
32 ratings
56.1K+Users
Microsoft Edge Store logo
4.8
4.20
6.6K+ ratings
11.8M+Users
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Firefox
Mozilla Firefox Add-ons Store logo
4.8
4.54
1.5K+ ratings
240.6K+Users
Mozilla Firefox Add-ons Store logo
4.7
4.37
6.5K+ ratings
1.4M+Users
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Safari
-
-
-
Features
8.5

Nowadays, websites request data through third parties. The local CDN emulation offered by Decentraleyes is a unique and effective feature that blocker competitors currently lack. This means that the same locally stored data is always sent directly to the websites before they can even request relevant private data.

CDN


The extension is aware that this function is only an additional function and advertises it as being used in addition to regular ad blockers. The extension could be expanded here and offer these additional functions directly so that you have them all in one extension.

Another advantage of the extension is that the code is completely open source and can be found on GitLab. This ensures transparency and trust.

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.

Ad Blocking

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.

personal data

Customizable

AdGuard Adblocker offers the option of activating or deactivating all functions yourself.
It also offers an allow list and user-defined rules. This means that you can make adjustments to the rules or allow advertising on certain websites that you want to support.

9.0

AdBlock Max offers comprehensive functions for blocking advertising, including pop-ups, banners, and video ads.

Ad blocker
A slider can be used to set how thoroughly websites should be searched for advertisements, etc., to block them. Depending on the filter method, the extension must be granted more permissions.

Filter


In addition to these basic functions, there are other functions such as blocking cookie notifications or increasing Internet security through tracking protection.

These additional functions are hidden at the bottom of the settings and can be activated. There is also a website whitelist on which no advertising should be blocked.

additional settings

Privacy Security
Privacy protection functions automatically prevent tracking and protect user data.

Performance
9.3

The extension offers a noticeable improvement in page load times. We did not find any problems in our tests, but according to user reviews, there are occasional compatibility problems with certain websites. However, according to Decentraleyes, these are constantly being fixed by updates.

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.

8.3

Basically, the extension runs smoothly without any performance problems. Page load times are shortened by blocking advertising.
Only during installation in Chrome did the browser crash once after the end of installation.

Design
9.5

The design is intuitive and simple. This also includes the settings menu.

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.

8.8

The user interface is clear and intuitive. In particular, the filter customization options are very clearly displayed in the extension pop-up.

Value for Money
9.5

The extension is completely free to use with optional donations. The price-performance ratio is therefore perfect, as functions that are not offered by other providers are made available here free of charge. Only the lack of further functions in the area of ad blocking results in deductions.

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.
If further functions are required that can also be used outside the web browser, AdGuard Adblocker also offers an app that is subject to a charge. We consider the current lifetime prices to be fair for the services offered.

9.0

If you take a closer look at the extension in addition to the basic functions, you will see how many additional functions are available. As a free web extension, the price/performance ratio is very good.

Ease of Use
9.9

The extension is characterized by its user-friendliness. Installation is very simple and you have the option of testing the function immediately on the website. When you open the website https://decentraleyes.org/test/, you are shown whether the function works and an example of what it looks like in the icon when data is blocked.

icon

The settings are also very well described so that even beginners should have no problems here. Advanced users can also read the complete documentation or the code on GitLab.

settings
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.

Configure
8.0

The tool is uncomplicated and easy to install. Due to the well-designed method of a slider for the strength of the filter mode, preferences are easy to configure for everyone.
The other functions are easy to activate, but some users may find it difficult to understand which function does what. For each function, there is a description with the corresponding filter code on GitHub.

Security & Privacy
9.2

The extension offers strong features in the area of data protection, so it goes without saying that it scores well in this area. The open-source code allows anyone to review the extension in detail. Only the lack of a proper privacy policy detracts from this for beginners, who can do little with the code. There is a privacy policy that states in one sentence that no data is collected. However, this should be a little more detailed.

8.0

Strong privacy protection by preventing tracking. Also features malware detection and blocking, although public complaints could raise concerns.
Overall, AdGuard provides transparency in its privacy policy and limits data collection. Some practices, such as filing public complaints and reviewing website visits, should be critically questioned.

8.5

AdBlock Max offers privacy protection through the additional function to prevent tracking. The extensions' data is protected by industry-standard measures.

Conclusion

Decentraleyes is a valuable tool for anyone who wants more privacy and faster browsing. With local CDN emulation, Decentraleyes has features that bring both security and performance benefits. While it currently excels in this one area, you need to be aware that websites also make adjustments and it won't always work 100% of the time, especially without further updates.
Overall, Decentraleyes is a recommended choice for privacy-conscious users as an addition to the usual ad blockers.

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:

Comparison

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.

Pricing

AdBlock Max is a good tool for anyone who wants to block advertising quickly and easily. It also has additional features for those with a little more technical knowledge. Unfortunately, these are somewhat hidden for beginners and are described via external GitHub links.


However, the extension scores well for beginners with the well-designed slider for adjusting the filter method. This is also useful for people who only want to extend a few permissions for tracking, as this authorization must first be assigned if better blocking is desired.

Our Recommendation

In our comparison between Decentraleyes, AdGuard AdBlocker, and AdBlock Max, Decentraleyes came out on top, scoring 9.3.

AdGuard AdBlocker is the most widely used, with over 27 million users and 78k+ reviews, but Decentraleyes outperformed it in our review. User reviews for Decentraleyes and AdGuard AdBlocker reflect our findings, while we rate AdBlock Max lower than users do.

Notably, AdBlock Max has the highest user rating in the Chrome Web Store at 4.83, which is even higher than our rating of 8.6.

There are some noticeable differences between these extensions, so it's worth considering your priorities and the details below.


  • Looking for the richest feature set? AdGuard AdBlocker stands out with a rating of 9.3. On the other hand, Decentraleyes lags behind in this area with a rating of 8.5.
  • Need top performance? Decentraleyes stands out with a rating of 9.3. On the other hand, AdBlock Max lags behind in this area with a rating of 8.3.
  • Design lovers, take note: Decentraleyes stands out with a rating of 9.5. On the other hand, AdBlock Max lags behind in this area with a rating of 8.8.
  • Want to get the most for your money? Decentraleyes stands out with a rating of 9.5. On the other hand, AdBlock Max lags behind in this area with a rating of 9.
  • If you hate complicated tools, Decentraleyes stands out with a rating of 9.9. On the other hand, AdBlock Max lags behind in this area with a rating of 8.
  • With privacy and security becoming ever more important, Decentraleyes stands out with a rating of 9.2. On the other hand, AdGuard AdBlocker lags behind in this area with a rating of 8.

If you want a quick recommendation, Decentraleyes is our top pick. But as always, the best choice depends on what matters most to you.