Total Adblock Review 2024: A Set-It-and-Forget-It Ad Blocker (2024)

There are a few important reasons to consider using ad blockers — like being able to browse the internet anonymously, protecting your digital privacy, and enjoying ad-free web surfing experiences. Total Adblock is an effective, easy-to-use ad blocker that delivers all these benefits.

The software is easy to set up and provides hands-off ad-blocking without disrupting your web surfing. It's gotten top results from ad blocker test sites, and its free version comes with a decent amount of ad-blocking and tracker-blocking features. Its paid version offers all the ad-blocking you could want, in addition to award-winning antivirus protection with TotalAV.

In our comprehensive Total Adblock review, we explore why Total Adblock is one of the best ad blockers, including how it works, what it offers, and whether the premium plan is worth the cost.

Total Adblock overview

Our experience

The Total Adblock app is easy to use and easy to install. All you have to do is follow the prompts explaining exactly how to install the extension on Chrome and get started, then you should automatically enjoy an ads-free experience.If you want to take advantage of the mobile version, Total Adblock provides a QR code to scan so you can start blocking ads on your mobile devices.

Once it's installed, you can click on the extension at any time to view what the software is blocking.

We didn't experience any glitching websites while using Total Adblock, and no ads made their way through the blocker. It began working immediately, and we didn’t have to do anything after installing the extension. It’s quite a hands-off experience.

However, if you want a more hands-on approach to your ad blocking, Total Adblock allows you to manage your trusted websites and ad preferences manually.

One major downside of the free version, besides not having unlimited adblocking, is you receive Total Adblock pop-up banners on the bottom of websites letting you know that you've reached your ad limit or your trial has expired (long before the 7-day trial was up).

Not only did Total Adblock not disclose these pop-up ads, but it feels ironic that a service designed to block pop-up ads repeatedly showed us a pop-up ad. Luckily, you can disable notifications in the app.

Total Adblock paid plan

Total Adblock offers a paid plan option starting at $1.59/mo (billed annually) for first-time users. After your first year, it jumps to $99 a year. We recommend the paid version for a few reasons:

• Total Adblock’s free version excludes the top 15,000 websites as listed on Alexa.com, so your ad-blocking is limited. The premium version blocks unlimited ads from everywhere.
  
• The premium version comes with TotalAV’s antivirus protection, which we highly recommend.
• TotalAV includes WebShield, which provides real-time phishing and malware protection.
• The premium version also removes unwanted browser notifications.
  

Main features

Total Adblock comes with an array of features on top of simply blocking ads. Here are some of the extra features you can expect.

Blocking trackers

On top of the ads that you're sick of seeing plastered all over every webpage, Total Adblock will also block trackers that websites set up to keep tabs on you.

These trackers are usually for advertising or analytical purposes, but a lot of people are not comfortable with what feels like spyware.

Whitelisting ability

If you want to enable ads or pop-ups on certain websites, you can easily set up whitelists right in the app or extension by clicking on the settings cog and adding the website in the Acceptable Ads and Acceptable Pop-upssections.

This is useful if certain trusted websites have important pop-ups that keep accidentally getting blocked by Total Adblock. It can also make a huge difference for content creators and websites that rely on ad revenue for their business, such as your favorite YouTuber or blogger.

Ad blocker counter

Additionally, information in the drop-down browser extension lets you know how many ads and trackers you have blocked — among other data points.

Total Adblock's test results

We tested Total AdBlock using AdBlock Tester, EFF's Cover Your Tracks, and Can You Block It tools. AdBlock Tester tests for the following types of ads:

• Contextual advertising:Targeted advertising is the most common form of advertising and tracking.
• Analytic tools:Web analytics services (e.g., Google Analytics) monitor user activity and collect data.
• Banner advertising:Banner ads are often used on large websites that sell ad space.
• Error monitoring:Error tracking (also error tracing) is used to track errors on websites.

Total Adblock received 100/100, indicating that it’s a powerful ad-blocking tool.

Cover Your Tracks tests for ads with trackers. Total AdBlock successfully blocked tracking ads and invisible ads. However, our results also showed that our browser has a unique fingerprint, meaning that it's easier to profile you online.

Finally, Can You Block It tests if your adblocker can block "Disable adblocker" warnings, banner ads, and interstitial ads. Total AdBlock aced the test by blocking all three types, and actually was able to pass the eXtreme Test as well.

Total Adblock scores

*Test results as of 04/22/2024.

YouTube ad test

We put Total Adblock to the test by playing videos that run long with ad timestamps. Total Adblock was successful in blocking all ads for the entire duration of these videos. Videos played in an instant without stutters or lag. In total, Total Adblock stopped 21 ads and 227 trackers on YouTube alone. It felt good to watch videos of Disneyland secrets without getting cut off by an ad for Disneyland.

With YouTube's latest attempts to bring down ad blockers, we've been relieved to see Total Adblock consistently thwart its ads, from ads in-video to banners on the page.

If you're watching videos from your favorite YouTubers, it's better not to use Adblock. YouTubers rely on ads during their videos to generate revenue. If you wish to keep supporting them so their channel can grow, we suggest turning Total Adblock off.

Bypassing paywall test

Total Adblock can't bypass paywalls currently. Thankfully they don't advertise that they do, so this isn't a failure as much as it's just a missing feature. With paywalls getting more and more difficult to bypass, this doesn't come as much of a surprise.

That said, some adblockers, such asuBlock Origin, were able to bypass "soft" paywalls that you usually find on smaller sites, like local news blogs. Unfortunately, Total Adblock wasn't able to complete this task.

How to use Total Adblock

Total Adblock is largely a set-it-and-forget-it software. All you need to do is install the extension or app for your preferred device, and it'll immediately begin blocking ads.

If you're a free user, you'll be enrolled in a 7-day free trial period to block unlimited ads on every website. If you want to continue this feature, you'll need to upgrade to premium. To do so, simply follow this link and enter your payment information.

You're able to enable and disable Total Adblock with a push of a button. Simply open the extension or app and toggle the slider.

If you want to automatically allow ads to be shown on specific websites, you can follow these steps:

1. Open your Total Adblock extension or app. If you're using the browser extension, you may need to expand your full list of extensions to see Total Adblock.
2. Navigate to the settings by clicking on the cog icon.
3. Click on Acceptable Ads or Acceptable Pop-ups.
4. Enter the URL of the website you'd like to allow ads or pop-ups on, then click Add.

Total Adblock compatibility

Total Adblock is compatible with the following browsers and devices:

• Google Chrome
• Microsoft Edge
• Safari
  
• Opera
• iOS (iPhone and iPad)
• Android (must be downloaded outside of the Google Play Store)

Top alternatives

Though Total Adblock is a top option when you want to get away from pesky ads, there are other Total Adblock alternatives that may better fit your budget or online security needs.

Total Adblock FAQs

Bottom line: Is Total Adblock good?

Total Adblock is one of the best ad blockers, especially for those who want a “set it and forget it” experience while browsing anonymously. With a 100/100 score from AdBlock Tester, you can’t get much better.

Even if you don’t opt for the paid version, the Total Adblock free download offers a solid amount of protection from trackers and a smoother web-surfing experience. So you can block unwanted ads seamlessly.The downside to using the free version is that it excludes the top 15,000 websites listed on Alexa.com.

The premium plan provides access to renowned antivirus protection TotalAV, which — coupled with Total Adblock — is worth the money if you're willing to pay. One downside to Total Adblock is that some reviewers noted difficulty canceling their subscriptions, plus you'll have to disable notifications to avoid a fake pop-up about your free plan expiring.

But based on our testing, anyone looking for a simple yet powerful way to get rid of annoying ads needs to look no further than Total Adblock. If you're considering the paid plan, read our TotalAV review to learn more about the antivirus that comes with it.

Sameer M. Narain is a freelance writer with a foundation in systems, software, and hardware. With over 10 years of experience in testing various antivirus programs, data encryption programs, VPNs, and drive defragmentation software, he is adept at synthesizing information for the everyday reader and tech enthusiast. He has a special interest in staying secure for big team-related projects where confidentiality is king, therefore his writing often attempts to solve the bigger picture with easily accessible programs.