Ad and tracker blockers
hBlock privacy rating
POSIX shell script for Unix-like systems that builds a hosts file blocking domains that serve ads, tracking scripts and malware, using several public blocklists.
Summary
hBlock scores 88 out of 100 (grade B) on the ad and tracker blockers criteria. It meets 6 of 7 criteria: open source, no trackers or telemetry, no ads or data sales, effective by default, no browsing data collected and custom filters. It does not meet independent audit.
Score 88 out of 100. How scoring works
Criteria
- Yes
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Yes
No trackers or telemetry Weight 3 of 3
Are the website and apps free of third-party trackers, with any analytics anonymous and any telemetry off by default?
No telemetry or analytics in the source code.
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Yes
No ads or data sales Weight 2 of 3
Is the product funded without advertising, ad targeting or selling user data?
Free, open-source script with no ads.
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No
Independent audit Weight 2 of 3
Has an independent security or privacy audit been published within the last three years?
No independent audit is published.
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Yes
Effective by default Weight 3 of 3
Does it block ads and trackers with its default settings, without paid tiers?
Uses a default set of ad, tracking and malware blocklists.
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Yes
No browsing data collected Weight 3 of 3
Does it work without sending browsing data to the developer?
Runs locally and only downloads blocklists. No data is sent to the developer.
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Yes
Custom filters Weight 1 of 3
Can users add their own filter lists and rules?
Supports custom sources, an allowlist and a denylist.