Adblock Plus for Firefox 3.17.1

Winner Best software in 2014 - Ad Blockers/No Tracking.

Overview

AdBlock plus for Firefox is a powerful add-on that gives you more control over your Internet browsing by letting you configure a variety of options to block advertisements and unwanted websites from appearing. If you're a serious Firefox user that is tired of dealing with annoying pop-ups and unsafe sites, this plug-in is a must-have addition to your web browser.

Installation

Installing this plugin is as simple as installing any other Firefox add-on, as you will simply need to visit the plugin page on the Add-ons' Firefox website and then click the "Add to Firefox" button to install it into your browser. You may need to click the “Allow” button in the top right corner if a message appears stating that "Firefox prevented the site from asking you to install software on your computer." After that all that's left to do is click the “Install Now” button, followed by the “Restart” button which finalizes the installation.

Interface

You can access the AdBlock Plus interface (which is basically a series of options and functions within a context menu) in several ways - via a drop-down menu in the tools menu, or you can click the options button next to the AdBlock Plus icon in the add-ons module. You can also right-click an object in your browser and select from applicable options that appear at the bottom of the context menu. Overall, the interface is extremely simplistic, with only seven possibilities – Report Issue on This Page, Open Lockable Items, Preferences, Disable on AdBlockPlus.org, Disable on This Page Only, Disable Everywhere, and an Options menu (which contains the options to show tabs on Flash and Java, Hide Placeholders of Blocked Elements, Count Filtered Hits, Showing Toolbar, and Shown in Status Bar).

Pros

• Uses proprietary algorithms that instantly recognize patterns which are indicative of unwanted content to automatically blocks advertisements, pop-ups, and malicious websites

• Continually updated to ensure ongoing compatibility with new versions of Firefox. An integrated Issue Reporter gives every user the ability to contribute towards the improvement and development of the plugin by describing known issues, attaching screenshots, adding a comment, and sending the report directly to the developers

• Gives you complete freedom over blocking/allowing specific websites

• You can add comprehensive filters within the preferences menu, and manage filtered websites in custom groups. Also provides support for more than 40 filter subscriptions in multiple languages. By utilizing these scripts you can apply large databases of known advertisements and unwanted websites to increase the efficiency of the plugin immediately

• You can right-click on any image on a webpage and then select the AdBlock Plus: Block Image option to make it not viewable. This feature is useful for blocking inappropriate images that you don't want to look at while viewing a webpage

Cons

• Can accidentally block useful pages that you're trying to view, so it is important to look for blocked notifications in order to allow content from sites that you trust in applicable situations

Alternatives

Other browser plugins and applications that provide extra browsing protection include NoScript (for Firefox) and NoAds (for Opera).

Conclusion

If you're looking for an easy way to block pop-ups/unwanted images and filter website content efficiently within the Firefox browser, AdBlock Plus would be an excellent option.

Winner Best software in 2014 - Ad Blockers/No Tracking.