AdGuard for Windows 7.20.4966.0

Overview

Adguard Web Filter is designed to help remove advertisements from the webpages that you visit and by doing so help to improve loading times, prevent tracking from advertising networks, and conserve bandwidth.

Installation

When you first launch the installer, you'll notice that some components of the Adguard Web Filter will need to be downloaded before the installation can commence. In total this shouldn't take more than a couple of minutes and after it's done the installation should proceed smoothly.

The software supports all versions of Windows including 98, ME, 2000, XP, Vista, and 7.

Interface

On the whole, Adguard presents its options in a very well organized interface that is easy on the eyes. The navigation bar is on the left while the corresponding content is on the right.

By default it launches into the 'basic' interface that is intended for new users with little experience with advertisement filters and there is an option in the lower left corner to toggle the interface into an 'extended' version that will expand the navigation bar.

Pros

Including both a 'basic' and 'extended' interface is definitely a nice touch that provides users with varying flexibility depending on their needs. The extended version in particular has some options that are very useful such as enabling or disabling certain types of filters, and adding custom rules to the ad blocker.

When put to the test, Adguard was able to block most of the common advertisements on websites - including pop-ups and video advertisements too. An option is included to report any advertisements that aren't blocked so that the software's functionality can be improved to include them.

Unlike many other free advertisement filters, the page layout wasn't distorted when advertisements were removed.

One area where this advertisement filter certainly isn't found wanting is in its comprehensive list of supported browsers. Needless to say the more popular browsers such as Chrome, Internet Explorer, Safari, Firefox and Opera are all supported, but so are other lesser-known browsers such as Orca, Green Browser, Avant, SeaMonkey and many others.

Cons

Historically the one complaint that many have had regarding Adguard is that its RAM usage is higher than its competitors. Although this version still consumes about 90 MB of RAM on average, the developers have indicated that the latest version (5.5) cuts that amount by more than half.

Alternatives

Some of the commonly used advertisement filters include AdFender, Ad Muncher and Super Ad Blocker. Generally speaking, Adguard is able to match these in terms of core functionality, though it does not have some of the 'extra' features that some of them possess.

Also it is worth pointing out that many of the free ad blockers out there require various plugins and add-ons to accomplish what Adguard can do by default.

Conclusion

Long story short, Adguard is a very capable advertisement filter that isn't pigeon-holed to advanced users or beginners - making it a good all round option. It may not be perfect but the fact that it is being continually improved upon is an excellent sign.