uBlock Origin is completely unrelated to the web site ublock.org: the donations sought by the individual behind ublock.org are not benefiting any of those who contributed most to create uBlock Origin (developers, translators, and all those who put efforts in opening detailed issues). For the differences in features between uBlock Origin and uBlock, you are more likely than anywhere else to find an unbiased explanation in this Wikipedia article.
uBlock Origin is NOT an "ad blocker": it is a wide-spectrum blocker -- which happens to be able to function as a mere "ad blocker". The default behavior of uBlock Origin when newly installed is to block ads, trackers and malware sites -- through EasyList, EasyPrivacy, Peter Lowe’s ad/tracking/malware servers, various lists of malware sites, and uBlock Origin's own filter lists.
uBlock Origin
pronounced you-block origin (/ˈjuːˌblɒk/) — you decide what enters your browser.
English,
Chinese (中文),
Korean (한국어),
Português (Brasil)
An efficient blocker add-on for various browsers. Fast, potent, and lean.
- Documentation
- Purpose & General Info
- Performance and Efficiency
- Memory
- CPU
- Blocking
- Quick tests
- Installation
- Chromium
- Firefox
- Safari
- Release History
- Privacy policy
- Wiki
Documentation
| Basic mode | Advanced-user mode |
|---|---|
| Popup user interface | A point-and-click firewall which can be configured on a per-site basis |
 . . |
 Configure as you wish: picture shows 3rd-party scripts and frames blocked by default everywhere |
Visit the uBlock Origin's wiki for documentation.
Philosophy
uBlock Origin (or uBlock₀) is not an ad blocker; it's a general-purpose blocker. uBlock₀ blocks ads through its support of the Adblock Plus filter syntax. uBlock₀ extends the syntax and is designed to work with custom rules and filters. Furthermore, advanced mode allows uBlock₀ to work in default-deny mode, which mode will cause all 3rd-party network requests to be blocked by default, unless allowed by the user.
That said, it's important to note that using a blocker is NOT theft. Don't fall for this creepy idea. The ultimate logical consequence of blocking = theft is the criminalisation of the inalienable right to privacy.
Ads, "unintrusive" or not, are just the visible portions of privacy-invading apparatus entering your browser when you visit most sites nowadays. uBlock₀'s main goal is to help users neutralize such privacy-invading apparatus — in a way that welcomes those users who don't wish to use more technical, involved means (such as µMatrix).
EasyList, Peter Lowe's Adservers, EasyPrivacy and Malware domains are enabled by default when you install uBlock₀. Many more lists are readily available to block trackers, analytics, and more. Hosts files are also supported.
Once you install uBlock₀, you may easily un-select any of the pre-selected filter lists if you think uBlock₀ blocks too much. For reference, Adblock Plus installs with only EasyList enabled by default.
Performance
Memory
Chromium
Firefox
[1] Details of the benchmark available at Firefox version: benchmarking memory footprint.
CPU
uBlock Origin is also easy on the CPU
Details of the benchmark available in this LibreOffice spreadsheet.
Blocking
Being lean and efficient doesn't mean blocking less
For details of benchmark, see
uBlock₀ and others: Blocking ads, trackers, malwares.
Quick tests
Installation
Feel free to read about the extension's required permissions.
Chromium
You can install the latest version manually, from the Chrome Store, or from the Opera store (uBlock Origin is published under the name "µBlock" in the Opera store -- the name can't be changed).
Firefox / Firefox for Android
Firefox Add-ons web site. There is also a development version if you want to test uBlock Origin with the latest changes: see uBlock Origin Version History
Of interest: Deploying uBlock Origin for Firefox with CCK2 and Group Policy.
Safari
There is no support for Safari for uBlock Origin.
Best is that you install chrisaljoudi/uBlock, which has official support for Safari.
Note for all browsers
To benefit from uBlock Origin's higher efficiency, it's advised that you don't use other inefficient blockers at the same time (such as AdBlock or Adblock Plus). uBlock₀ will do as well or better than most popular ad blockers.
Release History
See the releases pages for a history of releases and highlights for each release.
About
Free. Open source. For users by users. No donations sought.
Without the preset lists of filters, this extension is nothing. So if ever you really do want to contribute something, think about the people working hard to maintain the filter lists you are using, which were made available to use by all for free.
You can contribute by helping translate uBlock₀ on Crowdin.