AdGuard for Mac: This smart blocker strips out annoying ads and trackers

In addition to disrupting your browsing experience, Internet ads also cause privacy-related concerns. Given how companies like Google don’t control what is being advertised, you also come across problematic links.

The solution? A fully-fledged ad-blocking system. AdGuard is one of the many options you may have come across. In this guide, we will see whether AdGuard for Mac is the right fit.

What Is AdGuard for Mac?

AdGuard for Mac is a comprehensive ad-blocking and privacy protection suite that blocks ads on web pages you browse, as well as protects you from tracking and other privacy-related issues. It ships as a macOS app, but you can install browser extensions for additional access.

Key capabilities include:

• System-wide ad blocking across all browsers and apps.
• Blocking of trackers, analytics scripts, and profiling technologies.
• Anti-phishing and malware domain protection.
• DNS filtering with support for custom and encrypted DNS servers.
• HTTPS filtering to inspect and block encrypted ad and tracking requests.
• Stealth Mode to reduce browser fingerprinting and data leakage.
• User-configurable filter lists and custom blocking rules.
• Safari content-blocker integration for better performance on macOS.

It is also essential to recognize that AdGuard for Mac is more than just a simple ad blocker. AdGuard creates a local network filter on your Mac, sitting between the Internet and the browser. In this capacity, AdGuard can detect and block requests directed towards ad networks and trackers.

Since this filtering happens at the network level, all web browsers and apps on your Mac will not see ads. While at it, AdGuard also offers protection from security threats, malicious scripts, and fingerprinting.

Watch official demo video:

Our Hands-on AdGuard for Mac Review

We wanted to know whether AdGuard checks all the boxes when it comes to effective ad blocking on Mac.

Real-World Testing Methodology

At TheSweetBits, we follow a hands-on testing methodology for all apps. We had to diversify these options for AdGuard for Mac.

• Test Environment and Mac Configuration: We installed AdGuard on an M2 MacBook Air running the latest version of macOS Tahoe. We got the free version of AdGuard for Mac from the official website.
• Browsers and Websites Tested: Most of the testing was conducted on Safari and Arc, allowing us to evaluate performance across different web rendering engines. We also checked other options, such as Chrome and Firefox, to see if the network-wide blocking was effective.
• Measurement Criteria: Our testing was comparative in nature. First, we wanted to judge the effectiveness of AdGuard in ad blocking. We did this by comparing the version with ad blocking and one without. We also checked the overall nature of web browsing when AdGuard was enabled.

Setup and Usability

Since AdGuard is a fully-fledged network filter, the setup process is more complex than that of a web browser extension.

Installation & First Run

Downloading the installation file from the official website and installing the app on our Mac was straightforward. However, setup took longer due to some issues. When we initially enabled all filtering options, AdGuard caused browsing problems on most browsers, resulting in HTTP errors.

Configuring HTTPS Filtering

We resolved this by installing the AdGuard certificate on each browser. This can take time if you plan to use the HTTPS filter for ad blocking and other protection services. While the developers address this in a knowledge base article, it still requires effort, especially for first-time users.

Permissions & Privacy

During the initial setup, AdGuard requested several permissions, including one to set up a local VPN. Depending on the features used, additional permissions such as network extension access may be required.

Daily Usage

Despite the slight difficulty in the setup process, we really like the user interface and usability of AdGuard for Mac. Once the setup is done, you can access the main protection features from the menu bar interface.

This allows you to enable or disable protection and view statistics on the number of ads and trackers blocked, as well as other details. If you ever want to customize things further, you can, of course, open the settings pane.

Ad Blocking Effectiveness

Here’s how we evaluate the effectiveness of AdGuard for Mac’s ad blocking.

Ads on News and Content Sites

Here’s a real-world comparison of Forbes.com with and without AdGuard for Mac enabled.

As you can see, it does an impressive job of blocking advertisements. Instead of showing you blank space, AdGuard can also hide the placeholder. We also noticed a boost in page loading speed because the heavy-resource-consuming ads are hidden.

YouTube and Video Ads

Unfortunately, AdGuard for Mac does not block content/video ads on YouTube. We enabled all blocking options on AdGuard and tested on multiple web browsers. Ads on the page and video ads on YouTube continued to appear on the screen.

Pop-ups, Cookie Banners, and Overlays

In our testing, we found AdGuard effective at blocking pop-ups, cookie banners, and other overlays as well. Conveniently, we don’t have to install another app to get rid of those cookie banners.

In-App and System-Level Ads

We honestly did not have many applications that show advertisements on Mac.

Key Features Overview

Here is a quick overview of the features and control options available when you choose AdGuard for Mac.

System-Wide Ad and Tracker Blocking

Probably the most significant benefit of installing AdGuard for Mac is its system-wide capability to block ads and trackers. You don’t have to install separate extensions or applications for different browsers. Instead, every single page that is opened through your Mac will be protected because the network interception works almost perfectly.

Privacy and Anti-Tracking Protection

The Stealth Mode section of AdGuard helps you prevent websites and other entities from tracking your online activity. You have customizable options here, including the ability to block trackers or remove tracking parameters, as well as the option to customize the tracking methods you want to eliminate. It can even block Notification APIs and Location APIs so that you are less bothered by annoying websites.

Phishing and Malware Filtering

AdGuard for Mac takes it a step further by also offering protection against phishing and malware. This basically works by notifying you when you visit a website that may contain malicious content or a phishing attempt.

Custom Filters and User Rules

Just because you use AdGuard doesn’t mean you have to live with all its filters. All custom filters are available, and you can create custom rules to allow specific websites or ad networks. Of course, you need some level of expertise to come up with your own rules. But it’s better if you can do it, nevertheless.

App-Level Filtering on macOS

We also appreciate the control you have over application-level filtering. The network section of AdGuard helps you choose which applications are filtered and which are not. You can also choose between multiple filtering modes and configure the HTTPS filtering protocol for advanced protection.

Performance and System Impact

We checked the performance impact AdGuard for Mac had while we were using these features. Compared to other browser-based ad-blocking extensions, AdGuard naturally consumes more CPU and RAM resources, even when running in the background.

However, this consumption is not severe enough to impact your browsing speeds. In fact, everything is balanced because AdGuard basically lets fewer ads load on the web page, and you would notice a huge impact on how quickly the website loads.

Overall, we’d say there is minimal impact on performance and the system when using AdGuard.

Privacy and Data Handling

The privacy and data handling practices of AdGuard for Mac are also commendable, as the app never shares your information with external servers. It does not route your traffic or set up a VPN.

Instead, everything is done on your local Mac, which is actually a solace. You can rest assured that nothing leaves your system, but ads and trackers are blocked very promptly.

Pricing and Licensing

As you may know, AdGuard offers a completely free plan that provides access to features such as Custom Filters, HTTPS filtering, and DNS filtering, among others. The problem, however, is that you don’t get features like system-wide blocking or stealth mode that protect you from trackers.

If you want all these advanced features, consider purchasing the premium version of AdGuard, which is available in both personal and family plans.

• The Personal plan is available for $2.49 per month and supports up to 3 devices.
• The Lifetime plan costs $5.49 per month, giving you access on up to 9 devices.

You can also go for lifetime purchase options for Personal and Lifetime plans, which cost $79.99 and $169.99, respectively. However, we often find amazing deals for these purchase options. You also receive a free trial for the paid versions.

Final Verdict

After testing AdGuard for Mac for over a week as our primary ad-blocking and tracking protection system, we are thoroughly impressed by what it offers.

While there are some caveats with the setup, the difference it makes when browsing is quite noticeable. You enjoy a much more peaceful web browsing experience that doesn’t compromise control over your site, thanks to these customization options.

In our testing, the tool successfully blocked almost every ad and pop-up, as well as those cookie consent notices. Similarly, the app does a great job of eliminating other trackers as well. The only disadvantage remains that it doesn’t block YouTube ads.

If it could offer YouTube video ad blocking, we could have even called AdGuard the best ad blocker not just for Mac but for all devices out there.

Published on Jan.16,2026, by TheSweetBits Team