Adblock Pro

Designed as a browser plugin, Adblock Pro is installed on computers that are plagued by an endless stream of online commercials. Once loaded into browser memory, the little program runs in the background as an ad detecting sentry. As long as websites load without automated marketing ads, no action is required. But, as soon as a navigation-interrupting ad is sensed, then the plugin blocks the intrusive commercials.

Let's face it, the internet is a wilderness. Online websites are populated by numerous advertisements, and there's always a pop-up message or two to make things worse. In fact, when marketers have their way, website visits become a painfully arduous affair. A visitor can't see behind a popup-up, or there's an animated banner causing a distraction. At worst, annoying ad windows completely take over the screen until it's no longer possible to read the site's content. They even emit loud spoken messages, too. Well, Adblock Pro exists to stop these ads from spawning. Using the software on Google Chrome, it loads as a tiny plugin, which shouldn't eat up too many processor clock cycles. In other words, the ad-blocking functions won't cause any computer slowdown. Having said that, some older desktop computers may experience an occasional performance hiccup after installing AdBlock Pro.

After installing the plugin, its clickable icon takes up residence next to the Google Chrome address bar. A tap of the button opens up a compact window, and it's from here that the ad blocker's white list is configured. If a website isn't functioning properly, perhaps because it needs to load a second window, simply configure the white list to permit this website to function normally. A number of filters can be configured and adjusted in this manner. They include language settings and the option to specify multiple user-defined website blocks. The only notable downside here is the fact that Adblockers require constant updates, for internet programmers are always looking for new ways to slip around their ad stopping protocols. Just as a final by-the-way, some users have noticed that Adblock Pro does tend to consume more computer RAM than it perhaps should.

Pros

• Blocks annoying ads
• Installs as a Google Chrome plugin
• Easy to configure
• Includes 13 preset filters

Cons

• Consumes RAM and processor resources
• Can cause browser performance hiccups