Companies love gathering your browsing data to target you with relevant ads, leading literally hundreds of trackers following your every move when you’re online. Chrome security extensions give you an easy way to ditch the trackers and regain some of your privacy.
Content
- 1. Best for Blocking Trackers: Ghostery
- 2. Best for Storing Passwords: IronVest
- 3. Best for Private Browsing: DuckDuckGo Privacy Essentials
- 4. Best for Clearing Cookies: Cookie AutoDelete
- 5. Best for Checking Site Safety: WOT Website Security & Browsing Protection
- 6. Best for Blocking New Trackers: Privacy Badger
- 7. Best for Customizing What to Block: uBlock Origin
- Frequently Asked Questions
1. Best for Blocking Trackers: Ghostery
Price: Free
Ghostery is an open-source Chrome privacy extension that blocks trackers and ads. The default settings are perfect for most users, as they block trackers and use smart ad blocking to only allow specific types of ads (or block everything). It’s updated regularly and is simple to customize. With fewer trackers loading, websites also load faster.
With Ghostery, you get to see who’s trying to track you on each site you visit. It also automatically blocks cookies, ensuring sites know you don’t want to be tracked. You’re free to whitelist sites to allow ads and trackers if you want. Donations are welcome and give you access to themes and more stats.
2. Best for Storing Passwords: IronVest
Price: Free with premium options
IronVest doesn’t just focus on trackers and cookies. It also masks your identity online to better protect your privacy. It’s one of the all-in-one Google Chrome extensions that enhances the online security of your accounts, masks private info like credit card numbers, stores passwords, and lets you decide which sites (if any) can track you.
Not only does it help you create stronger passwords, but you can set up a biometric password to lock your stored passwords and other account data. Mask your email address, credit card, and mobile number. It works much like a throwaway email provider – but is even more useful.
Some features, like credit card masking, are only available in the premium option. But it comes with a free trial to see what you think before paying anything.
3. Best for Private Browsing: DuckDuckGo Privacy Essentials
Price: Free
DuckDuckGo Privacy Essentials brings the privacy of the DuckDuckGo search engine to Chrome. It helps boost Chrome security by blocking trackers and giving you a rating for websites based on security and privacy practices of the site. This helps you decide whether a site is safe. Search directly through the extension. The only issue is that you’re forced to switch to DuckDuckGo as your default search engine.
It doesn’t block everything, but it does tell you which third-party requests are currently in use, leaving you free to block those as needed. The best part is that your searches aren’t tracked like they are with Google, giving you better results. The bad part is that some sites require you to enter a captcha to verify you’re human before using the site.
4. Best for Clearing Cookies: Cookie AutoDelete
Price: Free
Cookie AutoDelete is one of the more simple Chrome browser extensions that help clear cookies. Easily select sites to whitelist to avoid auto-deleting cookies, or greylist sites to keep cookies (even after you close a tab) until you close your browser. You can also import and export settings to other browsers or computers to avoid having to set everything up again.
Of course, if you want a set-it-and-forget-it setup, turn on the auto-clean feature to automatically clear cookies when you close a tab. Then, sites can’t track you because the cookies are gone.
5. Best for Checking Site Safety: WOT Website Security & Browsing Protection
Price: Free with premium options
WOT Website Security & Browsing Protection gives you a scorecard for a website to let you know how safe it is. Users leave reviews to give you more details. It’s one of the more popular Chrome security extensions, as it’ll also warn you of potential malicious sites that are known for phishing scams and malware threats.
The premium version gives you advanced device and email scanning too. It also deletes trackers and notifies you of potential identity theft threats. While you can’t search a URL before opening it in the extension, you can use the WOT website to check.
6. Best for Blocking New Trackers: Privacy Badger
Price: Free
Privacy Badger doesn’t have the customary list of trackers like most tracking blocker extensions use. Instead, it relies on the behavior of trackers to automatically block them. This works well to identify new trackers that may not be on lists yet. However, during the learning phase, you may still have to deal with trackers. Also, in comparison with others, it didn’t block as many trackers until it was used for a few days.
It was created by the Electronic Frontier Foundation, which is focused on user privacy. It’s important to note that while it asks to view your data on sites you visit, this is only to view tracking details to better protect you.
7. Best for Customizing What to Block: uBlock Origin
Price: Free
uBlock Origin is one of the most powerful free Chrome privacy extensions. It works similarly to Ghostery but offers far more customization. By default, it includes five lists of malicious sites, trackers, and ad types to block. There are also more lists to choose from. Or, set up your own lists and filters for a fully customizable experience.
Choose to block individual elements on single sites or globally, such as JavaScript. You can even block media elements, like those annoying autoplay videos on sites. Easily back up settings to move to a new browser or device. Plus, it’s open source and frequently updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it okay to use multiple Chrome privacy extensions at once?
Yes. However, try to avoid having two extensions that do exactly the same thing. This usually doesn’t offer any benefit. You could use two at once to compare results, then pick the one that works best for you. Using too many at once may slow down your browser.
My antivirus, VPN, or other software has Chrome security extensions. Should I use those instead?
Many VPN and antivirus tools have their own Chrome privacy extensions. For example, Malwarebytes automatically scans and blocks malicious sites with Malwarebytes Browser Guard. NordVPN has an extension to switch the VPN as you browse.
I didn’t list any of these types of extensions, as you have to first buy the software and/or log in to the corresponding desktop app to use them. However, if the software/app you trust has a security extension, try it.
Why don’t some sites load when I use a tracker blocker extension?
Many websites depend solely upon ad revenue and/or third-party trackers to run. As a result, they require you to turn off any tracking and ad blocker extensions before their sites load. For example, Forbes used to show a message requiring you to either become a paying subscriber or whitelist their site. Ironically, they also got hit with malicious ads, causing users to no longer trust visiting the site without an ad blocker.
The only way to load these sites is to turn off your extension while visiting the sites. If they are trusted sites, you can whitelist them.
Is it better to use free or premium extensions?
Typically, free Chrome security extensions work well enough for most users. Some do offer additional or advanced features in premium versions. For instance, IronVest’s credit card masking is a neat feature that’s only available in the premium version. However, judge for yourself whether these features are worth the extra money.
What if I switch to a different browser?
Most browsers that support extensions have a variety of security and privacy extensions. Any Chromium-based browsers typically have access to the Chrome extension store, too.
Remember to also protect yourself on different devices. For instance, use these tips to stay safer on Android devices. Or, if you want to stay away from Facebook, use these WhatsApp alternatives.
Image credit: Unsplash. All screenshots by Crystal Crowder.
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Crystal Crowder –
Staff Writer
Crystal Crowder has spent over 15 years working in the tech industry, first as an IT technician and then as a writer. She works to help teach others how to get the most from their devices, systems, and apps. She stays on top of the latest trends and is always finding solutions to common tech problems.
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