Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

ClearURLs VS Untracker

Compare ClearURLs VS Untracker and see what are their differences

ClearURLs logo ClearURLs

Remove tracking elements from URLs.

Untracker logo Untracker

App to help you remove tracking information before sharing links - zhanghai/Untracker
  • ClearURLs Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-08-24
  • Untracker Landing page
    Landing page //
    2026-04-11

ClearURLs features and specs

  • Privacy Enhancement
    ClearURLs removes tracking elements from URLs, which helps enhance user privacy by preventing data collection through URL parameters.
  • Improved Browsing Experience
    By cleaning up URLs, ClearURLs can speed up page loading times and reduce clutter, resulting in a more streamlined and faster browsing experience.
  • Open Source
    Being an open-source project, ClearURLs allows users to examine the code for security issues, contribute to improvements, and ensures transparency of its functionality.
  • Cross-Browser Support
    ClearURLs is available for multiple browsers including Chrome, Firefox, and Edge, providing users with consistent URL cleaning capabilities across different platforms.

Possible disadvantages of ClearURLs

  • Compatibility Issues
    Sometimes, removing URL parameters might cause issues with websites that rely on these parameters for functionality, possibly leading to broken links or unexpected behavior.
  • Maintenance Overhead
    Keeping track of tracking URLs and ensuring the filter list is up-to-date can be challenging, requiring continuous maintenance and updates.
  • Limited Scope
    ClearURLs primarily focuses on URL cleaning, which means it doesn't provide comprehensive privacy features like some other browser extensions designed to enhance online privacy.
  • User Understanding
    Some users may not fully understand the implications of URL cleaning, which can lead to confusion if certain functionalities on websites are inadvertently disrupted.

Untracker features and specs

  • Privacy Protection
    Untracker removes tracking parameters from URLs, helping users protect their privacy by preventing advertisers and analytics services from tracking their browsing activity through shared links.
  • Open Source
    The project is fully open source and hosted on GitHub, allowing users to inspect the code, verify its behavior, contribute improvements, and trust that it does what it claims without hidden functionality.
  • Easy to Use
    Untracker integrates with Android's share menu, making it seamless to clean URLs before sharing them. Users can clean tracking parameters with minimal effort as part of their normal sharing workflow.
  • Rule-Based Approach
    The app uses a configurable rules-based system to identify and strip tracking parameters, which makes it flexible and extensible. Users or contributors can add new rules as tracking methods evolve.
  • Lightweight and Focused
    The app has a single, well-defined purpose โ€” removing tracking parameters from URLs. It doesn't try to do too much, keeping it simple, small, and efficient without unnecessary bloat.

Possible disadvantages of Untracker

  • Android Only
    Untracker is currently available only for Android, meaning users on iOS, desktop, or other platforms cannot benefit from the tool without seeking alternative solutions.
  • Limited Awareness and Adoption
    As a relatively niche GitHub project, Untracker has limited community size and visibility, which may mean slower development, fewer rule updates, and less community support compared to more popular privacy tools.
  • Maintenance Dependency
    Tracking parameters constantly evolve as advertisers create new ones. The effectiveness of Untracker depends on ongoing maintenance and rule updates, and if the project becomes inactive, it could quickly become outdated.
  • May Break Some URLs
    Aggressive removal of URL parameters could occasionally break legitimate functionality of some links, as not all query parameters are tracking-related and some may be necessary for the link to work correctly.
  • Manual Share Step Required
    Users need to actively use the share menu integration to clean URLs, meaning it doesn't automatically clean all URLs system-wide. Links opened directly or copied without using the share flow won't be cleaned.

Analysis of Untracker

Overall verdict

  • Untracker is a useful open-source utility for cleaning tracking parameters from URLs, making it a solid choice for privacy-conscious users who value transparency and lightweight tools.

Why this product is good

  • Open-source, so the code is auditable and community-driven
  • Effectively strips tracking parameters (like UTM tags) from links for improved privacy
  • Lightweight and focused on doing one job well
  • Free to use with no hidden costs typical of open-source projects

Recommended for

  • Privacy-conscious users who want to share clean links
  • Developers looking for a simple URL-cleaning tool to integrate or self-host
  • People who frequently share links on social media or messaging apps
  • Open-source enthusiasts who prefer transparent, community-maintained software

ClearURLs videos

Delete tracking information from URLs w/ ClearURLs

Untracker videos

No Untracker videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

Add video

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to ClearURLs and Untracker)
Audio Player
74 74%
26% 26
Project Management
0 0%
100% 100
Media Player
100 100%
0% 0
Website Testing
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

Share your experience with using ClearURLs and Untracker. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
Log in or Post with

What are some alternatives?

When comparing ClearURLs and Untracker, you can also consider the following products

URLCheck - Android app by TrianguloY: URLCheck. Contribute to TrianguloY/UrlChecker development by creating an account on GitHub.

uBlock Origin - Popular and efficient blocker for Chromium, Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Opera, Safari, Thunderbird.

Hurl - Choose a Browser - A windows utility that lets you choose the browser on the click of a link

Adblock Plus - AdBlock Plus is a browser extension for Firefox, Chrome, Opera, and several other popular browsers that prevents intrusive ads like pop-ups and malicious code from appearing on websites you visit.

Browser Tamer - Makes correct URLs open in browsers you want instead of the system defaults.

AdGuard - Surf the Web Ad-Free and Safely. Shield up!