Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Searx VS AdBlock

Compare Searx VS AdBlock and see what are their differences

Note: These products don't have any matching categories. If you think this is a mistake, please edit the details of one of the products and suggest appropriate categories.

Searx logo Searx

Open source metasearch engine

AdBlock logo AdBlock

Ad blocker for Chrome, Safari and Opera on desktop and Safari for iOS devices.
  • Searx Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-09-25
  • AdBlock Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-03-26

Searx features and specs

  • Privacy
    Searx does not track your searches or log any user information, safeguarding privacy.
  • Customizable
    The platform allows users to configure their own instances and adjust the settings according to their preferences.
  • Open Source
    Being open-source, Searx encourages transparency and community contributions, improving security and innovation.
  • Multiple Sources
    Searx aggregates results from various search engines and databases, providing a more comprehensive search result.
  • Ad-Free
    Searx does not display ads in its search results, offering a cleaner user experience.

Possible disadvantages of Searx

  • Performance
    Aggregating searches from multiple sources can result in slower performance compared to dedicated search engines.
  • Reliability
    Searx instances can suffer from downtime or availability issues, especially those run by volunteers or smaller providers.
  • Limited Advanced Features
    Searx might not offer some of the advanced features and functionalities available in proprietary search engines like Google.
  • Quality Variability
    Search result quality can vary depending on the sources selected and the instance configuration.
  • User Interface
    The interface may not be as polished or user-friendly as some of the major search engines.

AdBlock features and specs

  • Improved Browsing Experience
    AdBlock removes intrusive ads, allowing web pages to load faster and users to enjoy a cleaner browsing experience.
  • Enhanced Privacy
    By blocking ads, AdBlock helps reduce tracking by ad networks, thereby enhancing the user's privacy online.
  • Reduced Data Usage
    Since ads often contain large images, videos, or animations, blocking them can significantly reduce data usage, which is beneficial for users with limited bandwidth.
  • Security
    AdBlock can protect users from malicious ads that might contain malware or phishing links.
  • Customization
    AdBlock offers customization options, allowing users to whitelist specific websites and control what types of ads to block.

Possible disadvantages of AdBlock

  • Hurts Content Creators
    Many websites rely on ad revenue to fund their content. By blocking ads, users may inadvertently reduce the income generated by these sites.
  • Potential Website Breakage
    Some websites may not function properly or fully when ads are blocked, leading to a degraded user experience.
  • Ethical Considerations
    Blocking ads raises ethical questions regarding fair compensation for free content and services provided by websites.
  • Circumvention by Publishers
    Some websites have started using anti-adblock measures, restricting access to their content if they detect the use of ad blockers, forcing users to disable the extension.
  • Resource Usage
    Running AdBlock as a browser extension can increase the consumption of system resources, potentially slowing down the browser.

Analysis of Searx

Overall verdict

  • Overall, Searx is considered a good choice for those who prioritize privacy and want unbiased search results. It offers flexibility and transparency, being an open-source platform that can be customized and self-hosted.

Why this product is good

  • Searx is appreciated for being a privacy-focused metasearch engine that aggregates results from multiple search engines without tracking user activity. It advocates for user privacy and provides unbiased search results by not catering to any single engine's algorithm.

Recommended for

  • Users concerned about online privacy and data tracking
  • Individuals looking for an open-source and customizable search engine
  • Those interested in non-biased search results by amalgamating multiple engines
  • Tech-savvy users who may want to self-host their own private search engine

Analysis of AdBlock

Overall verdict

  • AdBlock is generally considered a good and reliable choice for users looking to mitigate the annoyance and privacy concerns associated with online advertising. It is easy to install, widely supported across different browsers, and offers customizable options for allowing certain ads or whitelisting specific websites.

Why this product is good

  • AdBlock (getadblock.com) is effective for users who want to block intrusive advertisements, enhance browsing speed, and increase online privacy. It is designed to remove ads from websites, thus improving the overall user experience on the internet. Additionally, blocking ads can lead to faster loading times and reduced data consumption.

Recommended for

    AdBlock is recommended for individuals who frequently browse the internet and wish to have a cleaner, more streamlined viewing experience without ads. It is particularly useful for those concerned about online privacy and data usage, or for anyone who is frustrated with the distraction caused by excessive advertising on websites.

Searx videos

Searx.me: an open source, privacy respecting alternative to Google Search

More videos:

  • Review - DeGoogleing // Duck Duck Go amd Searx
  • Review - TOP 5 privacy search engines - Best Google Search Alternatives - DuckDuckGo, Startpage, Qwant, Searx

AdBlock videos

Dear AdBlock, Kiss My A$$!

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Searx and AdBlock)
Search Engine
100 100%
0% 0
Security & Privacy
0 0%
100% 100
Internet Search
100 100%
0% 0
Ad Blockers
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

Share your experience with using Searx and AdBlock. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Searx and AdBlock

Searx Reviews

The best private search engines for secure browsing
Searx is a free, privacy-focused metasearch engine. It doesn’t share users’ IP addresses and search history with the search engines it uses. Searx also blocks cookies and protects against tracking HTTPS headers, pixels, and malicious scripts. Moreover, it prevents search result filtering according to your search habits, so it is very handy if you want to minimize third-party...
Source: nordvpn.com
12 Google Alternatives: Best Search Engines To Use In 2019
It retrieves search results from numerous sources that include famous ones like Google, Yahoo, DuckDuckGo, Wikipedia, etc. SearX is an open-source Google alternative and available to everyone for a source code review as well as contributions on GitHub. You can even customize it as your own metasearch engine and host it on your server.
Source: fossbytes.com
8 Privacy Oriented Alternative Search Engines To Google in 2018
If you are fond of utilizing Torrent clients to download stuff, this search engine will help you find the magnet links to the exact files when you try searching for a file through searX. When you access the settings (preferences) for searX, you would find a lot of advanced things to tweak from your end.
Source: itsfoss.com

AdBlock Reviews

  1. Easy to use and makes browsing cleaner

    I've been using AdBlock for a while now, and I really like it. It blocks annoying pop-ups, video ads, making websites load faster and look cleaner. It’s easy to use and works seamlessly in the background.


List of 10 Best Ad Blockers in 2024
In 2024, one of thе best ad blockеrs that continuеs to dominatе thе markеt is AdBlock. With its robust fеaturеs and usеr-friеndly intеrfacе, AdBlock has proven to be a rеliablе choice for blocking unwantеd advеrtisеmеnts across various platforms. It еfficiеntly еliminatеs intrusivе ads, pop-ups, and еvеn vidеo ads, providing a sеamlеss and unintеrruptеd browsing еxpеriеncе.
Best Ad Blockers in 2023: Adblock Plus vs AdGuard vs uBlock Origin and More
Adblock, Adblock Plus and Adblocker for YouTube aren’t the same ad blocking browser extension. They all do an excellent job, though without uBlock Origin’s configurability.
Best Ad Blockers
AdBlock is an incredibly popular extension. It has widespread use across all browsers and has been around for a long time. The extension features a very simple interface without too many frills, but it gets the job done. Don’t get it confused with AdBlock Plus, Adaware AdBlock, or any other interesting name variations — it should have the red hexagon logo and be called...
22 NextDNS Alternatives
AdBlocker Ultimate entirely removes all the ads that are floating over the web, on YouTube, in blogs, and other online destinations to provide an annoying less web surfing experience. This free and improved ad-blocker is capable of removing annoying ads, blocking malware, eliminating whitelisted advertisers, and blocking tracking. You can instantly download the AdBlocker...
8 BEST Ad Blockers For Chrome In 2020 [Free Pop Up Blockers]
Not only is Adblock Plus free, but it also features acceptable ads. Instead of charging you the user, AdBlock Plus charges large companies who want to be a part of its acceptable ads program, thereby saving you money whilst allowing companies who depend on ad-generated revenue to continue offering you free content for years to come.

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Searx should be more popular than AdBlock. It has been mentiond 40 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Searx mentions (40)

  • Just a reminder that WhatsApp is also owned by Facebook
    Meaning, you can go to public instances like searx.me,. Here's the documentation on how to start it up. But , you dont have to trust Searx that they are good people nor do you have to trust their data habits like DDG. Source: about 3 years ago
  • Instead of lashing out at duckduckgo for doing what they think is best, ask the deeper question of why we’re all still using centralized services and being disappointed when they behave in a predictably centralized way.
    Consider a future where something like https://searx.me/ is as ubiquitous as Tor. Source: about 3 years ago
  • DDG, once a hero has now fallen.
    For those looking for a replacement for Duckduckgo; I would highly recommend using Searx. It's an open source privacy respecting search engine with many decentralized private instances you can swap between. The link I sent is the primary instance, but here is a link with dozens more, and my own private instance. Source: about 3 years ago
  • DuckDuckGo is out. I guess I'll try Brave Search.
    The most based solution: Https://searx.me. Source: about 3 years ago
  • Uh oh.. What will the vaccinated think of this news?
    Searx.me and Startpage.com are the best search engines right now that are anti-censorship and anti-bias. Source: over 3 years ago
View more

AdBlock mentions (24)

  • Are there any good and free ad blocker??
    Https://getadblock.com/en/ This one works fine with me on Opera GX. You can go to your browser's web store, like the Chrome Web Store and download one. If you switch to a browser like Brave or Opera GX, you can have a built-in one, which is easier. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • R.I.P soap2day
    Interesting, I usually don't get pop ups on soap2day or that site(only if I miss click on the play button or something similar sometimes). I use an ad blocker though so maybe thats why. I get WAY more when I use my iphone though. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • Help!
    If I were you I would contact official steam support at the Steam Help Page, maybe they'll be able to help you, make sure to use an AD-Block or a VPN to stay safe out here on the internet. Wish you good luck. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • 1337x saying I need a VPN?
    This issue just appeared today, I've never seen it before. I'm using NordVPN with kill switch enabled, and I already checked with https://www.iplocation.net/ and http://checkmyip.torrentprivacy.com/ to confirm I'm routing all traffic through the VPN. I tried getting a new IP from Nord, but it still didn't fix it. I'm using this ad block plugin in chrome https://getadblock.com/en/ , so I don't think this is an ad. Source: over 2 years ago
  • With all the talk of blocking the Tbell Pete and, what do you all do for other ads?
    I have an AdBlock extension for my Chrome browser on desktop: https://getadblock.com/en/. Source: over 2 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Searx and AdBlock, you can also consider the following products

DuckDuckGo - The Internet privacy company that empowers you to seamlessly take control of your personal information online, without any tradeoffs.

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

Google - Google Search, also referred to as Google Web Search or simply Google, is a web search engine developed by Google. It is the most used search engine on the World Wide Web

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

StartPage - Startpage search engine, the new private way to search Google. Protect your Privacy with Startpage!

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.