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Pop-Up Blockers

There are many FREE ad blocking software programs available for download. With so many choices, how do you decide which one to use?

You May Already Have A Pop-Up Blocker

If your operating system is Windows XP and you've installed the free update Service Pack 2 (SP2), you already have an effective pop-up blocker. It's built into Internet Explorer but you must be using Windows XP Professional to activate the blocker.

An increasing number of people choose not to use Internet Explorer, opting to use alternative browsers such as Firefox, which also includes a pop-up blocker and other excellent security tools. You will find a list of alternative browsers on our Free Tools page.

A Word of Caution...

Most search engines offer a free browser toolbar with a built-in pop-up blocker and other handy tools. Why would they give you something for nothing? In two words, "market research". Once you've installed the toolbar the provider may have access to information, such as which Web sites you visit. They may also have the ability to retrieve information when you submit an online form! Reputable search engines are not interested in obtaining your credit card information, rather, they want to know where you surf and what types of products you buy. It's not snooping and it's not illegal. Users agree to the terms of service when they download and install the software. Do you bother to read the legal statement before you download free software?

Here's a small segment from a major search engine's privacy policy: "...COLLECTS AND STORES INFORMATION ABOUT THE WEB PAGES YOU VIEW, THE DATA YOU ENTER IN ONLINE FORMS AND SEARCH FIELDS AND THE PRODUCTS YOU PURCHASE ONLINE WHILE USING THE TOOLBAR SERVICE."

Some other free pop-up blocker programs may actually install adware and/or spyware on your computer, transmitting data back to the software provider. Before downloading and installing any free software you should always ask yourself, "How do they benefit from offering a free product?"

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Popular Browser Toolbar Pop-Up Blockers

Despite potential privacy risks, these search engine toolbars are the most popular free ad blocking tools.

Dogpile Toolbar

Rated #1 free browser toolbar plug-in by PC World magazine. Features include a pop-up blocker, news ticker and SearchSpy™ - Watch scrolling terms to see what people are searching for in real-time. Cursor Search - Search any word(s) from a web page or MS Word document by right-clicking your mouse.

Google Toolbar

This toolbar has the usual search engine toolbar features plus spell check for webmail, Web page language translation and the ability to highlight search words on a Web page. The best feature is Google's information gathering practices can be easily disabled by selecting "Privacy Information" under "Help" in the Toolbar's "Google" menu.

Ask Toolbar (Ask.com, formerly Ask Jeeves)

This popular toolbar features PopSwatter, an excellent pop-up blocker tool. Create "safe lists" for pop-ups you want to appear, such as your media player, etc. Includes Smiley Central™, Cursor Mania™, Popular Screensavers™, My Fun Cards™, the MyWebSearch® search box and Search Assistant - relevant search results in response to misspelled or incorrectly formatted browser address requests. Popswatter contains no spyware or adware. It can also be downloaded directly from PopSwatter.com.

Windows Live Toolbar (formerly MSN Search toolbar)

This is very disappointing. The free MSN Search toolbar is now "Windows Live" toolbar. Click the link and you may be impressed with the toolbar's features. Unfortunately, Microsoft doesn't bother to mention the toolbar's protection from security risks such as phishing scams and viruses is FREE FOR THE FIRST 90 DAYS. You must click the OneCare Advisor link to learn those security features are only available as a free trial. After a half-dozen clicks and still no cost information I became disgusted and aborted the search. Hmm... Would YOU sign up for a free trial without knowing the cost after the free trial expires?

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Popular Free (non search engine) Pop-Up Blockers
ISPbargains Top Picks

EarthLink Toolbar

You do not need to be an EarthLink customer to download and use EarthLink's excellent free toolbar, which includes the following features:

Foxie

A collection of free security, privacy and productivity tools. Foxie was originally designed to bridge the gap between Internet Explorer and Mozilla FireFox but soon grew in scope and size to offer additional unique features not found in any stand alone browser. Foxie empowers you to browse much more safely and more efficiently, blending tabbed browsing, ad/pop-up blocking and privacy/security protection. Foxie is NOT a web browser and fits seamlessly into your Internet Explorer browser.

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