Adguard is a simple yet very helpful ad blocker designed for Mac. Unlike other ad blockers, this program comes as a standalone tool and works with multiple browsers. Hence, there's no need to install ad blockers for each browser you work with on your Mac.
This utility sits on your Menu Bar from where you can control the way it operates on your computer. The Welcome screen provides you with a quick setup assistant and useful instructions. Same options are available on the window that's opened once you click the tool's icon from your Menu Bar.
One thing I noticed after I enabled this ad blocker on my Mac was that the browser pages loaded a lot quicker than usual. Another important advantage is that you have immediate access to Adguard settings from your default browser and you can always change the ad blocking options for the webpage you're visiting.
Besides helping you block annoying ads from your browser, the utility also protects you from phishing and malicious websites.
The only bad aspect is that you might need to restart your default web browser to let Adguard enable the protection mode. Afterwards, you can reopen your browser and Adguard will make sure you're privacy is being protected.
In conclusion, it's definitely worth buying this effective ad blocker for your computer. It's very simple to handle, works perfectly, and comes with a reasonable price.
v1.5 [Aug 31, 2017]
- [Fixed]: AdGuard doesn't filter apps from the WebCatalog app. Previously, AdGuard wasn’t able to filter apps installed with WebCatalog, and they couldn’t even be added to the list of filtered apps manually. This issue gets fixed in this version.
- [Added]: $network basic rules modifier.
- [Changed] The ~third-party modifier behavior.
- [Fixed] Content filtering exception rules.
- [Fixed] Error while parsing a wide filtering rule.
- [Fixed] Replace rules aren't applied to .m3u8 files content.
- [Fixed] Regular expressions with $ aren't processed properly.
- [Fixed] Content rules are applied even when there is a $document exception.
- [Fixed[ The script is being removed/cut if there is an $empty modifier in the rule.
- [Fixed] Cosmetic filters are being applied to pages whitelisted by a $document exception.
- [Improved] The range of $$ rules has been increased.
- [Improved] "ExtendedCss" module has been upgraded to v1.0.8.
- [Improved] The trimming limit for request URLs has been increased.
- [Improved] The $network modifier has been extended, it can now be an exception as well.
- [Added] An option to exclude websites with EV certificates from filtering. An option already familiar to Windows users. Some websites feature Extended Validation (EV) SSL certificates, which require a very strict verification process and offer a stronger guarantee that the website is plausible and trusted. Usually, they are bank websites, payment systems etc., and they normally do not have many ads anyway, if any.
- Also improved the security aspect of AdGuard by addressing some security-related issues.
- [Fixed] Wrong cyphers order.
- [Fixed] SHA-1 intermediate issue.
- [Fixed] AdGuard cannot handle huge chunks properly.
- [Fixed] Connection is allowed when DH1024 is in use.
- [Fixed] "strict-dynamic" CSP is not handled properly.
- [Fixed] AdGuard Crashes when receives new metadata from backend.
- [Fixed] There is an empty response from local.adguard.com in some cases when HTTPS is used.
- [Fixed] Several network errors and compatibility issues.
- [Improved] Filter editor has been reworked. Now it has become possible to enter the 'advanced editing mode'. Basically, it means that the User filter turns into a single text area which you can work with as in any text editor: copy/paste several lines at once and apply all changes at once and not line by line. The search tool will help you to find or replace anything you need. All in all, it should be a welcome change for all the aspiring filter developers.
- [Added] Add "Reset settings..." option.
- [Changed] "System Extension Blocked" issue on macOS 10.13 (High Sierra).
- [Changed] Filters' names have been adjusted.
- [Changed] AdGuard to AdGuard.
- [Fixed] Wrong date of establishment in "About AdGuard" section.
- [Fixed] Several localization fixes and updates.
- [Fixed] The 'expiring trial' warning translation.
- [Fixed] The number of remaining subscription days is not displayed in AdGuard toolbar.
- [Fixed] UF is always turned on after restarting the app.
- [Fixed] Interface bug with filters list.
- [Fixed] Misplaced title in Support window.
- [Improved] AdGuard can now be launched from an external drive. A niche but useful improvement. In case you prefer to store your data on an external drive and switch between different desktops a lot. No need to update your user filter and other settings separately on every Mac separately anymore, just have AdGuard installed on an external drive.
- [Changed] The SSL exceptions list has been updated.
- [Fixed] Yandex mail compatibility issue.
