AdGuard

⚽ Predict the World Cup winner and win a prize 🏆 The 2026 World Cup is underway. Who will lift the trophy in July? Drop your prediction in the comments — and your pick just might be the right one. 🥇 The first 3 correct guesses win a 4-year AdGuard super bundle: Ad Blocker + VPN + DNS + Mail subscriptions (that'll last you until the next World Cup!) 🎲 5 more correct guessers, chosen at random, win a 1-year bundle of the same products Rules: → One comment per account → Predictions accepted through July 18 On July 21 we'll tally up the results and reach out to the winners. Your prediction? (The future winner is…) 👇

Remember when England’s #JordanHenderson injured himself by stumbling on the ad billboard during the celebrations after Round of 16 match against Mexico? Imagine what could have been if it had been possible to block ads in real life… #INGxARG #FIFAWorldCup #FWC26

☁️ AdGuard DNS v2.23: Managing your network and understanding your stats just got even easier! Imagine you need to restrict access to websites from a specific region or block servers belonging to a known spam-heavy hosting provider. Typing in thousands of domains manually is madness, and standard blocklists might not even know these new addresses exist yet. This kind of granular control used to require complex enterprise tools. In the fresh AdGuard DNS v2.23 release, we’ve added advanced filtering by country and ASN (Autonomous System Number). Now, the system can intercept and block threats based on the region or network associated with the IP address in the DNS response. And that’s far from everything this new version brings. We’ve added a highly requested Top categories blocked section to your statistics, letting you instantly see exactly what type of content is filtered most often — from social media to adult websites. For those managing their network via the command line, we’ve also simplified the CLI workflow, so new devices are now created automatically. Please note: The new geo-filtering is configured through User rules. You can manually set up conditions to block or allow domains tied to specific countries or networks. Want to learn more? Check out our blog for all the details: adguard-dns.io/en/blog/adguar…

📝 Just 1 month left to apply for ABDS as a speaker! If you’re reading this, you’ve only got one month left to submit your speaker proposal for Ad Blocker Dev Summit 2026. All you need to do is fill out the form below with a general idea of your presentation. 👉 Call for papers: forms.gle/eWUCWqWou7DoE8…

💧💰 How much ad dollars a sip of water costs at the World Cup? Based on these numbers, advertising during hydration breaks in the US alone could generate over $250 million. That makes one sip a player takes on the pitch quite expensive, literally. Let’s break it down. If we take the $250 million estimate for US hydration-break advertising revenue and divide it by 104 matches, we get roughly $2.4 million per match. Split that across two hydration breaks per match, and it comes to about $1.2 million per break. Divide that again among 22 outfield players, and you arrive at roughly $54,500 per player per break. Now translate that into drinking water. If we assume each player drinks about 0.3 litres during a break, and that an average sip is around 20 ml, that works out to roughly 15 sips per player per break. So $54,500 per player per break divided by 15 sips comes to roughly $3,600 per sip. A single sip of water is therefore worth thousands of dollars in advertising inventory, and this is if we take the US only. It’s estimated that the global value of hydration-break advertising could approach as much as $1 billion. So let’s recalculate. Starting from the $1 billion global estimate: - Divide by 104 matches → about $9.6 million per match - Divide by 2 hydration breaks per match → about $4.8 million per break - Divide by 22 outfield players → about $218,000 per player per break - Divide by 15 sips per player → about $14,500 per sip In other words, depending on whether you look at the US market alone or the global broadcast ecosystem, a single sip of water at the 2026 World Cup may be worth somewhere between $3,600 and $14,500 in advertising inventory.

🥤How much does a sip of water cost? At the 2026 World Cup, somewhere between $3,600 and $14,500. Per sip. Seriously. Whether you’re a die-hard fan or just casually tuning in, it’s impossible to escape the 2026 World Cup right now. But if you’ve found yourself getting annoyed by those mandatory hydration breaks splitting the game into four quarters, you’re definitely not alone. Players like Virgil van Dijk have called them unnecessary momentum-killers, and fans are literally booing them in the stadiums. But there’s one group that’s staying completely silent: broadcasters and advertisers. Why? Because those quick breaks are an absolute goldmine. FIFA made these 3-minute hydration breaks mandatory for every single match this tournament—even in air-conditioned stadiums. By doing that, they handed broadcasters about 4 minutes and 20 seconds of extra commercial time per game. When you scale that across the whole tournament, the numbers get wild: — 832 extra ad slots created globally throughout the World Cup — $250 million+ in extra revenue in the US alone (with 30-second slots on Fox costing up to $750k for big matches) — $1 billion in estimated global ad revenue just from these breaks So, what is a single sip of water worth? If you break down the global revenue by the number of matches, breaks, players, and average sips, one single gulp of water taken by Messi, Ronaldo, or Mbappe on the pitch is worth somewhere between $3,600 and $14,500 in advertising inventory. This isn't just a regional trend; it’s the new global reality. Over the last couple of years, we've watched streaming services jack up prices for ad-free tiers and smart TVs push ads onto our idle screens. Now, football is the latest frontier. If broadcasters realize these breaks pull in hundreds of millions of dollars, they are never going away. By the 2050 World Cup, we might genuinely be looking at "McDonald's snack breaks" or "Gatorade recovery pauses." We can't stop FIFA from pausing the match to sell you trucks and soda, but we can keep the rest of your digital life clean. Full article: adguard.com/en/blog/world-…

💚 AdGuard for Mac v2.19: All about leveling up security and making things easier to use There’s an old trick some shady apps use: quietly poke at your ad blocker’s settings until ads start slipping back through. With AdGuard for Mac v2.19, that trick just stopped working. What’s new: 🌟 Your app settings and userscripts are now locked down tight: any attempt at tampering from other apps or something shadier gets caught instantly 🌟 If a userscript could mess with a website’s security, you’ll get a heads-up right at install 🌟 We reworked onboarding, so getting started with AdGuard is clearer than ever 🌟 Plus a bunch of under-the-hood fixes for better stability and performance Nothing changes in how the app feels day to day — it just got a lot harder to sneak past. Head over to our blog to read the full breakdown of everything new: adguard.com/en/blog/adguar…

🥷 There’s a certain type of Windows user who installs everything through the Microsoft Store, no exceptions. If that’s you, we’ve got good news AdGuard VPN is now live on the Microsoft Store. Getting it on Windows used to mean a trip to our website and a manual installation, which worked great but was not the fastest route. Now you can download it in a couple of clicks without ever leaving the store. This isn’t a new version of the app, it’s the same AdGuard VPN you already know, just easier to install and keep up to date. Why it’s so convenient: — A couple-click install: open the store page, sign in, hit Install — Peace of mind that you’re getting the official build — Auto-updates alongside all your other store apps — Billing still runs through the AdGuard website, not Microsoft, so there’s no store lock-in and you have full control over your subscription Prefer downloading straight from our site instead? That option’s still there. One more perk: now you can rate and review the app right in the store — it genuinely helps our team make it better. 🔗 Get AdGuard VPN on the Microsoft Store: agrd.io/microsoft_stor… adguard-vpn.com/en/blog/adguar…

We wrote many times about unscrupulous ad-blocking browser extensions that steal your data or infect your device with malware but make it to browser stores nonetheless. Turns out, VPN extensions can be just as dangerous. The security research team at Socket analyzed two browser extensions named “VPN Go: Free VPN,” listed on Chrome Web Store and Mozilla’s Firefox Add-ons marketplaces respectively, with a total user count of about 4000 at the time of the initial publication. The researchers discovered that both extensions contained harmful code that could steal the contents of users’ clipboards, a malicious tactic known as ‘clipping.’ The attackers likely chose to disguise their clippers as VPN extensions because they needed to obtain certain permissions without raising suspicion. In fact, the unfortunate users were under the impression that the extensions were protecting their privacy, when in reality they were doing the opposite. The original versions of both extensions uploaded to web stores did not contain any malicious code. But the following updates introduced clipboard theft logic and exfiltration schemes. Interestingly, both extensions did work as proxies. They were routing the browser’s traffic through a remote server and did not just put up a fake VPN facade. This is a great reminder why you should always be vigilant about which extensions you install, and especially which extensions you grant wide permissions to. When installing a new browser extension, always take into account: 🌟"Who is the developer of the extension? Do you trust that developer?" 🌟 "Does it have a Privacy Policy? And if yes, does it look legit?" 🌟 "How many users does it have? There are cases when extensions with over a million users turned out to have malicious intent, but, in general, the fake ones tend to have fewer users." 🌟 "Are there any reviews? What do the reviewers say? Good reviews don’t guarantee that the extension is safe, but the abundance of bad reviews should at least make you suspicious." At the time of publishing of this post, both extensions in question have been removed from their respective stores. Check if you have VPN Go: Free VPN installed in your browser, and if you do, delete it immediately and strongly consider changing your passwords, API keys, cloud credentials, and anything else you could have potentially leaked via your clipboard.

🇰🇷🌐 Great news for AdGuard DNS users in South Korea and neighboring regions: We’ve added a new DNS server in Seoul For our users, this means a shorter route to our servers, lower latency for DNS queries, and maximum stability for AdGuard DNS. On top of that, the new node will take on a portion of the traffic in Asia, offloading our existing locations. You don’t need to change any settings, either. If you’re already using AdGuard DNS, your traffic will automatically switch to this shorter route on its own. Give it a try and feel the difference: adguard-dns.io/en/welcome.htm…

❌ No, Google is not killing ad blockers: Andrey Meshkov weighs in on the Manifest V2 panic Another wave of alarmist headlines is sweeping the internet. To be fair, the trigger is quite significant: tomorrow, June 30, 2026, Chrome 150 drops. This update will completely shut down the last remaining loopholes for supporting legacy Manifest V2 (MV2) extensions. The change will also impact other Chromium-based browsers, including Edge, Opera, Vivaldi and Brave. While doom-and-gloom headlines are everywhere, AdGuard co-founder and CTO Andrey Meshkov is confident: things are not as bad as they seem. So, what’s actually happening, and why the panic? A “Manifest” is essentially the technical rulebook that dictates how extensions interact with a browser. Google is completely migrating the web to its new framework (Manifest V3) and permanently purging the old MV2 support code from the shared Chromium engine. As a result, outdated legacy extensions will instantly stop working across the board — whether you’re using Chrome, Edge or Opera. Naturally, this has triggered widespread rumors that ad blockers are doomed. But that’s only half the story. The major, most painful shift to Manifest V3 actually happened back in 2024. The internet didn't break down, and ad blockers successfully adapted. Five years ago, when Google first announced the new rules, they genuinely threatened to kill content filtering. However, instead of just handing down ultimatums, the tech giant opened a dialogue with extension developers for feedback. Ultimately, Google, Mozilla, Apple, and various extension creators formed a joint working group. For years, we've been working together to refine MV3 and make it viable. The journey wasn't short, and the transition hasn't been entirely painless. The codebase has become trickier, making development more complex for us as creators. But for you, the end user, not much has changed. We adapted, and your ad-blocking protection is working exactly as it should. Want maximum protection? While your MV3 extensions will keep working seamlessly, Google’s new rules do impose certain architectural limitations. If you are looking for zero-compromise, heavy-duty content filtering, you have two great options: 🌟Switch to Firefox: Mozilla continues to support the full, unrestricted blocking capabilities of the legacy webRequest API alongside MV3. Because of this, ad blockers can still run at 100% capacity there 🌟Install full-fledged AdGuard apps: Our standalone apps for Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS, alongside AdGuard DNS, are completely immune to Chrome's whims. They filter internet traffic at the system level, clearing out ads and trackers before they ever reach your browser adguard.com/en/blog/no-goo…

⚽ The World Cup was never the hard part You didn't miss the goal because your stream buffered. You missed it because a cookie wall, two autoplay clips, and a flashing “WATCH FREE” banner got to your eyes first — and by the time you'd closed all three, the ball was already in the net and your group chat had spoiled it. Here's the part nobody says out loud: the beautiful game itself is still as simple as it gets. It’s the digital mess we have to wade through to watch it that ruins the fun. Eleven on eleven, a ball, ninety minutes — that part's easy. It's the ad-stuffed streaming pages, the inbox that fills up the second you sign up for anything, and the sketchy café Wi-Fi that turns a simple thing into a mess. Here’s how AdGuard is making your World Cup streaming experience way better: So before kickoff, clear the noise. Less clutter, more match. Opening a sports website shouldn't feel like a test of survival. AdGuard quietly strips out the autoplay clips, pop-ups, and trackers. The page loads clean and fast, meaning you can instantly tune into the game instead of fighting off a wave of junk. It's especially handy when you end up on those free-stream pages that are basically just walls of ads. Keep your inbox for people you actually like. Every streaming trial, ticket alert, and “confirm your email” wants your address — and weeks later once the World Cup fever has finally died down, you realize you're buried under a mountain of promotional spam you forgot you even said yes to. AdGuard Mail hands out aliases and throwaway addresses, so you can sign up for all of it without giving up your real inbox. No post-tournament unsubscribe marathon. Watching away from home? Mind the Wi-Fi. More of us than ever will catch matches from an airport gate, a hotel room, a corner café — and open public Wi-Fi is wide open for a reason. AdGuard VPN hides your IP and encrypts your traffic, so browsing and streaming on a shared network stay your business. (It won't conjure up broadcast rights — more on that in a sec — but it keeps your connection from being an open book.) Your TV can't install an ad blocker? Your router can. Smart TVs, consoles, that random streaming stick — none of them run browser extensions, and that's exactly where a ton of living-room viewing happens. AdGuard DNS filters ads and trackers at the network level, so every device on your Wi-Fi gets a cleaner experience, not just your laptop. Now, the honest bit — because we'd rather just tell you straight: none of this unlocks a paywalled broadcast. What you can watch, and where, comes down to the broadcasters and the rights deals where you live. So when you're mapping out your week of football, check the official broadcasters and the schedule for your country. These tools make the experience smoother; they don't rewrite who's allowed to show what. Because watching the World Cup was always more about being there than getting in. Clear the clutter, tidy the inbox, lock down the connection when you're out — and suddenly you're just… watching. Present for the pre-match nerves, the half-time arguments, the ninetieth-minute heartbreak. Which, let's be honest, are the only parts that were ever the point. adguard.com/en/blog/watch-…

🥷 AdGuard VPN for Mac arrives on the Mac App Store Finding, installing, and updating the app takes just a couple of clicks now. Turn on auto-updates, and the latest versions will download automatically. Plus, you can now leave reviews right in the Mac App Store and instantly share the app with your friends via AirDrop. But convenience isn’t the only upgrade in this release. We’ve also packed in a major security feature for our power users: Strict VPN routing. This new option forces 100% of your device’s traffic through the secure VPN tunnel, completely stopping sneaky apps from bypassing your protection. It’s disabled by default, but if you want total lockdown, you can easily turn it on: ⚙️ Where to find it: Advanced settings ➡️ Miscellaneous Head over to our blog to read the full breakdown of everything new: adguard-vpn.com/en/blog/adguar…

🌍 The Ad Blocker Dev Summit is back — Copenhagen, Nov 3–4, 2026 Two days of talks and hallway chats for everyone making the web more private and less intrusive. Co-hosted by AdGuard & @eyeo! 🎤 Speak or attend — adblockerdevsummit.com

🌍 The Ad Blocker Dev Summit is back — Copenhagen, Nov 3–4, 2026. Two days of talks and hallway chats for everyone making the web more private and less intrusive. Co-hosted by @AdGuard & eyeo! 🎤 Speak or attend — adblockerdevsummit.com

⚽ Predict the World Cup winner and win a prize 🏆 The 2026 World Cup is underway. Who will lift the trophy in July? Drop your prediction in the comments — and your pick just might be the right one. 🥇 The first 3 correct guesses win a 4-year AdGuard super bundle: Ad Blocker + VPN + DNS + Mail subscriptions (that'll last you until the next World Cup!) 🎲 5 more correct guessers, chosen at random, win a 1-year bundle of the same products Rules: → One comment per account → Predictions accepted through July 18 On July 21 we'll tally up the results and reach out to the winners. Your prediction? (The future winner is…) 👇

🚀 AdGuard for Windows v8.0 release candidate is here — and we need YOU! 🚀 After months of intense work, v8.0 RC is finally out — and this is a big one. Faster startup, more reliable filtering, updated UI, experimental SockFilter driver for better compatibility and stability, and more! This is your chance to shape the final release. Every bug report, every suggestion, every bit of feedback makes v8.0 better for everyone 🙌 👇 Download the RC ➡️ adguard.com/beta.html?plat… And share your thoughts on GitHub github.com/AdguardTeam/Ad… (or right in the app via Support)

Three legends hidden on one screenshot — how many GOATs can you spot?

🛡️Mail Protection in AdGuard apps: a quieter inbox, more privacy Email tracking is one of those things most people never think about — but newsletters and marketing emails can quietly reveal when you open a message and how you interact with it. With our new Mail Protection feature, we’re giving users another way to reduce that kind of invisible tracking. Here’s what Mail Protection is meant to do: 📫 Help block email tracking Some emails contain trackers that let senders collect data about opens and engagement. Mail Protection is designed to help stop that. 📫Add privacy beyond the browser AdGuard already helps protect users from ads and trackers online — now we’re bringing that same idea into the inbox. 📫Keep things simple The feature is built to work quietly in the background, so users don’t need to dig through settings or learn anything complicated. Mail Protection is already available in AdGuard apps for Windows and Mac, and it’s coming soon to AdGuard browser extensions and Android and iOS apps! This is about giving everyday users a straightforward way to take back a little more control over their email privacy. If you want to know more about how it works or to leave feedback, check out the full post: adguard.com/en/blog/mail-t…

🎮 Imagine booting up your PlayStation 5 on a premium OLED TV, ready to escape reality, only for a random pizza ad to pop up in the corner of your screen Not inside Netflix. Not on the home menu. But layered directly over your HDMI console feed. According to recent complaints from furious players on Reddit, this is the new reality for some smart TV owners. Manufacturers are using silent firmware updates to quietly transform expensive flagship TVs into remotely controlled billboards. It’s all powered by Automatic Content Recognition (ACR) — technology that tracks what you're doing "at the glass level," whether you're watching cable, streaming, or playing a video game. When did buying a $1,500 TV start meaning signing up to be the product? Since you can't install a standard browser extension on a smart TV, the best way to fight back without losing your smart features (and your sanity) is at the network level. Setting up AdGuard DNS on your router or TV helps block those sneaky tracking and advertising domains before they ever hit your screen. Keep your gaming space ad-free and read the full deep-dive on our blog: adguard.com/en/blog/smart-…

@IntCyberDigest We know at least one ad blocker extension for Chrome that is not about to get disabled by Google… 👀

‼️ Google is about to disable all adblocker extensions in Chrome. Instead of letting the adblocker inspect traffic itself, extensions now have to hand Google's browser a limited list of filtering rules and hope for the best. This leads to weaker blocking and more ads getting through. Google makes the vast majority of its money selling ads. The company that profits from every ad you see also controls the browser most people use, with Chrome 149 being the last version supporting adblockers. For example, under the new rules, uBlock Origin cannot exist. For millions of people, that extension is the only thing standing between them and a wall of ads, trackers, and autoplay garbage. One user put it bluntly: "The web is literally unusable without uBlock Origin."