Home > web 2.0 > Google Chrome with no Ads – BFilter – Move over Privoxy and Admuncher!

Google Chrome with no Ads – BFilter – Move over Privoxy and Admuncher!

by Bilal Jaffery on September 20, 2008 · Comments

in web 2.0

We all agree that Google’s new browser, Chrome, is really innovative and quite honestly – fast.  However, as soon as you try it, you remember why you liked your Firefox with Adblock+ extention. The Web is full of intrusive ads, banners and overlays etc. 

In my opinion, inability for Google to not offer offer Adblocking of any form (besides popup blocker) (from initial release) will remain and probably is a strategy to increase revenue to their AdSense stream. (Which is primary source of income for Google Inc.) It could possibly be one of the main reasons to offer a new browser to compliment AdSense + their Google Apps platform. Almost everyone I know that uses Firefox has a Adblock plugin installed.

Don’t get me wrong, I do forsee a plugin coming from the Open Source Chromium.  I love the Chrome UI, fast rendering and not to mention the new Javascript engine.  For short term Ad blockage, I started looking for alternatives and found out:

  • Google does not deliver an adblocking plugin for Chrome.
  • forget AdMuncher it’s not free.
  • forget Privoxy it’s way too complicated
  • forget HostsMan it doesn’t work anyway

I strongly recommend BFilter. It’s totally painless to install, no setup required and it works instantly (after adjusting the browser’s proxy settings). Knows a lot of adservers and works like a charm even for Canadian ads. Adding rules is straight forward, as we are used to with AdblockPlus.

As of Sept 20th, The current version of BFilter is 1.1.4 

Windows 2000, XP, and above
Windows 95, 98, ME
Mac OS X 10.3.9 and above (Universal Binary)
Linux (autopackage, GUI version only)
Source Code

Initial Configuration

Set your browser’s HTTP proxy to 127.0.0.1, port 8080. Don’t set it for protocols other than HTTP. Read the detailed instructions here.

Set Chrome’s proxy settings to 127.0.0.1 port 8080 (via Options -> Under the Hood -> Change Proxy Settings -> LAN Settings -> Check “Use a proxy server for your LAN”)

In case of Linux, you will have to find a way to autostart BFilter yourself. 

Using AdBlock Plus filter lists

Steve Pellegrin wrote a script to convert AdBlock Plus filter lists to BFilter format. More information here. 


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Tagged as: abp, adblock, admuncher, bfilter, chrome, Google, Google Chrome AdBlock Bfilter Privoxy Admuncher, privoxy

  • Fsd
    Thanks for the tip. I'm trying it under ArchLinux with Chromium and it works fine.
  • I personally use OpenDNS.org for my dns, so I am already protected - with or without any proxies.
  • Kaleo
    Privoxy also deals with the DNS leaks when using Tor. Does BFilter address that, as well?
  • Timothy Rushton
    I have tried various ad blocking software and for one reason or another, have had to uninstall them. They either start well and then for some reason stop blocking the ads, then they do, then they don't scenerio or they're just crap. I think bfilter is the best I have tried (it even blocks the ebay ads in Baygenie) but it has one big problem. It also blocks out entire web pages, especially links from other web sites, legit ones not dodgy ones. I know it's bfilter because as soon as I tick Bypass, everything works fine. I have tried this on Vista 32, Vista 64 and Windows 7 64, it does the same on all of them. And to try and configure it to stop doing this, I am pretty good with computers, but I ain't fiddling with bfilter's configuration, it's just not user firendly at all.
  • Recondo
    Forget Ad-Muncher - It's not free. This should have been worded differently.

    At the risk of sounding like a salesman, I'll say this..... For 30 dollars, you get free LIFETIME upgrades. They don't make you pay for every new version. A small price to pay for a fantastic product that works independant of any web browser.
  • privoxy
    Don't let Privoxy scare you away! It's actually extremely quick to install, and it works wonderfully right out of the box -- there's no need to mess with all the (admittedly complicated) settings. And it only takes up three megs of ram. Now BFilter might be great too. But Privoxy works fine.
  • Nivasa
    I've set it up and it seems to work like a charm filtering ads.. but does anyone else receive this error in the Operations Log when BFilter starts up? :

    Applying config ...
    [config:85] Illegal value for "proxy_port"

    All the other configs load successfully (i.e. Loading forwarding configuration.. standard url patterns.. local url patterns.. content filters.. cache)

    I have a home network (two Vista PCs (DHCP) behind a wireless router). I've configured Chrome's proxy settings as specified in the instructions (http/127.0.0.1:8080).

    Does something need to be opened on my router and/or Vista's firewall?

    Appreciate the help!
  • hmm, that seems strange. I haven't had this issue on any of the computers I work on.

    Have you tried it on another setup?
  • Eugene
    Simply the best!! Works a dream with Chrome, less than 5 mins to download install and get on line. Thanks for the heads up .
  • Only problem is that you are comparing paid 'filter' updates to free services. In my experience, I have never had any problems with AdBlock plus nor Bfilter yet.

    100% of my pages have been accurately filtered for Ads. However, even if it works 80% of the times, I am fine with it as I have not spent a dollar for paid filtering software like Ad Muncher.

    Could you also elaborate on the depth of Ad muncher's filtering capability?
  • Tech-fly
    This is really bad advice.

    Nothing even comes close to Ad Muncher's depth and range of ad blocking abilities.

    Not only can it do more than any other ad blocker, it does it transparently without any proxy settings and it does it OUT OF THE BOX.

    Along with DAILY filter list updates I will never switch to another ad blocker.

    bfilter and adblock plus are both TOYS.
    /rant>
  • David
    Very nice, was able to set it up within 5 mins.Thanks Bilal.
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