1. Blue Hell Firewall
2. Bluhell Firewall
3. Bluhell Firewall Chrome
4. Bluhell Firewall Firefox Quantum
5. Bluhell Firewall Chrome

It's been awhile since I did one of these Spy vs. Spy posts, but with a couple of new ad blocking extensions on the scene, what better occasion for a good old-fashioned deathmatch? The two new kids on the block are uBlock (now called uBlock Origin, see update at bottom) and Bluhell Firewall, both Firefox extensions with uBlock also available for Chrome and Safari. They'll be taking on the gorilla in the room, Adblock Plus, the ad blocker practically everybody has on their computer. But do they know what lurks beneath?

Bluhell Firewall and uBlock advertise themselves as being significantly lighter on resources, so let's put them to the test and see who's truly worthy. I'll be testing for browser startup time, RAM usage on startup, and RAM usage with three tabs open (the three being IMDB, OS X Daily, and Gawker). Bluhell Firewall for Firefox takes a different route, mostly by ignoring the problem entirely. There are no lists, no filters, no subscriptions - no settings at all (other than an on/ off button.

Adblock Plus has had its share of controversies, but one of the main ones has been its performance. It's been accused of slowing the browser launch and being a memory hog, even if it does eliminate more ads than the competition. Bluhell Firewall and uBlock advertise themselves as being significantly lighter on resources, so let's put them to the test and see who's truly worthy.
I'll be testing for browser startup time, RAM usage on startup, and RAM usage with three tabs open (the three being IMDB, OS X Daily, and Gawker). The tests will be done on my Powerbook with TenFourFox 31 running a fresh profile with no other extensions. As a frame of reference, let's start out with no ad blocking:
startup time -- 8.5 seconds
RAM on startup -- 122 MB
RAM with three tabs open -- 265 MB
Those numbers are rough averages after a couple of run-throughs. Since the results were consistent, I didn't bother with more than two. Now let's get to Adblock Plus:
startup time -- 15 seconds
RAM on startup -- 200 MB
RAM with three tabs open -- 375 MB
The startup time includes about five seconds of a spinning beach ball while the ad blocker initializes. As you can see the memory went way up. Now let's see how uBlock does:
startup time -- 8.5 seconds
RAM on startup -- 165 MB
RAM with three tabs open -- 280 MB
No impact on startup time and modest bumps in memory usage. Finally, here's Bluhell Firewall:
startup time -- 8.5 seconds

Blue Hell Firewall

RAM on startup -- 123 MB
RAM with three tabs open -- 215 MB
If memory is what you're going by, Bluhell is the clear winner. But does that mean it's the best? Its filters not being as extensive as Adblock Plus's, it lets the occasional ad through. It also lacks a whitelist feature, so you can't make exceptions for websites you want to support. Some people also report some site breakage.
In my opinion, uBlock is the more interesting alternative. It supports whitelists and is available on all major browsers. And as far as ad blocking goes, it's no slacker compared to Adblock Plus. In fact, Adblock Plus was overly aggressive, filtering out all of Gawker's 'Promoted by...' posts. Most of those are embedded ads, but some are guest essays that, no matter how pretentious, should never be blocked.
I've always used NoScript combined with CSS rules based on floppymoose (the one shipped with Camino, to be exact) for ad blocking, but it's kind of a pain to edit your UserContent.css to include new rules for ads that get through. UBlock seems the more up-to-date option. In any event, NoScript should remain an essential item in your PowerPC toolbox to keep the Web loading fast and smooth while avoiding javascript catastrophes like this one, or this particular holocaust. I know there are a lot of about:config tweaks out there that promise big speed benefits (pipelining, etc), but they don't deliver much. To enhance the speed of your browser, it's really all about NoScript and a good ad blocker.
(UPDATE: Since the writing of this post, uBlock's original developer has left and begun a fork called uBlock Origin. UBlock will

Bluhell Firewall

continue with new maintainers they seem to have stopped development. UBlock Origin has dropped support for Safari, so Safari users should stick with uBlock.)

1. TrackerScan

TrackerScan shows you what companies may be using or collecting information about your activities and interests as you use different websites, how they promise promise to handle your information and how you can opt-out.With TrackerScan you can monitor privacy while you surf. Click on the eye from any page and...... TpSort Score | 197,000,000

2. Priv3

Social networking sites like Facebook, Google+, and Twitter can track your visits to any web page that uses the familiar 'Like', 'Follow', or '+1' buttons, even if you do not actually click these buttons. The Priv3 Firefox extension lets you remain logged in to the social networking sites you use...... TpSort Score | 28,300,000

3. TrackerBlock

TrackerBlock gives you complete control over online tracking, deploying multiple forms of protection:Cookie Blocking and Deletion - TrackerBlock can stop over 550 tracking companies from reading or writing cookies on your computer, and deletes other tracking tags they may leave behind (Flash cookies and HTML5 storage).Do Not Track - With...... TpSort Score | 28,300,000

4. Domain Whitelist

Bluhell Firewall Chrome

Ultimate blocker which says no to every network packet until you explicitly allow it.By default Domain Whitelist blocks everything. Everything, really. It's up to you to build your very customized whitelist of domains you trust. Everything else is blocked and well kept out of your browser.It's AdBlock the other way...... TpSort Score | 15,800,000

5. Stands

Change the way you experience the web and stand up for what you believe in: Block ads and online trackers for much cleaner and private browsing. Let just a few ads appear on every site - and the ads will also sponsor the charity you choose to support.# KEY BENEFITS...... TpSort Score | 40,000,000

6. Domain Blocker

Domain blocker helps you hide ads, avoid tracking, load pages faster, fight procrastination...Video guide: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBj7Bk0KVd4 - Hide ads - by blocking advertisement domains you disable the display of some of those pervasive ads.- Avoid tracking - by blocking tracking domains you prevent the services to acquire information about your...... TpSort Score | 73,400,000

7. NoTrace

NoTrace limits the diffusion of personally identifiable information and protect users's privacy against Web tracking and other dangerous privacy threatsNoTrace implements a supportive, comprehensive and improved approach for privacy protection to allow users to be aware of the risks of their navigation and to give them full control on effective...... TpSort Score | 28,600,000

8. Privacyfix

Privacyfix is where you can manage your privacy controls for Facebook, Google, the websites you visit and the companies that track you across the Web. Instantly see privacy risks and navigate instantly to where you can fix them. As you visit sites, get alerted to new privacy risks before you...... TpSort Score | 28,400,000

9. uBlock

Enjoy a faster, cleaner web.uBlock enhances your browsing experience, efficiently blocking any clutter and overhead disturbing your experience.Built for performance, uBlock is also potent and effective — from built-in ad-blocking and privacy-protection filter lists and the ability to add your own to advanced Dynamic Filtering....... TpSort Score | 700,000,000

10. Magic Actions for YouTube

[Be careful during the installation: Forum ]Magic actions for YouTube is a wonderful enhancement to any video viewing experience. Everything you love, now in one App! AutoHD, Ad Block, Cinema mode with Dynamic backlight, Mouse Wheel for Volume Control, Snapshot from playing video, Cool Day/Night toggle switch to...... TpSort Score | 115,000,000

11. DuckDuckGo

DuckDuckGo is an alternative search engine that has rich features, respects your privacy, and is built from free/open-source software. • Zero-click Info - Useful information above the links.• More Privacy - We do not track you. • Goodies - Instant answers, !bangs & settings. • Less Spam - We remove...... TpSort Score | 24,100,000

12. Disconnect

Disconnect was founded in 2011 by former Google engineers and a consumer- and privacy-rights attorney. We develop award-winning, user-friendly privacy and security software in San Francisco, California. Disconnect exists to help solve an important social issue and our founding principles are reflected in the way we run the company. We’re...... TpSort Score | 26,100,000

13. ShareMeNot

ShareMeNot is designed to prevent third-party buttons (such as the Facebook “Like” button or the Twitter “tweet” button) embedded by sites across the Internet from tracking you until you actually interact with them.Social media buttons allow Facebook, Google, LinkedIn, and others to track your online browsing activities on every site...... TpSort Score | 28,400,000

Bluhell Firewall Firefox Quantum

14. PrivacySuite

* See privacy information as you browse* Block web trackers and web bugs* Block social buttons created by Facebook, Google, and others* Submit aliases instead of your real email, address, and phone* One Click Login to manage all your logins and passwords easily and securely* Autofill registration forms with identities...... TpSort Score | 120,000,000

15. Element Hiding Helper for Adblock Plus

Bluhell Firewall Chrome

Fight the text ads! Element Hiding Helper is a companion extension for Adblock Plus meant to make creating element hiding rules easier....... TpSort Score | 1,200,000