Anti-Adblock WordPress Plugins: None Are Safe
The short version: none of the five anti-adblock WordPress plugins below is safe to install.
Ad Blocking Detector, Ad Blocking Advisor and Ad Blocker Notify Lite are closed on WordPress.org, two of them for security issues. Block AdBlock and Simple Adblock Notice are still listed, but their last updates were 8 and 5 years ago, both carry the directory’s “not tested with the latest 3 major releases” warning, and their own reviews report detection failing against current blockers. Treat the entries below as a record of what existed, not a shopping list.
| Plugin | WordPress.org status | Version | Active installs | Rating | Last updated | Tested up to |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Block AdBlock | Listed, flagged “not tested with the latest 3 major releases” | 1.4 | 100+ | 3.5/5 (26 ratings) | 8 years ago | WordPress 4.9.31 |
| Ad Blocking Detector | Closed 8 January 2025, security issue | 3.6.0 | not shown (closed) | not shown (closed) | 8 years ago | WordPress 4.7.35 |
| Ad Blocking Advisor | Closed 8 February 2025, author request (permanent) | 2.0 | not shown (closed) | not shown (closed) | 9 years ago | WordPress 4.9.31 |
| Ad Blocker Notify Lite | Closed 6 January 2022, security issue | 2.4.0 | not shown (closed) | not shown (closed) | 7 years ago | WordPress 5.1.24 |
| Simple Adblock Notice | Listed, flagged “not tested with the latest 3 major releases” | 2.4.0 | 40+ | 2.7/5 (18 ratings) | 5 years ago | WordPress 5.8.15 |
What to run instead
Ad blocking is a browser problem, and a plugin that has not shipped code since WordPress 4.9 cannot keep up with it. Two routes still work. The first is a maintained ad manager. Advanced Ads handles placement, AdSense and reporting, and its listing describes “basic features to prevent ads from being removed by ad blockers” plus “a dedicated visitor condition to target ads to users with activated ad blocker” in the free plugin. Its Pro add-on adds fallback ads, an overlay and a redirect for blocker users. Because the plugin is updated every few weeks, its detection moves when blockers move. Our roundup of AdSense plugins for WordPress covers where it sits against the rest. The second is to stop leaning on display ads. A blocked page earns nothing whichever plugin you install, so affiliate links inside the content are worth more per reader than a banner nobody sees. Our guide to affiliate link cloaker plugins covers the tooling, and our overview of WordPress ad networks sets out what each network pays for.The five anti-adblock plugins in detail
#1. Block Adblock
View on WordPress.org
Status: listed at version 1.4 with 100+ active installs and a 3.5/5 rating from 26 ratings, but last updated 8 years ago, tested only to WordPress 4.9.31, and carrying the directory’s “not tested with the latest 3 major releases” warning. Its reviews report that it does not detect Ghostery.
Block Adblock hides chosen content until a visitor switches their blocker off, and it keeps that hidden content readable to search engines. Its selling point was random class naming, which made the plugin’s own markup harder for a blocker to match, plus three notice layouts and a message you could edit. It worked across Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge and Opera.#2. Ad Blocking Detector
Status: closed on WordPress.org on 8 January 2025 for a security issue. Version 3.6.0 was the last release, it was tested only to WordPress 4.7.35, and it cannot be downloaded from the directory. If a site of yours is still running it, remove it.
Ad Blocking Detector swapped ads for alternative content when it spotted a blocker, choosing that content itself so you did not have to configure a fallback for every slot. Publishers used the freed space for newsletter sign-ups. It claimed detection of AdBlock, AdBlock Plus and Ghostery, worked across browsers, and ran on WordPress multisite networks.#3. Ad Blocking Advisor
Status: closed permanently on WordPress.org on 8 February 2025 at the author’s request. Version 2.0 was the last release and it was tested only to WordPress 4.9.31.
Ad Blocking Advisor added a notification bar asking blocker users to whitelist the site, rather than withholding anything. It worked by loading a file called ads.js that inserted a hidden div in the footer: if the blocker stripped that div, the banner appeared. You could set the banner’s text, position, colours and font size, switch cookies on or off, change the cookie expiry and defeat page caching.#4. Ad Blocker Notify Lite
Status: closed on WordPress.org on 6 January 2022 for a security issue. Version 2.4.0 was the last release and it was tested only to WordPress 5.1.24. Reviews left before it closed already reported that detection had stopped working.
Ad Blocker Notify Lite detected a blocker and asked the reader politely to allow ads, without blocking access to anything. It used random file names and selectors to make itself harder to filter, could replace a blocked slot with your own message, and shipped a dashboard with basic analytics widgets. It supported asynchronous ad code and adapted to the theme’s design on mobile.#5. Simple Adblock Notice
View on WordPress.org
Status: listed at version 2.4.0 with 40+ active installs and a 2.7/5 rating from 18 ratings, but last updated 5 years ago and tested only to WordPress 5.8.15. Its reviews report the notice failing to detect blockers.
Simple Adblock Notice pops a notice asking the reader to whitelist the site when it sees ads being blocked, and it was built around Google AdSense in particular. A premium tier added control over the notice wording and per-page rules. A strict mode hid the whole site behind the notice, in the style Forbes once used. The free version is the one in the directory, and it is the version carrying the 2.7 rating.Frequently asked questions about anti-adblock WordPress plugins
What does an anti-adblock WordPress plugin actually do?
An anti-adblock WordPress plugin loads a small script that checks whether an ad blocker has hidden a test element, then either shows a notice asking the visitor to whitelist the site or hides content until they do. It cannot switch the blocker off; it can only try to detect it and react.
Is there a WordPress adblock detector that still works?
Not among the five on this page. Three are closed on WordPress.org, and the two still listed, Block AdBlock and Simple Adblock Notice, were last updated 8 and 5 years ago; reviews on both listings report detection failing, including against Ghostery. A maintained ad manager such as Advanced Ads is the working route: it ships updates every few weeks and can target visitors who have a blocker enabled.
Can a WordPress plugin stop ad blockers completely?
No. The plugin runs inside the page while the ad blocker runs in the browser above it, so the blocker can strip the plugin’s own script or test element just as it strips ads. The most any plugin can do is ask visitors to whitelist you or withhold content, and a visitor can still close the notice or leave.
Which anti-adblock plugins are closed on WordPress.org?
Ad Blocker Notify Lite was closed on 6 January 2022 for a security issue, Ad Blocking Detector on 8 January 2025 for a security issue, and Ad Blocking Advisor on 8 February 2025 at the author’s request. A closed plugin gets no further updates and no security fixes, so remove it from any site still running it.
What should I use instead of these anti-adblock plugins?
Use a maintained ad manager and its own blocker features rather than an abandoned detector. Advanced Ads is on version 2.0.26, runs on 100,000+ sites and rates 4.9 out of 5 from 1,462 reviews; its free version can target visitors with a blocker enabled and its Pro add-on serves fallback content, an overlay or a redirect. Beyond that, in-content affiliate links earn from readers a banner would never reach.
