7 Best Anti-Track Software Options for Taking Control of Your Online Privacy

Trying to browse the web privately feels impossible these days. Advertisers seem to follow your every move, building profiles about your identity and interests without consent. Let‘s explore top anti-tracking apps that can help you take control of your data and defend against shady tracking practices.

Online privacy seems to slip further out of our grasp each year. As you browse across the web and apps, dozens of hidden third parties monitor where you click, what you search, your location, unique device fingerprints, and more – all to serve targeted ads and build alarming behavioral profiles.

For example, over 90% of popular websites allow around 40 different tracking companies to gather data on visitors, according to a 2021 study by Princeton researchers. Another report found Google trackers on over 92% of the most popular web pages, capable of linking activity across services back to your identity.

This data gets bought, sold and aggregated at a massive scale behind the scenes by advertising networks to fuel surveillance-based business models. Oftentimes without meaningful consent about these practices.

And hackers or malicious actors gaining access to these tracking profiles about your browsing habits or interests raises alarms about discrimination, identity theft, and other troubling privacy violations.

Fortunately, quality anti-tracking software gives you tools to obscure this spying and take control of your data. Let‘s explore the top options in 2023 for blocking trackers, masking your identity, monitoring which companies watch your clicks, and more.

Overview: Choosing the Right Anti-Track Software

Anti-tracking apps focus specifically on defeating the hidden surveillance that powers modern digital advertising across websites, mobile apps and more. They empower you to browse more privately by:

  • Blocking third-party tracking cookies, fingerprints and other monitoring tactics
  • Alerting you to spying attempts in real-time
  • Providing analytics into which companies watch your web activity
  • Masking details like OS version and browser info that identify your devices
  • Increasing page loads by stripping intrusive ads and trackers

This guide covers both free and paid anti-tracking services for different needs or budgets. We‘ll compare:

  • Lightweight browser extensions like Privacy Badger and TrackOFF
  • All-in-one privacy suites such as Norton 360 with AntiTrack
  • Leading standalone software focused solely on tracking prevention
  • Mobile apps providing system-wide protection on devices
  • Additional pro tips for going beyond anti-tracking alone

Now let‘s get into the best anti-tracking tools available in 2023!

Top 7 Anti-Track Services Reviewed

1. DuckDuckGo App – Best Free Mobile Option

DuckDuckGo has become many privacy advocates‘ go-to secure search engine. Beyond private browsing, their mobile app extends tracking protection into other apps on your phone or tablet.

The software runs silently in the background to block hidden third-party trackers as you use apps like Twitter or Gmail. This prevents companies from linking your behavior across services.

I particularly like the Privacy Grade rating displayed for each website visited. This lets you see at a glance the amount of trackers attempting to monitor your activity. For example, here is a screenshot showing 10 trackers blocked on NYTimes.com:

DuckDuckGo Privacy Grade

Other handy features include encrypted email link protection, password management, and simplified app tracking controls for iOS and Android.

Price – Free

Key Features:

  • Blocks tracking cookies/software
  • Privacy Grades expose tracking attempts
  • App Tracking Protection for mobile
  • Email link encryption
  • Passwords manager

Ease of Use – ★★★★☆

Compatibility – iOS, Android

2. Firefox Relay – Most Innovative Email Protection

Mozilla‘s Firefox Relay takes an intelligent approach to blocking invasive email tracking. This free addon allows you to generate anonymous aliases to give out instead of your real email address when signing up for online services.

For example, one of your unique masked email addresses could be [email protected]. You then get to decide which senders forwarding to that alias can actually reach your inbox vs being automatically blocked.

This prevents companies from connecting your web identities across different platforms through your email address which often gets sold or leaked. Firefox Relay acts like a relay station standing in between your real email and the outside world.

So if a sketchy website gets hacked after you signup with one of your masked addresses, they won‘t have your actual personal inbox enabling spam or tracking. Pretty smart!

Firefox Relay has forged an innovative path for mitigating against email surveillance. And the tech will only get smarter over time with advances by Mozilla‘s engineers.

Price – Free or $0.99 per month

Key Features:

  • Create anonymous email aliases
  • Granular sender blocking
  • No email tracking between accounts
  • Masks real inbox address

Ease of Use – ★★★★☆

Compatibility – iOS, Android, Browser Extensions

3. Privacy Badger – Most Popular Free Extension

The Electronic Frontier Foundation‘s Privacy Badger rates among the most downloaded browser extensions with over 2 million active users. And deservedly so given its effectiveness at blocking sneaky trackers.

This plugin automatically detects spy attempts by advertising and social networks. It uses heuristic learning, so doesn‘t require manually updating block lists. Privacy Badger picks up on tracking patterns over time based on domains that appear to persistently follow you across pages.

Once identified, it instantly blocks those third-party cookies and invisible tracker images. This prevents companies from assembling user browsing histories or mining your interests without approval. Page loads also speed up by stripping unwanted ads and beacons.

Privacy Badger integrates seamlessly into Chrome, Firefox and Opera. While simple, it packs a mighty punch for protecting your privacy as you browse. Be sure to pair it with good cookie clearing habits for optimal results.

Price – Free

Key Features:

  • Heuristic tracker blocking
  • Cookie management
  • Social media tracker blocking
  • Browser prefetching prevention

Ease of Use – ★★★☆☆

Compatibility – Chrome, Firefox, Opera

4. Ghostery Midnight – Most Robust Analytics and Controls

Owned by the same parent company as AVG Antivirus, Ghostery Midnight provides one of the most comprehensive anti-tracking and analytics suites in their browser extension.

Once installed, an overlay appears on every site visited tallying the number of attempted trackers detected. Expanding the overlay reveals details identifying the specific companies and technologies trying to monitor your activity in real-time.

You gain granular visibility and blocking controls for each tracker. For example, here is a screenshot showing trackers getting blocked on weather.com:

Ghostery Tracker Dashboard

This full transparency really separates Ghostery as a top anti-tracking solution. Beyond seeing who gets blocked, you can also inspect each tracker and why Ghostery deemed it suspicious for proactive learning.

Price – Free or $2.50 per month

Key Features:

  • Real-time tracking audits
  • Granular blocking controls
  • Identity and ad blocking
  • Anti-phishing injection checks

Ease of Use – ★★★☆☆

Compatibility – Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari

5. NordLayer – Best All-In-One Privacy Suite

NordLayer positions itself as leading next-gen software for online privacy and cybersecurity. Combining virtual private networking (VPN), anti-tracking, anti-malware, and anti-exploit shielding into one suite.

I like how NordLayer shows real-time notifications for each threat blocked as you browse. For example, you may see an alert that fingerprinting code was prevented from running on a site, increasing confidence their active web protections work behind the scenes.

Their anti-tracking capabilities also make use of effective fingerprint randomization. NordLayer masks details about your device OS, browser version and fonts that get used to uniquely identify users across websites for surveillance. This makes you appear anonymous to trackers.

And NordLayer offers a Lite free version of their VPN alongside affordable paid plans covering more features and devices. Overall, a compelling integrated option for protecting multiple attack surfaces beyond solely blocking tracking activities.

Price – Free or $3.29 per month

Key Features:

  • Anti-Fingerprinting
  • Real-Time Tracking Alerts
  • Threat Detection and Prevention
  • Password Manager
  • Encrypted VPN

Ease of Use – ★★★☆☆

Compatibility – Windows, macOS, iOS, Android

6. Norton 360 + AntiTrack – Best Premium Suite w/ Tracking Protection

Cybersecurity leader Symantec Norton now bake tracking prevention directly into their premium Norton 360 suite. This adds a key privacy pillar alongside their antivirus, firewall, cloud backup, password manager, VPN and LifeLock identity theft monitoring.

Norton AntiTrack masks details about your device and browser configuration to appear anonymous as you browse sites attempting to fingerprint. So marketers see different machine signatures each visit even from the same computer.

Their traffic light reports also deliver an easy heads up on whether the current website gets classified as having low, medium or high potential for tracking based on Norton‘s intelligence.

While pricier than standalone apps, Norton 360 with AntiTrack provides robust all-around connected home protection. Existing Norton subscribers can add it onto current plans at a discount as well.

Price – $99.99 per year (5 devices)

Key Features:

  • Anti-Fingerprinting
  • Tracking Detection Reports
  • Part of Leading Security Suite
  • Device Security Tools
  • Password Manager
  • Secure VPN

Ease of Use – ★★★☆☆

Compatibility – macOS, Windows

7. TrackOFF – Best Lightweight Chrome & Firefox Extension

If you want a simple free tracking blocker, check out TrackOFF. This web plugin from Germany focuses specifically on defeating exploitative data collection models that have become the foundation of digital marketing.

In my testing, TrackOFF worked right out of the box to block cookie notices and prevent trackers from profiling my identity or interests while remaining lightweight. Page loads felt snappier without all the monitoring scripts bogging down performance.

Their approach uses anti-fingerprinting alongside curated blacklists to catch obvious spy attempts from ad platforms, social networks like Facebook and other third parties known for tracking.

While basic compared to fuller featured suites, TrackOFF delivers where it matters most: stripping surveillance trackers quickly for better privacy on sites you visit daily. For covering that single use case without hassle, it earns a recommendation.

Price – Free browser extension

Key Features:

  • Anti-Fingerprinting Techniques
  • Cookie Consent Blocking
  • Tracker and Malware Blocking
  • Lightweight Performance

Ease of Use – ★★★★☆

Compatibility – Chrome, Firefox

How Do Free vs Paid Anti-Tracking Tools Compare?

The options above range from free lightweight browser extensions like TrackOFF to more advanced premium software suites bundling tracking prevention like Norton 360. Here‘s an overview of what separates them:

Free anti-tracking plugins tend to focus strictly on blocking spy attempts using curated blacklists or heuristic learning. They provide basic privacy protection while browsing out of the box without needing to tweak many settings.

Paid anti-tracking services incorporate more advanced tactics like scalable fingerprint randomization to cloak system details that identify you. This makes your devices appear completely unique to trackers each visit. Premium software also integrates directly into OS settings for deeper system-wide tracking insulation across every app, not just web browsing.

When choosing the best anti-tracking solution for your needs and budget, consider:

  • Threat modeling – How much active tracking prevention do you expect on a daily basis? Some tools purely block while pricier options alert you to threats.
  • Compatibility – Browser-specific extensions like Privacy Badger work fine if you largely stick with Chrome or Firefox. Going system-wide allows insulating apps and network traffic outside the browser which has additional benefits.
  • Convenience – Suites like Norton 360 provide tracking defenses alongside antivirus, VPNs and other useful security tools in one dashboard if you desire centralized monitoring.
  • Budget – Fortunately capable options now range from permanently free to under $5 monthly for robust protection, with discounts available stacking some services.

Beyond Anti-Tracking: Layered Privacy Protection Tips

While anti-tracking apps tackle website spying attempts, you should adopt other secure habits for building layered privacy protection:

  • Run a VPN whenever on public WiFi to encrypt traffic which hides your browsing activity and real location from the rest network.
  • Use anonymous search engines like DuckDuckGo instead of Google which personalizes results based on profiles of your interests and past clicks.
  • Install a comprehensive ad blocker to hide invasive marketing content and strip additional analytics scripts many tools miss. I recommend AdBlock Plus.
  • Disable location services on mobile apps that don‘t need it for apps targeted advertising. Every place you open TikTok gets sent back to track your offline habits.
  • Limit app permissions and access to contacts or photos that often get exploited for marketing purposes without disclosure. Check settings for Instagram, Facebook and others.
  • Browser extensions like PixelBlock reveal invisible tracking images hidden on sites and let you block them individually for even tighter privacy.
  • DNS services like 1.1.1.1 (Cloudflare) or OpenDNS add an extra layer of protection and anonymity by hiding your home internet provider details.

Take an integrated approach across tools and habits for building robust anti-tracking defenses and keeping personal information secured.

Regain Control Over Data Tracking

As surveillance capitalism increasingly becomes the backbone of online business models, our privacy slips further out of reach each year. Sophisticated tracking now follows us across nearly every site as third parties mine our reading interests, clicks, locations and more – often without meaningful consent.

Thankfully, anti-tracking software equips you to take control and browse more privately. The tools highlighted in this guide provide capabilities ranging from real-time tracking insights to comprehensive blocking of spy attempts across websites, apps and entire systems.

Whether you just want a quick free extension like Privacy Badger or TrackOFF, or opt for advanced protection through all-in-one suites like Norton 360, employing anti-tracking practices makes you far less susceptible to covert data monitoring.

But don‘t stop there. Combine anti-tracking apps with other secure browsing tools and habits for layered privacy defense in the face of rampant surveillance.

What strategies do you use to keep personal data private online from prying advertisers or companies? I‘d love to hear what practices work for you in the comments below!

Tags: