Speed test: does ad blocking make your phone faster?
Where we tested, yes, and clearly. On a Redmi Note 12, across 12 websites with the Ads category list on, pages downloaded a median 68% less data, used 67% less processor time and loaded in 80% less time. Nothing from the ad and tracker addresses on our lists reaches the phone, so the difference shows up directly in data, processor and memory.
Websites, on a real phone
Redmi Note 12 (Snapdragon 685, 8 GB), Chrome, home Wi-Fi. 12 websites, each opened once with the list off and once with it on, 45 seconds on the page. Median difference per site.
- 68%less dataRange: 29% more to 86% less
- 78%fewer requestsRange: 279% more to 92% less
- 67%less processor timeRange: 4% to 88% less
- 89%less JS memoryRange: 45% to 97% less
- 80%shorter load timeRange: 10% to 93% less
Why is it faster?
- An ad that is blocked is not downloaded: ad images, videos and tracking scripts on our lists do not reach your phone.
- The page opens with fewer pieces. The processor and memory are not busy drawing ads or running the scripts that auction ad slots.
- Your data goes only to the content you opened. On a slow connection the difference shows most in load time.
- In apps and games, the ad networks on our lists cannot be reached either, so no ads download from them.
Data downloaded per site (MB), in 45 seconds
- List off
- List on
Sorted by the data difference. For each site the top bar is list off, the bottom bar list on.
All measurements: Redmi Note 12
| Site | Data (MB) | Requests | Processor (s) | JS memory (MB) | Load time (s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| sp**x.com | 13.2 → 1.886% less | 2,291 → 17292% less | 39.7 → 4.788% less | 268 → 797% less | 8.3 → 1.879% less |
| fo****c.com.tr | 12.7 → 2.581% less | 1,523 → 25283% less | 39.3 → 11.371% less | 165 → 895% less | 13.9 → 3.277% less |
| in**********r.com | 7.6 → 1.876% less | 779 → 12384% less | 28.0 → 8.968% less | 95 → 693% less | 0.7 → 0.610% less |
| my**t.com | 14.3 → 3.576% less | 1,284 → 24881% less | 33.8 → 11.666% less | 132 → 1390% less | 39.4 → 2.893% less |
| sa**h.com.tr | 12.2 → 3.273% less | 1,007 → 21978% less | 25.0 → 8.267% less | 85 → 990% less | 12.4 → 2.282% less |
| ha*****r.com | 8.5 → 2.669% less | 720 → 24167% less | 21.7 → 3.783% less | 59 → 690% less | 8.3 → 1.582% less |
| ex****s.co.uk | 15.3 → 5.067% less | 1,272 → 27179% less | 36.0 → 9.873% less | 141 → 2880% less | 12.3 → 1.985% less |
| so**u.com.tr | 30.4 → 15.749% less | 926 → 20678% less | 27.8 → 12.157% less | 120 → 2579% less | 6.5 → 1.774% less |
| al*******s.com | 4.5 → 3.130% less | 531 → 17667% less | 16.2 → 9.044% less | 67 → 3351% less | 2.1 → 1.816% less |
| ha******k.com | 17.1 → 12.328% less | 704 → 27661% less | 26.0 → 8.866% less | 91 → 1287% less | 8.2 → 1.484% less |
| c*n.com | 30.1 → 24.917% less | 776 → 2,938279% more | 41.1 → 39.64% less | 135 → 3871% less | 34.1 → 4.686% less |
| da******l.co.uk | 7.2 → 9.229% more | 535 → 23556% less | 19.6 → 10.845% less | 59 → 3345% less | 14.4 → 9.534% less |
Total data: 173.1 MB → 85.7 MB, 50% less.
A low-end phone, emulated: slow processor, slow 4G
On a computer we slowed Chrome down 10 times and throttled the network to slow 4G (150 ms, 1.6 Mbit/s). Across the 18 websites we tested, with the list on pages used a median 73% fewer requests, 66% less processor time and 76% less JS memory.
With the list off, 13 sites did not finish loading within 45 seconds. With the list on, 9 of them finished in 8 to 35 seconds and 4 still did not.
The data difference looks smaller in this run (median 47%): at 1.6 Mbit/s, at most about 9 MB can arrive in 45 seconds. With the list on, the freed-up connection goes to the page’s own content.
| Site | Data (MB) | Requests | Processor (s) | JS memory (MB) | Load time (s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| sp**x.com | 7.0 → 2.072% less | 1,774 → 17690% less | 22.8 → 2.689% less | 167 → 895% less | not done → 11.8 |
| ta***m.com.tr | 7.2 → 2.664% less | 2,138 → 21190% less | 28.6 → 5.083% less | 157 → 895% less | not done → 8.2 |
| fo****c.com.tr | 6.7 → 2.563% less | 2,328 → 25389% less | 29.5 → 9.069% less | 207 → 996% less | not done → 12.4 |
| in**********r.com | 4.7 → 1.861% less | 267 → 12055% less | 8.3 → 1.878% less | 26 → 676% less | 1.6 → 1.63% more |
| ne****************i.com | 6.9 → 2.860% less | 838 → 12285% less | 18.1 → 4.475% less | 58 → 689% less | 42.6 → 13.868% less |
| ha*****r.com | 6.6 → 2.956% less | 2,343 → 24590% less | 22.7 → 3.883% less | 143 → 795% less | 26.1 → 8.667% less |
| al*******s.com | 7.1 → 3.256% less | 2,251 → 18592% less | 27.6 → 6.377% less | 225 → 3485% less | 7.7 → 5.824% less |
| my**t.com | 7.2 → 3.552% less | 1,151 → 24479% less | 17.9 → 6.464% less | 86 → 1385% less | not done → 14.7 |
| sa**h.com.tr | 6.4 → 3.249% less | 2,150 → 22789% less | 27.9 → 5.780% less | 192 → 995% less | not done → 12.7 |
| th***n.co.uk | 8.0 → 4.345% less | 717 → 21570% less | 21.2 → 9.456% less | 66 → 2365% less | not done → 22.7 |
| en*******r.com | 5.5 → 4.421% less | 250 → 11753% less | 5.9 → 1.967% less | 23 → 676% less | 28.3 → 22.720% less |
| ex****s.co.uk | 6.3 → 5.612% less | 1,283 → 30876% less | 18.8 → 8.157% less | 89 → 3363% less | not done → 9.1 |
| ny***t.com | 4.6 → 4.36% less | 412 → 25039% less | 12.3 → 6.547% less | 69 → 2170% less | not done → not done |
| da******l.co.uk | 7.1 → 7.02% less | 574 → 32843% less | 17.1 → 12.328% less | 77 → 3456% less | not done → 34.8 |
| ha******k.com | 7.2 → 7.31% more | 200 → 2189% more | 6.2 → 6.43% more | 19 → 764% less | not done → not done |
| so**u.com.tr | 6.8 → 7.03% more | 517 → 19462% less | 11.4 → 6.047% less | 53 → 2554% less | not done → 24.4 |
| c*n.com | 4.9 → 5.26% more | 233 → 15334% less | 6.5 → 5.712% less | 19 → 191% less | not done → not done |
| fo****s.com | 5.4 → 5.910% more | 291 → 2784% less | 21.2 → 20.82% less | 39 → 2535% less | not done → not done |
Games
Redmi Note 12, 11 games from Google Play, EZOBLOCKER 1.0.0. Each game was opened twice with EZOBLOCKER off and twice with it on, and left untouched for 60 seconds. Median difference per game.
- 99%less data (downloaded by the game)Range: 95% to 99.7% less
- 10%less processor timeRange: 1% more to 55% less
- 10%less memoryRange: 2% to 30% less
With EZOBLOCKER on, the ad and tracker networks on our lists could not be reached. The data each game downloaded fell in all 11 games (95% to 99.7%). The difference in processor and memory varied a lot by game: none in some, processor time 55% shorter in another.
We show the games by genre, not by name; names and package IDs are in the raw data below.
| Game | Downloaded by the game (MB) | Processor (s) | Memory (MB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Puzzle 1 | 15.02 → 0.0399.7% less | 61.5 → 42.331% less | 825 → 62824% less |
| Puzzle 2 | 24.53 → 0.1399% less | 95.5 → 52.245% less | 725 → 50830% less |
| Puzzle 3 | 9.31 → 0.0699% less | 76.1 → 68.410% less | 1,310 → 1,17710% less |
| Puzzle 4 | 10.20 → 0.1199% less | 54.1 → 54.61% more | 753 → 7175% less |
| Puzzle 5 | 14.07 → 0.7295% less | 52.7 → 44.116% less | 654 → 6048% less |
| Hyper-casual 1 | 10.97 → 0.1399% less | 64.4 → 60.46% less | 775 → 69311% less |
| Hyper-casual 2 | 12.05 → 0.1699% less | 70.7 → 68.73% less | 782 → 7632% less |
| Hyper-casual 3 | 12.61 → 0.1799% less | 141.1 → 68.951% less | 868 → 8176% less |
| Hyper-casual 4 | 12.51 → 0.2198% less | 78.6 → 77.32% less | 1,024 → 9715% less |
| Word | 3.45 → 0.0299.5% less | 44.0 → 39.810% less | 193 → 15619% less |
| Arcade | 21.34 → 0.8696% less | 125.0 → 56.055% less | 639 → 56711% less |
All 11 games together, EZOBLOCKER off and on: 146.1 MB → 2.6 MB.
How we measured
Websites
- Each site was opened twice: list off and list on. With the list on, requests to domains on the list behind the Ads category were cut off the way they are when DNS gives no answer. That is the in-browser equivalent of what our servers do.
- We stayed on the page for 45 seconds and scrolled down a little every second, so ads that load on scroll were measured too. No cookie banner was clicked and no account was signed in.
- Measured: data downloaded, number of requests, time the processor was busy, JavaScript time and memory, and the time until the page finished loading (“not done” if it did not finish in 45 seconds).
- Real phone: Redmi Note 12, Android 15, Chrome 154; Chrome’s cache was cleared before each measurement. Emulation: Chrome on a Mac mini M4, 360x760 mobile view, processor 10 times slower, network 150 ms and 1.6 Mbit/s.
Games
- Redmi Note 12, EZOBLOCKER 1.0.0 (store build), our real servers. The default nine categories on, Family lock off.
- In each run the game was closed, opened again and left untouched for 60 seconds. Off and on runs were interleaved (ABBA) so the order would not skew the result.
- Measured: data downloaded by the game itself (Android’s per-app network statistics), processor time of the game’s processes, and memory (PSS).
- A run was invalid if the game was not in the foreground at 60 seconds (for example, a notification permission dialog stayed on top). 8 runs were left out for that reason; they are still in the raw data.
Ad list: HaGeZi Multi PRO, version 2026.1002.0908.48, 227,572 entries, license GPL-3.0.
Raw data
Every number on this page was calculated from these files. After downloading, you can check with SHA256SUMS that the files are unchanged.
-
README.txtWhat each file contains -
games-runs.jsonlGames: raw line for every run (invalid ones included) -
games-summary.csvGames: means per game, with names -
web-emulated.csvWebsites, low-end emulation: table per site -
web-emulated.jsonWebsites, low-end emulation: raw results -
web-real-device.csvWebsites, real phone: table per site -
web-real-device.jsonWebsites, real phone: raw results -
SHA256SUMSFile checksums
We keep the measurement scripts, the game screenshots and the original logs unchanged.
Questions people ask
Does ad blocking make my phone faster?
Where we tested, yes. On a Redmi Note 12, across 12 websites, pages downloaded a median 68% less data, used 67% less processor time and loaded in 80% less time. The result varies by site; on some the difference was small.
Will EZOBLOCKER slow down my internet?
Only the small DNS lookup goes to our servers; pages and videos load directly from their own servers. In our measurement pages opened with fewer pieces, so load time was a median 80% shorter.
Does it affect battery life?
We did not measure battery, so we give no battery number. The processor time we measured on the web fell by a median 67%; a processor that works less usually uses less energy.
Does it make a difference in games?
In the 11 games we tested, the data each game downloaded fell by a median 99%, because the ad and tracker networks on our lists could not be reached. The difference in processor and memory varied by game (median 10% and 10%).
Can I check the results myself?
Yes. You can download the raw data from this page; each file has its SHA-256 checksum next to it. You can also compare the same page on your own phone with EZOBLOCKER on and off.