Google Chrome users are facing limitations in ad blocking capabilities following the tech giant’s completion of its transition to Manifest V3, a major update to the Chrome extension platform. Although the full version of uBlock Origin, a widely used open-source ad blocker, is no longer available in the Chrome Web Store, a limited version – uBlock Origin Lite – remains as an option.
The shift to Manifest V3, finalized in late 2024 and completing its rollout by July 2025, replaced the webRequest API – a key component of uBlock Origin’s functionality – with the declarativeNetRequest API. Google has stated the change was implemented for security and performance improvements, but developers of content blockers like uBlock Origin argue the new API significantly restricts their ability to effectively block ads, and trackers. The declarativeNetRequest API imposes limits on the number of filter rules that can be applied, initially set at 30,000 and later increased to 330,000, and lacks the dynamic filtering capabilities of its predecessor.
uBlock Origin Lite, designed specifically for Manifest V3, operates with these constraints. Users of the Lite version will be unable to simultaneously utilize all filter lists, experience cosmetic filtering in the default mode, or benefit from scriptlet injection. It also requires broader host permissions upfront, raising privacy considerations for some users.
The situation differs for users of other browsers. According to uBlock Origin’s developers, the full version of the extension continues to function on Firefox and Brave, which have not yet implemented Manifest V3 in the same restrictive manner as Chrome.
The Ghostery adblocker, a JavaScript library, offers an alternative approach, focusing on efficiency and compatibility across multiple environments including Puppeteer, Electron, and web extensions for Chrome and Firefox. Ghostery’s adblocker is compatible with 99% of filters from the Easylist and uBlock Origin projects, according to its developers. The library is designed for embedding into projects and requires minimal code integration.
Other open-source JavaScript ad blockers are available, including YouTube Music Desktop App, which bundles a custom ad blocker, and Reddit-ChromeExt-PromotedBlock, but their adoption rates and feature sets vary. SourceForge lists numerous open-source JavaScript ad blockers, but their security and maintenance status should be carefully evaluated.
Adblock Plus, another prominent ad blocking solution, maintains a presence on GitHub with 66 repositories, indicating ongoing development and community contributions. Though, the specific implications of Manifest V3 for Adblock Plus’s functionality were not detailed in available sources.
As of February 25, 2026, Google has not indicated any plans to revisit the limitations imposed by Manifest V3, leaving Chrome users with fewer options for comprehensive ad blocking.
