Our popup test is the most complete way for you to test your popup blocking software. Your browser gets a series of checks, from the everyday popup ad to the sneaky kinds that slip past weaker blockers.
We have also reviewed the leading blockers and ranked them based on score. The reviews are honest and open, and unlike many testing sites, we are not affiliated with any of the software vendors. I say that because some vendors lure you into tests designed to fail your current blocker, then recommend a product that passes their test without revealing they profit from the sale. Careful out there!
Is This Test Safe to Run?
Yes. Every window the test opens comes from this site and closes itself after about a second. Nothing downloads, nothing installs, and there is nothing to sign up for. The whole test runs inside your browser, and when you leave this page it is over. This site has been testing popup blockers since 2004, and in all that time the pitch has not changed: we test blockers, we do not sell them. More on the about page.
How the Popup Blocker Test Works
Click the start button in the test center above. The test opens a few small windows, one at a time, and each one closes itself after about a second. Let them close on their own. Near the end, the test asks you for two clicks, one on a test link and one on a button that fires a late popup. The whole run takes under a minute.
When the test finishes, your popup blocker gets a score from 1 to 100. A perfect blocker stops every popup you did not ask for and allows every window you did. That second half matters more than people think. Plenty of blockers score points by blocking everything, then break the sites you actually use.
What We Check For
Popup you asked for (15 points): The test opens a window the moment you click start. That click is your permission. A good blocker lets this one through.
Popup you never asked for (20 points): A window tries to open on its own, with no click behind it. This is the classic popup ad. Stopping it is the whole job, so it carries the most points.
Timed popup (15 points): The page waits a few seconds, then fires a popup. Old ad scripts love timers. Your blocker should stop this one cold.
Fake-click popup (15 points): A script forges a click and uses it to open a window. You never touched anything. Weak blockers treat any click, even a fake one, as permission.
Pop-under attempt (15 points): The test tries to open a window behind the one you are reading, the kind you only discover after you close your browser. Blocked is the only right answer.
New tab from a normal link (10 points): You click a plain link that opens in a new tab. That is normal browsing, not an ad, and your blocker should leave it alone.
Late popup after your click (10 points): You click a button, nothing happens for seven seconds, then a popup fires. A click is permission for a few seconds, not forever. Years ago this was scored the other way; browsers tightened the rules as popup ads got sneakier, and our scoring follows them.
The Floating Popup, and Why Some Test Sites Cheat
A floating popup is not a browser window at all. It is a piece of the page dressed up to look like one, so a popup blocker has nothing to block. Ad blockers do hide some floating popups, the ones their filter lists recognize, but a fresh one they have never seen sails right through. Use the demo button in the test center to see one for yourself.
Some popup test sites are actually owned by popup blocker developers who use these unblockable popups to fail whatever software you are running. The idea is to recommend a blocker that "works" without telling you it is their own product. If you suspect that trick, run their recommended download through this test and see how it really does.
There is also an unscored mouse-over check in the test center. Rest your pointer on the marked box and a popup tries to fire from the hover alone. Hovering is not clicking, so a good blocker stops it.
About the Old Tests
Longtime visitors may remember checks for full-screen popups, channel openers, modeless dialogs, and Messenger spam. Those tricks only worked in old versions of Internet Explorer and Windows, and no current browser can even run them. We retired those checks and rebuilt the test around the popups you actually meet today. The score means the same thing it always has: a blocker that stops what it should and allows what it should.
Want the full point table? Read how we score a pop up blocker. Curious which free blockers hold up best? Our top 10 list ranks them by these same tests.