Ghostery
Ghostery GmbH is a Munich-based privacy software company that operates the Ghostery Tracker & Ad Blocker browser extension and the WhoTracks.Me tracker database, serving individual consumers free of charge and enterprises via paid licenses for managed deployment as a Manifest V3-compliant alternative to uBlock Origin.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2009
- HeadquartersMunich, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Ghostery does
Ghostery GmbH is a Munich-based, privately-held privacy software company founded in 2009 (acquired by Cliqz GmbH in 2017) that operates a modular browser privacy suite centered on the Ghostery Tracker & Ad Blocker extension. The core product is a free, open-source browser extension (GPL-3.0) that blocks ads and trackers, automates cookie consent management via a feature called Never-Consent, and runs heuristic anti-tracking protections across Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Opera, Safari, Brave, and Meta Quest browsers. Underlying capabilities are powered by WhoTracks.Me, the world's largest open-source tracker database cataloguing 5,000+ trackers from 3,000+ companies, which is continuously updated through community contributions and feeds Ghostery's Anti-Tracking technology.
The company monetizes through three streams: voluntary user contributions via Paddle, Open Collective, GitHub Sponsors, and App Store; quote-based enterprise licenses for organization-wide deployment integrated with Microsoft Intune, JAMF Pro, Google Workspace, Windows GPO, and Chrome Browser Cloud Management; and App Store commissions. Individual consumers receive the full extension free of charge, while enterprise customers — exemplified by the Country Fire Authority Australia deploying Ghostery for ACSC Essential 8 compliance as a Manifest V3-compliant uBlock Origin alternative — pay for managed deployment, dedicated support, and SLA-backed service. Adjacent products include WhoTracks.Me (transparency and research platform), Privacy Digest (biweekly newsletter), Ghostery Zap (per-site ad blocking memory), and Ghostery Private Search (currently in closed beta).
Ghostery is led by registered directors Jean Paul Schmetz and Heinz Spengler, with Natascha Theis as SVP Operations and Damian Scragg as Managing Director, EMEA, and operates with 51–100 employees. The company has removed user accounts effective October 2025 to strengthen its privacy posture and continues shipping a dense cadence of feature updates across 2025–2026, including Distractions Blocker, Element Picker, and custom filters for managed enterprise deployments.
Ghostery firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Ghostery
- Legal name
- Ghostery GmbH
- Website
- https://ghostery.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2009
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Ghostery GmbH is a Munich-based privacy software company that operates the Ghostery Tracker & Ad Blocker browser extension and the WhoTracks.Me tracker database, serving individual consumers free of charge and enterprises via paid licenses for managed deployment as a Manifest V3-compliant alternative to uBlock Origin.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Ghostery industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Browser Privacy Software
- NAICS
- Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (518210)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Privacy Management (Consent, DSAR, RoPA) (HDADAFAH)
Keywords
Where Ghostery is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Munich
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Ghostery business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- User Contributions (Donor Program): Voluntary monthly, yearly, and one-time contributions from users enrolled in the Contributor program. Users can contribute through Ghostery.com (via Paddle), Open Collective, GitHub Sponsors, or App Store. No user account required; subscription management through Paddle customer portal. Contribution supports continued free availability of the privacy suite.
- Enterprise Licenses: Paid enterprise licenses covering organization-wide deployment across all employee devices. Enterprises pay for site-wide or per-user licenses with tailored payment solutions (monthly, annual, or per-user options). Revenue supports dedicated enterprise support, SLA-backed service, and custom enterprise builds.
- Marketplace Commissions (App Store): One-time contributions processed through the App Store for iOS/macOS users. Apple handles payment processing with standard App Store commission structure.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Others | Free browser extension for all individual users |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Enterprise license for organization-wide deployment |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels7 records
Ghostery product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Ghostery provides a modular browser-based privacy suite centered on a free cross-browser Tracker & Ad Blocker extension that combines ad blocking, AI-powered anti-tracking, and automated cookie consent management (Never-Consent). The platform is backed by WhoTracks.Me, the world's largest open-source tracker database covering 5,000+ trackers from 3,000+ companies, and is offered as a free consumer product plus a paid Enterprise tier with managed deployment via Intune, JAMF, and GPO.
Product overview
Ghostery offers a modular privacy platform called the Ghostery Privacy Suite, centered on the core Ghostery Tracker & Ad Blocker browser extension. The suite combines ad blocking, anti-tracking, consent management (Never-Consent), private search, and transparency tools (WhoTracks.Me). The platform is available as a free consumer product across all major browsers and devices, with an Enterprise tier providing organization-wide deployment capabilities. Supporting infrastructure includes the open-source Adblocker Library and Tracker Database. Privacy Digest newsletter provides ongoing educational content. Ghostery Zap introduces a simplified one-click blocking feature, while Ghostery Private Search offers privacy-focused search (currently in closed beta).
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- WhoTracks.Me: Ghostery's open-source tracker database and research platform that provides transparency into online tracking industry practices, market structure, and data-sharing behaviors.
- Privacy Digest
- Ghostery Zap
Products and services
- Ghostery Tracker & Ad Blocker Free cross-browser extension that blocks ads, stops trackers, hides intrusive ads and pop-ups, prevents cookie consent dialogs, and replaces personal identifiers with random values to anonymize the user. Available across all major desktop and mobile browsers including Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Opera, Safari, Brave, Meta Quest, Android browsers, and iOS/iPadOS. Used by over 100 million people globally.
- Ghostery Enterprise Enterprise privacy platform providing organization-wide browser extension deployment, managed configuration profiles, custom filter lists for managed deployments, settings sync across employee devices, and dedicated enterprise support with SLAs. Integrates with Microsoft Intune, JAMF Pro, Google Workspace, Windows Group Policy, Chrome Browser Cloud Management, and macOS Profiles. Blocks over 1 billion tracking requests per day for enterprise customers and is positioned as the Manifest V3-compliant alternative to uBlock Origin.
- Ghostery Private Search Privacy-focused search engine that does not track search history or store personal data. Currently in closed beta as of June 2026 to manage infrastructure costs and improve service quality.
- WhoTracks.Me World's largest open-source tracker database with information on over 5,000 trackers from 3,000+ companies, providing transparent insights into tracking industry practices. Powers the Anti-Tracking technology inside Ghostery and is used by researchers, experts, and media for tracking industry analysis. Publishes monthly updated database and statistical reports on global tracker activity.
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 1 billion tracking requests blocked per day for enterprise customers
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Ghostery
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Ghostery technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration9 records
AI capability5 records
Feature6 records
Ghostery partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators7 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Ghostery competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- AdGuard: AdGuard offers ad blocking, tracker protection, and DNS-level filtering with both free and paid tiers, including an enterprise product. Closely comparable feature set to Ghostery's privacy suite.
- 1Blocker: Safari-focused content blocker for iOS and macOS. Comparable in offering ad and tracker blocking on Apple platforms where Ghostery is one of several competing options.
- Adblock Plus: One of the most widely used ad blockers, distributed by Eyeo GmbH. Directly competes with Ghostery in browser-based ad and tracker blocking across all major browsers.
- Privacy Badger: EFF-developed browser extension that automatically learns to block invisible trackers. Direct competitor in the privacy-focused browser extension category, free and open source.
- uBlock Origin: Open-source, community-developed content blocker. Direct competitor to Ghostery's core extension, especially for technical users; Manifest V2 dependency creates migration opportunity for Ghostery Enterprise.
Emerging players
- DuckDuckGo: DuckDuckGo offers privacy-focused search, browser, and tracker-blocking extensions. Competes with Ghostery's anti-tracking and private search (Ghostery Private Search) value propositions for the same privacy-conscious consumer audience.
- Pi-hole: Network-level ad/tracker blocking via DNS sinkhole, typically deployed on home networks or small business networks. Comparable goal (block trackers/ads) but operates at the network layer rather than the browser, targeting technical users.
- Brave Browser: Brave integrates built-in ad and tracker blocking into its browser, eliminating the need for third-party extensions like Ghostery. Emerging privacy-first browser competing for the same privacy-conscious user base.
Broad incumbents
- Avast / AVG: Established consumer security vendors offering anti-tracking, ad blocking, and antivirus in integrated suites. Compete with Ghostery for the consumer privacy/security dollar via bundled subscription products with broader feature scope.
- NordVPN: Major VPN provider whose CyberSec feature blocks ads and trackers at the network level. Broader privacy/security portfolio that overlaps with Ghostery's enterprise privacy positioning as part of a wider suite.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Ghostery social profiles
Digital presenceGhostery financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Ghostery leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Ghostery subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries2 records
Ghostery funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Ghostery M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Ghostery
What does Ghostery do?
Ghostery provides a modular browser-based privacy suite centered on a free cross-browser Tracker & Ad Blocker extension that combines ad blocking, AI-powered anti-tracking, and automated cookie consent management (Never-Consent). The platform is backed by WhoTracks.Me, the world's largest open-source tracker database covering 5,000+ trackers from 3,000+ companies, and is offered as a free consumer product plus a paid Enterprise tier with managed deployment via Intune, JAMF, and GPO.
Is Ghostery a public or private company?
Ghostery is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was Ghostery founded?
Ghostery was founded in 2009. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Ghostery based?
Ghostery is headquartered in Munich, United States, in the North America region.
How does Ghostery make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. User Contributions (Donor Program) is the primary driver. The others are enterprise Licenses and marketplace Commissions (App Store).
Who are Ghostery's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are AdGuard, 1Blocker, Adblock Plus, Privacy Badger and uBlock Origin. Emerging players are DuckDuckGo, Pi-hole and Brave Browser. Broad incumbents are Avast / AVG and NordVPN.
Does Ghostery have an API?
No public API is recorded for Ghostery.
What industry is Ghostery in?
Ghostery's product category is Browser Privacy Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HDADAFAH, Privacy Management (Consent, DSAR, RoPA). Its NAICS code is 518210.