Ghostery

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.

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

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

• Ad blocking software
• Browser privacy tools
• Tracker protection
• Consent management
• Anti-tracking technology

Headquarters

HQ city

Munich

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core 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

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration9 records

AI capability5 records

Feature6 records

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct 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

• Xx.com/Ghostery
• GitHubgithub.com/ghostery
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ghostery
• Facebookfacebook.com/ghostery

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ghostery