Ad blocking is the foundation of a good streaming setup, but it is not the only browser extension worth installing. Several other extensions improve your streaming experience, protect your privacy, and add useful features. This guide covers the best ones.
Essential Extensions
uBlock Origin — Ad Blocking
We have covered this extensively in our dedicated guide and comparison. If you only install one extension, make it this one.
Privacy Badger — Tracking Protection
Developed by the Electronic Frontier Foundation, Privacy Badger learns to block trackers based on their behaviour. Unlike traditional blocklists that use a static database of known trackers, Privacy Badger watches for tracking behaviour and blocks it automatically. This catches trackers that are too new or too obscure for blocklists.
HTTPS Everywhere — Encryption
This extension ensures your browser always uses HTTPS (encrypted) connections when available. Most modern browsers do this by default now, but HTTPS Everywhere catches edge cases that browsers miss. It is lightweight and runs silently in the background.
Quality of Life Extensions
ClearURLs — Strip Tracking Parameters
ClearURLs removes tracking parameters from URLs. When you click a link that looks like site.com/page?utm_source=tracking&ref=analytics, ClearURLs strips it to site.com/page. This does not block ads but prevents cross-site tracking via URL parameters.
Video Speed Controller
This extension adds keyboard shortcuts to control video playback speed on any HTML5 video player. Speed up slow-paced content, slow down fast-paced scenes, or skip forward in precise increments. Works on streaming sites that use standard HTML5 video.
Dark Reader — Dark Mode Everywhere
If you stream at night, Dark Reader converts bright websites to dark mode. Most streaming sites already have dark themes, but their surrounding pages (search results, settings, etc.) may not. Dark Reader handles those.
Extensions to Avoid
- Free VPN extensions — Most free VPN browser extensions are data harvesting tools. If you want a VPN, use a standalone app from a reputable provider. See our VPN guide.
- Download manager extensions — Not needed for streaming and can introduce security risks.
- Extensions that promise to "unlock" content — These are frequently malware or scams.
- Ad blockers that accept "acceptable ads" — See our comparison for why.
How Many Extensions Is Too Many?
Each extension uses memory and can slow your browser. For streaming, keep it minimal:
- uBlock Origin (essential)
- Privacy Badger (recommended)
- One or two quality-of-life extensions from the list above
Anything beyond four or five extensions is likely causing more problems than it solves. If your browser feels sluggish during streaming, try disabling extensions one by one to identify the culprit. See our browser guide for more performance tips.