Ghostery Midnight app blocks ads and trackers, features a VPN

Ghostery has made a name for itself by offering worthwhile ad- and tracker-blocking extensions, and now it has a brand new desktop application.

The new desktop app is called Ghostery Midnight, and it features a virtual private network (VPN) feature — a first for the company. Of course, the desktop app also includes the ad- and tracker-blocking that Ghostery users would expect. All of this is packaged into a single app, and it costs $14 per month.

The Ghostery Midnight app works across several browsers and apps, so you won’t have to download individual extensions after installing the app. As noted today by The Verge, the ad- and tracker-blocking features are on by default. But you can toggle them off if you want, and the same goes or the VPN feature as well. The ad- and tracker-blocking works across different web browsers, too.

According to Ghostery, the tracker-blocking is based on data from its own personal database, and includes both first- and third-party trackers. The database is updated on a regular basis, but it features at least 4,500 trackers from more than 2,600 companies. The desktop app will show you how many trackers are present in each browser, and will show you where the trackers originated.

There are three modes to choose from:

  • Protected: This will block trackers by default.
  • Monitoring: This will tell you which trackers are present, but it will not block them.
  • Disabled: This will not record or block any trackers.

Ghostery has a list of ads to block as well, but the original report notes that it doesn’t block all ads. And as for the VPN service, Ghostery says it has servers in Montreal, Canada; Frankfurt; Germany; Singapore; London, England; Atlanta, Georgia; and Los Angeles, California.

The security features baked into the Ghostery Midnight desktop app cost $14 per month, but the company says that a cheaper option is arriving sometime in 2020. However, the finer details have not been ironed out just yet. The company does know that the cheaper plan will include fewer options, though.

Ghostery Midnight is available now for Windows and Mac.