Comparison
Smart Blur vs ZeroBlur: which blur extension to use
ZeroBlur is the most popular blur extension on the Chrome Web Store, with about 20,000 users. It’s free, and it does one thing simply: you pick elements or areas on a page, and they’re blurred, on that page or across the whole site, before you start recording or sharing.
Smart Blur does that too. The difference is everything that happens without clicking: data found and blurred by itself, your own ID formats, names in plain sentences, and blurring that switches on when a share starts.
We make Smart Blur. Everything below about ZeroBlur comes from its Chrome Web Store listing and its developer’s website as of 26 October 2026.
The short version
If you know exactly what you need to hide and it’s always in the same place, ZeroBlur is free and simple. If the data on your screen changes, such as customer records, inboxes or search results, you need something that finds it for you, and that’s what Smart Blur is built around. Most of it is free too.
What Smart Blur adds
It finds personal data by itself, for free
Clicking works for a page you know. It doesn’t work for a list of customers, a new email arriving mid-call or a search result you didn’t expect. Smart Blur’s Patterns blur email addresses, phone numbers, card numbers, US Social Security numbers and IP addresses as soon as a page loads, and as new content appears. You don’t click anything.
Your own ID formats, in plain words or regex
Order numbers, policy numbers, patient IDs: no built-in detector knows your formats. Smart Blur’s custom patterns let you describe one in plain words (“starts with ORD-, then 6 to 8 digits”) or write a regular expression, test it against real text, and limit it to the sites where it belongs. They’re free, with no limit. See blur your own ID formats with custom patterns.
Keywords to hide, everywhere they appear
Add a name, such as another client or a project code name, to Keywords to hide and it’s blurred wherever it shows up: in a sidebar, a notification or a search box. ZeroBlur’s listing doesn’t describe keyword blurring.
Text blur and hidden tab names
Smart Blur can blur just the words you select, not the whole element, and hide the titles and icons in your browser’s tab bar, which often name customers and documents. Both are free.
Local AI and Share Shield (Pro)
Smart Blur Pro adds Local AI, which finds names and street addresses written in ordinary sentences, running entirely on your computer after a one-time download. It also adds Share Shield, which switches blurring on in every tab the moment you start sharing from the browser (Google Meet, Zoom on the web or Teams on the web) and off when you stop. And a Screenshot button captures the page with the blur already in it.
Where ZeroBlur is the better choice
- It’s free, all of it. There’s no paid plan to think about.
- It’s simple. If you only ever blur the same few things by hand, there’s less to learn.
- Firefox. ZeroBlur has a Firefox version; Smart Blur runs on Chrome, Edge and other Chromium browsers.
- Many more users: about 20,000, with a 4.5 rating from 47 reviews. Smart Blur has a 4.8 rating from 12 reviews.
One thing to know: ZeroBlur’s Chrome listing was last updated in September 2024. Smart Blur is updated regularly.
Side by side
| Smart Blur | ZeroBlur | |
|---|---|---|
| Click and area blur | Free | Free |
| Blur on one page or site-wide | Yes | Yes |
| Blur selected text | Free | Not stated |
| Hide tab titles | Free | Not stated |
| Finds emails, cards and more by itself | Free | Not stated |
| Keywords to hide | Free, unlimited | Not stated |
| Custom patterns, plain words or regex | Free, unlimited | Not stated |
| On-device AI for names and addresses | Local AI (Pro) | Not stated |
| Turns on when you share from the browser | Share Shield (Pro) | Not stated |
| Screenshot with the blur in it | Pro | Not stated |
| Firefox | No | Yes |
| Last updated | October 2026 | September 2024 |
| Price model | Free, or Pro yearly or one-time | Free |
Which to choose
Choose Smart Blur if the data on your screen changes from call to call, you have your own ID formats to hide, or you want blurring that starts with the share instead of depending on you to remember.
Choose ZeroBlur if you use Firefox, or you only need to blur a few fixed things by hand and want the simplest free tool.
For how Smart Blur compares with the other popular blur extensions, see Smart Blur compared.
Checked on 26 October 2026 against ZeroBlur’s Chrome Web Store listing and developer website. If something has changed, email support@smartbuildlabs.com and we’ll correct it.