Ads by ComparingGenie

What is ComparingGenie?

ComparingGenie is an adware-type add-on that supposedly saves time and money while shopping online. The features offered (display of special deals/discounts, coupons, etc.) may appear legitimate and useful, however, this add-on is distributed using a deceptive software marketing method called 'bundling'.

Therefore, ComparingGenie is classed as a potentially unwanted program (PUP). Bundling is stealth installation of additional applications together with regular software, thus, users often inadvertently install this add-on with free software downloaded from freeware download websites.

After installation, ComparingGenie tracks Internet browsing activity and displays numerous intrusive online advertisements.

The information types collected by this adware include IP addresses, websites visited, search queries entered into search engine (Google, Bing, Yahoo, etc.), and pages viewed. This list is not limited to the aforementioned types, and therefore, some of the gathered information might be personally identifiable.

Thus, having ComparingGenie installed on your system can lead to serious privacy issues or identity theft.

The generated advertisements (pop-ups, coupons, banners, and so on) frequently redirect to untrusted websites - clicking these ads may cause high-risk adware or malware infections. For these reasons, you are strongly advised to uninstall ComparingGenie adware from your system immediately.

There are hundreds of PUPs similar or identical to ComparingGenie. For example, PriceFab, MySoftToday, PriceMinus, and Shop Smart. ComparingGenie, and these other applications, claim to save time and money while shopping online, however, they simply display intrusive online ads and share collected data with third parties to generate revenue.

Adware-type applications are often distributed using small programs called 'download clients' on freeware download websites such as downloads.com, soft32.com, and softonic.com. These websites employ download clients as free services and traffic monetization tools, since they offer installation of additional programs together with the chosen software.

Although the developers claim that their software is 'legitimate and virus-free', most third party apps are considered to be adware or malware. To prevent computer infections, closely analyse each step of the free software download procedure and ensure that no other applications are included.

Furthermore, software downloaded from the Internet should be installed using the 'Custom' or 'Advanced' options - this will reveal any bundled application listed for installation and allow you to cancel them. If you have installed ComparingGenie, these guidelines will help you to uninstall this PUP from your system.

ComparingGenie adware generating intrusive online ads (marked as 'Ads by ComparingGenie'):

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Quick menu:

• What is ComparingGenie?
• STEP 1. Uninstall ComparingGenie application using Control Panel.
• STEP 2. Remove ComparingGenie adware from Internet Explorer.
• STEP 3. Remove ComparingGenie ads from Google Chrome.
• STEP 4. Remove 'Ads by ComparingGenie' from Mozilla Firefox.
• STEP 5. Remove ComparingGenie ads from Safari.
• STEP 6. Remove rogue plug-ins from Microsoft Edge.

ComparingGenie adware removal:

Windows 11 users:

Right-click on the Start icon, select Apps and Features. In the opened window search for the application you want to uninstall, after locating it, click on the three vertical dots and select Uninstall.

Windows 10 users:

Right-click in the lower left corner of the screen, in the Quick Access Menu select Control Panel. In the opened window choose Programs and Features.

Windows 7 users:

Click Start (Windows Logo at the bottom left corner of your desktop), choose Control Panel. Locate Programs and click Uninstall a program.

macOS (OSX) users:

Click Finder, in the opened screen select Applications. Drag the app from the Applications folder to the Trash (located in your Dock), then right click the Trash icon and select Empty Trash.

In the uninstall programs window, look for "ComparingGenie" (and other recently installed suspicious applications - 'ComparingGenie' ads can be caused by a wide range of potentially unwanted applications), select this entry and click "Uninstall" or "Remove".

After uninstalling the potentially unwanted program that causes ComparingGenie ads, scan your computer for any remaining unwanted components or possible malware infections. To scan your computer, use recommended malware removal software.

Remove ComparingGenie adware from Internet browsers:

Video showing how to remove potentially unwanted browser add-ons:

Remove malicious add-ons from Internet Explorer:

Click the "gear" icon (at the top right corner of Internet Explorer), select "Manage Add-ons". Look for "ComparingGenie", select this entry and click "Remove".

Optional method:

If you continue to have problems with removal of the comparinggenie adware, reset your Internet Explorer settings to default.

Windows XP users: Click Start, click Run, in the opened window type inetcpl.cpl In the opened window click the Advanced tab, then click Reset.

Windows Vista and Windows 7 users: Click the Windows logo, in the start search box type inetcpl.cpl and click enter. In the opened window click the Advanced tab, then click Reset.

Windows 8 users: Open Internet Explorer and click the gear icon. Select Internet Options.

In the opened window, select the Advanced tab.

Click the Reset button.

Confirm that you wish to reset Internet Explorer settings to default by clicking the Reset button.

Remove malicious extensions from Google Chrome:

Click the Chrome menu icon (at the top right corner of Google Chrome), select "Tools" and click "Extensions". Locate "ComparingGenie", select this entry and click the trash can icon.

Optional method:

If you continue to have problems with removal of the comparinggenie adware, reset your Google Chrome browser settings. Click the Chrome menu icon  (at the top right corner of Google Chrome) and select Settings. Scroll down to the bottom of the screen. Click the Advanced… link.

After scrolling to the bottom of the screen, click the Reset (Restore settings to their original defaults) button.

In the opened window, confirm that you wish to reset Google Chrome settings to default by clicking the Reset button.

Remove malicious plugins from Mozilla Firefox:

Click the Firefox menu (at the top right corner of the main window), select "Add-ons". Click "Extensions", in the opened window, remove "ComparingGenie initial".

Optional method:

Computer users who have problems with comparinggenie adware removal can reset their Mozilla Firefox settings.

Open Mozilla Firefox, at the top right corner of the main window, click the Firefox menu, in the opened menu, click Help.

Select Troubleshooting Information.

In the opened window, click the Refresh Firefox button.

In the opened window, confirm that you wish to reset Mozilla Firefox settings to default by clicking the Refresh Firefox button.

Remove malicious extensions from Safari:

Make sure your Safari browser is active, click Safari menu, and select Preferences....

In the opened window click Extensions, locate any recently installed suspicious extension, select it and click Uninstall.

Optional method:

Make sure your Safari browser is active and click on Safari menu. From the drop down menu select Clear History and Website Data...

In the opened window select all history and click the Clear History button.

Remove malicious extensions from Microsoft Edge:

Click the Edge menu icon  (at the upper-right corner of Microsoft Edge), select "Extensions". Locate all recently-installed suspicious browser add-ons and click "Remove" below their names.

Optional method:

If you continue to have problems with removal of the comparinggenie adware, reset your Microsoft Edge browser settings. Click the Edge menu icon  (at the top right corner of Microsoft Edge) and select Settings.

In the opened settings menu select Reset settings.

Select Restore settings to their default values. In the opened window, confirm that you wish to reset Microsoft Edge settings to default by clicking the Reset button.

• If this did not help, follow these alternative instructions explaining how to reset the Microsoft Edge browser.

Summary:

Commonly, adware or potentially unwanted applications infiltrate Internet browsers through free software downloads. Note that the safest source for downloading free software is via developers' websites only. To avoid installation of adware, be very attentive when downloading and installing free software. When installing previously-downloaded free programs, choose the custom or advanced installation options – this step will reveal any potentially unwanted applications listed for installation together with your chosen free program.

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