Is Guardio Legit? What You Need To Know Before Signing Up

Can You Trust Guardio To Keep You Safe Online?

Guardio provides solid protection against phishing attacks, fake websites, and other online threats to more than 1.5 million Chromium-based browser users. However, it is relatively expensive when compared to all-in-one providers that offer broader identity theft and cybersecurity features.

If you're debating whether or not Guardio is the best identity theft protection service for you, here’s what customers on third-party review site, Trustpilot, and professional tech reviewers are saying:

• What some users like about Guardio: Users appreciate Guardio’s user-friendly, browser-based phishing protection that defends them from fake websites, dangerous extensions, malicious links, and scam emails and texts.
• What some users don’t like about Guardio: Users and reviewers have complained that Guardio is expensive, limited in scope, and that it can be difficult to reach customer support.

While Guardio offers numerous positives and strong protection (for browser-based threats only), it may not be the best value on the market. The choice will ultimately come down to your needs, budget, and threat level.

What Does Guardio Do? Features, Plans, and What To Expect as a User

Guardio offers real-time protection against cyber threats at the browser level. Unlike traditional antivirus software that scans your device for malware that has already been downloaded, Guardio focuses on browser-level online security and preventing malware from being downloaded in the first place.

For example, Guardio can automatically block you from accessing dangerous websites or downloading malicious extensions, scan your emails and text messages for potential phishing scams, and monitor your phone number and email to see if they appear in personal data leaks.

Here’s a deeper dive into Guardio’s key features:

Note: Guardio’s free plan only offers basic protection and manual data scans. For scam and phishing protection, data leak alerts, access to support, and other features listed below, you’ll need to pay for a premium plan.

Real-time browsing protection

Guardio comes as a browser extension for Chromium-based browsers (Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Opera, etc.) and works across Android and iOS mobile devices as well as Mac and Windows computers.

Once installed, Guardio protects you against malicious extensions and downloads in your browser. It will also automatically detect and prevent unwanted notifications and browser hijacking attempts.

Since Guardio prevents you from accessing and downloading harmful material, it can stop most malware from ever getting to you. It also claims to disable malware on your browser. With no third-party malware tests available for Guardio, however, it's unclear how effective it is at blocking viruses and other threats.

What you need to know: Guardio may protect you from harmful extensions and downloads while you’re on a Chromium browser; but if you encounter malware while using a different browser type (or while offline), Guardio will not detect it.

Fake and malicious website warnings

One of Guardio's greatest strengths is its safe browsing feature, which warns you of dangerous and potentially harmful websites. The company claims to use a combination of dynamic fingerprinting, advanced heuristics, and machine learning to monitor and block websites exhibiting malicious behavior.

Guardio blocks websites for many reasons, including malware, phishing, malvertising, scams, and permissions abuse. It may even warn you if you visit a website that is too new to know much about it.

What you need to know: Guardio's website protection works well, but it may not outperform the safe browsing and content filtering features that come installed with most modern browsers.

Phishing protection

Guardio offers several types of phishing protection, from blocking phishing websites that try to extract your information to filtering out phishing attempts from your emails and text messages. The service scans messages from unknown and unsaved senders — flagging suspicious emails and sending suspicious texts to junk mail.

What you need to know: Guardio's phishing protection does well in complementing the built-in security on most email and text message systems, but it won't work for everyone. For example, Guardio's text message filter currently only works on iOS devices, and email security only works for Gmail.

Data leak notifications

Guardio monitors the Dark Web and known data leaks for your email and phone number, alerting you if it finds them.

When a leak is detected, Guardio sends details of the breach, including what was leaked — for example, your name, phone number, passwords, credit card information, and other personal data. It also provides some advice on how to handle the leak.

While Guardio's premium scans for leaks automatically, the free version only includes a manual security scan.

What you need to know: Guardio's data leak notification service can be useful, but it only detects personal information connected to your email address. If something like your Social Security number (SSN), driver's license, or passport leaks, Guardio can’t tell you for sure if it’s at risk.

Identity theft insurance

For premium subscribers, Guardio promises to cover eligible identity theft losses up to $1 million per plan. According to the summary of benefits, covered losses can include expenses incurred during the recovery process, legal costs, lost base wages, child and elderly care, document replacements, and reasonable costs for investigators and accountants.

To be considered, all claims must be submitted and expenses must be proven within 60 days of the date of discovery.

What you need to know: While Guardio's insurance coverage is a welcomed addition to the feature list, it is relatively standard in the world of identity theft protection. It’s also on the lower end of coverage, especially for family plans — for example, Aura covers up to $5 million for families compared to Guardio’s $1 million coverage.

📚 Related: Is Identity Theft Protection Worth It? Only In These Cases →

How Much Does Guardio Cost?

Guardio’s Premium plans cost anywhere from $119.88 to $279.90 a year — depending on the number of people you need to protect (Individual, Duo, and Family). Plans can be paid monthly or annually (for a discount). All Premium plans include a 7-day free trial.

There’s also a basic free plan that includes browser protection and manual data leak scans. This is the same price as a fully-featured plan from Aura, which includes additional identity theft protection, credit monitoring, 24/7 U.S.-based phone, email, and chat support, and at least $1 million in identity theft insurance. You can also pay an extra $199.99/year for “Guardio VIP,” which includes access to a dedicated security expert, “deep threat analysis,” and real-time calls for high-risk threats.

Note: Guardio VIP is currently the only way to access phone support for Guardio. All other plans include email support only.  

Here’s a breakdown of Guardio’s plans, pricing, and what’s included in each (as of September 2025):

Note: Guardio will put a hold on the full amount of your plan price during the “free trial” period. This is not a charge, but will appear on your statement and can limit your ability to make new purchases if your credit card limit is maxed out.

What Are the Downsides of Using Guardio?

While Guardio has garnered strong reviews, many people point out the service’s limitations — namely the high price for widely available features, its lack of a traditional antivirus program, and limited identity theft protection.

Here are some of the biggest problems you may face with Guardio:

Can’t scan your device for malware — only your browser

While Guardio automatically blocks and removes malicious extensions and downloads, it doesn't come with a malware scan feature. This means if malware manages to infect your device, Guardio has no security tools that can deal with it.  

While Guardio frames this limitation as a unique feature — writing that, “Guardio blocks threats before they reach your device” — that’s not an entirely accurate representation of how Guardio compares to other options.  

Here’s what PCMag Principal Writer Neil J. Rubenking wrote in his Guardio review:

“… the best full-scale antivirus programs match Guardio’s handling of dangerous and fraudulent websites, and they extend this protection quite a bit.”

Guardio’s reliance on blocking dangerous sites and downloads can put you at risk if a threat slips past its defenses.

Main features can be replicated by free tools

Guardio is a convenient and intuitive Google Chrome extension, but it's not exactly revolutionary. You can find most — if not all — of its key features online for free.

Here are some examples of free alternatives to Guardio's top features:

• Data leak alerts. Many services offer free Dark Web scanners and notifications, such as HaveIBeenPwned, Aura, and Mozilla Monitor.  
• Browsing protection. Most modern browsers offer powerful built-in safe browsing features, including Chrome, Safari, and Firefox.
• Email and SMS protection. Most email providers, including Gmail, include phishing protection as a standard feature.
• Antivirus protection. Several antivirus providers, such as Bitdefender, offer free software with high levels of protection, according to tests by AV-Test Institute and AV-Comparatives.  

Very limited identity theft and fraud protection

Guardio claims to offer identity protection, but — aside from looking for your email address and phone number in data leaks — it does little to prevent or resolve identity theft and fraud. Its browser protection may shield you from some of the effects of identity theft, but it won't solve the problem in the long term.

Here are just some of the identity theft protection and security features missing from Guardio:

• Device antivirus or VPN protection
• Identity monitoring beyond email and phone monitoring
• Credit monitoring and fraud alerts
• Public records monitoring
• Hands-on fraud resolution support

More expensive than most other options

It can be hard to justify Guardio’s Premium plan price tag given its limited features. For the same (or a lower) price, users can get more comprehensive identity theft protection — and even advanced digital security in some cases.

Here's how Guardio's pricing compares to its competitors' similar (or superior) plans:

No privacy or data protection features

Hackers and scammers take advantage of publicly available information to target you — something Guardio’s security features can’t help with (beyond protecting you from entering information on a fake website).

Alternatives, such as Aura, actively work to minimize your digital footprint and protect your data online. For example, Aura includes:

• Automatic opt-out from over 140 data brokers. Data brokers scrape public records for your personal information, and sell it to marketers and scammers. Aura automatically scans data broker databases for your information and sends removal requests on your behalf.
• Removals from Google search results. Aura scans Google search results for your personal information and sends requests to hide it from searchers.
• Ad-blocking and anti-track. Guardio can help block annoying pop-ups designed to scan you, but won’t necessarily stop websites from tracking your activities.
• Military-grade virtual private network (VPN). Aura includes a VPN that encrypts your browsing data, keeping your history and data safe and private.

Free trial requires a hold on your credit card for the full subscription price

One of the biggest complaints from Guardio users revolves around a holding charge that the company puts on credit cards when the free trial is activated.

When you sign up for a Guardio trial, the company puts an immediate authorization hold on your payment method for the full amount of your plan. If you cancel during the trial period, the authorization hold may remain for multiple days, depending on your bank’s policies.

Here’s what one Guardio customer wrote in a recent Trustpilot review:

“I immediately contacted customer service and cancelled, but was told that the hold would remain on my account for several days, depending on my bank. Now I’m unable to access my own money — all because Guardio failed to disclose that a hold would be placed immediately upon starting the “free” trial.”

An authorization hold isn’t a charge, however, it can limit your ability to make purchases as the amount of the hold is unavailable as credit.

Aura vs. Guardio: How Does Guardio Compare To Aura?

Aura and Guardio were launched at around the same time, but the two providers offer vastly different services and approaches to identity theft protection.

While Guardio maintains a narrow focus on browser security, Aura provides more robust and proactive protection that includes antivirus software, Safe Browsing tools, and award-winning identity and credit protection — along with 24/7 U.S.-based support and extensive identity theft insurance.

Here's a brief look at how Guardio and Aura differ in key areas:

While Aura and Guardio take different approaches to your security, Aura provides more features, higher levels of insurance coverage, and phone support included with all plans.

You should choose Aura over Guardio if you want:

• A full suite of digital security and phishing protection tools. Along with Safe Browsing tools that are similar to Guardio, Aura provides antivirus software, a VPN, ad-blockers, and anti-trackers for all devices.
• Protection for your bank accounts and credit file. While Guardio offers no financial protection, Aura monitors your credit file with all three major bureaus (TransUnion, Experian, and Equifax) as well as your linked financial accounts — alerting you to any suspicious activity that it finds.  
• Award-winning identity theft protection and Dark Web monitoring. Unlike Guardio, which only monitors your phone number and email address, Aura scours the Dark Web, public records, and data breaches for misuse of your Social Security number (SSN), driver's license, passport, home and auto titles, and over 100 more pieces of your sensitive personal information.
• Malware scanning that’s not limited to browser-based attacks. Aura's powerful antivirus software goes beyond browser-based security threats, and scans for multiple types of malware — including viruses, ransomware, and spyware — online and on your device.  
• AI-powered scam call and text protection. Aura uses spam lists and an AI-powered call assistant to block phone scammers and filter out phishing threats from your text message and email inbox.
• Robust family protection, including parental controls. In addition to SSN monitoring and credit freeze support for children, Aura's family plans include parental controls with content filters, screen time limits, and Safe Gaming and cyberbullying alerts.
• 24/7 U.S.-based phone support. Aura’s support team is on standby and ready for your call any time of day or night. Members also get access to certified Fraud Resolution specialists.

The Bottom Line: Guardio Does One Thing Well — But That Might Not Be Enough

Guardio's novel approach to cybersecurity makes it a useful tool for online safety. But with its higher price tag, many users understandably want more substantial protection. It may keep you safe from many harmful sites and scammers, but Guardio won't do much to shield you against viruses that end up on your device — or worse, identity theft and credit fraud.

Before you commit to a Guardio membership, make sure you're getting the protection that you need and deserve.