Get your answers to all Guardio questions.

Guardio is a Chrome extension. It’s a tool you add to your internet browser, in this case, a browser that uses Chrome technology, like Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge.

Because Guardio sits on your browser it’s able to tell you if the website you’re opening, or the file you’re downloading is dangerous - in real-time. It warns you anytime you’re about to do something potentially dangerous online, giving you the ability to choose whether to continue or not.

Guardio also has identity protection. Guardio searches the very furthest reaches of the internet, including the Gray and Deep (also known as Dark) webs, checking if your email address, and any other pieces of your data, have been leaked in places you don’t want them to be. You’ll get an alert just as soon as we find anything giving you crucial time to fix issues and protect your identity.

What is Guardio?

The simple answer is that Guardio is a browser extension that has 2 main functions:

It protects you while you’re browsing online, warning you in real time about dangerous websites and downloads and keeping malware, malicious software, and nasty extensions away from your computer. It keeps you out of trouble.
Guardio protects your identity. It alerts you the moment your sensitive information is leaked online in a data breach. This means you can act in time to protect your identity.

Is Guardio Legit?

Guardio is definitely 100% legitimate, and it’s also a great product. Over a million people use Guardio, and trust it to keep them, and their families safe online. And that number is growing daily.

But don’t just take our word for it. There are several ways you can verify for yourself if Guardio is legit.

First off, Guardio is a Chrome extension, so it’s listed on internet browser stores like Google Chrome Web Store, and Microsoft Edge Add-Ons. Look up Guardio you’ll see it has a four-and-a-half star rating, and there are plenty of customer reviews to read. And if you’re looking on the Google Chrome Web Store, you’ll also notice that Guardio has an Established Publisher badge, which in Google’s words means that it “has a good record with no history of violations.” In other words, it’s kind of a Google stamp that Guardio is genuine and legit. It’s worth noting that because some of our products deal with sensitive information, we are bound by some very strict rules and regulations from Google.

Second, Guardio has been written about in several industry magazines, such as Wired, TechRadar, TechCrunch, The Hacker News, and Security Week, among others. These publications are kind of tech-oriented and sometimes on the dense side, but on the other hand, they know what they’re talking about!

And third, in January 2022 Gardio secured $47million in Series A funding led by Tiger Global, with Emerge, Vintage, Cerca Partners, Union, and Samsung Next also participating. We consider that an absolute stamp of legitimacy.

Is Guardio Safe?

We love this question. You should question the safety of every site you open, every file you download, and every single link you tap, click or hit. Being worried about whether something on the internet is safe is the very reason Guardio exists. So first off, yes, Guardio is absolutely 100% safe. It’s a legitimate tool, made by a legitimate company that has to abide by very strict rules and regulations.

But more than that, safety and prevention are our business. Guardio was created so that customers stay out of trouble and away from dangerous sites and downloads, phishing, online scams, and identity theft. Our mission is to create a secure digital world for everyone - regular internet users, and businesses alike. Your safety on the internet is what we do.

And you don’t have to take our word for it. Guardio is a Chrome extension, so it’s listed on internet browser stores like Google Chrome Web Store, and Microsoft Edge Add-Ons. Look up Guardio you’ll see it has a four-and-a-half star rating, and there are plenty of customer reviews to read.

And if you’re looking on the Google Chrome Web Store, you’ll also notice that Guardio has both a Featured and an Established Publisher badge from Google. They give the Featured badge to “extensions that follow our technical best practices and meet a high standard of user experience and design.” The Established badge means Guardio has “established a consistent positive track record with Google services and compliance with the Developer Program Policy.” In other words, it’s kind of a Google stamp that Guardio is genuine and does exactly what it says.

Is Guardio Safe for Chrome?

Guardio is built specifically for Chrome. In fact, as well as Google Chrome, Guardio works on any Chromium-based browser, including Microsoft Edge, Samsung Internet, Amazon Silk, Vivaldi, Opera, and many others. So it’s not just that Gaurdio is safe for Chrome, it’s specially designed to make Chrome even safer.

Is Guardio Trustworthy?

Guardio is trusted by more than a million people already. In other words, more than 1 million people are using Guardio to protect their computer, their online identity, and their most intimate, sensitive data. Think for a second about what you have on your computer and what you do online: bank accounts, credit card accounts, insurance, social security details, photographs, medical records, even your favorite kind of pizza order.

But don’t take our word for it. Take a look at what our customers say about us - and yes, we publish the good and the bad feedback. Guardio is a Chrome extension, so it’s also listed on internet browser stores like Google Chrome Web Store, and Microsoft Edge Add-Ons. Look up Guardio you’ll see it has a four-and-a-half star rating, and there are plenty more customer reviews to read.

And if you’re already looking on the Google Chrome Web Store, you’ll also notice that Guardio has both a Featured and an Established Publisher badge from Google. They give the Featured badge to “extensions that follow our technical best practices and meet a high standard of user experience and design.” The Established badge means Guardio has “established a consistent positive track record with Google services and compliance with the Developer Program Policy.” In other words, it’s kind of a Google stamp that Guardio is genuine and does exactly what it says.

What is the difference between Guardio and ad blockers?

There are all kinds of ad blockers available. Put simply, they’re designed to stop advertisements from popping up while you’re browsing. Ads can be annoying and intrusive and can also slow down page loading time. Some sites won’t actually let you view their content if you’re using an ad blocker because they want you to see the ads.

However, there is another side to pop-up ads that are actually quite nasty. And this is where Guardio trumps most regular ad blockers. These pop-ups are often designed to lead you to fake websites that are specifically created to cause harm by tricking you into downloading malware or phishing your data. Not only that, but sometimes getting pop-up ads and notifications can be a symptom that you already have adware or some other kind of malware on your browser.

This is where using Guardio is a big advantage because Guardio tackles the malware. As soon as you install the Guardio extension on your browser, it disables any malware, including any adware that is sending you unwanted notifications and ads. Ad blockers stop legit ads, while Guardio stops the source of the ads that may be causing untold damage to your security.

How is Guardio different from traditional antivirus programs?

As our lives are becoming increasingly digital, cyber threats increase in numbers and sophistication, as does the damage caused. Criminals are trying to steal information from us, right where we spend hours at a time, day after day: online. It may seem like malware, phishing attacks, and scams just appear out of nowhere. But they don’t. They’re usually the result of something we’ve done while we’re browsing online: a site we visited, a link or advert we clicked on, an email we opened, or a file we downloaded. An unprotected internet browser is an open invitation to any cybercriminal.

That’s why Guardio’s first line of defense is on your browser. Today, you don't just use your browser to find and look at websites. Now you can access entire operating systems, like extensions (apps), that give you access to all kinds of tools and functionality. And in these operating systems, the actions you can take are becoming increasingly complex and risky. You use your browser to make financial transactions, view your most sensitive information, and to chat, email, and communicate privately and professionally.

Guardio understands what happens inside your browser and can identify threats immediately and block them. Guardio doesn’t just work off a list of good and bad sites and domains, it also analyzes the behavior of sites, extensions and downloads - and warns you immediately. It analyzes every link, sees how every web page works, understanding its signals and artifacts so it can learn and recognize criminal signatures. Antiviruses look at it “from the outside” with the roughly the same techniques they look at other software on your machine, while Guardio is tailored to protect the browsers and does so “from the inside”.

Guardio uses Machine Learning (AI) to analyze malicious behavior, meaning that even if attackers change their techniques or websites to evade detection, they won’t be successful. In addition, if Guardio’s detects bad activity for one customer - it will block this attack from all other customers. Many traditional Antiviruses work on more rigid block\unblock lists that do not deliver this granular and real-time capability.

Finally, today much of your data is stored in the cloud (email, social accounts, services like DropBox and more). Guardio is actively trying to protect these digital assets, for example, reminding you to set up extra protection via 2FA, or monitor your email for data leaks. AntiViruses are only looking at what’s on your device leaving your digital assets exposed.

Is Guardio available in my country?

Yes! Guardio is available worldwide. Our pricing is in USD, and currently, we offer support in the English language.

Is Guardio free?

Guardio offers a no-obligation, 7-day free trial to anyone wishing to experience Guardio before fully committing. After the trial period, Guardio offers a monthly subscription plan.

Protection & Technology

How will I know Guardio is actively protecting me?

Once you install the Guardio extension on your browser, it will actively scan every site, platform, and page you visit. Anytime you’re about to run into trouble, Guardio will send you some form of alert, depending on how serious the risk is. We’ll also send you an alert whenever we find your data has been leaked online. Pin the Guardio extension to your browser, and you'll be able to see the green Guardio icon at all times and know that’s it looking out for you.

How often does Guardio run a scan?

Guardio runs an initial scan when you first install the extension. We scan your browser to check for any kinds of malware that might be there so we can disable them immediately. We also check if you’ve visited any malicious sites that you should be aware of.

From then on, anything that wants to get on to your browser has to get past Guardio first. You can run a manual scan any time you want, but technically there is no need.

At the same time, Guardio starts doing a different kind of scan. Using your email address, we search the dark web for any data or pieces of personal information that we find associated with your email address. This is how we see if any of your data has been leaked online in a breach. We continuously monitor the dark web for your email address, looking for your data in places where you don't want it to be. You can read more about data leaks and breaches right here

What happens once I install Guardio?

In a nutshell, you become a whole lot safer online. Guardio runs an initial scan of your browser to check for any kind of malware on your browser, and we disable it immediately. We also check if you’ve visited any malicious sites that you should be aware of. All that’s left for you to do is start your free trial and enjoy full protection from Guardio.

Can Guardio get rid of popups?

Guardio stops pop-ups designed to scam you or that lead you to a fake site where you’ll be scammed. We shut down any malware on your browser that serves these pop-ups. However, we can’t stop legitimate pop-ups that you get from some sites and platforms. For example, you might get a pop-up asking you to subscribe to a pizza delivery place, or maybe you’ll suddenly get a car ad in the middle of watching a video online. Guardio doesn’t stop these because this is how sites make their money. It may be annoying, but it’s not actually harmful.

Will Guardio remove the search and tabs that have taken over my browser?

This is often known as browser-search hijacking. It means you have malware on your browser that overrides your settings and sends you to websites you never intended to go to. Guardio fixes that the moment you install the extension.

Does Guardio work on mobile?

The Guardio browser extension works only on your computer browser. However, you can use Guardio’s identity protection features on your mobile, and we also now have an iOS app. We’re working on an Android version of the app too, and we’ll send our customers an update when that’s ready.

Does Guardio work only on Chrome?

Guardio is available on Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge. In fact, Guardio works on any Chromium-based browser (like Opera, for example). We’re working on expanding our capabilities, and we’ll update as soon as we have news.

Account & Permissions

What does a Guardio membership include?

Your Guardio includes several protection features:

Browser security: You’ll have full access to all Guardio’s browser security - including blocks and warnings about harmful and suspicious sites and downloads and disabling of malicious extensions. This means we warn you any time you’re at risk of running into trouble while browsing on your computer. It helps protect you from viruses and malware that try and get in through your browser, as well as phishing and all kinds of online scams.
Data Leak Alerts: As soon as we find any data associated with your email address somewhere it’s not supposed to be (like the darkweb), we send you an immediate alert. It means your personal, sensitive information has been leaked online, and you could be at risk of fraud and even identity theft. Our alerts give you time to act quickly and follow the instructions we provide.
Access to Guardio Cover 24/7 security hotline: Call our hotline and speak with security experts any time you think you’re in trouble. They offer scam assistance, help with identity recovery, as well a $1,000,000 identity theft insurance coverage to help with expenses incurred.

The Guardio Support team is also available if you have any questions about our services or your account.

Family Members: You can add up to 4 additional family members or friends to your account at no extra cost. They will also get browser security and data leak alerts. You can read more here.
Other Devices: Your account is browser-based. So wherever you’re signed in is where you're being protected. Additionally, you can use Guardio on your mobile device to get immediate alerts about data leaks. You’ll also have access to our iOS app, designed to help you keep your online identity secure. We’re working on an Android version, and we’ll update once it’s ready. You can use Guardio on your mobile device to get immediate alerts about data leaks.

You can also add up to 5 email addresses to monitor for data leaks.

With a Team account, you can easily add all your team members to keep your business safe.

Is my information kept confidential?

Absolutely. Guardio will never use your information in a harmful way, sell it, or share it with others.

Why does Guardio's extension require permissions when installing?

Any extension you install requires some permissions, and it's good to know what they mean and if you should accept them. The permissions Guardio requires:

"Read and change all your data on the websites you visit:"

In this case, it means that Guardio reads the page when you're on a website so that we can detect if it's safe or not. No changes are made to any websites. We take your privacy very seriously, and you can read more about it in our privacy policy.

"Display notifications:" Guardio alerts you on suspicious sites, malicious extensions, when something is removed, and other updates.
"Manage your apps, extensions, and themes:" Guardio requires this permission to remove the malicious extensions found.

Why do I need a Credit Card for the free trial?

We require a payment method when signing up to reduce fraud and prevent multiple free trials for one person. This enables a smooth transition for our members after the trial period and helps us deliver better service for all the honest customers. We promise we won't bill you anything during your free trial and you can cancel at any moment before your trial ends. All our credit card payments are protected by Stripe, so, you can rest assured about the safety of your financial data.

How can I reach you guys?

You can contact our awesome support team from our help center or write us an email to yourfriends@guard.io. Looking forward to hearing from you!

Will I be able to cancel Guardio?

Yes. You can also cancel Guardio directly from your dashboard. We don't recommend browsing without any protection but understand if it's not right for you at this time. We have a 30-day refund policy, and if you cancel during your free trial, you will not be billed a dime.

What is Guardio Subscription?

While you can use Guarido for free and enjoy some partial online security, full protection requires a monthly subscription.

A regular family account costs $9.99 a month, and lets you an additional 4 family members to your account.

If you want to use Guardio for a business or company, then you’ll need Guardio for Teams, which has a subscription of $9.99 a month per seat.

Is Guardio Worth the Money?

It goes without saying that we are obviously biased, but we genuinely believe the answer is a very firm yes.

Consider for a second that Guardio is kind of like a real-time insurance policy. Insurance is something you pay for in case bad stuff happens. In this case, we’re talking about online security - so the bad stuff is getting scammed, phished, downloading dangerous files or opening malicious websites, and so on.

But Guardio actually stops the bad stuff from happening in the first place. Imagine if your car insurance actually stopped you from being in an accident. Well that’s what Guarido does for you when you’re online. It prevents you from getting into trouble. It doesn’t wait for disaster and then assess the damage (which is what regular anti-virus software does, by the way. Guardio is “preventative” insurance.

So again, is it worth the money? Absolutely. Protection you can see in action.

Is Guardio part of Google?

No, Guardio is not a part of Google in any way.

But let’s take a quick look at where this confusion might come from. Guardio is a Chromium-based browser extension. Chromium is, more or less, the basis of the code used to run web browsers like Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Samsung Internet, Opera, and more.

Chromium is open-source - in other words, it’s free for anyone to copy and use. And most of the Chromium code was developed by Google.

So what this all means is that Guardio was created to operate on browsers that are based on Google technology. But that doesn’t mean that Guardio is owned in any way by Google.