Haven vs Guardio
Guardio is a paid browser security suite that tries to spot anything dangerous. Haven checks links in real time and verifies that the sites you care about are the real ones. It is free for individual use.
Free for individual use. No card, no trial clock.
Per month. Or $119.88 a year, which works out to $9.99 a month.
How much does Guardio cost per month?
Guardio costs $14.99 per month for one person. Paying yearly brings it to $9.99 per month, billed once as $119.88. Haven is free for individual use.
| Covering | Haven | Guardio, monthly | Guardio, yearly |
|---|---|---|---|
| Just me1 person | Free | $14.99a month | $119.88a year, or $9.99 a month |
| Me and one other2 people | Free | $22.99a month | $183.90a year, or $7.67 each a month |
| My householdup to 5 people | Free | $34.99a month | $279.90a year, or $4.67 each a month |
Haven is free for individual use, so everyone in a household installs it themselves at no cost. Guardio also lists a VIP tier for priority support without a published price, and it does not run a cheap first year followed by a higher renewal, which is fair to note in its favour.
What you get without paying
Guardio's free plan does not include scam and phishing protection. That sits behind the paid tiers. Haven's does not sit behind anything.
| At no cost, you get | Haven | Guardio free |
|---|---|---|
| Basic browser protection | ✓Included | ✓Included |
| Check a link or site on demand | ✓Included | ✓Included |
| Scam and phishing protection | ✓Included | 🔒Paid plans |
| Real time link checking as you browse | ✓Included | 🔒Paid plans |
| Verified protection on the sites you choose | ✓Included | –Not offered |
| Data leak alerts | –Not offered | 🔒Paid plans |
Two different questions
Guardio tries to spot anything dangerous, anywhere you go. Haven verifies that the sites that matter to you are the real ones. Detection has to be right about every unknown page on the internet. Verification only has to be right about the sites you named.
Guardio
Is this bad?
Guardio inspects sites, scripts, and downloads as they load and blocks what its detection judges to be a threat. Coverage is broad, and it uses far more than a static blocklist.
Every page is a fresh judgement call, and scam domains often go live and disappear within hours.
Independent testing by Security.org in 2025 put 50 URLs already flagged as malicious on PhishTank and CERT in front of Guardio. It blocked about half of them.
Haven
Is this the real one?
Haven checks every link you meet in real time, across search results, any page, and Gmail. On top of that sits a list of protected sites: your bank, your email, the tools you sign in to.
On a protected site, Haven is not guessing whether the page looks suspicious. It confirms whether you are on the genuine one, and keeps the session protected while you are there.
The same logic covers downloads. Haven does not inspect the file. It pauses a download that starts from a site it has not verified and asks you to confirm, and leaves downloads from your protected sites alone.
200+ sites are protected out of the box, and you can request any site you rely on at no cost. Once it is on the list, it stays protected.
Neither model is complete on its own, and this is the honest trade. Guardio casts a wider net across the whole internet. Haven gives you certainty on the handful of sites where being wrong actually costs you something.
What each one actually covers
Haven and Guardio both catch phishing. Haven is free for individual use and focuses on the browser moment. Guardio charges for that protection and adds breach monitoring and scam text filtering on top.
| Capability | Haven | Guardio | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stopping the phishing moment | ||||
| Phishing protection without paying | YesFree for individual use | Paid plans onlyThe free tier is basic browser protection and a manual scan | ||
| Real time link checking | YesEvery link, everywhere you browse. Search results, any page, and Gmail. Verified links get a checkmark, suspicious ones get flagged before you click | YesScans sites and scripts as they load | ||
| Fake and lookalike login pages | YesReads the page in front of you rather than only checking a list of known bad sites, so a domain registered this morning still gets caught | YesFake site detection | ||
| Confirms you are on the real site | YesConfirms the site is genuine rather than judging whether it looks suspicious, and keeps the session protected | Not describedNo equivalent published on guard.io | ||
| Sites you choose | Yes200+ protected sites included. Request any site you rely on, free, and it stays protected | Not applicableCoverage is detection wide rather than a list you control | ||
| Risky extensions | Pauses themOn protected sites, other extensions are paused so nothing can read your credentials, then restored when you leave | Flags themDetects suspicious extensions and browser hijacking | ||
| Downloads from sites you have not verified | Pauses and asksA download starting from an unverified site is held and you are asked to confirm it. Downloads from your protected sites are never interrupted | Not describedGuardio blocks what its detection judges unsafe rather than asking you to confirm the source | ||
| Check a link without installing anything | YesFree link checker, no install and no account | NoProtection runs through the extension or app | ||
| Beyond the browser, where Guardio is broader | ||||
| Breach and identity monitoring | No | YesWatches for your email and phone in known leaks | ||
| Scanning files for malware | NoHaven does not inspect file contents | YesBlocks downloads it judges dangerous | ||
| Scam text filtering | No | YesThrough the mobile app | ||
Guardio is broader. That is the trade it asks you to pay for. Haven is built for the first block, the moment a convincing page or link is in front of you, and that part is free for individual use. Haven does not scan files and neither product replaces antivirus. Neither blocks ads.
We compete with Guardio, so weigh this accordingly. Guardio's features here are Guardio's own published claims, not our test results. Capabilities change. Check guard.io before you decide.
When each one is the right call
Guardio is worth paying for when
- You want breach alerts and identity monitoring in the same subscription.
- Scam texts on your phone are a real problem for you.
- You are covering a household. Five people at $4.67 each per month is good value.
- You would rather have one paid tool than assemble free ones.
- You want 24/7 support with a person on the other end.
Haven is enough when
- You want links checked in real time as you browse, not just when you land on a site.
- Your real worry is the fake login page and the link that looks like your bank.
- You want to find out whether it helps before anyone asks for a card.
- You already have antivirus and a password manager, and this is the missing layer.
- You are setting this up for a parent who will not manage a subscription.
- You do not want a renewal date in your calendar.
Four things worth knowing before you pick
Checked as you go, not after you land
Haven verifies links across search results, any page you open, and Gmail. Good links get a checkmark. Suspicious ones get flagged before the click, not after the page loads.
Pause, not punish
Haven does not scan files. It asks a simpler question: did this come from somewhere you trust? A download starting from an unverified site is paused so you can confirm it. On your protected sites, downloads are left alone.
Lists go stale. Pages do not wait.
Blocklists only know sites already reported. Haven reads the page in front of you, which is what a lookalike domain registered this morning requires.
Neither one is antivirus
Both work inside the browser. Malware already on your machine needs device level security. More on that here. You can also run both tools together.
Is Guardio legit?
Yes. Guardio is an established browser security company with extensions for Chrome and Edge, apps for iOS and Android, and a published user base of more than 1.5 million people.
The question comes up because Guardio advertises heavily and its free scan surfaces warnings, a pattern people have learned to distrust. That instinct is healthy. Here it lands on a real company. The honest debate about Guardio is about value, not legitimacy.
Using either one at work
Guardio sells a team plan through its business page. Haven's free tier is scoped to individual use, and organisations are handled through Haven's business and MSP offers.
Buying for staff rather than yourself changes the questions: how it deploys, what an administrator can see, what evidence comes back, and what happens on unmanaged machines. Start at Haven for business or Haven for MSPs.
Answers to Your Questions
Get answers to commonly asked questions about Haven and Guardio.
Contact usHow much does Guardio cost per month?
$14.99 a month for one person on monthly billing. On annual billing it is $119.88 for the year, which works out to $9.99 a month. Duo is $22.99 a month for two people. Family is $34.99 a month for up to five. Checked on guard.io on 7 August 2026.
How is Haven different from Guardio?
They ask different questions. Guardio inspects sites and downloads as they load and blocks what its detection judges to be dangerous, which means every unknown page is a fresh judgement call. Haven checks links in real time everywhere you browse, and on top of that verifies a list of protected sites, your bank, your email, the tools you sign in to, confirming you are on the genuine one rather than guessing whether the page looks wrong. Haven includes 200+ protected sites and you can request any other site free of charge.
Is Guardio free?
Guardio has a free plan, but scam and phishing protection is not in it. The free tier is basic browser protection and a manual scan. Phishing protection, data leak alerts, account insights, and support are all part of the paid plans. Haven is free for individual use, and its phishing protection is not held behind a paid tier.
Is Guardio worth it?
It depends what you want covered. For breach monitoring, identity monitoring, and scam text filtering bundled with phishing protection, roughly $120 a year is reasonable, and less per person on Duo and Family. If phishing and fake login pages are your only concern, you can get that protection without paying for it.
Is Guardio legit?
Yes. Guardio is an established browser security company with extensions for Chrome and Edge and apps for iOS and Android. The honest debate about Guardio is about value rather than legitimacy.
What is a good free alternative to Guardio?
Haven is a free alternative that checks links in real time across search results, web pages, and Gmail, and detects fake and impersonated login pages. It is free for individual use. It is narrower than Guardio and does not include breach monitoring or scam text filtering.
Can I use Haven and Guardio at the same time?
Yes. They overlap on phishing but cover different ground overall, so running both is not redundant.
Does Haven scan downloads?
No. Haven does not scan files for malware and does not inspect file contents. What it does is pause a download that starts from a site it has not verified, so you can confirm you meant to download it. Downloads from your protected sites are not interrupted. Guardio does block downloads its detection judges dangerous, so if file scanning is what you want, that is a point in its favour.
Does Guardio or Haven replace antivirus?
Neither one does. Both work inside the browser, so malware already on the device, or anything outside the browser, needs device level security.
Is Haven free?
Yes. Haven is free for individual use. Haven is operated by MirrorTab, Inc.
Try the part that matters most
Haven checks links in real time and catches fake login pages before you hand anything over. Free for individual use.
Add to Chrome, it's freeLast checked 7 August 2026. Guardio pricing and plan contents were read from Guardio's own plans page on that date.
Guardio's feature descriptions are Guardio's published claims, not our testing results.
We compete with Guardio. Where we could not verify something, we left it out rather than guessing.
Haven is operated by MirrorTab, Inc.
Related: Is Guardio worth it? Full review · Does a VPN stop phishing? · Check a link free