Guardio vs OkayTab

Is there a cheaper Guardio alternative that also works in Firefox?

Yes. OkayTab is a scam blocker for Chrome, Edge and Firefox, and it costs $15.99 a year for up to three browsers. Guardio's paid plan for one person costs $143.88 a year. On a computer it runs in Chrome and other Chromium browsers such as Edge. Guardio's own help page says it is not available in Firefox or Safari.

On a computer, Guardio is a browser extension. Its FAQ says it is "specifically designed for Chrome and other Chromium-based browsers, such as Microsoft Edge, Opera, and Vivaldi". Its help page lists Firefox and Safari under the browsers where it is not available on desktop.^[1] Some review sites say Guardio works in Firefox. Guardio's own pages say it doesn't.

OkayTab has a version for Chrome, one for Edge and one for Firefox. One plan covers up to three browsers. A parent with Firefox on the laptop and Edge on the old desktop needs one plan, not two.

Neither of the two works in Safari on a Mac. On phones, Guardio has an app and OkayTab has none.

Guardio vs OkayTab at a glance

Guardio is a security package: a browser extension, a phone app, Gmail checks and data leak alerts. OkayTab does one thing. It checks every new website you open and puts a full-page warning in front of scams. Most of the time it shows nothing at all.

Guardio's paid plans all have the same features. They differ only in how many people they cover.^[2]

What each one sends about your browsing

Guardio's privacy policy says it collects your browsing history and online activity, your IP address and which browser extensions you have. OkayTab sends a short summary of each new site: the address without anything after the "?", the title, the description, the headings and the links. It never sends the page text, what you type or cookies.

Any scam blocker has to look at the sites you open. What differs is how much of that leaves your computer, and what is kept afterwards.

That is also why both ask for permission to read the sites you visit when you install them. Your browser shows this as a warning for every extension of this kind. Guardio also asks to manage your other extensions, so that it can remove harmful ones.^[1] OkayTab doesn't touch your other extensions.

What Guardio's privacy policy says

Guardio has one privacy policy for all its products: the extension, the phone app and the email checks. It does not say which data comes from the extension alone. In the version from 1 September 2026:^[3]

• "We Collect your browsing history and history of online activity" (section 1.3).
• Guardio also records your IP address, details about your browser and which browser extensions you have installed (sections 1.4 and 1.14).
• After each browsing session, the data is pseudonymized, "except for cases where a security alert was identified or suspected" (section 1.3).
• "We retain data related to suspected security threats and risks indefinitely" (section 8.1).
• Your data may be stored and processed outside your country.

A privacy friendly scam blocker: what OkayTab sends and keeps

OkayTab is built so that as little as possible leaves the browser. For each new site, it sends a short summary to our server:

• the address, without anything after the "?" or the "#"
• the title and the description
• the headings
• the links on the page and their texts

It never sends the text of the page, what you type, passwords, cookies or screenshots.

Not every site is sent. Well-known sites are on a list that skips the check, and a site checked in the last 24 hours is answered from your browser's memory.

On our server, the answer for each site is kept for up to 24 hours. It is shared by everyone and not tied to you. For your account we keep only the sites you chose to open anyway or always allow, and counts such as "2 sites stopped this month". We keep no list of the sites you visit.

An AI model reads the summary and decides. We reach it through OpenRouter and tell OpenRouter to use only providers that don't collect the data. The model gets the summary, not who you are.

What you pay per year

For one person, Guardio costs $143.88 a year or $18.99 a month. OkayTab costs $15.99 a year, $5.99 for three months or $2.49 a month. Guardio's Family plan covers five people for $303.90 a year. One OkayTab plan covers three browsers, for example both parents' laptops and your own.

For one person, Guardio costs about nine times as much as OkayTab per year. Guardio Family is its cheapest plan per person, about $61 a year each when all five places are used.^[2]

The difference pays for things OkayTab doesn't do: the phone app, Gmail checks and data leak alerts. If you need those, the price makes sense. If you only need a scam blocker on a computer, most of the price goes to features you won't use.

Guardio shows prices in US dollars. OkayTab shows euros in the eurozone and US dollars everywhere else, with the same numbers. Prices are from 23 October 2026.

What happens when you stop paying

If you cancel a paid Guardio plan, it keeps working until the end of the period you paid for. Then it moves to the free plan, which Guardio calls "limited protection".^[2]

If you cancel OkayTab, it also keeps working until the end of the paid period. After that it stops checking sites, and the extension says so, so nobody thinks they are still covered. There is no free mode in between.

Which one fits an elderly parent's laptop

For a parent on a laptop, the warning is what matters. OkayTab shows a full red page with one button, "Go back", and your parent needs no account. You see counts, never the sites. Guardio fits better if your parent mostly gets scams by text message on the phone.

What a scam blocker for elderly parents needs

• Nothing to set up on their side. You install OkayTab on their computer and sign in with your own email. Your parent doesn't need an account or a password of their own.
• A warning they can't miss. When a site looks like a scam, OkayTab stops the page. The screen turns red, says "Not okay." in big letters, and has one big button: "Go back". When OkayTab is not sure, it shows an amber warning, and they can still continue.
• Quiet the rest of the time. On most sites, your parent sees nothing at all. There are no settings, no scans to start and no reports to read.
• A way for you to check it works. Your account shows how many sites OkayTab stopped or was not sure about, and which browsers are connected. It never shows the sites themselves.

Setting it up when you can't be there

You can set up OkayTab over the phone. Your parent adds it from the store of their browser, and you read them the 6-digit sign-in code from your email. It takes a few minutes, and after that there is nothing for them to remember.

More on this: Scam protection for elderly parents.

When Guardio is the better choice

Pick Guardio if you want protection on a phone, filtering of scam text messages, Gmail checks, or alerts when your email or phone number shows up in a data leak. OkayTab does none of these. Guardio also has a free plan with basic browser protection. OkayTab has no free plan and no trial.

Guardio is the better fit if:

• the scams reach your parent by text message or on the phone
• you want Gmail checked for phishing emails
• you want an alert when your email address or phone number appears in a data leak
• you want to start with a free plan

OkayTab is the better fit if:

• your parent uses Firefox, or several browsers
• you want one plan for up to three browsers, at $15.99 a year
• you want as little of their browsing as possible to leave the computer
• you want a full-page stop screen with plain words

The two don't exclude each other. You can use Guardio's app on the phone and OkayTab on the computer.

More options, free and paid, are in our list of Guardio alternatives.

How well do they block scam sites?

No independent lab has tested either one yet. AV-Comparatives' 2026 anti-phishing test certified eight security suites and no browser extensions. Your browser has its own filter too: in a 2022 Which? test of 800 new phishing sites, Firefox blocked 85% and Chrome 28% on Windows. A scam blocker is a second check on top.^[4][5]

The two decide in different ways. Guardio says it detects threats "based on behavior and patterns", including sites that are new or not yet reported.^[1] OkayTab doesn't rely on a list of known bad sites. An AI model reads the summary of every new site and answers "okay", "not sure" or "not okay".

Neither of us can show you an independent block rate today. When a lab tests browser extensions like these, we will link the results here.

Whichever you choose, leave your browser's own phishing protection switched on. It is on by default in Chrome, Edge and Firefox, and it catches many known scam sites before a scam blocker even has to look.

Questions people ask

What does Guardio collect about the sites you visit, and what does OkayTab send?

Guardio's privacy policy says it collects your browsing history and online activity. OkayTab sends a short summary of each new site and keeps no list of the sites you visit, only the ones you chose to open anyway.

Which is better for an elderly parent's laptop, Guardio or OkayTab?

For a laptop with Chrome, Edge or Firefox, OkayTab: one clear stop page and nothing for your parent to set up. If the scams come by text message on the phone, Guardio.

Does Guardio work on Firefox?

Not on a computer. Guardio's help page says it isn't available in Firefox or Safari on desktop. Its phone app works with any mobile browser.

Is there a free version of Guardio?

Yes. The free plan has basic browser protection and a manual scan. Phone coverage and data leak alerts need a paid plan.

Can I try OkayTab for free?

No. There is no free plan and no trial. The monthly plan is $2.49, and you can cancel any time.

Does OkayTab work on a phone or tablet?

No. OkayTab works in Chrome, Edge and Firefox on a computer.

Sources

Opened on 23 October 2026.

1. Guardio: Where can I use Guardio browsing protection? and FAQ
2. Guardio: Plans
3. Guardio: Privacy policy, last updated 1 September 2026
4. AV-Comparatives: Anti-Phishing Certification Test 2026
5. Which?: Google Chrome worst browser for preventing phishing attacks in Which? tests, May 2022