Best Malwarebytes Browser Guard Alternatives for 2025

If you started with Malwarebytes Browser Guard, you are not alone.

It is a well known, free browser extension from a trusted security brand. It blocks many ads, trackers, scams, and some phishing attempts without asking users to learn a new tool.

Independent testing from CyberNews found that Browser Guard scored near the top of ad blocking benchmarks and blocked 17 of 20 fresh phishing URLs in one Firefox based test, showing that it can significantly cut risk for solo users. (cybernews.com, malwarebytes review, best ad blockers)

Still, many people reach a point where they ask the same question: what are the best Malwarebytes Browser Guard alternatives in 2025, especially for teams and organizations rather than individual home users?

This guide walks through why some users start looking beyond Browser Guard, the top alternatives to consider, and how to choose the right fit for your needs.

Summary: This guide compares the best Malwarebytes Browser Guard alternatives for 2025, including RedPhish, Guardio, Bitdefender TrafficLight, and Emsisoft, so you can choose the right browser security tool for your home, school, or business.

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Who this guide is for

This article is written for:

• Small and midsize business owners who started with Malwarebytes Browser Guard to protect a few browsers but now need more control
• IT admins and security leads who want policy driven protection and better visibility across staff devices
• School and non profit teams that need safer browsing, content controls, and privacy friendly logging
• Security conscious individuals who want to compare what is out there before committing to a stack

If you simply want a free extension for one or two personal browsers, Malwarebytes Browser Guard may still be enough. If you are responsible for many people, devices, or policies, reading about alternatives is worth your time.

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Table of contents

• Why people look beyond Malwarebytes Browser Guard in 2025
• Quick comparison: top Malwarebytes Browser Guard alternatives
• RedPhish: best for teams, schools, and organizations
• Guardio: browser security plus identity tools for consumers
• Bitdefender TrafficLight: free extra layer for security enthusiasts
• Emsisoft Browser Security: focused protection against bad sites
• Which Malwarebytes Browser Guard alternative is right for you
• FAQs: Malwarebytes Browser Guard alternatives

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Why people look beyond Malwarebytes Browser Guard in 2025

Malwarebytes Browser Guard is still a strong starting point in 2025.

CyberNews describes it as a feature rich extension that blocks ads, trackers, malicious programs, scams, and phishing attempts across major browsers. Testing on ad block benchmarks placed it near the top of their list, and a focused phishing test found it blocked most of the phishing URLs they tried. (cybernews.com, best ad blockers and malwarebytes review)

For home users, that combination of brand trust, free pricing, and respectable test results is attractive.

However, a few patterns show up when you look at reviews and user reports:

• Inconsistent performance on some media sites
  CyberNews notes that while Browser Guard does very well on many normal sites, results can be less consistent on some streaming platforms and video sites. (cybernews.com, best ad blockers)
• Occasional resource concerns
  A BleepingComputer forum thread documents at least one user observing high CPU usage in the Edge version of Browser Guard, especially on certain pages. While this is anecdotal and depends on local setup, it shows how another extension layer can add overhead in some environments. (bleepingcomputer.com, browser guard cpu forum)
• Per user tuning instead of central control
  Browser Guard gives each user per site switches for ads, trackers, and other categories. Great for power users, less ideal when you want locked policies for staff and students.
• Limited organization level visibility
  The extension is not built around a central admin console that shows what is being blocked across your environment. You can get that visibility by moving into Malwarebytes business products, but that becomes a different deployment and pricing model.

If you recognize yourself in those pain points, it makes sense to weigh alternatives.

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Quick comparison: top Malwarebytes Browser Guard alternatives

Here is a fast overview before we dive deeper.

• RedPhish
  Designed for teams, schools, and organizations that want strong browser protection with central policies, reporting, and a privacy conscious backend.
• Guardio
  A consumer focused extension that mixes browser threat blocking with identity and breach monitoring, credit alerts, and additional security services. (cybernews.com, guardio vs norton; guardio vs aura)
• Bitdefender TrafficLight
  A free, lightweight extension that flags and blocks malicious or fraudulent sites, often used by security enthusiasts as an extra layer on top of antivirus tools. (bleepingcomputer.com forum recommendations)
• Emsisoft Browser Security
  A free extension from Emsisoft that checks sites against their cloud based database and blocks access to known malicious and phishing domains. (bleepingcomputer.com, emsisoft browser security)

There is no single best choice for everyone. The right Malwarebytes Browser Guard alternative depends on whether you care most about identity monitoring, browser level controls, or team level management.

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RedPhish: best for teams, schools, and organizations

RedPhish is built from the ground up for people responsible for more than one browser.

Instead of being just another ad blocker, it focuses on stopping high risk URLs before they load. That includes phishing pages, malware delivery sites, cryptominer scripts, card skimmers on checkout pages, and a wide range of scam and adult content.

How RedPhish works

RedPhish combines several layers:

• Real time URL and page scanning to evaluate what the user is about to visit
• Machine learning models that look at patterns in URLs and content that show up again and again in phishing and scam kits
• Threat intelligence that updates continuously as new malicious domains appear
• Smart handling of redirects and lookalike domains, not just plain static blocklists

In practice, that means RedPhish does more than compare pages against an old list. It scores what is happening now so that small variations in a phishing kit can still be caught.

Why teams choose RedPhish over Malwarebytes Browser Guard

Organizations that switch from a consumer style extension to RedPhish tend to care about four things.

1. Policy control across many users
   You can standardize which categories are blocked rather than asking every employee or student to tune settings by hand. That makes your environment more predictable.
2. Visibility and reporting
   Because RedPhish is built for organizations, it gives admins a way to see trends, such as how many phishing attempts or cryptominer scripts were blocked over a month.
3. Privacy aware design
   RedPhish is designed so that URLs are scanned and then discarded instead of logged as a long term browsing history. That balance of protection and privacy matters for schools and privacy conscious companies.
4. Multi browser support
   RedPhish supports major Chromium based browsers as well as Firefox, so you can deploy the same protection model across mixed fleets.

When RedPhish is the best Malwarebytes Browser Guard alternative

RedPhish is usually the right choice when:

• You are ready to move from tool by tool installs to centrally managed policies
• You need to show leadership clear data on how browser protections reduce risk
• You care about keeping staff browsing histories out of long term vendor logs
• You want one extension that works well across Chrome, Edge, and Firefox

If you already like the idea of a browser layer but want something built for organizations instead of solo users, RedPhish is the natural next step.

Ready to compare features? Check out our RedPhish vs Malwarebytes Browser Guard comparison page for a quick side-by-side breakdown.

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Guardio: browser security plus identity tools for consumers

Guardio is a direct competitor in spirit to Malwarebytes Browser Guard, but it leans more toward consumer identity protection than team management.

CyberNews describes Guardio as a browser extension that blocks malicious or scam sites and harmful downloads, and also offers data breach monitoring, identity theft protection features, and other add ons. (cybernews.com, guardio vs norton; guardio vs aura)

What Guardio does well

From public reviews and test summaries, a few strengths stand out:

• Layered protections for individuals
  Guardio combines real time website checks with notifications when your data shows up in known breaches, making it attractive for people worried about personal identity theft. (cybernews.com, guardio vs aura)
• Simple onboarding
  Like many consumer tools, it is easy to install from the browser store and start a trial, with clear messaging around risky sites and scams.
• Bundled services
  Guardio often comes with options like credit or identity monitoring plans, which can be appealing if you want those add ons in one place. (cybernews.com, guardio vs norton)

Where Guardio is weaker as a Malwarebytes Browser Guard alternative

For buyers who think in terms of fleets and policies rather than personal identity, some tradeoffs appear:

• The product and pricing are structured around households and individuals, not org wide rollouts
• Admin style controls and reporting for many users are limited compared to dedicated business tools
• Some reviews note that Guardio is not a full replacement for antivirus or endpoint suites, so you still need other layers on devices (cybernews.com, guardio vs norton)

When Guardio makes sense

Guardio is a good alternative to Malwarebytes Browser Guard when:

• You are mainly securing a few personal browsers and devices
• Identity protection and breach alerts are a priority
• You prefer a bundled subscription that covers both browser threats and some identity services

If your top concern is protecting staff in a company or students in a school, RedPhish or an enterprise centric stack is usually a better long term fit.

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Bitdefender TrafficLight: free extra layer for security enthusiasts

Bitdefender TrafficLight is a free browser extension that focuses on checking pages and search results for unsafe content.

Bitdefender highlights that TrafficLight can:

• Flag malicious or fraudulent websites in real time
• Mark risky links in search results before you click
• Filter tracking elements on pages

On security forums, experienced users sometimes recommend TrafficLight or other Bitdefender browser tools as an added web filter on top of a strong antivirus engine. (bleepingcomputer.com, security forum recommendations)

Strengths of TrafficLight

• Reputation backed protection
  TrafficLight can lean on Bitdefender threat intelligence to identify known bad sites quickly.
• Clear risk indicators
  The extension uses colored markers and warnings around links so people can see risk at a glance as they browse.
• Free and browser focused
  Like Malwarebytes Browser Guard, TrafficLight is free to install and focuses on browsing rather than full device coverage.

Limitations to keep in mind

• TrafficLight is aimed at individuals adding an extra safety layer, not at organizations deploying and monitoring hundreds of browsers
• Policy controls and reporting for admins are minimal compared to dedicated business tools
• You still need proper endpoint, email, and identity protections for a full stack

When TrafficLight is a fit

Bitdefender TrafficLight can be a good choice if you:

• Already use Bitdefender on endpoints and want a matching browser extension
• Are a security enthusiast who is comfortable managing your own stack
• Want a free way to strengthen browser checks for personal use

For teams, it is better seen as a building block rather than the central pillar of browser security.

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Emsisoft Browser Security: focused protection against bad sites

Emsisoft Browser Security is a free extension from Emsisoft that concentrates on blocking access to dangerous sites.

When Emsisoft introduced the tool, they emphasized that it checks every visited URL against their cloud based database and blocks access to known malicious or phishing domains before the page loads. They also noted that in internal tests against sources like OpenPhish, the extension blocked all of the phishing URLs they tried, while a popular browser built in filter missed some. (bleepingcomputer.com, emsisoft browser security)

What Emsisoft Browser Security does well

• Strong focus on phishing and malware sites
  Instead of trying to be a general purpose ad blocker, it narrows in on keeping you away from known bad destinations.
• Server side decision making
  Emsisoft highlights that decisions are made in the cloud, which means protection can update quickly as new malicious domains are discovered.
• Support for major browsers
  The extension is available for Chrome and Firefox, making it easy to deploy on common desktops.

Tradeoffs to consider

• Emsisoft Browser Security is not designed as a management layer for organizations; it is more of a power user friendly tool
• You will not get the same level of org wide analytics or policy controls that a dedicated business product offers
• Because it focuses on known bad domains, it is best paired with other layers that catch novel or very new threats

When Emsisoft is a good Malwarebytes Browser Guard alternative

Choose Emsisoft Browser Security if you:

• Prefer a lean, focused extension that concentrates on blocking malicious and phishing sites
• Are comfortable managing your own browser protections as a technical user
• Want a free replacement or complement to Malwarebytes Browser Guard without changing your whole security stack

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Which Malwarebytes Browser Guard alternative is right for you

If you are still deciding, it helps to map tools to use cases instead of trying to pick a single winner.

Best for organizations and teams: RedPhish

Pick RedPhish when you need:

• Central policies for what gets blocked in staff and student browsers
• Reporting that lets you show leadership how many risky links are being stopped
• A privacy conscious model that avoids building long term browsing histories in vendor logs
• A clean user experience that does not rely on individuals tuning per site settings

Best for identity focused consumers: Guardio

Guardio fits best when:

• You are mainly worried about personal identity theft and breach fallout
• You want alerts about data leaks and credit events alongside browser threat blocking
• You are comfortable with a consumer style subscription tied to a small number of users

Best free extra layers for enthusiasts: Bitdefender TrafficLight or Emsisoft

TrafficLight and Emsisoft Browser Security are strong fits when:

• You manage your own security stack and want multiple layers
• You already use Bitdefender or Emsisoft products and trust their detection engines
• You are fine with manual deployment and tuning rather than centralized controls

Keeping Malwarebytes Browser Guard in the mix

For some, the best answer is to keep Malwarebytes Browser Guard on a few personal machines and use something like RedPhish for managed environments.

That way you preserve the benefits of a familiar, free extension where it makes sense, while giving staff, students, or customers a stronger, more manageable browser protection layer.

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FAQs: Malwarebytes Browser Guard alternatives

Is Malwarebytes Browser Guard still safe to use in 2025?

Yes. Public reviews and tests show that Malwarebytes Browser Guard can still block many ads, trackers, scams, and phishing attempts in 2025. (cybernews.com, best ad blockers and malwarebytes review)

The main reason people look at alternatives is not that it is unsafe, but that it is designed more for individuals than for organizations that need central management.

Can I run more than one browser protection extension at the same time?

Technically, you can stack multiple extensions, but there are tradeoffs.

• Page loading can slow down as each extension inspects content
• Two tools may conflict, especially if they both modify the same elements on a site
• Troubleshooting broken pages becomes harder when several extensions are involved

Most security pros recommend keeping your stack as simple as possible while still covering your main risks.

Do I still need antivirus if I use one of these alternatives?

Yes. Browser extensions like Malwarebytes Browser Guard, RedPhish, Guardio, TrafficLight, or Emsisoft Browser Security help reduce web based risk, but they do not replace full endpoint protection.

You should still run reputable antivirus or endpoint security on devices, keep software updated, and combine browser protections with email filtering and identity safeguards.

How should a small business start if they want to move beyond Malwarebytes Browser Guard?

A practical path is:

1. Define what you want to protect first, such as staff email accounts, finance tools, and key SaaS apps
2. Choose a browser protection tool built for organizations, like RedPhish, that aligns with your privacy and deployment needs
3. Roll it out through your existing device management or browser management tools so that staff get it automatically
4. Monitor early results and adjust policies if certain sites need exceptions

If you are not sure how to structure a rollout, starting with a pilot group of users can help you spot any issues before a wider deployment.

What is the best Malwarebytes Browser Guard alternative for businesses and schools?

For most small businesses and schools, the best Malwarebytes Browser Guard alternative is a managed browser security tool like RedPhish that gives you central policies and reporting instead of per user tweaks. You still keep your existing antivirus and email security stack, but you standardize how browsers handle risky links across staff and students so protection is consistent.

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If you want to go deeper on how RedPhish compares directly with Malwarebytes Browser Guard, you can also read our dedicated comparison for business environments. When you are ready to test browser protection built for teams, you can start a small pilot and see how RedPhish fits into your stack with minimal disruption.