Both extensions warn you about dangerous pages. Malwarebytes Browser Guard is free and adds ad and tracker blocking. PhishClean runs 27 checks in your browser and adds checks for leaked keys, tokens and HTTPS downgrades. Here's how they compare, using what each company publishes.
Malwarebytes Browser Guard is a strong free extension. It blocks malicious sites, phishing and tech support scams, strips ads and trackers, and combines lists and pattern rules with heuristics that watch how a page behaves.
PhishClean runs 27 detection signals in your browser and also matches sites against a list of about 380,000 reported phishing sites on the device. It adds checks Malwarebytes doesn't list, such as leaked API keys, session tokens and HTTPS downgrades, and it publishes its source and every network request it can make.
They overlap on phishing and scams and differ on the extras. If you want one free extension that also blocks ads, Browser Guard is the easier choice.
| Feature | PhishClean | MBGB |
|---|---|---|
| Known malware/scam site blocking | ✓ (about 380,000 reported phishing sites, free) | ✓ |
| New, unreported phishing pages | ✓ (page checks, part paid) | ✓ (Malwarebytes describes page heuristics) |
| Fake virus and tech support scam pages | ✓ (paid) | ✓ (browser lockers and scare tactics) |
| Ad & tracker blocking | ✗ | ✓ |
| Secret / API key leak scanning | ✓ | Not listed |
| JWT token leak detection | ✓ | Not listed |
| Token storage scanning | ✓ | Not listed |
| Hidden iframe detection | ✓ | Not listed |
| HTTPS downgrade alerts | ✓ | Not listed |
| Form domain mismatch detection | ✓ | Not listed |
| Auth header monitoring | ✓ | Not listed |
| Private key exposure detection | ✓ | Not listed |
| Where sites are checked | On your device | Not stated; Malwarebytes describes rule lists held by the browser |
| What the vendor says it collects | Nothing about the pages you visit is sent to PhishClean; see the privacy policy | Blocked-page URLs, excluded domains, device data and IP address, with an opt-out |
| Detection signals | 27 | Not published |
| Price | Free + $9/mo Pro | Free; some features need a Malwarebytes plan |
Malwarebytes details are from its Browser Guard page, privacy policy and February 2026 engineering post, checked November 2026. "Not listed" means we didn't find it there, not that Browser Guard can't do it. An earlier version of this page said Browser Guard sees every site you visit and has no way to catch new pages. We found no support for those claims in Malwarebytes' documents and removed them.
Malwarebytes describes large lists of bad domains, pattern rules it can update every 30 minutes, and heuristics that monitor behaviour on the page. Its example is a password field on a page with a lookalike address, which it says it can detect "even if we've never seen the URL before." Its policy doesn't say whether every visit is checked on its servers, so we don't claim that it is.
PhishClean matches each site against its list of reported phishing sites on the device, then checks the page itself: hidden iframes, content served over HTTP, form fields sending data to a different domain, and exposed secrets or leaked tokens.
The practical difference is coverage, not method. Both can flag a page nobody has reported yet, if it shows signs they look for, and both can miss one that doesn't. Neither company's claims are the same as a measured result: we publish our own test results, good or bad, and we haven't tested Browser Guard side by side.
Credit where it's due — there are things MBGB does that PhishClean doesn't:
The honest recommendation: if you want one free extension that blocks ads and scams, start with Browser Guard. Add PhishClean, or choose it instead, if you want local checks for leaked keys and tokens, or a privacy claim you can check in the source.
We know of no conflict between PhishClean and Malwarebytes Browser Guard, though we have not tested every version together. They overlap on some phishing and scam warnings, so you may occasionally see both react to the same page.
Together, you get Malwarebytes' ad and tracker blocking and scam protection, plus PhishClean's local checks for leaked secrets, tokens and HTTPS downgrades.
For a comparison with Chrome's built-in protection, see our PhishClean vs Chrome Safe Browsing breakdown.
27 checks run locally on every page, free for 7 days with no account. You can use it alongside Browser Guard.
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