Lunio Review 2026: The Performance Marketing Specialist That Publishes the Data Everyone Else Quotes

About Lunio

Lunio occupies a peculiar position in the click fraud prevention market. It is simultaneously one of the most respected names in the industry — a G2 Leader for multiple consecutive quarters, a tool protecting 35,000+ Google Ads accounts across 130 countries — and a company facing genuine turbulence behind the scenes. Its 2026 Global Invalid Traffic Report, which analyzed 2.7 billion paid ad clicks and found that 8.51% of all paid traffic is invalid, was cited by every major ad-tech publication within weeks of release. That kind of primary research earns authority.

But authority and operational stability are different things. Glassdoor tells a story of three rounds of layoffs in 18 months, high customer churn rates, and missed revenue targets. Capterra reviews include a user who had to escalate through their bank to cancel a subscription because Lunio's dashboard offers no self-serve cancellation option. Another reviewer's Google Ads account had all campaigns paused because Lunio's JavaScript was flagged as malware by Google.

This is a company that does genuinely important work, produces world-class research, and built a detection engine that earned it the industry's highest G2 ratings. It is also a company where the operational experience does not always match the technical promise. Buyers deserve the full picture.

Formerly known as PPC Protect, Lunio rebranded to better reflect its expanded mission: protecting all paid media channels from invalid traffic, not just PPC clicks. The company is based in Manchester, UK, and positions itself as the performance marketing specialist in a market dominated by broader cybersecurity plays.

The 2026 Global Invalid Traffic Report: Lunio's Research Authority

No review of Lunio would be complete without acknowledging the company's role as the industry's most significant primary research source. The 2026 Global Invalid Traffic Report analyzed 2.7 billion paid ad clicks across eight industries, six major ad platforms, and ten countries. All data came from unprotected, monitor-only campaigns — meaning the results represent what actually gets through platform-native filters.

The headline findings reshape how advertisers should think about click fraud. The global average IVT rate is 8.51%, meaning roughly one in every twelve paid clicks is invalid. Applied to the $740 billion global digital ad spend in 2025, that translates to approximately $63 billion wasted annually.

Platform-specific data is even more illuminating. TikTok recorded the highest IVT rate at 24.2% — nearly one in four clicks. LinkedIn followed at 19.88%. X/Twitter came in at 12.79%. Meta performed better at 8.2%, and Google Ads recorded 7.57%, though Google's Display and Video networks showed significantly higher exposure. Bing/Microsoft recorded 10.32%.

Industry data shows gaming and iGaming face the worst exposure at 18.49% IVT. Lead generation industries — financial services, insurance, education, utilities, and telecoms — experience 32% higher IVT than e-commerce businesses. Retail sits at the lower end with 6.03%, though at the scale of retail ad spend, even that rate represents billions in waste.

The report also flagged an emerging category: agentic AI traffic. Autonomous AI systems that browse, compare, and interact with ads on behalf of users are creating a new type of engagement that is not technically fraudulent but is not genuine human intent either. This finding positions Lunio at the forefront of a conversation that will define ad-tech for the next several years.

This research matters because it does two things simultaneously: it establishes the market need for click fraud prevention tools (benefiting the entire category) and it positions Lunio as the authoritative voice in the space. When Advanced Television, MediaCat, VarIndia, and other industry publications all cite Lunio's data, that credibility compounds over time.

Setup, Dashboard, and Daily Operations

Setup is one of Lunio's strongest attributes. Multiple review platforms and the company itself emphasize that initial implementation takes roughly five minutes — copy and paste a tracking script to your website, connect your Google Ads account via API, and the system begins monitoring immediately. Several Capterra reviewers confirm this: one described it as easy to set up across all client accounts, while another noted that integration was simple and blocking started instantly.

The Google Ads connection uses API access that is limited to adding or removing IP addresses — Lunio cannot edit campaigns, change bids, or modify ad copy. This limited-permission approach provides security for advertisers who are cautious about granting third-party access to their ad accounts.

The dashboard provides a centralized view of all protected accounts, campaigns, and channels. Multiple reviewers describe it as functional and reasonably intuitive once configured, though some note that the interface shows its age in places. One Capterra reviewer noted that the core functions are solid but some areas could use a visual refresh — a candid acknowledgment that Lunio's UI has not kept pace with newer entrants. The company appears to have responded to this feedback: one Software Advice review mentions that Lunio unlocked all features across all pricing tiers, including unlimited domains on the entry-level plan.

Day-to-day operation is genuinely hands-off. Unlike rules-based platforms that require ongoing configuration and monitoring, Lunio runs autonomously once deployed. Multiple reviewers cite this as a key advantage — the system works continuously without requiring manual intervention. One reviewer described paying for an entire year's investment in just six weeks through reallocated budget savings, specifically because the hands-off nature allowed the team to focus on campaign strategy rather than fraud management.

What Users Actually Say: Verified Review Analysis

We analyzed verified reviews across Capterra, G2, Software Advice, GetApp, and SourceForge to identify consistent themes. Lunio has been a G2 Leader in the Click Fraud Software category for multiple consecutive quarters and has earned G2's Best Implementation, Best Usability, and Easiest To Use awards.

What users love

• The hands-off, automated approach is the most frequently praised attribute. Reviewers consistently describe Lunio as a tool that works in the background without requiring constant attention. For agencies managing dozens of client accounts, this is a material operational advantage.
• Customer support earns exceptional marks from satisfied users. Multiple reviewers describe the support team as knowledgeable, responsive, and genuinely engaged. One reviewer specifically highlighted that the support team provided educational explanations about the full depth of the product. Another described the success team as available whenever needed.
• Detection effectiveness is well-documented. Reviewers report stopping competitor click fraud immediately upon deployment, significant ROAS improvements, and cleaner conversion data. The cross-channel detection — where a bot identified on one platform is blocked across all others — is cited as a distinctive capability.
• The agency-friendly architecture is a consistent differentiator. Multi-account management, centralized dashboards, and the ability to demonstrate ROI to clients through detailed reporting make Lunio particularly attractive for agencies.

What users criticize

• Billing and cancellation practices represent Lunio's most serious reputational risk. One Capterra reviewer described a situation where no cancellation option exists in the dashboard, no billing controls are available, and support did not respond to multiple termination requests — forcing the user to escalate through their bank to block Stripe charges. Another reviewer used the word "deceptive" to describe billing practices. These are not minor UI complaints; they are allegations of predatory SaaS practices that should concern any potential buyer.
• The platform's age shows in its interface. While functional, the dashboard lacks the polish of newer competitors. Several reviewers acknowledge this but note that the core detection capabilities compensate for the visual shortcomings.
• One reviewer reported that Lunio's JavaScript was flagged as malware by Google, which paused all campaigns on the account. This is an extremely serious technical failure — even if it was a one-time incident — because it turns a fraud prevention tool into the cause of campaign disruption.
• Pricing opacity frustrates comparison shoppers. The requirement to contact sales for pricing, combined with the reported difficulty of canceling once subscribed, creates a concerning pattern that undermines trust.
• Behind the scenes, Glassdoor reviews paint a picture of organizational instability. Multiple rounds of layoffs, high customer churn rates, and missed revenue targets suggest that Lunio's operational health may not match its technical reputation. While Glassdoor reviews should always be taken with appropriate skepticism, a 38% employee recommendation rate and 2.7 out of 5 overall rating are meaningfully below industry averages.

Privacy and Compliance

Privacy is a structural strength for Lunio. The platform is cookieless by design, using encrypted click data and first-party data collection rather than third-party cookies. This positions it ahead of competitors that still rely on cookie-based tracking methods that are increasingly restricted by browsers.

Lunio is fully GDPR and CCPA compliant. The privacy-first approach means that fraud detection operates without requiring personal data collection or consent management complications. For European advertisers operating under strict GDPR requirements, this is a meaningful technical advantage.

All click data is stored as first-party data for two years, providing long-term analysis capabilities while maintaining data ownership with the advertiser rather than the fraud prevention vendor.

The Strengths

Lunio's strongest attributes, distilled:

• Industry-leading research that establishes authority and provides the market with essential IVT benchmarking data (2.7 billion clicks analyzed, 8.51% global IVT rate).
• Cross-channel detection intelligence that applies learnings from one platform across all others automatically.
• Genuinely hands-off operation that requires minimal ongoing management after initial setup.
• Strong agency-friendly architecture with multi-account management and centralized reporting.
• Cookieless, privacy-first design that is GDPR/CCPA compliant by default.
• The broadest ad platform integration set among dedicated click fraud tools — covering Google, Meta, TikTok, LinkedIn, X/Twitter, Reddit, Snapchat, Pinterest, Yandex, and Naver.
• G2 Leader status for multiple consecutive quarters with awards for Best Implementation and Easiest To Use.
• Two-year first-party data retention for long-term analysis and trend identification.
• Specific P-Max signal optimization capabilities that address the IVT contamination problem in automated Google campaigns.

The Verdict: Should You Use Lunio?

Lunio is a technically strong click fraud prevention platform backed by world-class research and a genuinely effective detection engine. Its cross-channel intelligence, automated operation, and P-Max optimization capabilities make it a compelling choice for performance marketers and agencies managing complex multi-channel campaigns.

However, the operational concerns are real and cannot be dismissed. The billing and cancellation complaints, the Glassdoor data, and the pricing opacity create a trust deficit that Lunio needs to address. A company that produces the industry's most important research on invalid traffic should be equally transparent about its own business practices.

It is the right choice for agencies managing multiple client accounts across many ad platforms who need centralized, automated protection; for performance marketing teams heavily invested in Google Performance Max where signal quality directly impacts automated bidding; for mid-market companies spending $10,000–$250,000 per month who need more than SMB tools but do not require enterprise-level CHEQ; for advertisers on TikTok, LinkedIn, or other high-IVT platforms where the data shows the greatest exposure.

It is not the right choice if transparent, upfront pricing is a requirement before engaging with sales; if you need Bing/Microsoft Ads protection specifically; if self-serve account management including cancellation is important to you; if you are spending less than $5,000 per month on paid media — the ROI may not justify the cost.

Before committing, take the 14-day free traffic audit to evaluate how much IVT affects your specific campaigns. And read the contract terms carefully — particularly cancellation clauses and auto-renewal provisions.

Request a free 14-day traffic audit at lunio.ai — no credit card required.