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Malwarebytes Review | A Solid Anti Malware That Is Worth Your Money

If you are in the market looking for an advanced antivirus programs to keep your home and business protected, I would recommend Malwarebytes. Also, before you proceed, check out the top 9 antimalware we reviewed here.

Is Malwarebytes premium worth it? This is a solid anti malware that is worth your money, is safe and will safeguard your endpoints, servers, personal computer, and other devices. It comes with mobile protection, both android, and iOS. For similar features in other software check out my Cylance review, or you can read it in my PlumBytes review. In addition, if you are looking for the best antivirus for Chromebook, check out this link.

Our recommendation: McAfee

With so many antivirus products in the market, there is none that’s like McAfee. With over 18.9 billion devices protected on a consistent basis, McAfee’s ability to deal with malware attacks come unmatched! McAfee has a dedicated database that is adept to deal with all sorts of virus attacks whether they may be online or offline. To browse their programs, check out their programs here!

showing some of the most popular anti virus choices for consumers

It is worth noting that it has a free and a paid version. For more details, read the entire Malwarebytes Review. I will discuss its pricing, features that make it outstanding, its performance, detection ratio, and many more.

Check out how Avast and Malwarebytes compare to other antivirus software.

Bitdefender vs Malwarebytes

Avast vs Malwarebytes

Malwarebytes Review - Is It Worth the Money?

Malwarebytes is worth every penny of yours. It comes with advanced features to detect and remove all malware such as viruses, spy ware, ransomware, Trojans, rootkit, just to name a few.

Malwarebytes is available for Microsoft, android, iOS, Mac, Chromebook. It gives you peace of mind. You can browse, shop, and bank online, play without worry that cybercriminals are watching every move of yours. In addition, we also give you the best Linux antivirus reviews here.

It has the privacy that you want and removes malware that other antivirus fail to remove. Its real-time malware protection checks your computer and other devices for suspicious activities in real-time to keep you shielded from infections. It is a permanently active process that ensures that your devices are always safe.

What is Malwarebytes?

Malwarebytes š is an online security company that was founded by Marcin Kleczynski. During this time, his computer got infected by malware while browsing for video games despite having a renowned antivirus installed.

He saw this as a challenge to build a better antivirus that could remove the malware and prevent future infections.  He was successful and now Malwarebytes is one of the trusted names in the cybersecurity world.

His company has over 600 professionals who have received awards for their innovative technology.

Awards

It has won awards such as Bronze Stevie awards for “executive of the Year” in the computer software category, in 2018. In 2018 again, it received the Stevie Award for being the Company of the Year.

It also received Global excellence awards in 2018. These are some of the awards that prove that this company is dedicated to providing the cybersecurity that your home and business needs.

It has offices in California- USA, Florida-USA Cork- Ireland, Tallinn-Estonia, Singapore, and Sydney-Australia.

Is Malwarebytes good?

Home and businesses looking for the best antimalware should get Malwarebytes. Its latest version performs powerful scans even when your machines are not in use.  

It’s the best protection since it will shield you from emerging and existing online threats such as Trojans, spyware, ransomware, viruses, just to name a few. Also, its interface is easy to navigate and use.

Is Malwarebytes safe?

Malwarebytes is safe and offers good virus protection. There are free edition and paid version will hunt out and remove malware from your infected machines. It is an online security company that has been in operation for many years and has many users now.

Malwarebytes Security Features

This antivirus comes with a bucketful of features to offer the best protection. I have tested over 40 antiviruses and none have the best security features like this one. I tested its essential and advanced features and can say that it is one of the best antiviruses.

It is the cloud-based and on-premise solution


Malwarebytes anti-malware uses cloud technology to deliver a tool that is light on your system since it does not rely on the processing power of your computer or gadgets. Only a small client program is installed and connects to the provider in the cloud

Prevents threats in real-time


It works in the background scanning for suspicious activities to keep you safe all the time

Has a VPN; 


This is a useful feature that encrypts your Wi-Fi connection, safeguards your privacy online, and creates a virtual IP address making it hard to be tracked by cybercriminals

Detects and removes emerging and existing malware such as spyware, Trojans, ransomware, rootkits, viruses, etc.

Malwarebytes windows 10;

 

This antivirus is available not only for windows 10 but for 8.1. 8 and Windows 7. Malware for Microsoft is fast, easy to use, and lighter than before and cleans your computer in minutes

Advanced Ransomware Protection;

 

Protect your home and business files being held ransom

Artificial intelligence and Machine Learning;


This online company uses AI or artificial intelligence and machine learning technology to analyze unusual behaviors and signs of extremely advanced malware. It learns about these threats then executes defensive activities, unlike traditional antiviruses

Malwarebytes browser guard;


This is one of the main features of this antimalware. It blocks annoying ads and pop-ups for you, trackers that collect information about you

Browser Guards are a free tool that you can get for your Chrome or Mozilla Browser. It will give you a safe browsing experience by notifying you if you are about to enter malicious sites, block browser hijackers, and browser lockers

Malwarebytes android;


If you are looking for an antivirus for your mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets, choose this one. It provides the best security for your android & iOS mobile devices.

It comes with features such as AdwCleaner to remove potentially unwanted programs, browser guards to block annoying ads and trackers, etc.

Server protection; 


Malwarebytes for servers will keep your servers safe from cybercriminals. The company uses different layers to protect systems and heuristics detection method to detect new and unknown threats in your system.

The protection for servers is certified by Red Hat Enterprise Linux. Serverthreats are lethal, that’s why you need to stop attackers from gaining entry to your servers and steal intellectual property, financial user data, and other sensitive information

Has a lightweight agent;


You will be required to install an agent to your servers that are lightweight.  With this, you will not strain end-user productivity.  Do not forget that it uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to deliver first-class security to your servers and network

Cloud-based Malwarebytes Nebula Platform;


This is an intuitive user interface that manages your business antivirus. This company has an easy to use dashboard where you can manage your endpoints, gain visibility of your servers, and detect threats

Provides endpoint protection;


Safeguarding your endpoints is paramount. The endpoints serve as the gateways into your entire network hence are always targeted by cybercriminals. Malwarebytes uses advanced security to block online threats such as ransomware

Real-Time Protection

Malware bytes offers real-time protection. I bet many people do not know what this is. This is a permanently active process where your antivirus keeps scanning your computer and other devices for suspicious activities in real-time.

You will not notice this process going on since it does not affect the performance of your machine. Malwarebytes detects and blocks online threats, exploits, and malicious links in real-time. It’s a premium feature.

Make sure it is on. If it is off, I would advise you to turn it on as soon as possible.  You can access this feature by visiting the Malwarebytes dashboard. Click settings, then protection, and then put it on.

check out malwarebytes website
malwarebytes protects your computer

Multiple Scanning Options

This antivirus offers a variety of scanning options and they are threats scan, custom scan, hyper or quick scan, and full scan. Malwarebytes also set up an automatic scan scheduled to run at certain times of the day.

Threat Scan

This type of scan checks common areas that are attacked by malware. It detects and blocks a large number of threats that your computer might be infected with. I would recommend turning this feature on and running it daily.

Since it does not check every file on your computer, it takes less time to complete. To run this scan;

  1. Open your antivirus to access the dashboard
  2. On its left menu, you will see scan option
  3. Click on it and it will show various scan types such as threat scan, custom scan, and hyper scan
  4. Click threat scan to run it

Custom Scan

This is a type of scan that enables you to select specific files or folders to scan. You can check areas such as desktop, critical system files, and program files. Also, you might want to scan;

  • Memory objects
  • Rootkits
  • Potentially unwanted apps
  • Registry and startup items
  • Within archives
  • Potentially unwanted modifications

Also, if you see a file or program behaving suspiciously, you can scan it for malware. It takes less time to complete than a full version scan. To customize a scan, open Malwarebytes for Microsoft.

  1. Its dashboard will open
  2. On its left side, you will see a menu with scan options
  3. Click scan then scan types. Choose custom scan to check the programs or files that you wish to

Hyper Scan

This feature is available to paid users. It checks common areas for malware. They are memory and startup objects. It is less comprehensive hence takes less time to complete.

If a hyper scan detects a malware, I would strongly recommend doing a threat scan. There could be more malware hiding in your computer or gadgets that were not detected when running a hyper or quick scan.

Full Scan

A full scan will check every area of a computer. It performs a thorough check of the whole system to make sure that all threats are removed. The areas that Malwarebytes will scan include hard drives, memory, and external gadgets that are connected to your computer.

Scheduled Scans

Premium users can add, edit, and remove scans. Free users are only given a single monthly scheduled scan. To add or edit scheduled Malwarebytes scans, follow these steps. This will let you set up scans to run at specific times of the day.

  1. Open your antivirus
  2. Click the scanner option then Scan Scheduler
  3. Choose to add or edit a schedule
  4. You will be required to select threat scan, quick scan, or custom scan
  5. Then select times that your scans will be running

Automatic Virus and Program Updates

Malwarebytes is a lightweight antivirus that keeps updating to protect your gadgets against emerging and existing threats. It can even be updated numerous times in a day to be safeguarded from online threats that keep being released after every few hours.

Please note; it is Malwarebytes premium version that gets updated every hour. You have the freedom to choose the frequency of updates. You can customize it to update after 3 or 4 hours or after a day. This will depend on your needs.

Malwarebytes free users are required to manually check for updates.

Browser Guard

This is a free browser extension from Malwarebytes. Its download size is 5 MB and supports operating systems like Windows 10, Windows 7 (32 bit), and (64 bit), and Windows 8.

Nowadays, there are so many websites that look legit but when looked carefully, they are fake sites that are designed to scam people or collect personal information. This browser addon is a great antivirus solution that will stop you from landing on fake web sites.

Benefits of Browser Addon

Apart from blocking malicious sites, this extension filters out annoying ads and scams.  It also blocks trackers that spy on people.

 Trackers are tags on web pages that collect information such as your preference, what you love shopping/ buying online or who you interact with.

Get Malware bytes browser Addon for Google Chrome or Mozilla to block all types of trackers such as cookies, embedded scripts, super cookies, and fingerprinters. This will give you a safer browsing experience.

No more online scams plus you will be able to browse faster. This is because it removes annoying ads, trackers, browser hijackers that result in pages being loaded slower.

Other things blocked by this browser addon include browser hijackers, scammers, malware, and malicious software, and browser lockers.  This will make sure that you are always protected and can safeguard bank account or shop safely online.

Your privacy will also be safeguarded.  No third-party cookies to follow you every time.

In case this browser addon flags up a website you know it is safe, you can add it to the ‘allow list’ in its settings.   

How to install Browser Guard extension

Malwarebytes chrome extension

To install this additional layer of security for your browser, go to the chrome or Mozilla browser, whichever you use. For the Chrome browser, click this link to get the browser guard extension.

Then click add to Chrome.  You will see a logo appear to the right of the Chrome browser. This will indicate that the browser addon extension has been added.

For Firefox Browser

To add Browser Guard on Firefox Browser, follow these steps. First, visit this link to get the extension.  Click Add to Mozilla.  The browser guard logo will appear to the right of your Firefox browser. This will indicate that the extension has been installed.

Malwarebytes Plans and Pricing

Malwarebytes for windows device comes in 2 versions; the free version and Malwarebytes premium edition download.  You can get for free their cyber security products for home and business.

For Home free

Malwarebytes for home supports all OS such as Microsoft, Mac, Android, & iOS. It crushes all malware that threatens to infect your home gadgets. Your experiences with your gadgets are made safer and faster because all annoying distractions have been eliminated.

Other antivirus programs that you will get for free include;

  • Browser guard to deliver a faster and safer browsing experience. It filters unwanted content, blocks annoying ads, trackers, and prevents you from visiting malicious websites.
  • AdwCleaner; this is a tool that you can get for free from this online security company. It removes unwanted apps that slow down the performance of your machines.

There is also a 14 day free trial of Premium. During this time, you will receive real-time protection with anti-ransomware technology for all of your gadgets. After 14 days are over and you will not have subscribed to any plan, it will revert to a limited scanner.

This is a scanner that will check and clean your machines only when you run it. To download a  trial version, follow these steps.

  1. Visit their official website. You will see free download
  2. Click this section and your trial should begin downloading shortly
  3. Check your downloads folder and you will see a setup file
  4. Double click on it to install it. Follow all the required steps such as selecting the language, agreeing to terms, choosing to install location, and clicking finish for Malwarebytes to launch

For Business free

You can request a free Malwarebytes business trial by filling a form that is provided on their site. For a period of 14 days, you will get endpoint protection, endpoint detection and response, incidence response, and EDR for servers and endpoint protection for servers.

It will protect your endpoints and servers against cyber-attacks. Also, it has remediation capabilities for your Linux and Windows servers.

Free Plan: Malwarebytes Free

The benefits of antivirus offering a free plan or free trial are many. First of all, you will get to experience how great the Malwarebytes is for your business or home.  

Also, when trying their products, you will have enough time to make a fully informed decision before making a purchase.

The free antivirus plan comes with the following premium features;

  • Browser guard. This tool is free to download. If you love shopping or banking online, you will find this browser useful. It blocks malicious websites and malware before they infect your gadgets. It also delivers a safer and faster browsing experience by blocking annoying ads and tracker.
  • AdwCleaner; this tool removes unwanted programs to increase the performance of your PC.
  • Malware protection for Microsoft; get virus and ransomware protection for Microsoft for free. The free scanner cleans up an already infected computer in a few minutes. It will also remove unwanted apps that slow down a PC.
  • Scans and removes malware and spyware; this antivirus will remove any PC worm that might be in your machines.

These are free features that expire after 14 days.

  • Has an identity theft protection to safeguard your privacy and identity. It has a VPN to hide your identity online hence no more tracking and monitoring of your online activities by cybercriminals.
  • Safeguarding your sensitive documents against ransom-ware. This is a useful feature that will prevent ransom-ware from locking and encrypting your documents and files.
  • Stops PC worm that slows down the performance of a machine. Malware consumes a substantial amount of your device’s memory and this leads to slow performance.  No more sluggish performance.
  • Keeps you safe from malicious websites; There are so many malicious websites that masquerade as genuine sites. This antivirus will prevent access to and from these sites that are known to contain worm.
  • Protect all your gadgets; get worm for mac, Malwarebytes for Chromebook, Malwarebytes free for android, Microsoft, and iOS gadgets. It will keep your gadgets running as they should. Also, it will safeguard your mobile devices from calls and malicious websites.
  • Malwarebytes for business; Businesses looking to keep endpoints and servers safe from online attack should try this antivirus for business. By testing its protection, you will have a chance to check if it’s the right for your business or not.

Paid Plan: Malwarebytes Premium

Malwarebytes anti worm has various pricing plans to pick the protection that is right for you. The pricing for home protection is different from the one for business.

our Pick
malwarebytes protection

1. Personal or Home Protection-1 Device

It costs $3.33 per month to safeguard 1 device. You will be billed annually. This plan comes with the following features;

  • Real-time protection
  • Detects and remove malware
  • Ransomware protection
  • Shields from harmful sites
malwarebytes protection

2. 5 Devices

It costs $6.67 to cover 5 gadgets per month and you will be billed annually. It has the following features;

  • Detects and remove malware
  • Real-time protection
  • Shields from harmful sites
  • Ransomware protection

 

malwarebytes protection

3. 5 gadgets + Privacy

This is the best deal since it comes with many features and covers more gadgets. It costs $8.33 per month for 5 gadgets and you will be billed annually.  It features include the following;

  • Defends against harmful sites
  • Cleans and removes malware
  • Prevents threats in real-time
  • Crushes ransom-ware
  • Let’s you choose a geolocation
  • Improves your online privacy
  • Encrypts your Wi-Fi connection
  •  Creates a virtual IP address

All these pricing plans come with a 60-day money-back guarantee. You will get the same price after renewal and you will check out with a compliant billing process.

Malwarebytes free vs premium

With Malwarebytes free, you will get to experience how great it is without paying for it. However, the free version comes with few features and for the case of the 14 days trial; it is only available for a short while.

To stop infections before they happen, get Malwarebytes Premium. It comes with advanced features such as real-time protection that runs in the background to always safeguard you. 

Enterprise Plans: Malwarebytes Business

There are 3 enterprise plans offered by this online security company. They include Malwarebytes for Teams, Malwarebytes Endpoint Protection, and Malwarebytes Endpoint Detection and response.

our Pick
malwarebytes protection

1. Malwarebytes for Teams

It costs $119.97 per year to secure 3
gadgets
. You can choose to be billed $39.99 for 1 device or $79.98 for 2
gadgets
. It works for all operating systems such as Microsoft, Mac, Android, and Chrome OS.

Features that come with this plan include;

  • Cleans infected
    gadgets
  • Has ransomware protection
  • Prevents malware infections
  • You will be receiving Malwarebytes updates
  • Has friendly support that can be contacted through chat, email, phone, and contact page
  • Has safe and faster browsing. This is for android and Microsoft only
  • Has a standalone installation process only
malwarebytes protection

2. Endpoint Protection

It costs $699.90 per year for 10 gadgets. You can choose to be paying for 1 device which costs $69.99 or 2, 3, 4, etc. It works for Microsoft and Mac only. It is cloud-based and it is a great option for managing endpoints remotely. It comes with the following features;

  • It cleans infected gadgets
  • It will keep your business safe from all kinds of threats such as zero-day exploits, ransomware, spyware, viruses, etc.
  • It features Malwarebytes adware
  • Has web protection
  • Has centralized cloud management
  • Includes support that can be contacted through phone, chat, and email
  • Has email notifications
  • Comes with threat visibility dashboards
  • You will get on-demand and automated reports
  • You will get discovery and deployment tool
  • Has on-demand and automated scans
  • Has security policies
  • Does asset management-collects endpoint details for easier management
  • Does exploit protection, payload analysis, application hardening,  anomaly detection machine learning, application behavior, and web protection

 

malwarebytes protection

3. Endpoint Detection and Response

It costs $849.90 per year to secure 10 gadgets. You can choose protection for 1 device and it will cost $84.99. It works for Microsoft. It is cloud-based and is best for endpoint protection, detection, and response.

If you have a large team or business, I would also recommend this payment plan. It comes with the following features;

  •  It cleans infected gadgets
  • It provides advanced protection against emerging and existing threats such as ransomware, spyware, viruses
  • Rollback files encrypted by ransomware
  • Comes with great support that can be reached through phone, email, and chat
  • Comes with all installation and management features that are offered in the endpoint protection pricing plan
  • Has EDR capabilities such as granular endpoint isolation
  • Offers web protection, application hardening, exploit mitigation, ransomware mitigation, payload analysis, and anomaly detection machine learning.

Malwarebytes Ease of Use and Setup

Many Malwarebytes premium reviews have praised how this antimalware is easy to set up and use. Installing Malwarebytes, visit their home page and you will get a link to download the antimalware.

Follow their required steps and you will have it in less than 3 minutes. No need to install additional components plus no sneaky offers. The dashboard is easy to navigate with various categories.

How to uninstall Malwarebytes? If you want to uninstall this program, click the control panel, then uninstall a program, click Malwarebytes and it will be uninstalled.  

Malwarebytes Mobile App

Malwarebytes offers mobile security. It scans mobile apps for viruses and aggressively removes them. It blocks phishing sites, ransomware, and PUPs. You will get a 30 days trial to test it before buying it.

It costs $1.49 or $11.99. Other features offered by this mobile app include real-time protection and a safer browsing experience. It also conducts a privacy audit for all apps. 

Malwarebytes Customer Support

If you require technical help or have any inquiries about Malwarebytes products, contact their support. You can contact them through chat, phone, and even email. Their contact information is as follows;

Phone number

(408) 852-4336. Your call will be picked by a real person.  Call hours are Mon-Fri from 9 am to 5 pm EST.

Corporate Office Address:

Malwarebytes

3979 Freedom Circle, 12th Floor

Santa Clara, California 95054

United States

Fax:

1-408-852-4321

Email

[email protected]

Pros:

  • It is an advanced antimalware that will keep your business and home protected
  • Offers a free trial
  • It comes with mobile protection; both for android & iOS gadgets
  • Comes with advanced features to detect and remove all types of malware such as Trojans, spyware, ransomware, etc.
  • It is cloud-based hence light on your system
  • It is available for Microsoft, android, iOS, Mac, Chromebook
  • It cleans infected gadgets
  • Comes with a browser guard that blocks annoying ads and trackers
  • Has a VPN to protect your identity online
  • It protects endpoints and servers against cyber-threats
  • Offers multiple scanning options
  • Prevents threats in real-time
  • Uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to safeguard your gadgets

Cons:

  • Does not have extra features like parental controls. However, it has enough features to protect your family and home

Our recommendation: McAfee

Although the product we talked about are notable in the market, it doesn’t come close to McAfee. McAfee is a leading antivirus company in the cybersecurity industry due to its unique line-up of programs catered to dealing with malware and antivirus attacks. No wonder over 18.9 billion devices are protected using McAfee! Check out their security programs here!

FAQs

1. Is Malwarebytes free version any good?

Yes, the Malwarebytes free version is good. It can detect and remove malware, spyware, and other threats.

2. Is Malwarebytes dangerous?

Malwarebytes is considered to be a safe program to use and can be extremely beneficial in the event of malware detection. However, numerous counterfeit versions of the software are available on the Internet, which can easily compromise the user's computer.

3. Is Malwarebytes better than McAfee?

McAfee is the winner. Malwarebytes is a decent antivirus program, but it lacks a malware scanner, anti-phishing protection, and a VPN connection. While Malwarebytes may be easier to use than McAfee, McAfee is a far superior product in general. Malwarebytes offers a 30-day money-back guarantee and is nearly identical in price to McAfee. 

4. Is Malwarebytes actually malware?

Not at all. Malwarebytes (formerly Malwarebytes Anti-Malware, abbreviated MBAM) is a malware detection and removal application for Microsoft, macOS, Chrome OS, Android, and iOS.

5. Do I need Malwarebytes with Windows 10?

Yes, Malwarebytes is a highly effective malware removal utility for any system like Windows 10. You can install Malwarebytes alongside other anti-virus software, but I would recommend installing it only when you need to check your computer for viruses and immediately uninstalling it afterward.

About Dusan Stanar

I'm the founder of VSS Monitoring. I have been both writing and working in technology in a number of roles for dozens of years and wanted to bring my experience online to make it publicly available. Visit https://www.vssmonitoring.com/about-us/ to read more about myself and the rest of the team.

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