Also, it is one of the few antiviruses that use artificial technology to detect and block malware. In this Sophos antivirus review, I will discuss its main features, detection rate, performance, pricing so you can determine if it’s the right antivirus tool for you or not. Anyway, you can also check out our Spybot review, or PC Matic reviews, if you want to explore other options. Also, to compare it with yet another security software, check out our Avira antivirus review. And If you suspect that someone gained access to your logins, check out our best keylogger detector or keylogger protection programs review in this post.
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!
Sophos Antivirus Review - Who Is Sophos For?
Sophos anti virus is for anybody that wants to keep their PCs safe. Sophos antivirus is ideal for businesses, home use, organizations, students, freelancers, just to name a few. Another anti virus you can look into is 360 Total Security.
For Business
It comes with features such as anti-ransomware, root cause analysis to protect your endpoints. Sophos antivirus features an XG Firewall that blocks unknown threats on your network. Sophos antivirus also offers security for the mobile devices of your employees.
If you have a server, you will find this antivirus useful. Sophos antivirus will keep all physical and cloud-based servers safe without compromising their performance.
Sophos Home
Your family and the home office is a target for cybercriminals because they know families do not spend a lot of money to secure their devices.
There has been financial loss by many home workers and families hence they should be vigilant and keep their home network secure. The home network connects all devices in your home offices such as a printer, PCs, and other computing devices.
Sophos home free or paid plan offers a plethora of features to protect your home network.
Sophos antivirus features include artificial intelligence threat detection, real-time threat prevention for all of your devices such as PCs, Macs, iOS and Android devices, advanced ransomware security, email protection, mobile security, advanced malware scan, and clean, remote security management. Moreover, check out our antivirus for Linux reviews if you are not using any of the OS mentioned above, or click here if you want a complete protection for you iPhone exclusively.
Sophos antivirus also comes with parental web filtering to control the content that your kids can view, banking protection, and web security to block dangerous websites or dangerous URLs that spread malware.
There is identity protection to safeguard your personal information and privacy protection to safeguard your identity online. Support is available via chat and email in case you have any technical questions.
Sophos Highlights
What is Sophos?
Sophos antivirus is an online security company that uses artificial intelligence to detect and block all malware such as Trojans, viruses, spyware, ransomware, and other potentially unwanted applications. This is a antivirus or anti spyware company that began producing encryption and antiviruses, since 1985; over 30 years ago.
Sophos is a British Company that is based in Abingdon, England, UK. Its CEO is Kris Hagerman and its founders are Jan Hruska and Peter Lammer.
It is worth noting that the Sophos company has employed over 3,319 people and has secured over 100 million in over 150 countries; according to their official website.
Sophos antivirus have an excellent support team that has been approved by service capability and performance support standards. It is available 24/7 and offices are in Spain, the USA, Australia, UK, Japan, Germany, the Philippines, and France.
Sophos endpoint
The company has tools to secure the endpoints of your network. This includes smartphones, PCs, virtual desktops, servers. It will also secure your cloud infrastructure, to ensure that your virtual machines remain protected from malware attacks.
System Requirements
In order to install the Sophos antivirus, your PC must have the following specs;
- Windows 7,8,8.1 and 10
- 32 or 64 bit
- Disk space of 2GB
- MacOS
If you want to test the antivirus programs before buying them, the company has a 30 days trial with a fully populated demo environment. The trial version comes with almost all the features of a full subscription.
With Sophos antivirus, will get real-time antivirus protection, ransomware security, privacy protection, malware remover, banking protection features, parental web filtering, up to 10 devices protection, advanced web security, remote management, and many more.
I downloaded the Sophos trial version and can attest that installing Sophos antivirus or the installation process went smoothly. In addition, I loved its dashboard, which makes it simple to see which devices need my attention.
Sophos Features
I have never seen an antivirus that offers so many features like Sophos antivirus. It comes with a plethora of features to safeguard your home, business, and even your virtual and physical servers.
For Home Use Features
A single subscription of Sophos home premium edition will provide protection for up to 10 devices. It is ideal for home use since you can connect the devices of your parents, spouse, and children, and even your friends. Here are the Sophos features;
Artificial Intelligence Threat Detection; this tool uses AI to detect and block never before seen malware. It is the same protection that you will find being used in Fortune 500 companies and banks |
Real-Time Threat Detection-this is automatic security that runs in the background monitoring for any suspicious activity |
Advanced ransomware protection; this tool will safeguard your files and data from being held hostage by cybercriminals. Ransomware is ever vigilant and will be monitoring processes that interact with your files. It will block any attempt to encrypt your data |
Advanced Malware Scan and Clean: Sophos security offers quick, custom, and full scan to remove any malware that may be present in your devices. There is also a powerful Sophos virus removal tool to remove malware that might have been left out by other antiviruses |
Remote Management Feature; manage security for multiple PCs with this remote security management feature. Multiple devices need to be added to your account to view their security status, run their scans, change security settings, and many more. |
Covers different types of devices; a single subscription can cover up to 10 devices. It protects Windows, iOS devices such as iPhone, iPod, Android, and Mac. So there is Sophos mac, etc. |
Parental Web filtering; If you are concerned about the content that your kids watch or read online, use this feature to filter it. You can filter out adult and inappropriate content |
Web Security; This feature will block websites that have malware |
Banking protection; this is an important feature for homeowners or anyone who like to bank online. It will protect your transactions against keylogger software |
Privacy Protection and Webcam Protection; you will get alert when someone tries to hijack your mic or webcam. It is a useful feature that will keep your identity private plus prevent cybercriminals from capturing your keystrokes |
Premium support; support is available 27/7 to answer any question that you might have about their products |
Identity Protection; this will protect your passwords and other logins from being stolen by hackers |
Business Features
Sophos antivirus has an integrated solution for business security. It has a platform or Sophos central where you can manage the security of your endpoints, servers, and network.
Its business tools are designed to secure your remote workers, Sophos offers cloud management, provide unmatched protection, and offer remote access VPN.
Secure the Cloud- Keep your cloud infrastructure safe with Sophos’ business products. Sophos Intercept X for server ensures that your cloud workload is safeguarded from emerging and existing cloud-specific malware |
Sophos Endpoint protection- Sophos is one of the best endpoint protection and will keep your entire endpoints safe such as laptops, mobile devices, servers, desktops. It takes its operation to the next level by using behavioral analysis to stop known and unknown malware. Its threat hunting is superb and denies entry to attackers by blocking exploits |
Sophos Mobile; this is a secure Unified Endpoint Management solution that secures mobile endpoints. It supports all types of operating systems and will ensure that your business information is not threatened by malware that attacks devices |
Sophos Wireless; Keep your wireless networks safe with this product. Threats on your Wi-Fi networks are neutralized before they have a chance of causing damage |
Phish Threat; This will protect your endpoints against phishing attacks and socially engineered schemes |
Advanced Web Protection; It blocks emerging and existing web threats |
Unmatched Server Protection; Will keep your physical and hybrid server environments safe. It will eliminate threats with its deep learning technology. You will also receive notifications in case of unauthorized changes |
Email Security; will safeguard your business against email threats that are spread through attachments and malicious links |
Reliability and Security
After evaluating several antiviruses, I can tell that Sophos antivirus is a very reliable program. First of all, it has good scores from some independent labs and renowned review sites. It was given the highest AAA Total Accuracy Rating by SE labs.
AV comparatives gave its detection rate as 99.9% with 0 false positives. Sophos antivirus is a security program that is used by Fortune 500 companies plus banking systems. It uses artificial intelligence to detect and block emerging and existing threats.
Sophos offers real-time threat protection so it’s a security tool that you can rely on. This runs in the background scanning and blocking threats before they have a chance of infecting your computers and devices.
Phishing and Ransomware Protection
Phishing Protection
Phishing sites are types of scams where malicious people impersonate legitimate websites to gather sensitive information such as logins, credit card numbers, social security numbers, etc.
Online scammers can also send attachments with malicious links so as to infect your computer. Homeowners and businesses are at risk from these people. The data stolen is either sold in the black market, used to commit more crimes, or steal money.
Sophos antivirus comes with several features such as Web Security, Banking protection, and email security to block suspicious websites and secure your sensitive information.
Ransomware Protection
Keep your computers safe from ransomware with Sophos advanced ransomware security. Ransomware is a type of malware that holds ransom data of its victims. It will lock users out of their files until a certain amount of money or ransom is paid.
This is a serious threat since your data can be damaged if you fail to pay the money asked or you lose a few hundred to thousands in payment to have your files released. Safeguard your files from being held for ransom with Sophos advanced ransomware security.
This online security company is always vigilant for any processes that want to make changes that can result in your data being encrypted.
Sophos Home Antivirus Performance
My overall experience with the performance of Sophos home antivirus is excellent. I can recommend Sophos antivirus to any homeowner, the parent that wants to keep their children safe plus people who work from home.
You will not notice that the Sophos antivirus is running in the background since it does not affect the performance of your machine. It is lightweight and occupies a small space in your computers or devices.
Its artificial intelligence threat detection blocks threats before they have a chance of infecting your computer. The same level of defense that is there in businesses is now available for homeowners.
It is the same protection that is trusted by banks, large organizations, and governments. What’s more, you can cover more than 10 devices with different operating systems.
When it comes to overall defense, apart from Sophos antivirus, we also covered specialized antivirus for gamers, Windows 10 antivirus and business antivirus solutions.
Ease of Use
Sophos products are easy to use and user friendly to navigate from the end-user. It comes with a unified console for managing all of your products. On its intuitive dashboard, you will be able to access its gamut of features such as;
- Endpoint protection
- Server protection
- Encryption
- Mobile device protection
- Email gateway
- Wireless protection
There is an easy to navigate menu which contains the Alert section, logs and reports, global settings, a section where to protect your devices, and people or admins that are registered.
You will be getting reports of your endpoint user activity status such as;
- Number of active endpoints
- Number of inactive endpoints
- Not protected
- Number of protected endpoints
Sophos antivirus also gives alerts. These could be problems that need to be solved. It might alert you that it failed to protect a certain device or PC, enrollment failed, etc.
Other important information you will see in your reports is a number of threats blocked, a number of violations blocked, policy warnings issues, and policy warnings proceeded.
Not just for admins
The Sophos dashboard is not just for admins. Your other partners can respond to alerts, manage devices of their clients, track upcoming renewal dates, customize security status, get notifications, and do much more.
Scanning Options
The scanning options offered by Sophos antivirus are full scans or full system scan, scheduled scans, and a custom scan. However, according to their official website and some Sophos reviews, it does not have a quick scan.
A full scan of the system
This is a type of system scan that checks every area of a computer. It will check for suspicious files and rootkits in the hard drive, memory, and external devices. Since it checks all files and components of a computer, it can take some time to complete.
With the advanced technology of Sophos, their full scan takes little time to complete, from 20 to 25 minutes. It is the best scanning option especially if some of your files exhibit symptoms of infection.
Also, detecting rootkits is best achieved when you run a full scan since these are always hidden. Sophos antivirus and HIPS recommends the following scanning features to be enabled;
- On-access scanning
- Scan files with no extension
- Automatically clean up items that contain malware
- Block access to malicious websites
- Behavior monitoring
- Malicious traffic detection
- Detect buffer overflows
- Detect suspicious behavior
- Live protection should be enabled
- Send sample files to Sophos automatically
A Custom Scan
A custom scan is available where you can check specific files by right-clicking on them. You can also configure a scan by following these steps;
- On the Home Page, click scan button
- You will see several scan options, choose custom scan
- Click edit and you will be able to configure a custom scan
Live Protection
This is an active process that scans your computer for malicious activities in real-time. It has proven effective since it blocks malware before they have a chance of infecting a computer.
Sophos Home Antivirus Packages and Pricing
Sophos has a free and paid version. Find the package that suits you and your family.
The plans are Sophos home free and Sophos home premium. With Sophos free antivirus, you will get a decent set of advanced features but not as many as in the premium version. It offers a 30-day trial.
Sophos free edition features are;
- Real-time security protection
- Artificial intelligence technology
- Website protection
- Remote management
- 3 devices subscription
- Parental web filtering
The paid version comes with a lot of features. There is 1 year, 2 years, and 3 years of Sophos pricing.
1 year subscription costs $53.89. You will save 25% |
2 years subscription costs $93.42. You will save 35% with this price |
3 years subscription costs $118.85. You will save $45 for buying 3 years subscription |
You can pay through PayPal, Credit Card, Master Card, Visa Card, etc. Home premium edition comes with the following features;
Like I mentioned before, you will get cybersecurity that is offered to Fortune 500 companies with these Sophos plans. Sophos is excellent malware protection with a lot of features.
Any of the Sophos plans would fit you well but the ideal choice will depend on your family needs. It is also worth noting that the premium plan can cover up to 10 devices with various operating systems such as Windows, iOS, Android, and Mac. And just in case you were wondering - Do I need antivirus for Mac? - read our article on a subject.
You will be able to manage all of your devices from a single web interface. Since it is cloud-based, it is light on the system. You will only download a local client on your PC that takes less space on the system.
With an online dashboard, no need to give permission to untrained employees to manage the security of your gadgets. You can manage everything from the dashboard.
Just so that you can have all the information for full comparison and for various needs, we also have reviews of antivirus which includes VPN, and antivirus for Mac users.
Sophos Home Free
With Sophos home free edition, you will get to try their security products before you buy without any risk. It is a full product but comes with a short period of time- 30 days. You will get the following features with a 30-day trial;
- Real-time protection
- Up to 3 devices defense
- Parental Web Filtering
- Remote management
- Website protection
- Artificial intelligence technology
Protect up to 3 devices
The Sophos free version will protect up to 3 devices at once. It will keep your PCs and smartphones or tablets free from online threats such as Trojans, spyware, ransomware, etc.
Real-time Protection
You will get to experience the live protection of this antivirus. It will be running in the background checking for suspicious files.
Parental Web Filtering
If you are concerned with the malicious content that your kids watch online, use this feature to control what they see and cannot. Block inappropriate content and limit the time that they spend on social networking sites, etc.
Artificial Intelligence Technology
It learns about specific threats and executes defensive activities before a malware infects a computer.
Web Protection
If you surfing the internet using Internet Explorer, Microsoft Edge, Firefox, Safari or Google Chrome, Sophos will safeguard your browsing activity plus banking and credit card information with this feature. It also blocks websites that contain malicious links. Make sure it is activated or on if you love shopping or safe banking online.
Sophos Home Premium
This paid version has an impressive list of great features. It provides advanced malware protection with a powerful online management console. There is 1 year, 2 years, and 3 years of pricing.
1 year subscription costs $53.89 |
2 years subscription costs $93.42 |
3 years subscription costs $118.85 |
The security features that come with home premium include;
- Real-time protection
- Ransomware security
- Remote management
- Privacy protection
- Artificial intelligence technology
- Banking protection
- Malware remover
- Connect up to 10 devices
- Identity protection
- Premium support
- Parental web filtering
- Advanced web security
With a paid subscription, you will get many features that are not in the free version. You will get real-time or automatic protection. This is designed to keep your computer and gadgets safe from zero-day attacks.
According to many Sophos mobile security reviews that I have read online, this company provides the same cybersecurity that is offered to big companies.
Connect up to 10 Devices
Connect devices of your brothers, sisters, spouse, kids, yours, and even for your friends with the paid version. It supports all kinds of operating systems such as Windows, Android, Mac, and iOS.
Premium Support
You will get dedicated support if you are a paid user. They are available through live chat support, telephone, and email support.
Banking Protection
Secure your banking transactions and information with this feature. It will protect against cybercriminals and keyloggers that monitor the activities of your keyboard.
Customer Support
Sophos has dedicated support for its paid members. Support can help you through their live chat, Twitter, calling using their phone, and emailing. They are available from 8 am to 8 pm EST from Monday to Friday.
There is also a community with a lot of resources such as advisory articles, discussion forums, frequently asked questions with answers and product information. You can browse its variety of topics and am sure you will get solutions to what you are looking for.
Your technical questions will be answered by a knowledgeable staff and you can be connected to senior support engineers if you have a serious problem.
If you are looking for smooth defense for your system, read my Sophos antivirus review. It is also one of the frequently recommended anti-malware on the market right now since it is loaded with features to safeguard your business, home PCs, and your other gadgets.
Pros:
Cons:
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 Sophos a good antivirus?
In general, Sophos Home Premium is an excellent choice for beginners and advanced users looking for a cost-effective yet effective antivirus solution that protects against a broad range of malware and internet virus threats.
2. Is Sophos better than Norton?
Norton is the overall winner, as their products include more security-enhancing features and utilities than Sophos. Additionally, independent testing demonstrates that Norton's outperforms Sophos in terms of malware detection and its impact on system performance.
3. Will Sophos remove malware?
Yes, Sophos will remove malware. In some cases, Sophos may be able to automatically remove the malware, while in other cases a technician may need to remote into the computer to manually remove the malware. Sophos also offers several support options for customers who need help removing malware.
4. Does Sophos antivirus have a firewall?
Yes, Sophos antivirus includes a firewall. The firewall helps to protect your computer from unauthorized access and can also help to protect your computer from being used to launch attacks against other computers.
5. What is the difference between Sophos free and premium?
Sophos Home Free edition provides continuous antivirus protection, parental control and website filtering, and remote access management of up to three gadgets. Sophos Home Premium edition goes beyond traditional antivirus to provide advanced, real-time defense against ransomware, malicious software, and hacking attempts – on up to ten gadgets.
