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If you are looking for a dedicated antivirus solution, choose Spybot.
Through my research, Spybot has been recommended many times in many forums as an anti malware that offers robust real time antivirus protection, and it is on par with other top antiviruses we reviewed here.
I also tested it and saw that it uses a unique technique to detect and remove adware, ransomware, spyware, and other infections in my laptop, and it comes with VPN like other internet safety software we reviewed in this post.
This Spybot search and destroy review is based on my experience with the software. Read the entire Spybot search and destroy review to learn about its pricing, features, if Spybot Search and destroy offers a free trial or not, pros/cons, its detection rate, system performance, just to name a few. In addition, we also reviewed the best antivirus for gaming. Also, click here if you are looking for the best solution for your Windows 10. Mac users, on the other hand, will find the best security solutions for their internet safety in this article, and for those looking for an iPhone AV, look here.
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!
Spybot Review - An Exceptional Anti-malware
It is not easy to get reliable antivirus software. This is because there are many products on the market that are dangerous. Spybot is very different.
Spybot search and destroy is a powerful, exceptional antivirus. This is not a perfect antivirus but will safeguard you against all types of malware.
Although it is affordable, it comes with advanced features such as live virus protection, anti-beacon, rootkit scans, script editor, FileAlyzer, secure shredder, system registry repair, etc.
These are features that home users, technicians, and corporates will find useful. It performs quick and full scans, and its malware protection, phishing protection and detection rate is high. Also, it does not cause the operating system to slow down since it is a light software.
Highlights
If you are concerned about your privacy online, I would recommend Spybot. It detects and removes any spyware that might be present on your computer. Spyware is a malicious code that is designed to gain access to a computer and steal sensitive information.
It secretly observes computer activities such as documents opened, websites visited and applications launched. Spybot will block and stop all tracking or spyware that could be lurking on your computer.
Pricing Plans
Spybot search and destroy free and paid versions. It has 4 paid plans, and they include;
- Home- This is a personal edition that costs €11.99
- Professional-It is also a personal edition that costs € 21.99
- Corporate- It is a business editions that costs € 29.00
- Technician’s-It is a business edition that costs €49.99
It will automatically update its malware database and has a start center that will give critical information about the antivirus such as update status, the last scan performed, malware detected, the immunization, etc.
Features
This is one of the few antiviruses that come with a lot of advanced features and yet it is affordable. Its features include the following:
- It searches and destroys different types of malware such as adware, spyware, viruses, Trojans, worms, ransomware, suspicious files, toolbars, and extensions
- Has live shield-checks of your PC for suspicious activities in real-time. It runs in the background to make sure you are always safeguarded from new and existing threats.
- Spybot anti-beacon- this is a feature that is included in all paid plans. Its aim is to block all trackers or telemetry that comes with windows OS.
- Operating system immunization feature; this is a feature that will actively protect your computer against all types of malware. It also blocks known sites and browser plugins that have online threats.
Rootkit scans; a rootkit hides malicious codes that are designed by cybercriminals. Spybot is able to find these dangerous threats and remove them. It will scan the registry, file system, and other areas that rootkits like to hide.
Automatic signature updates- you will be receiving updates so as to be fully protected against new and existing threats
Task Scheduling; this is a useful feature that will help you manage your antivirus by automating tasks such as scans.
Protected repair environment; it is an extra layer of security provided by Spybot. This feature provides a new window desktop where you don’t have to worry that key loggers are tracking you or Spybot is being manipulated by malware.
System registry repair; it will do a thorough cleanup to boost the performance of your machine. It will help find misplaced files, plus repair broken ones.
Dedicated support; if you have any technical query, you can contact their support or use their contact page.
Secure shredder; if you have deleted files in your machine that you do not want to be recovered by cybercriminals, use this feature. It permanently deletes files.
Script editor; this is a useful feature for programmers. It will allow you to create complex malware detection patterns that you can use to identify and remove a malicious file.
FileAlyzer; it analyzes files on your PC
What Is Spybot – Search & Destroy Best For?
Spybot search and destroy is for novice and experienced users. This means that anybody can benefit from this antivirus; corporations too.
For Businesses
It does not matter if your business is a small or big company, you will find this antivirus helpful. Cybercriminals target small and big businesses.
They are a target because they have information or financial data that they can steal from their clients.
Safeguard your company against hacking and intrusion. Spybot comes with advanced features that corporates will find useful such as Spybot anti-beacon, fileAlyzer, antispyware, live shield, system immunization, antivirus, just to mention a few.
Families
This security solution comes with a family pack. It will keep your whole family safe from sophisticated attacks. It has features to protect your kids, plus anti-virus and anti-spyware to help keep an eye on computers of your family members.
The family pack also has advanced features such as Spybot-Beacon Plus, system immunization, automatic signature updates, live shield, protected repair environment that will benefit your family.
Spybot Reliability and Security
My testing revealed that spyware search and destroy is an anti-virus that can be trusted. With its real-time protection, I could see the number of threats that it has identified, blocked, and scans that it has performed.
Since it was running in the background, my PC was not having any noticeable strain. It is a reliable anti-spyware and anti-virus that provides security to every person using it.
Spybot Performance
Compared to its competitors, it does not cause the operating systems to slow down especially if you have a machine running on Windows XP to windows 10 with a RAM of 8.
However, if you will choose to perform a full scan, it can take some time since this type of scan checks every area of a computer. Its quick scan takes a few minutes to complete.
Ease of Use
This is a good choice for novice and experienced users. It was designed to be absolutely easy to use. It comes with a schedule scans or task scheduling tool to help manage your anti-malware. It automates tasks unless you instruct it not to do so.
It has an easy to use dashboard. Most of its features such as deep scanning options, immunization, statistics, startup tools, system repair, etc., are accessed through its dashboard.
Scanning Options
This is one of the advanced software to detect and remove threats. The various scans it offers, such as rootkits scan, system scan, file scan, phone scan, will ensure that your machines are always protected from cybercriminals.
Rootkit scan
This is a type of scan that detects and removes even the nastiest malicious rootkits. Rootkits hide malicious codes that allow an attacker to steal important information from devices.
Spybot will use its malware database to detect a rootkit and remove it.
System Scan
This is a full scan that enables you to run a complete check of your PC and see if it is infected. It is only available to paid users.
File scan
File Scan module is like a custom scan that allows you to scan single files and folders. You can access this type of scan from the Start Center or in the Spybot directory.
Phone Scan
I bet you did not know that Spybot offers mobile security. It has an iPhone Apps scan that offers protection for your mobile devices such as iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch.
However, Spybot for android is not available yet. The good news is, plans are underway to release it, according to their official site.
Spybot Packages and Pricing
This online security company offers 2 paid packages for personal use and 2 more for businesses. Before I discuss its paid plans, you need to know that Spybot offers a free version.
Spybot Search and Destroy Free
You can start with Spybot free package. It has one advantage; the free package offers will let you test the tool to see if it is right for you. In addition, it will provide a decent level of protection. System requirements to download this free antivirus are:
- 1 GB RAM
- 200 MB of hard disk space
- Windows 7,8,10. It can be 32 or 64 bit
- Intel Pentium IV and higher
The download link is available on their official site.
Spybot Paid Plans
- Home-personal edition
- Professional-personal edition
- Corporate-Business edition
- Technician’s-Business edition
1. Home Plan
This is a personal edition that comes with many features to keep your whole family safe from cybercriminals. It costs €11.99. It has the following features:
- System immunization
- Anti-spyware
- Anti-spyware
- Startup tools
- Protected repair environment
- Rootkits scan
- Has live shield
- Task scheduling
- Anti-virus
2. Professional Plan
This is also a personal edition. It costs €21.99. If comes with home plan features plus the following;
- Anti-beacon
- System registry repair
- Command-line tools
- Secure shredder
- Priority support
- Script editor
3. Corporate Plan
This is a plan that is specially developed for a business. It costs €29.00 and comes with home and professional features.
4. Technician’s Plan
It is a business edition and costs € 49.99. Business Edition of Spybot includes all features that come with the home, corporate edition, professional plans plus FileAlyzer.
Spybot Search and Destroy Free edition
Spybot s&d has a free edition that comes with a broad range of features. You will not be required to pay anything and will protect you against a plethora of security threats.
It comes with few features and they include:
- Anti-spyware
- System immunization
- Rootkit scan
- Startup tools
However, free Spybot S&D does not have a lot of features that are found in paid plans such as live shield, anti-beacon, anti-virus, protected repair environment, just to name a few.
Spybot Search and Destroy Home Edition
Like I mentioned before, Spybot home edition is a great paid plans that provides home network security. I tested Spybot search and destroy windows 10 on my home computer and was impressed with its results.
It fixed errors that were caused by previous infections; I was getting daily updates and put to sleep apps that were slowing down my machine.
Spybot Search and Destroy Professional
Professionals such as accountants, financiers, IT people, etc., will find this plan helpful. This is because it comes with advanced features such as system immunization feature, live shield, system registry repair, task scheduling to detect and block potential threats.
Cyber-attacks are one of the most serious threats professionals face nowadays. Most of the time, their computer files are either held for ransom until they pay or their financial data is stolen by cybercriminals.
Do not wait until you lose thousands of dollars to these online attackers. Invest in one of the best antiviruses such as Spybot for mac or windows 10.
Spybot Additional Features
The additional features that come with this anti-malware include Spybot identity monitor, Spybot file analyzer, start center, and safe shutdown tools. Spybot identity monitor checks if your passwords, emails, etc. have been breached.
Spybot file analyzer shows the content of your files while the start center shows crucial information about your scans. Safe shutdown tools make sure that your computer shuts down safely.
Spybot for Windows 10
Spybot Windows 10 comes with all the features discussed in this article. You can also download the anti-malware if you have windows 7 and 8.
Spybot works by blocking access to infected plugins, malicious websites, malicious URLs, downloads, cookies, and prevent you from accessing sites that are known to contain malware.
Spybot Identity Monitor
This is a great feature that monitors your sensitive information such as passwords, email addresses.
Use it to check if your information has appeared in any data leak. Almost everybody has registered in one or more sites. These sites usually ask you to register and you end up giving your email, physical address, phone number, and even birth dates.
This sensitive information can end up in the hands of cybercriminals. Protect your data with the Spybot identity monitor. If identity monitor notifies you that your personal data has been leaked, do the following;
- Change your password on site that has leaked your private data
- Use 2-factor authentication
- You can use a password manager to safely store your sensitive information
Spybot File Analyzer
This Spybot's analyzer is a versatile tool that shows the content of a file or a folder. It helps you to see your personal data in an easy to understand format and this comes in handy when you want to manage it.
This tool or program is useful when you want to:
- Delete unrequired data
- Transfer some documents to external hard disk
- When you want to free some space in your computer’s hard disk
Spybot fileAlyzer is a fast analyzer tool. It shows the content of a file and will pinpoint file types and their size. It also displays a few app properties, checks for anomalies in documents in case there is malware.
If a file is abnormal, it will be indicated ID, a title, and a description that tells why the file is abnormal.
Customer Support
How can Spybot customer support help you? It has a range of platforms and contacts to help their users with any queries that they might have. There is a support forum where support and experienced users exchange knowledge.
There are also frequently asked questions that you can search and see if your query has been answered before. Some of them include:
- Is Spybot compatible with windows 7/8 and 10?
Yes, it is.
- How to download Spybot search and destroy?
Go to their official site and you will get a link to download their latest version
- How do I scan a file?
Open the anti-malware by right-clicking it. Then choose "run as an administrator". Click file scan and choose the documents that you want to be scanned.
Contacts
Do you have questions regarding their anti-malware, features, and installations? Do you want to request a feature or require help to scan your computer or device? Reach their support using these contacts:
Physical Address
Safer-Networking Ltd,
Unit 5,
Watson & Johnson Center
Mill Road,
Greystones,
Co.Wicklow,
A63 POE2
Ireland
You can also use their contact us page to reach support.
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 Spybot any good?
Spybot is very good software. Spybot is a very powerful program that I use in conjunction with Windows Defender. I like it because it provides me with adequate internet security, it is free, it is not sluggish, it has a very clean user interface, it allows me to repair registry data, it removes a large number of unwanted spywares, and it is constantly updated.
2. Which is better Spybot or Malwarebytes?
Malwarebytes is a good malware removal tool, but Spybot is also a good tool. Spybot has been around longer and has more features, but Malwarebytes is faster and more accurate. Malwarebytes ranked first in a recent study.
3. Does Spybot remove malware?
Yes, Spybot is a malware removal tool that can help you get rid of unwanted software on your computer. It has a built-in scanner that can detect and remove a variety of malware threats, including viruses, Trojans, and worms. It also includes a number of other features that can help you keep your computer safe and secure.
4. Is Spybot good for Windows 10?
Yes, it is compatible with Windows 10. When it comes to malware protection, Spybot Search and Destroy is unquestionably not one of the best anti-malware programs available. This software solution has a very low score for malware detection and protection when compared to the industry average.
5. Does Spybot slow down your computer?
Spybot – Search & Destroys resident protection continuously monitors processes to ensure that nothing malicious enters your system – which may cause your computer to slow down slightly. If you wish to disable this feature, simply disable resident protection.
