Once you run the program, you’ll need to click the update button on the second window to download the latest signatures. When installing Spybot, you’ll be asked whether you want to be protected automatically or whether you want more control and feedback from the program, so pick the option that suits you best. Spybot has been around for a very long time and has a very good track record of finding and removing spyware and malware. However, the real value of the program is in the real-time monitoring and protection available only in the premium version ($25).

Overall, it’s a great product and can really help you remove any pre-existing malware on your system. The big downside to the free version is that it does not include real-time protection or automated scans, so malware would not be blocked from installing itself onto your system and would only be removed once you ran a manual scan. The free version includes anti-malware, anti-spyware and anti-rootkit protection. During our most recent evaluation, Bitdefender scored highest in both categories.One of the best tools for repairing malware infections is Malwarebytes Anti-Malware. Generally speaking, the two testing labs awarded all of the anti-malware programs from our sample good-very good scores in terms of both security and performance.

Should we have noticed lag or been otherwise hampered while performing routine tasks (such as opening a browser, copying and pasting text, etc.), we'll let you know in this part of our assessment and deduct points accordingly. Security is measured largely on the number of false positives and the general identification rate for threats that a program demonstrates.įor performance, we also add our own two cents by relating how our computer performed while a full scan was running in the background. Specifically, we rely on the testing results from AV-Test and AV-Comparatives, each of which regularly awards scores in the areas of security and performance. Thankfully, there exist independent testing labs that regularly assess how reliable most of the programs featured in our sample are at protecting users against malware. Even the most user-friendly app with an awe-inspiring impressive package of features will mean little if the software's anti-malware engines are not up to the task of identifying and neutralizing the most complicated threats.

Good anti malware