Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Review

Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Review

Malwarebytes Anti-Malware is a powerful malware removal software that offers a wide range of protective features. It is compatible with Windows, Mac OS, and Android OS. The current software version was created in December 2016 as the developers combined their three separate products (Anti-Ransomware, Anti-Exploit, and Anti-Malware) and renamed it into Malwarebytes.

The new version also offers real-time protection, which is the most important feature. In this review, we will look over Malwarebytes features, compare free and premium versions, and provide our verdict on the program. Our attention mainly goes to the Windows version of the software, but you will find our feedback on Mac and Android versions as well.

Malwarebytes Inc. was founded in January 2008 by Marcin Kleczynski and Bruce Harrison. Although the product is quite a new player in the cybersecurity industry (considering that the majority of known antivirus products were developed prior to 2000), it proved to be one of the best free malware removal tools available today.

First look at the software

One of the best Malwarebytes’ features is a user-friendly interface. It allows quick and easily understandable navigation as well as customization of the software and computer scans. The main window displays “Dashboard,” and it clearly states which features are available and which ones are not. The software clearly informs the user that some features are available for premium users only. The user can also find Scan Status as well as Protection History data on the same page. Finally, the main window informs the user about the latest updates available for Malwarebytes.

The buttons on the left side of Malwarebytes’ window are for navigation between Scan, Quarantine, Reports and Settings panels. Each panel provides detailed descriptions of features and settings available. In the Settings panel, the user can adjust computer protection options, manage exclusions, arrange scan schedule and perform other modifications to make the program meet their needs.

Overview of the free version

Malwarebytes 3.0 Free is an excellent software for those who are not willing to pay for malware removal. The scanning engine and its outstanding threat database allow the security software to detect and eliminate existing adware, browser hijackers, ransomware, trojans, and other computer viruses effectively.

It functions as an excellent go-to product if your traditional antivirus fails to identify a specific computer infection. In some cases, antivirus software might fail to identify spyware-level threats which are usually nerve-racking programs that display ads (pop-ups, banners, in-text ads and similar), cause browser redirections and silently spy on user’s behavior online.

In other words, we highly recommend the free version of this product if your computer is already infected and your traditional antivirus software fails to identify the threat. You will be surprised how quickly this software will identify the culprit. Just make sure are using the latest version of Malwarebytes. Don’t forget to check for updates before each computer scan.

However, we must clarify that some of Malwarebytes 3 features are available for Premium users only. In other words, those who decide to use the free version will be provided only with spyware/malware removal feature without real-time protection.

Malwarebytes 3.0 Premium review

The outstanding Malwarebytes products were combined into one and even more powerful security tool. The security software now can clean an infected computer, protect your computer from malware attacks in real time and, what is exceptionally relevant nowadays, stop ransomware before it encrypts your files.

That is not all – in addition, Malwarebytes 3.0 Premium offers an anti-exploit feature. This feature protects vulnerable computers and software on them from exploit attacks. Along with this feature, the security program provides anti-rootkit service, which deletes rootkits and repairs files they damaged.

Finally, the paid version of the anti-malware secures you by preventing access to and from known malicious web pages. It can help to keep you away from tech support scams, phishing pages, or pages serving malicious downloads.

Keep in mind that the majority of anti-malware and anti-spyware products available on the market nowadays suggest removing the malware and spyware, but not protecting your computer from them. It means that you have to manually perform a scan or schedule it ahead in order to detect installed threat. If you want a security program that could prevent you from making the wrong decision of installing a not-so-trustworthy product, picking a security product with real-time protection feature is the best choice you can make.

Final verdict on the paid version

All in all, we believe that Malwarebytes’ Premium version is a great security product for the price you pay. However, we recommend choosing this product only as an addition to traditional antivirus. Although it claims to be capable of replacing traditional antivirus products, the all-in-one software is still a new product. Of course, it needs repetitious testing for identification and elimination of the majority of its flaws. Some sources say that the software performed poorly in tests designed for the good old antivirus programs, which means that it is simply too early to judge this product as a real antivirus. Therefore, we suggest using it alongside standard antivirus.

Questions about Malwarebytes answered:

Q: What is the safe source to download Malwarebytes software from? I’ve seen it on some Torrent sites already.

A: You should never download any programs from unknown third-party sources or file sharing platforms. If you want to install the real Malwarebytes product, visit www.malwarebytes.com and choose the product you want to install. You will find safe download links there. Additionally, you can find secure download links on reliable software review sites or sites providing malware removal tutorials.

You should never purchase the license if someone offers it to you via phone (beware of tech support scams). In addition, stay away from sites that have malwarebytes word in the title but contain strange hyphens or additional symbols.

Speaking of attempts to install Malwarebytes for free, you should remember a few things. Once the 30-day trial ends, you have to purchase the full version of the software. Any attempts to obtain the licensed version for free are illegal. If you do so, legal authorities might accuse you of copyright infringement. Not even to talk about security dangers that travel across pirated versions of software. Usually, software cracks are full of Trojans and spying software which can cause a headache to you.

Q: Do I need Malwarebytes on my Mac?

A: Just like Windows, Mac OS X is vulnerable to malware. The only difference is that malware compatible with Mac usually turns out to be annoying adware or browser hijackers. In order to remove these threats successfully, install and run Malwarebytes on the system. Mac OS X spyware can be severe to remove. However, Geek’s Advice team says that Malwarebytes might be one of the best solutions when addressing this problem.