Don’t you just hate viruses?
No, not those viruses! THESE ONES!
Are… are they gone? Whew. Good. Today we’re reviewing a product
that helps you get rid of viruses: MalwareBytes
Malware has long been a scourge on the average computer user like you or me,
but they've come a long way from the rudimentary "click here for free money" links of the past.
These days, they can be incredibly complex - well hidden, able to morph and inject
themselves into your system like some kind of alien creature that bursts out of your
PC and threatens the entire existence of human civilization as you know it and…
Ok maybe not, but malware and viruses are still particularly dangerous when
it comes to your data and personal information, so you need to stay safe!
These days, simple file-checkers aren't enough. You need a first-rate anti-malware
system on constant alert and keeping you safe. You need a system that recognizes
malware behaviours and prevents them from getting anywhere near you,
as well as being able to scan files effectively, not missing anything that lurks around the corner.
On top of ALL OF THAT, it needs to perform efficiently, not hogging your computing power,
AND be easy on the wallet. Not too much to ask for, right?
So let's see if MalwareBytes is up to the task.
MalwareBytes is one of the most widely used antivirus software tools outside
of the traditional big hitters - McAfee and Norton, so in today's video, we're going to find
out if it's really up to scratch, by reviewing MalwareBytes in the four main areas of interest:
Key features Safety and security
Performance and ease of use and value for money
We’ll be scoring each area out of five for a total score out of 20. Before we get started,
make sure you like and subscribe so you don’t miss any more reviews like this one!
First up, let's look at what MalwareBytes gives you (and doesn’t give you) in terms of core
features. The main AntiVirus software features users look for are active protection, scans,
and privacy. So how does MalwareBytes stack up? X MalwareBytes offers scanning and protection with
its Virus Scanner and Real Time Protection features. The virus scanner can be used to
perform routine checks on your files, and any downloaded files,
to check that they are free from anything nasty and cleans out anything it finds. We found the
scanner to be fast and effective, with standard threat scans done in less than 10 minutes,
while deeper dives in larger drives took a lot longer, as would be expected.
The real time protection is a premium feature, but in testing was hugely effective at keeping
out malware while you browse the web or download files, preventing anything from
getting into your files in the first place. So it provides both the prevention AND the cure.
A nice bonus feature is that Malwarebytes has a mobile app - so you can stay protected on
both PC and mobile! If you have premium, this counts as one of your 5 devices.
You know another feature I’ve almost forgotten to mention? The subscribe
button. Make sure you hit that so you never miss another tech review. Done? Great.
Now unfortunately, MalwareBytes is missing a few extra features when compared to competitors like
MacAfee or Avast. Namely password managers, parental controls, and firewalls. In theory,
you can get around that with external apps, but you might want a more all-inclusive package for
your antivirus software. That’s why we’re giving it a 3 out of 5 for Core Features.
Next up - safety and security. This is the most important aspect of any
antivirus software - how well it protects you. Here, MalwareBytes does really well.
Firstly, let's look at how it scored in independent lab tests. These independent
companies have tested every major antivirus software in great depth, they know their
stuff and provide an excellent benchmark for security. We focused on the results from AVTest.
Here, MalwareByes received a maximum score of 6/6 from AVTest for Protection - scoring highly
when it came to protection against malware infections including email and web threats
containing viruses, worms and trojans, not letting a single attack through.
This is on par with lots of top trust services including Avast,
Bitdefender Microsoft, Kaspersky and McAffee, to name but a few
however there is still the consideration of
the performance cost of these levels of security - which we will come to later!
In PCMag.com’s tests, MalwareBytes received excellent scores against
phishing and malicious URL blocking capabilities. A wide range of
independent lab tests have also verified its security levels and they are STRONG.
Going back to AVTest there was only one downside they found: MalwareBytes scans came up with more
false positives than its competitors. (False Positives are where it thinks a normal program
is a threat.) It’s not a deal breaking negative point, it’s simply MalwareBytes being a little
over-enthusiastic around legit crypto and torrent programs, which you can manually review when you
need to. For safety and security, I’m still going to give MalwareBytes a 5/5.
MalwareBytes is widely renowned for being super easy to use, and that’s exactly what
we found. It’s very straightforward to download, install and get started. You
don’t even need any personal details for the free version or even the free trial
of the premium plan - you can just go ahead and install it without hassle. Big thumbs up there!
Toggling detection on and off is always super easy and intuitive,
which is a common theme across most of the MalwareBytes UI.
In terms of performance, MalwareBytes uses minimal CPU resources in the background - long
gone are the days of antivirus turning your computer into a powerpoint slide. But
don’t just take our word for it. AVTest measured performance too and they gave MalwareBytes a 6/6,
the highest possible rating. We noticed that quite a few competitors also received a 6,
but digging into the numbers highlights a few noticeable differences when it comes
to processing speed. Let’s take the AVTest results for 7 different brands,
and look at how much they caused a ‘standard PC’ (which had an AMD Ryzen 5 and 8 gigs of RAM) to
slow down during two everyday tasks: accessing popular websites, and running standard software.
AhnLabs did surprisingly well, causing 6% slowdown on websites and 16% for software when compared to
the same system without any AV software at all. Kaspersky and AVG were ok, both hit 13 and 10%
slowdown. Bitdefender, similarly caused 10 and 14% slowdown and classic Norton, the slowest
of the lot at 12% slowdown for both websites and software. Coming up join first though, were McAfee
and MalwareBytes, hitting 5% and 16% slowdown on a standard PC performing standard tasks. As
we can see, MalwareBytes is one of THE fastest performers of the top rated antivirus programs.
However, there were a couple of ease of use improvements that could be made. Firstly, although
rootkits are not so common, if you want rootkit checks they’re not enabled by default, so you
have to dig into the settings to find them. And secondly there is no live chat customer support
if you need help. Although there are forums where you can find useful tips for most issues.
So for performance and ease of use, we are giving MalwareByes a 4.5/5.
So MalwareBytes is easy to use,
but you know what's also easy? Hitting that like button and turning it blue.
Finally, we come to Value for Money. For what it’s worth, the free version is excellent and
does give you the powerful scanning feature that you can use, but the major drawback is that it
becomes a manual process to protect yourself - using the scan when you suspect something is
wrong. The premium version offers more layers of protection against ransomware and exploits,
and runs in the background, protecting your device automatically without having to lift a finger.
The premium version sets you back $44.99 a year for 1 device, or you can bump that up
to $79.99 for up to 5 devices. You can even pay another $20 extra and get a
VPN thrown in. It’s a fairly competitive price especially when compared to the introductory,
discounted offers from McAfee, Avast, and AVG. McAfee offers a similar package at $49.99 for a
year and its most premium at $89.99. Avast offers two premium options at $50.28 and $69.48 per year,
while AVG would set you back $59.88 or $79.99 a year. Remember, most of these are introductory
offers, and withhold a few features for the higher plans, which MalwareBytes doesn’t do.
Overall, MalwareByes offers fantastic value for money for an exceptionally good service, and the
free version is definitely a strong asset to check your computers health. We have to give it a 5/5
And that rounds up our review! We looked at the features, the security,
the performance and the value, so all that remains is for us to crunch the numbers…
the final score for MalwareByes is… 17.5/20!
There is no denying that MalwareBytes is an excellent choice when it comes
to antivirus software. Providing strong security and great value,
it has deserved its fantastic reputation which shows no signs of slowing down.
If you enjoyed this video and want to see more - hit the like button
then check out our review of or head to our channel where you can find more tech videos.
See you next time!