Malwarebytes Antivirus Review (2023 Update): The Pros & Cons

Malwarebytes review: summary

Malwarebytes is ranked #12 out of 20 antivirus software.

Malwarebytes has great anti-malware protection, a minimal impact on the speed of your PC, and an excellent price. However, it’s very minimalistic and lacks a firewall, password manager, dark web monitor, and more.

On top of that, Malwarebytes claims it’s “smarter than traditional antivirus,” but the test results don’t show that. Norton, Bitdefender, McAfee, and Kaspersky have better test scores and far more security features.

• Malware protection: 80%. Malwarebytes averaged 5.80 out of 6 in the last 10 protection tests. It is great at detecting and removing malware.
• Speed impact: 95%. Malwarebytes averaged 5.95 out of 6 in the last 10 performance tests. So it has a minimal impact on your PC’s speed.
• Features: 20%. Malwarebytes offers anti-malware, anti-phishing, and an unlimited VPN. But it misses a firewall, parental controls, and much more.
• Price: 80%. Although Malwarebytes doesn’t have generous first-year discounts, its price is excellent and can compete with Norton.

If you want the best protection, we recommend Norton.

Click the links to compare the prices of the best antivirus software:

🥇 Norton Antivirus - The best of 2023
🥈 Bitdefender Antivirus
🥉 McAfee Antivirus

Or read our complete comparison of the best antivirus of 2023.

Specification comparison

Below, we have compared Malwarebytes Premium + Privacy VPN to Norton 360 Standard. These are the most affordable products at each brand, which allow you to protect at least 1 PC with the core features:

• Anti-malware
• Anti-phishing (web protection)
• Firewall
• Password manager
• Unlimited VPN (no data limit)

Norton 360 is the best antivirus for Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS.

Click the links to compare the prices of the best antivirus software:

🥇 Norton Antivirus - The best of 2023
🥈 Bitdefender Antivirus
🥉 McAfee Antivirus

Or read our complete comparison of the best antivirus of 2023.

Test score comparison

We’ve compared the 10 most recent test scores of all antivirus brands. The tests were performed by AV-Test, the German anti-malware test lab. They use three factors:

• Protection (1-6): Antivirus protection against malware attacks.
• Performance (1-6): System slowdown caused by the antivirus.
• Usability (1-6): Frequency of false alarms and disruptions.

We used their results, and this formula, to calculate the final score:

Final Score = 60% Protection + 20% Performance + 20% Usability.

Brands not listed in the table haven’t participated in the analysis by AV-Test. This is usually not a good sign. Because most reputable brands, except Panda, ESET, and Sophos, partake in the test.

Click the links to compare the prices of the best antivirus software:

🥇 Norton Antivirus - The best of 2023
🥈 Bitdefender Antivirus
🥉 McAfee Antivirus

Or read our complete comparison of the best antivirus of 2023.

Price comparison

We’ve compared the prices of the top antivirus products for Windows. To make it a fair comparison, we looked at what it would cost us, to protect a Windows PC with the following essential features:

• Anti-malware
• Anti-phishing (web protection)
• Firewall
• Password manager
• Unlimited VPN (no data limit)

A few notes:

• Some brands are missing features, lowering their value for money.
• Prices are second-year prices in the USA, without first-year discounts.
• Prices are rounded up for readability (e.g., $99.99 becomes $100).

Brands have different prices outside the USA. See those on their website.

Click the links to compare the prices of the best antivirus software:

🥇 Norton Antivirus - The best of 2023
🥈 Bitdefender Antivirus
🥉 McAfee Antivirus

Or read our complete comparison of the best antivirus of 2023.

User reviews

We’ve compared the user reviews of all antivirus brands. We’ve used the scores and review count of TrustPilot, a leading user review platform. However, take these results with a grain of salt, as some brands actively attempt to increase their ratings.

Personally, we are wary of exceptionally high scores. Especially those by brands such as TotalAV, known for aggressive marketing and sales tactics.

We consider scores between 4.0 and 4.5 good and realistic. Higher scores are dubious, and lower scores indicate that the brand might have a poor product or customer service. McAfee’s scores, for instance, are worrying.

Click the links to compare the prices of the best antivirus software:

🥇 Norton Antivirus - The best of 2023
🥈 Bitdefender Antivirus
🥉 McAfee Antivirus

Or read our complete comparison of the best antivirus of 2023.

Product analysis

In the table below are the core products with their features and prices. 

The prices shown are from the USA. However, most brands have different prices (and currencies) in other regions. So visit the brand’s website to see the price in your country. 

Considering the excellent anti-malware capabilities of Microsoft Defender, we consider Malwarebytes’ free version useless. Sadly, however, the premium version only offers a few features on top.

Click the links to compare the prices of the best antivirus software:

🥇 Norton Antivirus - The best of 2023
🥈 Bitdefender Antivirus
🥉 McAfee Antivirus

Or read our complete comparison of the best antivirus of 2023.

Malwarebytes antivirus review

Virus scanner

Malwarebytes’ virus scanner excels in providing on-demand and real-time protection for Windows, Mac, and Android devices. It utilizes an extensive database of known malware threats, heuristic analysis, and machine learning to identify new threats.

We appreciate the three scan options offered for Windows users: Threat Scan, Quick Scan, and Custom Scan. However, we note the absence of a default full system scan.

In our evaluation, the Threat Scan took nearly 10.5 minutes, longer than competitors’ quick scans. The detection rate using Threat Scan was 78%, while the full disk scan detected 93% of malware.

Though commendable, it falls short of Norton and Bitdefender’s perfect detection rates. Users can conveniently review scan results and access detailed information on specific malware types.

Real-time protection

Malwarebytes’ real-time protection, available in paid plans, comprises four layers: malware and PUP protection, web protection (PC only), ransomware protection (Android and PC only), and exploit protection (PC only).

During testing, real-time malware protection successfully blocked 96% of malware downloads. Web protection and exploit protection outperformed built-in browser safeguards in blocking phishing and exploit attacks.

Regrettably, ransomware protection proved less effective, blocking merely two-thirds of ransomware files. Overall, we find Malwarebytes’ real-time protection to be decent, but its ransomware protection requires improvement.

Adopting clear, concise, and professional language, we maintain that Malwarebytes has a strong virus scanning capability with some room for enhancement.

Interesting fact: PUP stands for Potentially Unwanted Programs, which are programs that might be harmful or annoying, but isn’t necessarily damaging (most adware belongs to this category). And Malwarebytes considers the most prevelant PUP to be created by TotalAV.

Browser Guard

Malwarebytes’ Browser Guard extension is a complimentary extension for Chrome, Edge, and Firefox. It defends against malware, pop-ups, trackers, phishing schemes, and PUPs. The default settings provide ample protection, but users can adjust them as needed.

Our tests showed that the browser extension thwarted 92% of phishing attempts but only a third of ads. Thus, it excels at detecting phishing sites but falls short as an ad-blocker.

VPN

Included in the Premium + Privacy plan, Malwarebytes Privacy VPN boasts respectable privacy features. These encompass over 500 servers in 30+ countries, the robust WireGuard protocol, and a stringent no-logs policy. Additionally, a kill switch is available on Windows and Mac, and it supports torrenting and split-tunneling.

Regrettably, the VPN considerably diminishes download speeds and fails to provide access to popular streaming services or bypass firewalls in restricted countries. Despite its limitations, for users primarily seeking anonymity and online privacy, Malwarebytes’s VPN is a viable option.

However, if you want a better VPN, we recommend CyberGhost or NordVPN.

Installation and user experience

Malwarebytes is simple to install and use, taking only a few minutes for setup. We appreciate that the free trial does not demand personal information, ensuring zero-commitment. The interface is user-friendly, with customization options and real-time protections enabled by default.

Despite these advantages, the macOS version lacks critical real-time protection features found in the Windows version. Moreover, the software performs well without affecting system performance.

Mobile app

The mobile app is available for both iOS and Android, with the Android version offering more functions. We found that the Android app provides features like malware scanning, ransomware protection, web protection, exploit protection, spyware protection, and a privacy audit tool.

The iOS app, limited by Apple’s policies, offers basic features such as web protection, ad blocking, SMS filtering, and scam call blocking. Additionally, Malwarebytes provides a Privacy VPN app, which is slower and less effective than competitors like ExpressVPN.

In our opinion, although Norton offers superior antivirus options for Android and iOS, Malwarebytes remains a suitable choice for novice or less tech-savvy users. The platform’s ease of use, customization, and real-time protection make it a valuable security tool, despite some limitations in the macOS app and mobile VPN offering.

Customer support

Malwarebytes presents a satisfactory knowledge base, a chat bot, and email assistance. However, it lacks telephone support, unlike its competitors. The chat bot functions as a search tool, providing links to relevant articles. Yet, it occasionally misunderstands queries, which can be frustrating for users seeking quick solutions.

Email support is available when the knowledge base falls short. Responses are typically received within a day, but live chat support is noticeably absent. Competitors such as Norton and McAfee offer 24/7 live chat, giving users instant access to real people for assistance.

Malwarebytes’ knowledge base is extensive, but the chat bot is limited in its ability to handle complex issues. We believe incorporating live chat would significantly enhance user experience.

Conclusion

Malwarebytes offers effective real-time malware detection, solid phishing protection, and a reasonable VPN. However, it lacks features like a firewall, system optimization, and password management, which rivals include in basic plans. In our tests, Malwarebytes identified 93% of malware samples, while Norton and Bitdefender reached 100%.

The VPN ensures web safety but fails to access streaming services like Netflix and is ineffective in countries with internet restrictions. Malwarebytes is not a comprehensive security suite.

For advanced protection, we recommend Norton 360 Deluxe or Bitdefender Total Security, which provide superior malware defense, additional features, and affordable multi-device plans. Malwarebytes can be used alongside more robust antivirus solutions due to its compatibility. It is user-friendly and provides a 14-day free trial and a 60-day refund policy.

Click the links to compare the prices of the best antivirus software:

🥇 Norton Antivirus - The best of 2023
🥈 Bitdefender Antivirus
🥉 McAfee Antivirus

Or read our complete comparison of the best antivirus of 2023.

How do we test antivirus software?

The best antivirus software offer virus protection, identity theft protection, and privacy protection for Windows, macOS, and Android. Some also offer security features for iOS and Linus.

To evaluate which providers are worth your money, we run 11 tests:

> Test 1: Anti-malware protection test

We analyze antivirus software’s capability to detect and eliminate known and unknown malware, using heuristic analysis for behavior monitoring.

We conduct in-house tests and analyze those from labs like AV-Test, SE Labs, and AV-Comparatives to determine the best malware protection.

Malware includes adware, keyloggers, ransomware, rootkits, spyware, trojans, viruses, worms, and more. Other cyber threats, usually not classified as malware, are (zero-day) exploits, hacks, identity theft, phishing attacks, scams, and social engineering.

> Test 2: False positives test

False positives occur when antivirus software misidentifies legitimate software, files, or websites as malicious. We rely on AV-Test’s large-scale analysis of false positives in its usability test to guide our evaluations.

> Test 3: System performance test

We measure the CPU load during antivirus software system scans and consider AV-Test’s performance results on the slowdown caused by antivirus software when opening websites and handling software.

> Test 4: Firewall test

We evaluate two-way firewalls that filter incoming and outgoing data and allow users to set rules to regulate data streams. We use the ShieldsUP! test to determine if the antivirus software blocks all ports.

> Test 5: Password manager test

We assess password managers’ ability to create, store, and autofill secure passwords, as well as additional features like two-factor authentication and biometric login.

> Test 6: Virtual Private Network (VPN) test

We evaluate built-in VPNs on their security, privacy, speed, compatibility with streaming services, unlimited data access, and support for peer-to-peer networks and torrent clients.

> Test 7: Parental control test

We examine parental control features, such as screen time rules, website/app blocking, and real-world location tracking. We test these features on a device and attempt to circumvent them, checking if the activity is accurately reported in the parental control admin.

> Test 8: Anti-phishing protection test

We evaluate antivirus browser extensions that block phishing sites by installing them and attempting to visit dangerous URLs.

> Test 9: Ransomware protection test

We assess security suites’ ability to prevent data encryption through exploit prevention and behavioral detection during ransomware attacks.

> Test 10: Bonus features test

We test any additional cybersecurity tools such as:

• Ad Blocker
• Anti-theft
• Dark web monitoring (identity protection)
• Email protection
• File encryption
• File shredder
• Gaming mode
• Microphone protection
• PC maintenance features
• Secure browser (hardened browser to protect your online banking)
• Secure cloud storage (cloud backup)
• Spam filter
• Startup optimizer
• Tune up tools
• Virtual keyboard
• Webcam protection

> Test 11: Operating system and multiple devices test

Operating system and multiple devices: We test antivirus software on Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS devices and award bonus points for unlimited device protection.

> Test 12: Ownership and reputation test

We analyze the trustworthiness of antivirus companies, especially concerning customer data. We read press releases, news articles, and privacy policies to determine their reputation.

Sources and tools

Below are the sources and tools we’ve used to test the antivirus software:

• Apple Platform Security
• AV-Comparatives Consumer
• AV-Test Android
• AV-Test macOS
• AV-Test Windows
• GRC Firewall Test
• Microsoft Defender
• SpeedTest VPN
• Trustpilot Security Software

Click the links to compare the prices of the best antivirus software:

🥇 Norton Antivirus - The best of 2023
🥈 Bitdefender Antivirus
🥉 McAfee Antivirus

Or read our complete comparison of the best antivirus of 2023.

Frequently Asked Questions

Below are the most frequently asked questions.