Panda Dome Antivirus Review (2025): Is it the right choice?

Full Review

Panda is ranked #6 of the 28 best antivirus of 2025.

Panda provides a solid antivirus with a user-friendly interface and a variety of features, though its malware detection is slightly below top-tier competitors like Norton and Bitdefender.

It offers a free plan for Windows and Android, with paid options available for all platforms. Users can customize coverage based on the number of devices (1 to unlimited) and subscription length. A free VPN is also available on the iOS app. While flexible and feature-rich, Panda’s malware detection could be stronger.

Anti-malware

Panda’s antivirus scanner is user-friendly and capable of detecting a wide range of malware, identifying over 98% of samples in our tests. It offers three scan options: Critical Areas (7 minutes), Full Scan (inconsistent, ranging from 1 to 3.5 hours), and Custom Scan.

While effective, scan times, particularly for full scans, are slower compared to top competitors like Norton and Bitdefender. Panda’s macOS scan also performed well but was notably slow, taking over 4 hours.

Panda’s cloud-based scanner, Panda Cloud Cleaner, offers faster scans and is designed for emergency malware removal. Though not part of the main antivirus engine, it’s a useful addition for advanced threat detection.

Anti-phishing

We explored Panda’s Safe Browsing feature, available in all paid plans. It effectively blocks harmful URLs and lets you customize rules for exceptions. You can even see stats on how many URLs were blocked or allowed, categorized into malware and phishing. This adds a useful layer of transparency and control. Overall, it’s a solid anti-phishing tool.

Password manager

Panda Dome’s password manager provides essential features like unlimited password storage, credit card details, and login identities. It supports auto-login, auto-fill, and auto-save, with security reinforced by a zero-knowledge policy and two-factor authentication (2FA) via Google Authenticator and Authy. The built-in password generator creates strong passwords up to 32 characters, and its auto-fill features worked seamlessly in our tests.

However, it lacks advanced features like emergency access and password sharing, and there’s no desktop app—only browser extensions for Chrome, Firefox, and Edge, or mobile apps for Android and iOS. Despite these limitations, it remains a solid, user-friendly choice for basic password management.

VPN

Panda’s VPN, powered by Hotspot Shield, is available on all plans, including the free tier, but it’s quite limited. Most plans offer just 150 MB/day with no option to select servers, restricting control over virtual location and speed.

Only the top-tier Panda Dome Premium includes unlimited data and server selection. However, even on this plan, the VPN lacks a kill switch, which is a critical feature for protecting privacy if the connection drops.

In our speed tests, Panda’s VPN underperformed, with high ping times and inconsistent download and upload speeds. While it offers a no-logs policy, ensuring privacy, its overall performance and features don’t compare well to standalone VPNs like NordVPN or Surfshark. For basic, occasional use, Panda’s VPN is adequate, but it’s not ideal for users seeking robust security and speed.

Both Norton Secure VPN and Bitdefender Premium VPN, available as part of Norton 360 Deluxe or Bitdefender Premium, are considerably better.

Other security features

Panda’s additional security features provide a well-rounded toolkit, though with some inconsistencies in performance and coverage.

Rescue Kit

Panda’s Rescue Kit is a standout feature for rescuing infected PCs. It allows users to create a bootable rescue USB on a working device, then use it to disinfect a malware-infected computer. In our tests, it effectively saved a nearly unusable PC within 20 minutes, making it a valuable tool that most competitors don’t offer.

File Encryptor and Shredder

Panda includes both file encryption and shredding, using Password Depot for encryption. It lets users secure files with passwords, create self-extracting archives, and permanently delete sensitive data to prevent recovery. Both tools are user-friendly and enhance privacy, similar to offerings from Avast and Avira, though competitors like Norton focus more on secure file storage.

PC Cleanup

Panda’s cleanup tools, while not revolutionary, are useful for maintaining device performance. They offer options to free up space, manage startup programs, defragment hard drives, and schedule cleanups. While these features overlap with built-in Windows tools and are outperformed by alternatives like TotalAV, Panda’s cleanup options are easy to use and can speed up older PCs.

Parental Controls

Panda’s bundled parental controls for Windows are basic, offering only content filtering. The standalone Panda Dome Family add-on is much better, with GPS tracking, app blocking, time controls, and more, but it focuses on mobile devices, leaving desktop users with limited options.

Data Shield

Data Shield provides ransomware protection by blocking unauthorized access to important files. It uses Decoy Files and Shadow Copies to trap ransomware and recover data without taking up much space. While the default settings protect only the Documents folder, it’s easy to expand protection to other folders. It’s an effective and user-friendly tool.

Additional Features

Panda Dome also includes several other features:

• Anti-theft tools: Track and lock devices, with extra features like photo capture and motion sensors for Android.
• Web protection: Blocks phishing sites and malicious links.
• Dark web scanner: Alerts users if their email is found in a breach.
• Virtual keyboard: Protects against keyloggers.
• USB protection: Scans USB drives for malware.
• Update manager: Keeps software up to date.

The anti-theft tools, especially on Android, are impressive with smartwatch integration and advanced tracking features, while web protection and the dark web scanner add extra layers of security.

Overall, Panda’s suite of features is comprehensive, with highlights like the Rescue Kit, anti-theft tools, and file encryption. However, some areas, like basic parental controls and PC cleanup, could be more competitive.

Plans and pricing

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 our country.

Plan description

Panda Free Antivirus

Panda’s free plan provides solid basics like real-time antivirus and a rescue kit for emergencies. It’s a strong option for a free plan but lacks advanced features like ransomware protection and parental controls.

Panda Dome Essential

Starting at $23.99/year for one device, Dome Essential offers real-time antivirus for Windows, Mac, and Android, as well as Wi-Fi protection and a firewall. It’s decent for the price, but competitors like McAfee offer more features at similar costs.

Panda Dome Advanced

For $28.49/year, this plan adds ransomware protection and data shield features. If you have a family, the inclusion of parental controls might tip the scales in its favor, but it competes closely with plans like Norton’s 360 Standard, which provides additional features.

Panda Dome Complete

Priced at $42.99/year for a single device, this plan includes extras like a password manager and file encryption. It’s comparable to Norton’s 360 Deluxe but includes unique features like file shredding and the Rescue Kit.

Panda Dome Premium

At $66.99/year for one device, this top-tier package offers premium VPN and 24/7 customer support. Despite its comprehensive feature set, it struggles to justify the high price, especially considering our lackluster support experience and more affordable alternatives like Bitdefender Premium Security.

All plans come with a 30-day money-back guarantee. While Panda does offer first-year discounts, it’s generally pricier, especially for multiple devices.

In summary, Panda offers a range of plans with varying features. While the Android app and free antivirus are strong points, the customer support and pricing make it less competitive compared to rivals like Norton and Bitdefender.

Test score comparison

We conduct in-house anti-malware tests and review the results from AV-Test, a German lab renowned for its objective evaluations. Below is the average of the last 10 AV-Test results for Windows. Their scoring criteria are:

• Protection (1-6): Effectiveness in blocking malware.
• Performance (1-6): Impact on system speed.
• Usability (1-6): Frequency of errors like false alarms.

We calculate a final score using this formula:

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

While these results influence our choice of the best antivirus for Windows 11, other factors like privacy and identity protection also play a key role. For a similar analysis for Android or macOS, visit our other comparisons:

• The best antivirus for Android.
• The best antivirus for Mac.

Note: Brands not listed in the table either do not participate in AV-Test trials or are tested too infrequently, such as Surfshark Antivirus.

Source: AV-Test (Last updated: December 2024).

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  single Windows PC with the most 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.

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. 

We consider scores above 4.0 very good. Lower scores indicate that the brand might have a poor product or customer service. McAfee’s scores, for instance, are worrying.

Source: TrustPilot. Last Update: December 2024.

Company Profile

Panda Security is owned by WatchGuard.

About Panda:

Panda Security is a key player in the realm of endpoint security and a member of the WatchGuard family of IT security solutions. Founded with a focus on antivirus software, Panda Security has evolved to offer a range of cutting-edge cybersecurity services aimed at preventing cyber-crime.

The company’s unique features include TruPrevent, a set of proactive tools for blocking unknown viruses, and a Collective Intelligence model that detects and classifies malware in real time. These have paved the way for their Adaptive Defense security approach.

With a global footprint, Panda Security serves 30 million users across 180 countries, operating with a workforce of 600 employees and 16 subsidiaries.

About WatchGuard:

For a quarter of a century, WatchGuard has been a trailblazer in the field of cybersecurity. The company specializes in creating advanced, yet user-friendly, security solutions.

Their product range includes network and endpoint security tools, secure Wi-Fi systems, multi-factor authentication services, and network intelligence offerings. Catering primarily to small and midsize businesses, WatchGuard serves over 250,000 enterprises worldwide and secures more than 10 million endpoints.

Headquartered in Seattle, Washington, the company has a global footprint with offices in North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Latin America.

How we test antivirus software

At SoftwareLab, we provide thorough and unbiased antivirus reviews to help you make informed cybersecurity decisions. Our comprehensive testing covers all critical aspects of antivirus performance. We assess each product in six key categories, weighted by importance:

For even more details, visit our blog posts on how we test antivirus software.