As an IT person that helps to solve other people’s computer problems, I have used Malwarebytes on more than several occasions to get rid of their malware. That software tool has helped me solve more infected computers than I can remember. While at the same time, the other traditional anti-virus applications just couldn’t get the job done.
In this product review of Malwarebytes, we’re going to delve into this product to see what makes it stand out from the competition and to determine…is Malwarebytes worth it.
From personal experience, I know this product delivers, but let’s find out why.
So without further delay, let’s get into the details of Malwarebytes.
What is Malwarebytes
Malwarebytes is an anti-malware and anti-virus program that not only gets rid of malware from your computer, it also protects you from it. This software tool came about as a result of other anti-virus programs not being able to get rid of certain viruses.
Back in 2008, the creator and owner of Malwarebytes Marcin Kleczynski decided he was going to somehow create an anti-virus program to get rid of malware on his mom’s computer. Apparently, the other mega anti-virus companies (i.e. Norton, McAfee, AVG, Kaspersky, etc.) couldn’t solve the problem that he was having, and he was simply frustrated. So he decided to get creative and invented his own anti-malware software.
As a result, Malwarebytes was created.
As I mentioned earlier, I also ran into that issue with other anti-virus companies. No matter how many times I would update to the latest virus definitions or the most recent version of that particular anti-virus software, it still couldn’t remove those malicious codes. So I had to go on a “mad hunt”, trying to find some kind of tool that would get the job done.
My research lead me to Malwarebytes, and boy did it deliver.
Just using the free version (back then it was free for a lot longer than it is now) alone got rid of all the malware on my client’s computer, which really impressed me. Malwarebytes became one of my “secret tools” after that to solve many more malware-related issues and viruses for some time to come.
One of my best-kept secrets indeed…until word started to catch on about it.
Installation
To get started with Malwarebytes, simply head over to their website and download the installation file. You can start with their 14-day trial version, or purchase the premium version right away. Either one is fine.
The installation process takes no more than 2 minutes to complete, literally.
Below you’ll find a video I did to showcase the entire process from start to finish. This is more for the visual learners out there, like myself, who would prefer to see it, rather than just read about it.
See below for a video showing how to download, install and run Malwarebytes for the first time.
Pros and Cons
Let’s talk a bit about the good, the bad, and the ugly for Malwarebytes. As much as I enjoy this product, there are some drawbacks to it, and we’re going to get into them here. Given that it falls under the category of anti-virus, we’re really comparing it to other anti-virus software currently in the market.
Here are the Pros:
- Threat Prevention: Having Malwarebytes installed on your machine is like any other anti-virus application. One of the main jobs of an anti-virus application is that it protects your computer (at least it’s supposed to) in real-time, 24/7, and prevents any potential threat, infections, or harm to come to your computer. Malwarebytes does this really well, more so for the premium (paid) members. You can try it out for free of course, but with limited features and use it for 14 days, during the trial period.
- Web Protection: Ever heard of a thing called phishing? It is what scammers do when they’re trying to get information from you or about you. They usually do it via an email from a fake institution, that looks reputable, asking you to fill out some information. In essence, what they’re doing is “phishing” for information, and then using that information to do very bad things. Web protection prevents that from happening.
- Ransomeware Protection: This one is a big one, as ransomware can really lock down an entire company preventing users from getting access to their files. The hackers on the other side of this wrongdoing request payment of several thousands of dollars (sometimes upwards of $20,000) in Bitcoin to unlock their files. Trying to pay hackers money so they can unlock those “corrupted and locked” files, is like playing Russian Rulet with the Russian mafia…it’s not gonna end well for you. So having this feature is pretty special, as a preventative feature.
- VPN: This is a recent addition to Malwarebytes. They decided to add this feature in 2020 so they could stand out from the competition of other anti-virus software, which I think is pretty special. They call it “Malwarebytes Privacy VPN”. This will give users extra safety and privacy by allowing them to browse the internet anonymously. By the way, if you’re interested in another robust VPN software, check out my review on Express VPN.
Here are the Cons (the not so good stuff):
- Heavy on your computer: Malwarebytes tends to use up more of your computer’s resources while it’s running in the background. I tend to frown on this as it was one of my pet peeves with many other AV (anti-virus) applications. So hopefully they work on improving this in the near future.
- Pricey: Compared to other applications in its field, Malwarebytes tend to be more expensive than its counterparts. As of this writing, Malwarebytes premium is $29.99 per year to protect one computer. Whereas other players in the market are offering similar services for less. Or they offer 2 or more devices for the same price.
- Intrusive Updates: When updates are pushed to Malwarebytes, it tends to be a bit intrusive. Meaning, instead of the updates running in the background, it tends to give a lot of annoying pop-ups, vying for the user’s attention. This can be annoying if you’re in the middle of something and have to stop and respond to the prompts.
Features
I talked a little about this in the last section, but I want to go into more detail about the features of Malwarebytes here. This is how we can really determine how is Malwarebytes worth it.
One of the things that I like about Malwarebytes is its ability to clean up an already infected computer. This is one of the areas I believe they shine in. After running the application on a computer that is infected, there will be a noticeable difference in computer performance.
I can’t say the same for other applications I have used.
Protecting your identity is an important security feature to have in today’s age. There are numerous cases reported each week on victims of identity theft by hackers. As I’ve eluded earlier, this is one of the strong points for Malwarebytes with their web protection feature.
They prevent hackers from “phishing” for your information over the internet. Just knowing that you have this type of protection is something that’ll make you sleep well at night.
On to the matter of ransomware.
You really don’t want to be a victim of this. It’s messy…really messy and not to mention very expensive. To give an analogy, a business that gets hit with ransomware is like someone changing the locks on the doors of your house, without you being aware of it. And in order to get into your own house, you’ll need to pay that person to give you the keys so you get into your own house again.
Pretty absurd right? Well, that’s how ransomware works in the virtual world. So having ransomware protection is gold, and I love the fact that they’ve included this feature.
I think it’s the best malware protection application that’s available. Heck, it’s named after the very thing it was designed to remove and destroy…”malware”. Sure there is other software that can attempt to do what Malwarebytes does, but they don’t do it as good of a job.
And so, we can see why it’s priced just a little higher than most of the competition.
My Final Assessment
Overall, I believe Malwarebytes is a great application to have, protecting your computer from any nasty viruses, ransomware, and any other malware.
Sure, it may be a bit more pricey than most of its competitors (not by much), and it may use up more system resources on your computer, but in return, you’re getting good solid protection for your computer.
And it’s worth the investment.
So if it feels right, and you think Malwarebytes is the software tool for you. Then I say give them a try and see the difference it makes, as it relates to your malware issues.
You can get started today by heading to their homepage, and clicking download. You’ll be on your way to having a malware-free computer in a matter of minutes!