For many years, the cleanup-only Malwarebytes Free was (and still is) the go-to solution after a failure by regular antivirus protection. It has always been a specialty tool, not for everyday use. Malwarebytes Premium extends that protection with all the features you expect in a full-scale antivirus, scanning on demand and on schedule, as well as on file access. Its Threat Scan is speedy, and it uses various real-time protection techniques, including behavior-based detection, ransomware activity detection, and protection against exploit attacks.

It now includes the ability to scan for breaches involving any email account you own. Additionally, its new Tools section provides useful system tools, some of which are limited to Windows 11.

Anyone who’s used Malwarebytes Free to remedy another antivirus tool’s slip-up will appreciate the full-powered Malwarebytes Premium. Even if you never needed that kind of rescue, this app's speedy scan and flexible pricing are a big draw.

Why We Picked It

Scores in hands-on tests: Malwarebytes is on a streak in my hands-on malware blocking test, interrupted by one fluke low score. In four successive reviews, it scored 9.8, 10, 9.8, and (the fluke) 9.3. Now it's back on top with 9.9 of 10 possible points. Malwarebytes earned a very good 96% detection score in my antiphishing test, but didn’t do as well at preventing malware downloads. In my test, using malware-hosting URLs, the system achieved only 83% protection.

Independent lab test scores: Early in its existence, Malwarebytes didn’t participate in lab tests at all, as the developers contended that its advanced techniques weren’t compatible with standard testing. Over the years, it has popped up in some tests, with scores ranging from dismal to perfect. In 2022, it took perfect scores from MRG-Effitas and AV-Test; AV-Comparatives also certified its protection, though not at the highest level. In 2023, it achieved a top rating from MRG-Effitas and earned a near-perfect Top Product rating from AV-Test. Currently, it holds perfect scores from MRG-Effitas and AVLab, resulting in an aggregate score of 10.

Pricing and pricing tiers: Most antivirus apps offer a volume discount of some kind for those needing to protect multiple devices. However, the discount tiers don’t always jibe precisely with your needs. Suppose an antivirus offers subscriptions for one, three, five, or 10 devices, but you need seven. You’ll have to buy 10 licenses and waste three of them. That’s not the case with Malwarebytes. A single license costs $44.99, but after that, the price is $29.99 plus $10 per device, ranging from $49.99 for two devices all the way up to $229.99 for 20 devices, with no licenses wasted.

Ransomware protection: This app’s real-time protection wiped out all my ransomware samples on sight, so I had to disable real-time protection before running tests using real-world ransomware specimens. With regular protection crippled, Malwarebytes still detected all my file-encrypting ransomware samples. As can happen with behavior-based detection, a few files on the test system were encrypted before Malwarebytes intervened, but almost all of these were logs and other unimportant ancillary files.

Features beyond antivirus: Malwarebytes focuses strongly on antivirus basics, although it also extends its protection with a behavior-based detection layer that has proven effective against ransomware. Its exploit protection system is hard to test, as it only reacts to exploits that match an actual vulnerability on the victim system. The latest edition scans the dark web to see if any of your email accounts were exposed in a breach. It also adds tools, including startup app management, a handy control panel for Windows Firewall, and (in Windows 11) a collection of useful system tweaks.

Who It’s For

The efficiency fiend: Malwarebytes has a clean, tidy appearance, but more importantly, it runs a full Threat Scan in minutes, where the average app takes hours, or at least an hour. If you want an app that takes care of business expeditiously, this one’s for you.

The thrifty user: Do you hate paying for things you don’t use, like paying for 10 antivirus licenses when you only need six? Malwarebytes has the cure. With Malwarebytes, you can put in an order for precisely the number of licenses you need, up to 20, so there’s no waste.