I have been using Malwarebytes Anti-Malware free version for years. I think it is the best of its kind hands down. So why did I make the switch to the fee-based premium version? I think I made the decision for 2 reasons: realtime monitoring of my systems, and the price is a dramatically low $24.95 for one year, and that one license covers 3 systems, and that is exactly how many production systems we have in our house. So for a little over $8 I can get the realtime monitoring and all of the other bells and whistles that come with the premium version on all of our machines.
Security today, it goes without saying, is a red hot topic, and I want to do all I can do to make our systems secure. So there you have it in a nutshell: great protection at a very affordable price.
You should consider doing this too.
FYI, we have 2 Windows 8.1 and one Windows 7 machines in the house. The Windows 7 machine runs Microsoft Security Essentials for its anti-virus protection, and the 2 Windows 8.1 machines use Windows Defender for their anti-virus protection (for the uninitiated, Windows Defender in Windows 8 is the new name for Microsoft Security Essentials).
Hi Tom, So Malwarebytes Anti-Malware Premium has Real-time Protection. What exactly is that feature? I thought Windows Defender (MSE) did that same activity. I think real-time protection scans all downloads and incoming emails for viruses. And I thought Windows only allows one antivirus program to run "real-time" at a time. So how can you use both?
ReplyDeleteJoan
Good point Joan. Malwarebytes is not an anti-virus. It catches the junk, some of it even malicious, that no one considers a virus. Its presence does not make it a dual anti-virus environment. Windows has no problem with its being present.
ReplyDeleteI don't know enough to explain the differences. I have used both products (Malwarebytes FREE) along with MSE for years, and when I saw the price of the Premium Malwarebytes product I thought it a small price to pay for a little more security insurance.
Of course your point could also be directed to a HOSTS file and Superantispyware, etc. As far as I am concerned, today's processors (we have an I3, I5, and an I7) and the plentiful inexpensive RAM allow for this additional overhead and, I say it again, insurance.
Thank you for writing and the excellent questions.