Certo AntiSpy vs Malwarebytes (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Certo AntiSpy and Malwarebytes share a 2.2 GPA, both have a free plan and they start at the same price, so the choice depends on whether you care more about value for money, where Certo AntiSpy grades higher, or platforms, where Malwarebytes does.
Checked Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
They get the same grade on the free plan, features and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Certo AntiSpy
Spyware scanning and privacy checks for iPhone and Android
Malwarebytes
Malware scanner and real-time protection, with VPN and ID plans
Which one is for you
Pick Certo AntiSpy if
- Fits if you suspect a stalkerware app on your phone
- Works for people who want a check done on iPhone or Android only
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you want Premium Plus with the VPN, at $84.99 a year
- Skip it if you want protection for a computer, as it covers phones only
- Watch out: the deep spyware scan on iPhone needs a computer
- Watch out: Android prices differ from the App Store figures recorded
- Tight if you stay on the free tier, which does less on iPhone than on Android
Pick Malwarebytes if
- Fits if a computer is already acting up and you want a free scan to clean it
- Works for households of up to 10 devices on one family plan
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you have four or five devices, since that means the $119.99 family plan
- Skip it if you want the free version to stop threats, as it has no real-time, ransomware or phishing protection
- Not for you if you're on a Mac and want the firewall control, exploit protection and webcam monitoring Windows gets
- Watch out: Ultimate is $139.99 the first year, then $279.99, and plans bought online renew by themselves
- Too light for small businesses, as home plans are for personal use and Teams is sold separately
How we grade them
| 2.2GPACerto AntiSpyFair | 2.2GPAMalwarebytesFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CPremium is $59.99 a year, or $8.99 a month, on the App Store, between the middle and the dearer quarter of this category. Premium Plus is $84.99. | DFive devices means Standard Family, $119.99 a year for up to 10, with no first-year deal on record. So two years cost $239.98, about $10 a month, in the dearest tenth of antivirus. With three devices or fewer, Standard at $59.99 a year halves that. |
| Free plan and trial | CA free tier with a vulnerability scan and health check on iPhone, and spyware detection on Android, plus a 7-day trial of the paid plans. | CMalwarebytes Free scans Windows PCs and Macs and removes what it finds, for nothing. But it has no real-time, ransomware or phishing protection, so it cleans up after an infection rather than stopping one. |
| Features | CSpyware detection and privacy checks. It does that one job on phones and covers no computers; the deep iPhone scan needs a computer. | CReal-time protection on Windows, Mac and Android, Browser Guard against scam sites, Scam Guard for messages, and a VPN from Plus up. The gap is in the listing itself: exploit protection, firewall control and webcam monitoring are Windows-only. |
| Ease of use | BNo store rating on record, but it is an app you install and run with little setup. | BNo store rating on record. It's a program you install and run, and the free scanner needs nothing set up before the first scan. |
| Platforms and integrations | CiPhone, iPad and Android only. No Windows or Mac apps. | BWindows, Mac, Android, iPhone, and Browser Guard for Chrome, Firefox, Edge and Safari. No web app, integration list or API on record, so it stops at B. |
| Best for | checking an iPhone or Android phone for spyware | cleaning up a computer that's already infected |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Certo AntiSpy and Malwarebytes. How we grade
Price against what you get
Certo AntiSpy starts at $5 a month when paid by the year and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Malwarebytes starts at $5 a month when paid by the year and scores 2.7.
Malwarebytes scores higher for the same starting price. Of the other antivirus apps on the chart, 12 score higher than Certo AntiSpy for less, and 5 score higher than Malwarebytes for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Malwarebytes also covers ad and tracker blocking.
At a glance
| Certo AntiSpy | Malwarebytes | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $8.99 per month, or $59.99 per year (Premium, App Store prices) | $59.99 per year for up to 3 devices (Standard) |
| Free plan | AntiSpy free tier: vulnerability scan, security health check and WiFi protection on iPhone; spyware detection, threat removal and privacy audit on Android. | Malwarebytes Free scans Windows PCs and Macs on demand and removes infections already there. It has no real-time, ransomware or phishing protection. |
| Free trial | 7-day free trial for new users on the App Store subscriptions. | None listed |
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | Certo Software | Malwarebytes Inc. |
| Price read from | apps.apple.com | malwarebytes.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Oct 17, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Certo AntiSpy
- Mobile only: the product pages cover iPhone (and iPad) and Android, not Windows or Mac.
- The deep spyware scan on iPhone needs a computer.
- The App Store prices are the ones recorded; Google Play shows a range of $4.99 to $49.99 per item, so Android prices differ.
Malwarebytes
- Malwarebytes Free has no real-time protection: it only finds and removes infections when you run a scan.
- Ultimate's $139.99 covers the first year only; it then renews at $279.99 a year, and subscriptions bought online renew automatically.
- Several protections, such as exploit protection, firewall control and webcam monitoring, are Windows-only.
- Home plans are for personal use; small businesses are sold Malwarebytes for Teams separately.
Key features
Certo AntiSpy
- Threat scanner
- A security health check that flags risks and vulnerabilities and gives steps to fix them.
- Deep spyware scan
- Premium's deeper iPhone scan needs a computer, according to the site's footnote.
- Intruder detection
- Sounds an alarm or takes a photo when someone tries to unlock the phone.
- Breach check
- Checks whether passwords and personal details appear in a data breach or on the dark web.
- VPN
- Included with Premium Plus; the App Store listing says it also blocks ads and trackers.
- Security and privacy checklist
- Tips for locking down the device and Apple account, with a checklist to track progress.
Malwarebytes
- Real-time malware protection
- Premium Security blocks malware, ransomware and potentially unwanted programs as they arrive on Windows, Mac and Android. The free version only cleans up afterwards.
- Browser Guard
- A free extension for Chrome, Firefox, Edge and Safari that blocks ads, third-party trackers and sites known to spread malware or scams.
- Scam Guard and text and call filtering
- Scam Guard checks suspicious messages and links and suggests what to do. Phones get scam text filtering, and the iPhone app also blocks spam calls.
- Privacy VPN
- Plus, Plus Family and Ultimate include a WireGuard-based VPN with no metering of data, on desktop and mobile.
- Windows-only extras
- On Windows, Premium Security adds exploit and brute force protection, firewall control, webcam monitoring, a file shredder and system tweaks.
- Identity protection
- Ultimate adds dark web and account alerts, three-bureau credit monitoring, recovery specialists, $2 million identity insurance and a personal data remover.
Plans
Certo AntiSpy
AntiSpy$0
Free tier with vulnerability scan, security health check and WiFi protection on iPhone.
Premium$59.99
per year, billed yearly ($8.99 billed monthly), App Store prices
Adds deep spyware scan (needs a computer), intruder detection and breach check; 7-day free trial for new users.
Premium Plus$84.99
per year, billed yearly ($12.99 billed monthly), App Store prices
Everything in Premium plus Certo Secure VPN; 7-day free trial for new users.
Malwarebytes
Free$0
On-demand scanner that finds and removes malware already on the device. Free apps for Android and iOS too.
Standard$59.99
per year for up to 3 devices
Premium Security antivirus with Browser Guard's scam, ad and tracker blocking and data breach alerts. Also sold for a single device.
Plus$79.99
per year for up to 3 devices
Everything in Standard plus Privacy VPN, a WireGuard VPN with no data cap.
Standard Family$119.99
per year for up to 10 devices
Standard's antivirus and Browser Guard for up to 10 devices.
Plus Family$149.99
per year for up to 10 devices
Antivirus, Browser Guard and Privacy VPN for up to 10 devices.
Ultimate$279.99
per year for 3 devices at renewal, after a first year for $139.99
Adds identity protection with $2M insurance and a data remover for 1 adult. First year $139.99. Family: $199.99, then $399.99.
Ways to pay less
Certo AntiSpy
- Annual discount
Save with yearly billing
The Certo plan page says yearly billing saves 44% on iPhone and 58% on Android compared with monthly.
Malwarebytes
- Other savings
Ultimate at $139.99 for the first year
The pricing page shows Ultimate at 50% off, $139.99 instead of $279.99, and Ultimate Family at $199.99 instead of $399.99. The discount is for the first year only.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Certo AntiSpy or Malwarebytes?
As of Nov 13, 2026, they start at the same price. Certo AntiSpy starts at $8.99 per month, or $59.99 per year (Premium, App Store prices), and Malwarebytes starts at $59.99 per year for up to 3 devices (Standard).
Which has a free plan, Certo AntiSpy or Malwarebytes?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Certo AntiSpy and Malwarebytes have a free plan.
Which platforms do Certo AntiSpy and Malwarebytes run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Malwarebytes lists macOS and Windows apps and a browser extension. Both list iOS and Android apps. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.