F-Secure vs Malwarebytes
We give F-Secure a 2.4 GPA and Malwarebytes a 2.2, out of 4.0. F-Secure grades higher on value for money and features. Malwarebytes grades higher on ease of use. They get the same grade on the free plan and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
F-Secure
Finnish antivirus and VPN suite that renews at the new-customer price
Malwarebytes
Malware scanner and real-time protection, with VPN and ID plans
How we grade them
| 2.4GPAF-SecureFair | 2.2GPAMalwarebytesFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CInternet Security for 5 devices is $124.99 for 2 years, about $5.21 a month, just above the dearer quarter of antivirus. Total for 5 is $149.99 for 2 years and renews at that same price, which hardly any rival here promises. | 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 | CThe free Online Scanner cleans a Windows PC on demand but doesn't guard it, and Total has a 30-day free trial. Nothing free protects you day to day. | 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 | BAntivirus, ransomware, banking and scam protection on every plan, with scam text filtering on phones. Total adds an unlimited VPN, a password vault and identity monitoring. The VPN's kill switch skips the iPhone. | 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 | C4.41 from about 490 App Store ratings: middling for this category, and not many people behind it. | 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 | BWindows, Mac, Android and iPhone. No web app, API or integration list on record, so it stops at B. | 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 | a renewal price that matches the first one | 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: F-Secure and Malwarebytes. How we grade
Price against what you get
F-Secure starts at $4.17 a month when paid by the year and scores 2.7 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.
They score the same, and F-Secure starts $0.83 a month lower. Of the other antivirus apps on the chart, 3 score higher than F-Secure for less, and 4 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
- F-Secure starts at $49.99 per year for 1 device (Internet Security). Malwarebytes starts at $59.99 per year for up to 3 devices (Standard).
- Only Malwarebytes lists a browser extension.
- F-Secure also covers password manager.
- Malwarebytes also covers ad and tracker blocking.
At a glance
| F-Secure | Malwarebytes | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $49.99 per year for 1 device (Internet Security) | $59.99 per year for up to 3 devices (Standard) |
| Free plan | F-Secure Online Scanner scans and cleans a Windows PC for free, on demand; it is not ongoing protection. | 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 | 30-day free trial of the full version of F-Secure Total | None listed |
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | F-Secure | Malwarebytes Inc. |
| Price read from | f-secure.com | malwarebytes.com |
| Checked | Oct 17, 2026 | Oct 17, 2026 |
Who each one suits
F-Secure
- Buyers who want a renewal price that matches the advertised one
- Households covering up to 5 mixed devices with a VPN included
- People who prefer a European company under GDPR
Malwarebytes
- Cleaning up a computer that is already infected, for free
- Households that want one antivirus across Windows, Mac and phones
- Buyers who want a VPN in the same subscription as their antivirus
Worth knowing
F-Secure
- The VPN, password vault and identity monitoring come only with Total, not Internet Security.
- The free Online Scanner only cleans a PC on demand and does not protect it continuously.
- The same-price renewal promise is stated for Total; the Internet Security page does not say what it renews at.
- The VPN kill switch works on Windows, Mac and Android only.
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
F-Secure
- Antivirus and ransomware protection
- Protects against viruses, ransomware, spyware, infostealers and other malware, with a gaming mode on Windows.
- Scam protection
- Rates online stores, blocks scam and phishing sites, and filters scam text messages on phones using AI detection.
- Banking protection
- Checks that banking sites are genuine and secures the connection while you bank or shop.
- Unlimited VPN
- Total includes F-Secure VPN with no traffic limit, virtual locations and a kill switch on Windows, Mac and Android.
- Password vault and identity monitoring
- Total stores and autofills passwords, flags weak or reused ones, and watches the dark web for leaked personal data with expert help.
- Same price at renewal
- F-Secure says a Total renewal costs the same as a new subscription rather than rising after the first year.
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
F-Secure
Online Scanner$0
Free on-demand scan and cleanup for Windows PCs.
Internet Security, 1 year$49.99
per year for 1 device
Antivirus, ransomware, banking, shopping and scam protection. $64.99 for 3 devices, $69.99 for 5.
Internet Security, 2 years$89.99
every 2 years for 1 device
Internet Security paid 2 years at a time. $114.99 for 3 devices, $124.99 for 5.
Total, 1 year$69.99
per year for 1 device
Adds unlimited VPN, password vault and identity monitoring. Renews at the same price. $79.99 for 3 devices, $84.99 for 5.
Total, 2 years$124.99
every 2 years for 1 device
Total paid 2 years at a time, renewing at the same price. $144.99 for 3 devices, $149.99 for 5.
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
F-Secure
- Other savings
Lower yearly rate on 2-year plans
Total for 1 device is $124.99 for 2 years against $69.99 a year, and Internet Security is $89.99 for 2 years against $49.99 a year.
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.
