Malwarebytes vs Moonlock (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Malwarebytes grades higher than Moonlock: 2.2 against 2.0 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Malwarebytes grades higher on the free plan and platforms. Moonlock grades higher on value for money and features. They get the same grade on ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Malwarebytes
Malware scanner and real-time protection, with VPN and ID plans
Moonlock
Mac antivirus with real-time scanning, a VPN and a scam checker
Which one is for you
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
Pick Moonlock if
- Fits if you have one Mac and want a scanner built only for macOS
- Works for a household of 1, 2 or 5 Macs that wants a one-time purchase option
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you also use Windows, iPhone or Android, as there is no app for them
- Watch out: the 7-day trial charges $54 on its own when it ends unless you cancel
- Pricey if you pay monthly, at $13.50 against $54 for the year
- Watch out: the one-time $150 may not include major upgrades and new features, and 2- and 5-Mac prices only show at checkout
How we grade them
| 2.2GPAMalwarebytesFair | 2.0GPAMoonlockFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | 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. | C$54 a year for 1 Mac, which works out to $4.50 a month. That sits right at the middle of what antivirus charges ($4.50), neither cheap nor dear. The one-time $150 is more than two years of that middle price. |
| Free plan and trial | 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. | D7 days free, and it starts on the yearly plan, so $54 is charged automatically when it ends unless you cancel. No free version of the app. |
| Features | 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. | BReal-time scanning, a manual scanner, a VPN, a network inspector that can block countries, a scam checker and a settings advisor. Nothing in the listing is missing from the job an antivirus does. |
| Ease of use | 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. | BNo store rating on record. It is an app you install and run, with nothing to set up before it starts scanning. |
| Platforms and integrations | 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. | DmacOS 13 or later only. The site mentions no Windows, iPhone or Android app, and no integrations. |
| Best for | cleaning up a computer that's already infected | antivirus for a single Mac |
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: Malwarebytes and Moonlock. How we grade
Price against what you get
Malwarebytes starts at $5 a month when paid by the year and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Moonlock starts at $4.50 a month when paid by the year and scores 2.3.
Malwarebytes scores higher, and starts $0.50 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other antivirus apps on the chart, 5 score higher than Malwarebytes for less, and 9 score higher than Moonlock 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
| Malwarebytes | Moonlock | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free trial |
| Starts at | $59.99 per year for up to 3 devices (Standard) | $54 per year for 1 Mac ($13.50 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | Malwarebytes Free scans Windows PCs and Macs on demand and removes infections already there. It has no real-time, ransomware or phishing protection. | None |
| Free trial | None listed | 7 days free, then billed at the plan chosen |
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | Malwarebytes Inc. | MacPaw Way Ltd. |
| Price read from | malwarebytes.com | pay.macpaw.com |
| Checked | Oct 17, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
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.
Moonlock
- Mac only: the system requirements list macOS 13 or later, and the site mentions no Windows, iOS or Android app.
- The 7-day trial starts on a yearly plan and charges $54 automatically when it ends unless cancelled.
- Prices for the 2- and 5-device options were not shown without selecting them, so only the 1-device prices are listed here.
- The one-time purchase may not include major upgrades and new features, according to the checkout page.
Key features
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.
Moonlock
- Real-time protection
- Scans in the background, even when the app is closed, and checks files, apps and Mail attachments. It neutralizes a risky file but leaves the decision to remove it to you.
- Malware scanner
- A manual scan of the Mac that quarantines detected malware, and explains what it found, why it is dangerous and what to do next.
- VPN and network inspector
- A VPN encrypts the connection on untrusted networks, and the network inspector can cut connections to countries the user chooses.
- Scam Detector
- Paste a suspicious message and the AI-powered detector says whether it looks like a scam.
- System protection and Security Advisor
- Checks the Mac's security settings and walks through the ones to tighten, plus short advice on safer habits.
Plans
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.
Moonlock
Yearly$54
per year for 1 device ($13.50 billed monthly)
Shown as $4.50 a month billed yearly. The 7-day free trial starts on this plan. 2- and 5-device options also exist.
Monthly$13.50
per month for 1 device, billed monthly
Month-to-month billing for one Mac. Prices for the 2- and 5-device options were not readable without choosing them in checkout.
One-time purchase$150
for 1 device, paid once, one-time
Paid once with no renewal. The checkout says it may not include major upgrades and new features.
Ways to pay less
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.
Moonlock
- Annual discount
Yearly billing is $4.50 a month
The checkout lists the yearly plan at $54 billed yearly against $13.50 a month when billed monthly.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Malwarebytes or Moonlock?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Moonlock is cheaper to start with: $4.50 a month when paid by the year, against $5 a month when paid by the year for Malwarebytes. Malwarebytes starts at $59.99 per year for up to 3 devices (Standard), and Moonlock starts at $54 per year for 1 Mac ($13.50 billed monthly).
Which has a free plan, Malwarebytes or Moonlock?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Malwarebytes has a free plan. Moonlock does not, though it has a free trial.
Which platforms do Malwarebytes and Moonlock run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Malwarebytes lists Windows, iOS and Android apps and a browser extension. Both list a macOS app. 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.