Malwarebytes vs SUPERAntiSpyware (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Malwarebytes grades higher than SUPERAntiSpyware: 2.2 against 2.0 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Malwarebytes grades higher on features and platforms. SUPERAntiSpyware grades higher on value for money. They get the same grade on the free plan and 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
SUPERAntiSpyware
Windows anti-spyware scanner, free or Professional X
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 SUPERAntiSpyware if
- Fits if you want a second-opinion scanner next to your main antivirus
- Works for one-off cleanups of a PC you suspect is infected
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you want it to replace your antivirus, as the vendor says it should not
- Skip it if you use a Mac or a phone, as only Windows is covered
- Too light for free users: real-time protection, schedules and automatic updates are Pro
- Watch out: the $19.99 price is a discount from $74.95 with no end date and no renewal price
How we grade them
| 2.2GPAMalwarebytesFair | 2.0GPASUPERAntiSpywareFair | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | BProfessional X is $19.99 a year for 3 PCs, about $1.67 a month, inside the cheapest quarter. The crossed-out $74.95 has no end date and no renewal 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. | CA free edition that only scans and removes on demand. Real-time protection and scheduled scans are Pro. |
| 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. | DIt is a scanner that the vendor positions to work beside an antivirus, so it needs another product to cover a PC. |
| 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, but it is a Windows program you install and run. |
| 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. | DWindows only: the requirements list Windows 7, 8, 8.1, 10 and 11. |
| Best for | cleaning up a computer that's already infected | an on-demand scan to run beside your antivirus |
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 SUPERAntiSpyware. 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. SUPERAntiSpyware starts at $1.67 a month when paid by the year and scores 1.7.
Malwarebytes scores higher, and starts $3.33 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 4 score higher than SUPERAntiSpyware 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 vPN.
At a glance
| Malwarebytes | SUPERAntiSpyware | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $59.99 per year for up to 3 devices (Standard) | $19.99 per year for 3 PCs (sale price shown, $74.95 crossed out; renewal price not stated) |
| 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. | Free edition: on-demand scanning and removal. Real-time protection, scheduled scans, the AI detection engine and automatic updates are listed as Pro features. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | Malwarebytes Inc. | RealDefense LLC |
| Price read from | malwarebytes.com | superantispyware.com |
| Checked | Oct 17, 2026 | Nov 13, 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.
SUPERAntiSpyware
- Windows only: the system requirements list Windows 7, 8, 8.1, 10 and 11.
- The vendor positions the product to work with an antivirus program, not to replace one.
- The $19.99 price is shown as a discount from $74.95 with no end date, and no renewal price is stated.
- Corporate, academic and non-profit, technician and reseller editions are listed, but their prices are not shown on the pages read.
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.
SUPERAntiSpyware
- Spyware and malware removal
- Detects and removes spyware, adware, trojans, worms, ransomware, hijackers, rootkits and keyloggers, quarantining items that can be restored.
- Process Interrogation Technology
- The vendor's method for finding rootkits and kernel drivers it says standard anti-spyware programs miss.
- System Investigator
- Lists installed applications and browser plug-ins and lets you track system changes over time.
- Real-time protection on Pro
- Blocks harmful software from installing and checks critical system points at startup and shutdown.
- Scan scheduling and email reports
- Pro schedules quick, complete or critical scans and can email scan results.
- Repair of malware damage
- Fixes parts of the operating system, registry and internet connection affected by malware.
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.
SUPERAntiSpyware
Free$0
The vendor's download page lists real-time protection, scheduled scanning, the AI-powered engine and automatic updates as Pro additions to the free features.
Professional X$19.99
per year for 3 PCs, sale price shown, renewal price not stated
Real-time protection, scheduled scans, AI detection and automatic updates. Crossed-out $74.95 shown with no end date; 30-day refund guarantee.
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.
SUPERAntiSpyware
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Malwarebytes or SUPERAntiSpyware?
As of Nov 13, 2026, SUPERAntiSpyware is cheaper to start with: $1.67 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 SUPERAntiSpyware starts at $19.99 per year for 3 PCs (sale price shown, $74.95 crossed out; renewal price not stated).
Which has a free plan, Malwarebytes or SUPERAntiSpyware?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Malwarebytes and SUPERAntiSpyware have a free plan.
Which platforms do Malwarebytes and SUPERAntiSpyware run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Malwarebytes lists macOS, iOS and Android apps and a browser extension. Both list a Windows 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.