Malwarebytes vs ZoneAlarm (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, ZoneAlarm grades higher than Malwarebytes: 2.6 against 2.2 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 17, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
ZoneAlarm grades higher on value for money and the free plan. They get the same grade on features, ease of use and platforms.
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
ZoneAlarm
Firewall, antivirus and anti-ransomware for home PCs and phones
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 ZoneAlarm if
- Fits if you want a free firewall or antivirus on a PC
- Works for someone who wants one paid suite across PC and phones
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want to compare prices first, as none could be read
- Tight if you stay on the free downloads, which cover PCs only
- Watch out: threat emulation and mobile protection are only on Extreme Security
- Watch out: products other than Extreme Security list fewer platforms
How we grade them
| 2.2GPAMalwarebytesFair | 2.6GPAZoneAlarmGood | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | CNo plan prices are recorded, so it sits in the middle of antivirus where no price is published. |
| 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. | BFree Antivirus and Free Firewall downloads are offered for PCs, with no time limit. One person could live on them. |
| 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. | CTwo-way firewall, antivirus, anti-phishing and anti-ransomware, but threat emulation and the mobile protections are listed only for Extreme Security NextGen. |
| 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 installed software with nothing to configure to start. |
| 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. | BExtreme Security NextGen lists Windows, macOS, Android and iOS. The other products list fewer platforms. No integrations listed. |
| Best for | cleaning up a computer that's already infected | a free firewall for a Windows PC |
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 ZoneAlarm. How we grade
Where they differ
- Malwarebytes also covers vPN and ad and tracker blocking.
At a glance
| Malwarebytes | ZoneAlarm | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $59.99 per year for up to 3 devices (Standard) | Not published |
| 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 Antivirus and Free Firewall downloads are offered for PCs. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | Malwarebytes Inc. | Check Point Software Technologies |
| Price read from | malwarebytes.com | Not confirmed |
| 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.
ZoneAlarm
- Plan prices are not recorded: the product and pricing pages answered with a bot check, so nothing could be read.
- The home page lists Extreme Security NextGen for Windows, macOS, Android and iOS; the other products list fewer platforms.
- Threat emulation and the mobile protections are listed only for Extreme Security.
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.
ZoneAlarm
- Two-way firewall
- Blocks inbound attacks and outbound connections from a PC; a free firewall edition is offered.
- Real-time antivirus
- Scans against a cloud database of signatures for viruses, spyware, Trojans and worms.
- Anti-phishing
- Checks fields that ask for personal details before they are filled in.
- Anti-ransomware
- Uses Check Point technology to detect ransomware and restore files; also sold as a separate product.
- Threat emulation
- Inspects documents and email attachments in a cloud sandbox. Listed for Extreme Security.
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.
ZoneAlarm
Pricing could not be confirmed. See zonealarm.com.
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.
ZoneAlarm
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Malwarebytes or ZoneAlarm?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Malwarebytes starts at $59.99 per year for up to 3 devices (Standard), and ZoneAlarm has no price we could confirm.
Which has a free plan, Malwarebytes or ZoneAlarm?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both Malwarebytes and ZoneAlarm have a free plan.
Which platforms do Malwarebytes and ZoneAlarm run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Malwarebytes lists a browser extension. Both list macOS, Windows, 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.