# Emsisoft Anti-Malware review (2026): is it worth $39.95 a year? > Dual-engine malware scanner for home PCs, with a web console Checked Nov 12, 2026 ยท graded Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA. Emsisoft Anti-Malware Home scans for viruses, spyware and unwanted programs with a two-engine scanner and adds real-time file, web and behavior protection plus anti-ransomware. Home devices are managed from a web console and a mobile app. Emsisoft also sells Business Security and Enterprise Security plans for organizations. - **Category:** Antivirus & Malware Protection - **Made by:** Emsisoft - **Website:** https://www.emsisoft.com/en/ - **Runs on:** Windows, macOS - **Who should skip it:** Skip it if you want a free edition, as there's only the 30-day trial. - **Facts last checked:** Nov 12, 2026 ## Pricing As of Nov 12, 2026, Emsisoft Anti-Malware is a paid product with a free trial, starting at $39.95 per year for 1 PC. - **Pricing model:** Free trial - **Free plan:** None. - **Free trial:** 30-day free trial. | Plan | Price | What you get | | --- | --- | --- | | Anti-Malware Home | $39.95 per year for 1 PC | Dual-engine scanner, real-time protection, web protection, anti-ransomware and the management console. Priced for 1, 3 or 5 devices and for 1, 2 or 3 year terms. | Read from https://www.emsisoft.com/en/anti-malware-home/ on Nov 12, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Emsisoft Anti-Malware before buying. ## Key features - **Dual-engine scanning:** Finds and cleans viruses, spyware and potentially unwanted programs with two scan engines. - **Real-time File Guard:** Checks downloaded and modified files as they appear, including with AI-supported detection. - **Web protection and browser security:** Blocks connections to malicious and phishing websites. - **Behavior Blocker and anti-ransomware:** Watches running processes for suspicious actions, including file encryption typical of ransomware, and steps in when it sees them. - **Management console:** A web console and Android and iOS apps show alerts and protection settings for the home devices on the account. ## Good for - Home users who want a malware scanner without a bundled VPN or password manager - Households with a few Windows PCs managed from one console ## Worth knowing - The pricing page shows regional prices to some visitors; the $39.95 figure is the US price in the product page's own data and should be re-checked. - The product page lists Windows 10 (64 bit) and later and macOS 11 and later; the pricing page describes the Home plan as for Windows PCs. - Business Security and Enterprise Security (with EDR) are separate per-endpoint products; no VPN or password manager is listed for the Home plan. - Sold with a 30-day money-back guarantee. ## ToolGPA grades **GPA: 2.4 out of 4**, graded Nov 12, 2026. Emsisoft Anti-Malware Home scans with two engines and blocks ransomware, for $39.95 a year for 1 PC. There's a 30-day trial and no free plan, and no VPN or password manager comes with it. - **Value for money: C.** $39.95 a year for 1 PC, about $3.33 a month, between the cheaper quarter ($2.92) and the middle ($4.50) of antivirus tools. The pricing page shows regional prices. - **Free plan and trial: C.** 30-day free trial, and the page doesn't say whether it needs a card. No free edition. - **Features: B.** Dual-engine scanning, real-time file guard, web protection, behavior blocker and anti-ransomware, with a management console. No VPN or password manager. - **Ease of use: B.** No store rating on record. You install it and scan, with nothing to set up. - **Platforms and integrations: C.** Windows and Mac, which are computers only. No phone apps listed. These are ToolGPA's own grades. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Emsisoft's own pages on 12 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. ## Where it stands among antivirus apps - Emsisoft Anti-Malware's GPA of 2.4 is higher than 7 of the 25 other antivirus apps we grade, and level with 5. - It stands best on features (B, above 9 of 25) and worst on platforms and integrations (C, above 3). - Its paid plans start at $3.33 a month when paid by the year, against a middle price of $4.50 for the category: 6 of the 20 others that charge start lower. - On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.7 out of 4. 4 tools score higher and cost less. The category's chart of price against score: https://toolgpa.com/charts/antivirus ## Keep it, or make your own? **Keep it.** To replace Emsisoft Anti-Malware you would be making an engine that recognises new malware as it appears. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one. That makes this kind of software worth paying for, not this one in particular: 13 of the 25 other antivirus apps grade higher. It costs $39.95 a year. - You could not: An engine that recognises new malware as it appears. - You could not: Connections that pull numbers from dozens of other services. - You could not: A real app for macOS and Windows. Something home-made would be a web page. - You could not: The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job. A judgement by ToolGPA from this listing, by rules that are the same for every tool. Nothing was built to test it. **Tags:** Malware protection, Dashboards ## Alternatives - [Malwarebytes](https://toolgpa.com/tools/malwarebytes): Malware scanner and real-time protection, with VPN and ID plans. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/emsisoft-vs-malwarebytes) - [ESET](https://toolgpa.com/tools/eset): Antivirus and home security plans priced by device count. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/emsisoft-vs-eset) - [Bitdefender](https://toolgpa.com/tools/bitdefender): Antivirus suites for computers and phones, with a free Windows tier. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/bitdefender-vs-emsisoft) - [Avira](https://toolgpa.com/tools/avira): Free antivirus suite with a VPN, PC cleaner and password manager. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/avira-vs-emsisoft) - [Kaspersky](https://toolgpa.com/tools/kaspersky): Antivirus suites with a VPN and password manager on higher tiers. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/emsisoft-vs-kaspersky) ## Sources The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 12, 2026: - https://www.emsisoft.com/en/anti-malware-home/ - https://www.emsisoft.com/en/pricing/ - https://www.emsisoft.com/en/ Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/emsisoft Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).