# Malwarebytes

> Malware scanner and real-time protection, with VPN and ID plans

Malwarebytes started as a free scanner that cleans infections off a computer, and it still offers that for free. Premium Security adds real-time protection against malware, ransomware, phishing and scam sites on Windows, Mac, Android and iOS. Higher plans bundle a VPN, and in the US identity theft protection and a personal data remover.

- **Category:** Antivirus & Malware Protection
- **Made by:** Malwarebytes Inc.
- **Website:** https://www.malwarebytes.com
- **Runs on:** Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, Browser extension
- **Facts last checked:** Oct 17, 2026

## Pricing

Malwarebytes has a free plan. Paid plans start at $59.99 per year for up to 3 devices (Standard).

- **Pricing model:** Free plan
- **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 trial:** None listed.

| Plan | Price | What you get |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 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. |

Read from https://www.malwarebytes.com/pricing on Oct 17, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Malwarebytes before buying.

## Ways to pay less

- **Ultimate at $139.99 for the first year** (Other savings): 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. Source: https://www.malwarebytes.com/pricing

## Key features

- **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.

## Good for

- 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

- 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.

## ToolGPA grades

**GPA: 2.2 out of 4**, graded Oct 17, 2026. Malwarebytes made its name cleaning up infected computers, and that free scanner is still there for Windows and Mac. Paying gets you real-time protection on computers and phones, plus a VPN on Plus. But five devices means the 10-device family plan, $239.98 over two years, and some of the best protection is Windows-only.

- **Value for money: D.** Five 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: C.** Malwarebytes 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: C.** Real-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: B.** No 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: B.** Windows, 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.

These are ToolGPA's own grades. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Malwarebytes' own pages on 17 October 2026. Its pricing page showed no prices to our reader when we went back to check it. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews.

## Where it stands among antivirus apps

- Malwarebytes's GPA of 2.2 is higher than 2 of the 14 other antivirus apps we grade, and level with 1.
- It stands best on ease of use (B, above 2 of 14) and worst on value for money (D, above 0).
- Its paid plans start at $5 a month when paid by the year, against a middle price of $4.17 for the category: 6 of the 10 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 Malwarebytes 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: 11 of the 14 other antivirus apps grade higher. It costs $59.99 a year.

- You could make: Ad and tracker blocking: an app builder makes this well.
- You could not: An engine that recognises new malware as it appears.
- You could not: Servers in dozens of countries, kept fast and private.
- You could not: Apps for macOS, Windows, iOS and Android that stay in step with each other.

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, VPN, Ad and tracker blocking

## Alternatives

- [Bitdefender](https://toolgpa.com/tools/bitdefender): Antivirus suites for computers and phones, with a free Windows tier. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/bitdefender-vs-malwarebytes)
- [Norton 360](https://toolgpa.com/tools/norton-360): Antivirus suite with VPN, password manager and PC cloud backup. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/malwarebytes-vs-norton-360)
- [Avast](https://toolgpa.com/tools/avast): Free antivirus for PC, Mac and phones, with paid Premium and Ultimate. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/avast-vs-malwarebytes)
- [ESET](https://toolgpa.com/tools/eset): Antivirus and home security plans priced by device count. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/eset-vs-malwarebytes)
- [McAfee](https://toolgpa.com/tools/mcafee): Antivirus, VPN and identity monitoring for PCs, Macs and phones. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/malwarebytes-vs-mcafee)

## Sources

The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Oct 17, 2026:

- https://www.malwarebytes.com/pricing
- https://www.malwarebytes.com/premium
- https://www.malwarebytes.com/mwb-download
- https://www.malwarebytes.com/solutions/free-antivirus
- https://www.malwarebytes.com/eula
- https://www.malwarebytes.com/company

Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/malwarebytes
Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).