What is Malwarebytes?

Malwarebytes is a consumer security suite that covers malware, ransomware, malicious sites and scams, sold as Premium Security antivirus with Browser Guard, a Privacy VPN, Scam Guard and optional identity-theft plans. It runs on Windows, Mac, Android and iOS, with some features limited to certain operating systems.

Who it's for

Individuals and families who want antivirus and scam checking on PCs, Macs, phones and tablets. The vendor also sells separate multi-device tiers on its pricing pages and a Teams offering for small businesses.

Pros & cons

Strengths

The vendor lists Premium Security features in four groups: scam safety (Scam Guard, Trusted Advisor, Digital Footprint scanner, Text Protection on Android and iOS, Call Protection on iOS), threat protection (web, malware and PUP, ransomware), privacy (Privacy VPN, webcam and remote desktop monitoring) and system tools.
The vendor says Windows-only extras include exploit protection, brute force protection, Firewall Control, File Shredder and System Tweaks; Browser Guard, an ad and scam blocker extension, is listed as included with all plans.
The vendor's AI Hub says its 'AI-fueled defense paired with human expertise' is core to Premium Security, Mobile Security and Browser Guard, and describes Scam Guard as an AI chat companion that also works as @Malwarebytes inside ChatGPT.
A Malwarebytes help article says Scam Guard removes personal details from submitted items, extracts links, phone numbers and emails and checks them against Malwarebytes' protection databases; chat messages and screenshots are stored for up to two hours and then deleted.
The vendor lists a free download, a 14-day Premium Security trial, and a 60-day money-back guarantee (the for-home page says on annual plans).
The vendor says Premium real-time protection uses behavioral analysis, and lists free tools such as Scam Guard and Browser Guard on its home page.

Limitations

The vendor describes the free version as an on-demand cleanup tool without real-time protection; real-time, ransomware and exploit protection are in paid Premium.
No dollar price for Premium Security could be read on the vendor's pricing, Premium, for-home or special-offers pages (placeholders only). The pricing pages note a discount is first year only and give no renewal price, and the special-offers page says offers are not available in all countries.
The vendor's pages disagree on tiers: one pricing page lists Standard, Plus and Ultimate, while the current pricing and Premium pages list Standard (1 device) and tiers of 3, 10 and 20 devices. Feature availability varies by operating system.
Identity Theft Protection and Personal Data Remover are billed annually, and the vendor says personal data removal and the $1M/$2M insurance plans are US-specific; insurance does not cover incidents before purchase and enrollment.
The privacy policy lists collection of detections, system details, usage logs and exploit-block data, says retention periods vary and are not fixed, and says it does not sell data. It does not mention AI or model training, and the Scam Guard article read does not say whether chats train models.

Plans and pricing

Malwarebytes Free: $0. On-demand cleanup tool for existing infections; no real-time protection per the vendor.
Premium Security trial: $0 for 14 days. A trial, not a free plan; trial terms beyond the 14 days were not stated.
Standard (Individual): Not readable. Antivirus for one phone, tablet or PC, priced per year; the page showed a placeholder.
Plus: Not readable. Listed on one pricing page as device security plus a VPN; the page showed a placeholder.
Ultimate: Not readable. Listed on one pricing page as security plus VPN and $2 million identity insurance; single-device covers 1 adult, multi-device covers up to 2 adults and 10 kids.
Multi-device tiers (3, 10, 20 devices): Starts from a placeholder per year. Named Sole proprietor, Boutique business and Small office on the pricing page; same listed features, price not readable.
Identity Theft Protection: $129.99 to $199.99 a year, billed annually. Essential $129.99 (1 adult, 3 devices); Ultimate $139.99 (list $279.99); Essential Family $199.99 and Ultimate Family $199.99 (list $399.99), both 2 adults and 10 kids. Select and Total prices not readable.

Premium Security prices could not be read: the pricing, Premium, for-home, Teams and special-offers pages show placeholders instead of amounts. The identity plan prices were read from the identity-theft page and are annual, in USD. Confirm on the live pricing page.

Details checked October 2026 against the vendor's own pages. Prices and limits change, so confirm before you buy. Official pricing page ↗

Sources

This profile was compiled from these public pages. We have not run hands-on tests.

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