Is Malwarebytes Premium Worth the Cost?

LAST UPDATED: March 4th, 2019

Malwarebytes Corporation is an American-based company that provides computer security software to users all over the world. They began in 2006 by providing a basic tool to remove malware from computers, but have since evolved into a robust piece of software containing an extensive feature set and compatibility with Macs, PCs, and Android devices.

Malwarebytes Premium is their exclusive offering with everything you need to protect your computer from malware, viruses, and other digital security threats. The latest version, Malwarebytes Premium 3, is a fully-featured solution to meet your needs. When combined with some of the free offerings from Windows, you get well-rounded and affordable protection.

While Malwarebytes has many loyal users, many of them use the free version only. The thought of upgrading never crossed their mind for many reasons. Some of those reasons include not thinking they need it, not wanting to spend the money, or not knowing or understanding what the premium version has to offer.

And to be honest, the free version of Malwarebytes is excellent, so it can be hard to look past the current offering and see what you’re missing. It scans to remove rootkits and malware while seamlessly working in the background without disrupting your current task.

So now you’re probably asking yourself, “Is Malwarebytes Premium worth it?” We’re so glad you asked! There are some fantastic reasons to upgrade, and here’s why…

Real-Time Protection

Just like working out and eating right prevents you from getting sick, real-time protection offers preemptive care. You get the oil changed in your car on a regular basis to avoid more costly repairs later. The same theory applies to antivirus protection for your computer.

It’s much safer and more effective to prevent malware and other computer threats before they take root and cause damage, costing you a fortune in diagnosis and repairs. Malwarebytes Free scans devices manually, but will only be able to catch malware after you’ve been infected.

The idea is that if you scan regularly, you will catch it early enough, but that’s not always the case. Even if you scan your computer manually every day, the time period between scans leaves you vulnerable.

Upgrading to Malwarebytes Premium gives you real-time protection that is always actively scanning in the background. It scans files, programs, and more to prevent infections from the start. You’re never left vulnerable to attacks.

Scheduled Scans

Even if you don’t care about real-time protection, and you should, you can still get the most out of Malwarebytes Premium with scheduled scans. It’s so much more convenient to be able to schedule your scans for the same time every day, or even weekly, instead of remembering to scan manually. It automatically runs on its own at the allotted time.

You can still trigger manual scans, or you can set up one-time scans for a particular date in the future, so you don’t have to remember it. If these scheduled scans ever fail to run, you can detect them with a recovery option and then run them again within the time frame you choose.

Anti-Ransomware and Anti-Exploits

Malwarebytes Anti-Exploit used to be available as a separate product, but now it is available through Malwarebytes Premium. It focuses on patching your security holes in Web browsers and popular apps that leave you vulnerable to malicious attacks.

Ransomware is another form of malware that is a huge security risk and more widespread than many other threats. When ransomware affects your device, it holds all of your data hostage and threatens to delete it if you don’t pay the ransom.

Often, users don’t even realize they’ve been infected by ransomware until it’s already taken hold and is impossible to remove. It’s hard to find good ransomware protection, but Malwarebytes Premium is up to the task.

Serious Cybersecurity

Malwarebytes as a company has never lost sight of the importance of security. They continue to improve their products with your security in mind, and they’ve never had stronger products than they do now.

The best part is that Malwarebytes is always transparent about difficulties and works quickly to fix any issues they or you may have with their product. When they experience server-side vulnerabilities like they did in 2016, they have the entire matter resolved in a matter of days, and then they fully disclose the incident.

Malwarebytes also has a public bug bounty program. Anyone is free to report software vulnerabilities in return for cash prizes between $100 and $1000, doled out based on urgency and severity. Not only do you now have a vested interest in your own security but in seeing the Malwarebytes security products succeed. So, is Malwarebytes Premium worth it yet?

Support for Tech-Challenged Users

Are you the one everyone you know calls when they have a computer question? It gets annoying fast. Especially when dealing with older people who have no idea what you are talking about because they have no idea what they even asked for in the first place.

Often, when someone isn’t computer savvy, they don’t know they shouldn’t click on ads or suspicious banners. All of a sudden, they’re infected with malware, and you have to fix it. Suggesting Malwarebytes Premium saves you from having to fix their problems all the time.

It gives them the protection they need while they’re on the Internet so you can have peace of mind knowing your parents or grandparents are surfing the Web safely. Their identity, their files, and their entire system will be protected.

The Verdict on Malwarebytes Premium vs. Free

Only you can decide which malware or antivirus program is best for you, and the cost is definitely a factor. You should never subscribe to something you can’t afford. But Malwarebytes Premium is one of the most robust and affordable solutions on the market.

They provide superior protection against the latest in security threats to give you ultimate peace of mind. So, what do you think? Is Malwarebytes Premium worth it for you?