Emsisoft’s Anti-Malware 11.0 gets an A+ for customization options and malware protection

10-second breakdown:

One of the older kids on the block, Emsisoft’s Anti-Malware 11.0 gets a solid rating for protection and helps keep you safe from malicious URL’s. It’s highly configurable to give you the freedom to protect your devices as you see fit.

The good:

This software has a high level of customization, especially in terms of the scans you can run. There are four ways to test your device for problems including a “quick scan” for apps and programs that are running, a “smart scan” for common malware and viruses hotspots, a “custom scan” where you choose the level of testing, and a “full scan”.

The software produced very respectable results in most categories in independent tests for malware and antivirus protection.

Emsisoft won’t bog down your computer and runs really light to keep your resources going strong on your devices.

The bad:

Not the best option to protect against phishing, so if you make a lot of online purchases; a better option is out there.

It doesn’t flag malware as well as it should given that it finds it so well during scans.

How it works:

Rather than introduce new products or names, Emsisoft updates the version number on each iteration of their antivirus. Some take years, others are a little shorter. Version 11 hits all of the right notes for a solid price.

Showing its experience, Emsisoft always does very well with all of the independent labs. It usually places towards the front of the pack in all of the tests. Where it really stands out is with PUP – potentially unwanted programs. These are programs that usually get installed when you download free programs from the internet.

They may not be outwardly harmful, like out to steal your bank information or hold your hard drive for a ransom, but they also aren’t doing anything helpful. For example, have you ever seen a family member that has way too many toolbars in their web browser? Those can be PUPs, when will you ever use them? They come bundled with legitimate software, so you may not even know you’re installing them.

Emsisoft is particularly handy at identifying and removing PUPs, making it a great antivirus if you need to clean up a less tech-savvy loved one’s computer. It’s particularly helpful with older computers, PUPs do real damage to your resources, slowing down your web browsing to a halt.

Another way Emsisoft is leading the competition is by how highly customizable it is. Similar to other suites, you can do a full system scan, a custom scan or a quick scan that just looks for active viruses. Emsisoft takes it a step further though, and you can schedule scans out to whatever best fits your schedule. You can set it to scan daily, specific days of the week or month, and you can even set it to scan during a certain time of the day.

Best of all you can configure it so that your computer shuts down after the scan is completed. Do you head to bed at ten every night? Why not set up a scan to run just after ten and have it automatically shut down your computer after? By the time you wake up you’ll have a safe, clean system.

Emsisoft is also leading the pack in protecting your web browsing. If you accidentally try to access a website that’s been spreading viruses or trojans, the security program will shut it down and warn you. The goes for phishing sites – websites posing as real sites hoping to get your credentials. When you access a web page that is pretending to be your bank or email provider, Emsisoft will show a bright warning telling you it’s a fake site.

Thanks to the automatic scheduling and bright colorful website warnings, Emsisoft stands out as a particularly strong choice if you have elderly family or kids that need protecting. You can configure the scans to run while they’re sleeping and shut down the computer afterward. While they’re awake, Emsisoft will keep them safe on the internet and shield them from threats. Better yet, it can even get rid of all of those annoying PUPs your family might have picked up along the way without knowing any better.

The only real downside is Emsisoft’s behavior alert system. Pretty much all antivirus programs have a built in feature to identify malware by how it behaves. Since malware comes out so frequently, it’s hard to tell if a program is attacking or not, but if it acts like malware than many programs will try to stop it anyway. Emsisoft’s program is lacking here, in tests it stopped more valid programs than it did malware based on behavior.

Emsisoft offers two packages, a basic antivirus and a slightly more comprehensive suite. Both come with a 30-day money back guarantee. By default the prices are for one installation and one year, but there are very significant discounts for increased computers or contract lengths.

The first bundle is a little more bare bones, it’s Emsisoft’s basic ‘Anti-Malware’ package, it will cost you $39.95 for a one-year term. It comes with everything you expect to keep safe, a virus scanner, real-time protection and the ability to schedule out scans whenever you want. If you’re only concerned about the bare basics, this is the package for you.

The second offering is a little more well-rounded, it’s Emsisoft’s ‘Internet Security’ bundle. It costs a little more at $49.95 for a one-year term. In addition to the features offered by the basic package, it also packs in a much more powerful firewall, automatic PUP removal and it can even evaluate your programs as you install them, making sure nothing shady sneaks by.

Although it doesn’t quite have some of the extras that the competition offers, Emsisoft Anti-Malware 11.0 always scores high where it matters – on keeping you safe and secure from virus and malware threats.

For complete rankings of all antivirus software, go here.

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