- Written by: Enemali Okwoli Cybersecurity & Tech Writer
Emsisoft Anti-Malware Overview
Emsisoft Anti-Malware claims to offer a dual antivirus engine for getting rid of stubborn malware , which was something I was looking to do. I wanted to test it for myself and see if there was more to this low-cost antivirus option. I tested the malware detection abilities and examined the features and the overall performance.
After my tests, I wasn’t too impressed with this antivirus. While I appreciate some standout features like its remote management feature , emergency kit malware removal tool, and budget-friendly pricing, I was left dissatisfied with the overall performance.
Emsisoft got rid of some malware, but not all. Plus, it doesn’t offer advanced security features like VPN and password manager. For almost the same price, you can get better value with and top-tier antivirus like Norton which is available for you to try risk-free 60 days.
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In a Rush? Here’s a 1-Minute Summary
- Near-perfect malware detection rates — Provides a 99.5% detection rate for prevalent malware threats. Check to see my full test results .
- Few extra features — You get a free web protection browser extension and run security scans remotely, but no VPN, parental controls, or password manager. See how the available features performed .
- Only Compatible with Windows & Android — Doesn’t have an iOS or Mac app, but the Windows app is easy to use. Take a look at the steps for downloading the software .
- Decent customer support — You can get help via live chat, email, and an online knowledge base. See my experience with the support options .
- Free Trial & Money-Back Guarantee — Emsisoft offers a 30-day free trial and a 30-day money-back guarantee. Jump to see the premium plan options .
Security
Emsisoft offers decent protection against malware and other cyber threats. It scores a near-perfect malware detection rate and provides a portable malware removal tool. Unfortunately, it doesn’t offer advanced security features like ID theft protection, a virtual private network (VPN), and a password manager, which is crucial for comprehensive security.
Virus Scan — Offers Near-Perfect Malware Detection Rates
Emsisoft has decent malware detection rates. It scored 99.5% detection rates for prevalent malware discovered in the past 4 weeks. To test the malware removal abilities, I downloaded over 1,000 malware samples to a test PC and ran Emsisoft’s Malware scan. During my tests, the virus scanner found nearly all malware samples, above the industry average of 99.4%.
Emsisoft uses a dual-scanning approach to check for malware. It uses its own anti-malware engine to scan your system along with Bitdefender’s engine to produce better detection rates. Bitdefender on its own achieves 100% detection rates, so it’s surprising that despite combining 2 engines, it still doesn’t achieve a perfect score.
Emsisoft provides 3 malware scanning options:
- Quick scan — Scans active running processes and files.
- Malware scan — Looks for malware in critical areas of the system.
- Custom scan — Checks specified files or folders.
I tested each scan option and was generally impressed with the speeds and detection abilities. During my tests, the Quick Scan checked 64,000 files in less than a minute while the Malware scan took about 6 minutes to scan over 84,000 files . Since there’s no full scan option, I decided to run a Custom scan of my main drive. It took 44 minutes to scan over 580,000 files.
