Malwarebytes Premium Security

Malwarebytes Premium Security is an antivirus for Windows, Mac, Android and iPhone from Malwarebytes, a company in Santa Clara, California that began in 2008 as a malware removal tool. The Standard plan costs $59.99 a year for three devices and includes real-time protection, ransomware and exploit protection, web protection and the Browser Guard extension.

In 2026 tests on Windows it scored 5.5 and 6.0 out of 6 for protection at AV-TEST and blocked 98.8% and 99.65% of attacks in two AV-Comparatives tests, but it raised many more false alarms than most products in the second lab’s tests. Its usage statistics are on until you turn them off, and there is no recent independent result for any system other than Windows.

Whether it adds anything to the protection that comes with each system is the question Do You Need an Antivirus? takes system by system.

Lab Results

AV-TEST tested Malwarebytes Premium on Windows 11 in March–April 2026 and July–August 2026. The July–August round gave the maximum 6.0 points for protection, speed and usability; the 0-day attack result was 100% in July and 99.3% in August, against an industry average of 99.9%, and there were no false warnings or false detections. The March–April round gave 5.5 for protection; its 0-day attack result was 98.9% in March and 97.7% in April, against an industry average of 99.4%. AV-TEST’s records show no Malwarebytes round between October 2023 and the March–April 2026 one, and its scores in earlier years ranged from 2 to 6 for protection.

AV-Comparatives has tested Malwarebytes in its main series since 2021. In the September 2026 malware test on Windows it blocked 9,965 of 10,000 samples, a 99.65% protection rate in the second of four groups, with 32 false alarms. In the real-world test from February to May 2026, which uses malicious websites and downloads, it blocked 395 of 400 attacks, a 98.8% protection rate in the top group, but had 39 false positives against a test average of 8, and the lab lowered its award for that reason. Both tests ran on Windows.

No recent lab results exist for the Mac, Android or iPhone apps. AV-TEST has no Mac report for Malwarebytes, AV-Comparatives’ 2026 Mac test did not include it, and the second lab’s only Android review dates from 2022, apart from a 2025 test of stalkerware detection.

What the Software Sends to Malwarebytes

Malwarebytes’ privacy policy lists what the software collects: the program version and licence state, an install-time machine identifier, the operating system and security settings, how you use the app, and IP-based location. It says it does not store the IP address of client requests. It also lists detected malware, unwanted programs and “suspicious files”, and, in its anti-exploit protection, the payload files and possibly a copy of any blocked exploit. The policy does not say whether sending those files can be switched off separately, so detected files can be uploaded, a form of cloud scanning. The policy says that features which analyse files, photos or messages on your device do not send the content to the company, with one stated exception: the text message protection on the phone app collects texts from senders who are not in your contacts, and the company receives the sender and the body of each. It discards texts it finds harmless and keeps malicious ones for its researchers.

The “Usage and Threat Statistics” collection is on by default; the policy says you can opt out in the settings of certain products, and that it covers detection samples and how you use the app. That makes it telemetry you have to switch off yourself.

Account and Data Use

The policy states that Malwarebytes does not sell personal data for money. It adds that cookies and sharing with advertising partners can count as “selling” or “sharing” under U.S. state law. In practice the policy names Meta as an advertising partner and says Malwarebytes sends it a hashed email address, online identifiers, ad click identifiers and an IP address to measure advertising; Meta and Malwarebytes are joint controllers for that data. You can opt out through the “Your Privacy Choices” link on the website or with Global Privacy Control. Malwarebytes may also give data to government agencies in response to subpoenas, warrants or court orders. This data use goes beyond protection alone.

Malwarebytes Inc. is based in Santa Clara, so U.S. law applies to it, and it takes part in the EU–US, UK and Swiss data privacy frameworks for transfers of European data. Co-founder Marcin Kleczynski is still its chief executive. In December 2022 the private equity firm Vector Capital closed a $100 million minority investment, and two of its managing directors joined the board.

Data Breach and Incident History

On 15 December 2020 Microsoft told Malwarebytes about suspicious activity from a third-party application in its Office 365 account. In January 2021 the company said it was targeted by the same attacker behind the SolarWinds attacks, who used an unused email protection product in that account to read a limited set of internal company emails. After an investigation with Microsoft’s response team, Malwarebytes said it found no unauthorised access to its production systems and no tampering with its source code or build process, which it checked by reverse-engineering its own software. The company’s account does not mention customer data, and it describes no further changes. This incident is Malwarebytes’ data breach history.

Audits and Vulnerabilities

There is no published independent security audit of Malwarebytes’ consumer product. Its bug bounty program is currently paused: the company says a rise in invalid AI-generated reports made it reassess the program, and it asks researchers to email vulnerability reports in the meantime. Malwarebytes says it publishes details of CVEs for its products.

What Is Included

Standard covers real-time malware, ransomware and exploit protection, web protection, Browser Guard (an ad and scam blocker extension), and, depending on the system, scam call and text protection. The product page also lists Firewall Control, a file shredder, system tweaks and a junk cleaner, and says exact features vary by operating system. A VPN comes only with Plus, and identity protection with a $1 million insurance cover comes only with Total; only the larger plans make it a bundled security suite.

Prices

Standard costs $59.99 a year for three devices, or $44.99 for one. The store’s cart says the same amount is due at the next billing; the plan is a subscription that you can cancel at any time. Plus, which adds a VPN, costs $79.98 a year for three devices. Total costs $89.99 for the first year, half of the $179.99 list price, and the page says the discount applies to the first year only. A 60-day money-back guarantee applies.

A free version, Malwarebytes Free, scans your computer on request and removes infections it finds. It has no real-time protection, ransomware protection, web protection or exploit protection, so it is a limited free tier and a cleanup tool, not a replacement for the paid plans.

Pros and Cons

Our Rating

Premium Security suits people who want an antivirus for a few Windows computers with strong 2026 results from AV-TEST and who are willing to switch off the usage statistics. It does not suit anyone who needs lab-tested protection for a Mac or phone, who is bothered by frequent false alarms, or who wants the VPN or identity protection without moving to a pricier plan.