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Malwarebytes is strongest as cleanup and secondary protection, not an automatic Defender replacement. This review covers Premium fit, without invented scores.
Best for
Cleanup / second-opinion workflows (qualitative)
Starting price
From $59.99/yr Standard (Windows page Individual cards, 2026-08-09); Plus $79.99 · Ultimate $139.99 promo, confirm at purchase
Plan tiers
Standard / Plus / Ultimate (Premium Security marketing, 2026-08-09)
Device counts (vendor)
Premium page: Standard 3 · Plus 10 · Ultimate 20 (selectors differ, confirm checkout)
Refund period
60-day money-back advertised (vendor materials, 2026-08-09)
Review status
evidence-based review; overall score not yet published
Cleanup job first, not Defender replacement: Malwarebytes is the SecurityChecklist recommendation for cleanup-focused and second-opinion malware workflows, not a default replace-Defender-forever purchase. Confirm Microsoft Defender (or macOS hygiene) is healthy, then try Free cleanup where it fits before Premium. On 2026-08-09 the Windows product page showed Individual cards at Standard $59.99/yr, Plus $79.99/yr, and Ultimate $139.99/yr (promo; device entitlements differ by page, confirm checkout). Scores and detection rates are not assigned. Who should not buy: anyone who only needed confirmation that Windows Defender is enabled, anyone treating a scanner as a substitute for backups, or anyone waiting on published detection percentages.
Free cleanup download (verified limits)
recorded prices: malwarebytes-free-vs-premium / malwarebytes-free-exists (2026-08-09); cleanup-oriented, not always-on Premium
$59.99 / $79.99 / $139.99 per year (Individual cards)
Verified 2026-08-09, published pricing record (malwarebytes.com/windows); device entitlements differ by page
Suite alternative
From $24.99/yr Antivirus Plus (1 device, first year)
Verified 2026-08-09, published product records; Total Security Individual from $59.99/yr; renewals may differ
30-day money-back advertised (bitdefender.com, 2026-08-09)
Free baseline
Included with Windows (verify edition)
Not an affiliate product
Bundle alternative
From $2.49/mo Starter (24-mo plan)
Verified 2026-08-09, published product records; US/USD via api.surfshark.com/v2/payment/plans?country=US¤cy=USD (HTML /pricing still geo-AUD from AU egress)
30-day money-back advertised (surfshark.com, 2026-08-09); US/USD via plans API; AUD HTML geo labeled only (no invented USD)
Qualitative shortlist: Malwarebytes after free OS hygiene when cleanup or second-opinion scanning is the leftover job, with Free cleanup (verified) before Premium. Not the pick when healthy Defender alone is enough, when multi-device suite extras are the real job (Bitdefender), or when a published lab score is required. Overall score is not assigned. Re-check Standard/Plus/Ultimate USD and device packaging same-day; Affiliate commissions never set the verdict.
Revision notes pending
No published revision notes yet. Updated labels above reflect the latest verified source refresh.
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Malwarebytes review for on-demand cleanup versus replacing Microsoft Defender. Covers Premium fit and alternatives, without invented scores.
First published:
Last updated:
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