Malwarebytes began as a cleanup scanner and now sells subscription tiers that stack a VPN and identity cover on top of device protection. People start looking elsewhere when the price ladder climbs faster than the protection they use, when they want a vendor outside the United States, or when they want one licence for more devices. The alternatives below range from small European vendors to the large suites.
Short answer: The first three alternatives to Malwarebytes in our antivirus software ranking are Emsisoft Anti-Malware Home, G DATA Total Security and F-Secure Total. We open the ranking with smaller vendors and put the established brands from fourth place onward. Choose Emsisoft Anti-Malware Home if you want a focused Windows scanner from a small vendor, without VPN or identity extras. Each of the 10 alternatives sits in Best Antivirus Software in 2026 and is described against Malwarebytes.
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Pricing: Per year in four tiers, published; 60-day money-back guarantee
Established in: United States
Built for: Individuals who already run another tool and want a scanner with a VPN tier
Not for: Families wanting parental controls in the same subscription
01
Why buyers look past Malwarebytes
01
The useful tier depends on extras you may not want
Malwarebytes lists Standard at 59.99 dollars a year for three devices and Plus at 79.99 with a WireGuard VPN that has no data metering. Ultimate adds identity protection with 2 million dollars of insurance, and Total offers 1 million. Anyone wanting only antivirus pays for a tier ladder that keeps pointing upward.
02
The free version is a cleaner, not protection
On its download page, the free edition handles on-demand scanning and removal of existing infections. Real-time antivirus, ransomware protection, exploit protection and phishing blocking are listed under Premium Security. Households hoping to stay on the free product therefore get a second-opinion scanner, not an always-on shield.
03
Device counts and company location
Standard and Plus cover 3 devices, Ultimate covers one adult and 3 devices, and the Family versions cover 10 devices at 119.99 dollars for Standard. The prices are in dollars and the identity insurance is described in dollar amounts, while our record lists the company in Santa Clara with an office in Cork. A buyer wanting a European vendor may prefer to look elsewhere.
you want backup, a password manager and identity bundles under one large vendor
#11
03
What each one does differently
1
Emsisoft Anti-Malware Home
New Zealand · See profile
Emsisoft says it is headquartered in New Zealand and sells a Windows scanner with web protection, a behaviour blocker and anti-ransomware. The pricing page offers one, three or five PCs on terms of one to three years, with a 30-day trial. A VPN or password vault is not part of the package, so it fits a household that wants only the scanner.
Switch from Malwarebytes if you want a focused Windows scanner from a small vendor, without VPN or identity extras.
G DATA CyberDefense AG publishes an imprint in Bochum, Germany, and sells three editions: Antivirus, Internet Security and Total Security. The entry edition covers Windows only and lacks the firewall, so most homes begin one step up. Total Security adds a performance tuner, local data encryption and USB access control. A 30-day trial is offered.
Switch from Malwarebytes if you prefer a German vendor and want a firewall and encryption in a published, per-year licence.
F-Secure, based in Finland, packs antivirus, an unlimited VPN, banking and shopping protection, a password-hygiene check and ID protection into one app for Windows, Mac, Android and iOS. A full 30-day trial is offered on the page. The Scam Scanner is marked beta and runs in English only, so treat it as a bonus.
Switch from Malwarebytes if you would like the VPN and device protection from one Finnish vendor in a single app.
ESET HOME Security is picked by device count from 1 to 10 and by tier. Essential gives antivirus, safe payments and scam protection; Premium adds unlimited VPN data and file encryption; Ultimate adds identity protection, a router VPN and ransomware remediation, starting at five devices. A 30-day trial exists, and the seller's country is not stated on the page we read.
Switch from Malwarebytes if you need a household of up to ten devices and want to pick the tier by what you use.
Bitdefender Total Security spans Windows, macOS, Android and iOS, with a password manager, scam protection against fake shops and cryptomining protection. The VPN is capped at 200 MB per day, and breach detection exists on mobile only. A 30-day trial is offered, but the shop price did not render on the page we read, so check the cart.
Switch from Malwarebytes if you want a password manager and four platforms covered, and can live with a capped VPN.
Trend Micro publishes three tiers on its US store page: Internet Security for three PCs, Maximum Security for five devices and Premium Security Suite for up to ten, each priced for 12 or 24 months. Maximum includes Chromebook and mobile coverage. Its identity fraud insurance of up to one million dollars is limited to US customers.
Switch from Malwarebytes if you want a longer 24-month term and Chromebook coverage.
Avira says it belongs to Gen and sells a Free Security edition, Internet Security, and Prime for 5 or 25 devices, with antivirus, VPN, password generation and cleaning tools. Mobile-only Prime exists for iOS and Android. Prices load by script, so we could not read them. Dark Web Monitoring is restricted to residents of Germany.
Switch from Malwarebytes if you have many devices to cover and want a free edition to try first.
Avast One is a single app whose Free Antivirus gives basic protection, with Premium Security unlocking the remainder. Its EULA names Avast Software s.r.o. in Prague for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, yet names Gen Digital in Arizona for the Americas, so your contract partner follows your location.
Switch from Malwarebytes if you want a free starting point in one app and a Czech contracting party in Europe.
AVG offers a free AntiVirus beside the paid Internet Security tier, with 30 days of PC protection without a credit card and a 30-day money-back guarantee. The paid page names Windows, Mac, Android and iOS, though the Mac version is English only. The page loads a web discount, so expect the renewal to differ from the first-year price.
Switch from Malwarebytes if you want a trial without entering a card and a free tier to fall back on.
Norton is sold by Gen Digital in a ladder from AntiVirus Plus for one device through 360 Standard for three and Deluxe for five, up to LifeLock bundles for ten. Standard lists 2 GB of cloud backup and a password manager. The page notes that renewal costs more than the first year.
Switch from Malwarebytes if you want backup, a password manager and identity bundles under one large vendor.
Emsisoft Anti-Malware Home: It sells a Windows scanner with a behaviour blocker for one, three or five PCs, with no VPN bundled.
02
You prefer a German vendor with a firewall
G DATA Total Security: Internet Security is the usual starting edition, since the Antivirus edition covers Windows only and lacks the firewall.
03
You want antivirus and a VPN in one Finnish app
F-Secure Total: Total bundles an unlimited VPN and banking protection, and the page offers a 30-day trial.
04
You cover a household of up to ten devices
ESET HOME Security: You choose from 1 to 10 devices and from three tiers, with a 30-day trial.
05
You want a free edition to start from
Avast One: Free Antivirus sits inside the app, and a Prague company is named for European buyers.
04
When Malwarebytes is still the right choice
Malwarebytes stays sensible for people who value its scanning heritage and want a published price ladder with a 60-day money-back guarantee and 24/7 human support. The Family tiers reach 10 devices, and every plan includes the Browser Guard extension for ad and scam blocking. If your worry is price rather than protection, compare Standard against the others before you switch.
05
What moving off Malwarebytes involves
01
Uninstall cleanly before adding a second product
Two real-time scanners on one machine can clash. Remove Malwarebytes through its own uninstall route, restart, then install the new product. Keep a copy of the licence email until the replacement has finished its first full scan.
02
Check what your plan covered beyond the scanner
If you used the Plus VPN or the identity tools, list them before leaving. Few alternatives bundle all three, and some limit the VPN, such as the 200 MB daily cap on Bitdefender's standard VPN. Browser Guard is a separate extension that you can keep or replace.
06
Questions about replacing Malwarebytes
6 answers
What does Malwarebytes cost per year?
The pricing page lists Standard at 59.99 dollars and Plus at 79.99 for three devices. Ultimate shows 279.99 struck through and 139.99 as the offer. Family versions for ten devices start at 119.99 dollars. Promotions change, so read the live page.
Is Malwarebytes Free enough on its own?
Its download page describes Free as an on-demand scanner that removes infections already present. Real-time protection against ransomware, exploits and phishing sits in Premium Security, so Free works as a second opinion.
Which alternatives offer a free edition?
Avira lists Free Security, AVG a free AntiVirus and Avast One a Free Antivirus inside the app. The others in our list publish trials of about 30 days instead.
Is there a European-based alternative?
G DATA publishes an imprint in Bochum, Germany, and F-Secure bases its privacy practice in Finland. Avast names a Prague company for Europe, though a US company applies in the Americas.
Does Malwarebytes include a VPN?
Plus and above include a WireGuard VPN with no data metering and a no-logging statement on the pricing page. Standard does not. Bitdefender's standard VPN is capped at 200 MB a day.
How long is the money-back period?
Malwarebytes quotes 60 days. AVG quotes 30 days, and several rivals offer 30-day trials instead of refunds.
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Sources
Checked 6 November 2026
Malwarebytes pricing: Standard 59.99, Plus 79.99, Ultimate 139.99, Family 119.99 dollars, device counts, VPN, identity insurance, 60-day guarantee.
Malwarebytes download page: Free edition is on-demand scanning; real-time protection in Premium Security; 24/7 human support.
Founder of The Knowledge Engineers and of 2 Steps Ahead, an AI search visibility agency. Editorially responsible for every page on this site; research and drafting are AI-assisted.
Author and fact-checker: Sebastiaan Smits. This page was last reviewed on 6 November 2026; our review process is public.
