We've compared the World's top spyware removal tools for you.
Although we've reviewed the Top 5 Spyware Removal Tools
there are two that clearly stand above the rest, and we're not
alone in our findings.
Our selections have consistently won more awards and
received more endorsements than any other.
Our # 1 pick is
Spyware Doctor, with
Spy
Sweeper coming a close second. Although these are the top
two rated, the top 5 are reviewed below. Remove trojan
viruses, malicious worms, key loggers, popup windows and speed
up pc performance.
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The World's Top
Two Spyware Removers:
Rank:
1
2
Name:
Spyware Doctor
Consistently
voted the World's leading anti-spyware software, and for good
reason. It is easy to use, does not compromise your computer's
stability or efficiency, and removes malicious adware and spyware
that other removers don't.
Consistently
voted the World's leading anti-spyware software, and for good
reason. It is easy to use, does not compromise your computer's
stability or efficiency, and removes malicious adware and spyware
that other removers don't.
100% Spyware and Virus-free:
certified clean and wont compromise your privacy or computer's
stability. You can download each software package for a free spyware
scan and trial.
Compatible with all major security
and anti-virus software: including but not limited to Norton
Anti-Virus, MacAfee, Zone Alarm Firewall, Windows Firewall.
What Makes a Good Spyware
Remover:
We have chosen our top
rated spyware removers very carefully. Below are the major points we
have considered:
Effectiveness of
Detection: If spyware scanners can't detect malicious software
or spyware, it isn't of much use. Effectiveness is of primary
consideration in our reviews.
Effectives and Safety of Removal:
It is very common for spyware removal software to leave gaping
holes in your system that create more problems than they solve.
Invasiveness of Use: Like
anti-virus software, Spyware removers tend to slow down system
performance. This is an unfortunate side-effect. But if your
computer is slowed to a crawl pace in attempt to keep your system
running smoothly, the software defeats the purpose.
Ease of Use: The average
computer user doesn't care less about all the bits and pieces -
they just want to know they're protected, without much time and
effort.
Compatibility: If the
removal software isn't compatible with your operating system or
other software you work with, you are creating more problems than
you're solving. It is common for removers to compromise the
stability or normal function of valid software you use.
Awards and Recognition:
Great minds think alike, and fools seldom differ. We want to make
sure other professionals agree with us. Our two top rated software
packages have consistently achieved more awards and recognition
than any other such software. This also gives you peace of mind
that we're not merely promoting software without regard for
accuracy of information.
With
over 100,000,000 downloads (100 Million), this is the World's most
popular spyware remover, and for good reason. PC Tools reports there
are over 1M additional downloads each week. This is not just a
popularity contest, and having such a huge number of users actually
helps protect you. How? . . . Well, any good anti-spyware tool
makes it easy for users to report new threats that may not be readily
detected. And because 100M+ users covers a large portion of the
Internet, any new threats are reported very quickly to the software
designers who then update the spyware database to ensure you are
protected before you even encounter new threats. What this means is
when there's a new outbreak, Spyware Doctor will protect you sooner
than any other software. This alone is an enormously important
feature.
Spyware Doctor has
consistently won more awards than any other remover. Unbiased
endorsements have been provided by leading PC magazine's who's sole
purpose is to give their readers reliable and credible information
about important security issues. Additionally, Spyware Doctor has been
officially tested in laboratories throughout the world including the
USA, UK, Germany, Sweden and Australia. Most notably, the current
versions have won the Editor's Choice from PC Magazine in the USA,
considered to be one of the World's leading authorities regarding
software reviews [See Awards].
Among the many other authorities that have given the highest rated
reviews are PC Pro, PC Plus, PC Authority, PC Utilities, PC Advisor,
PC Choice, Microdatorn, PC Answers Magazine, CNET's Download.com, and
Tucows.
While most Spyware removal
software developers claim their software delivered real-time
protection, very few actually do so effectively. That is while you may
think you're protected, you're not. Spyware Doctor is one of the very
few protection tools that actually lived up to the hype, without
seriously degrading system speed and performance.
Features and Benefits:
True Real-Time
Protection: one of the few spyware scanners that actually does
stop spyware before it does any damage.
FREE Unlimited Customer
Support: efficient and competent support staff
Unlimited FREE Updates:
ensure you're always protected from the latest threats
Over 1,000,000,000
users, and approximately 1,000,000 new users every week: a huge
amount of users ensures you're part of a community that are far more
likely to report new threats. The software developers are quick to
develop updates for your continued protection.
Uses Minimal System
Resources: does not slow down your PCs performance by any
significant amount. You can even run full system scans in the
background and specify you want the program to give CPU resources to
other applications so you'll barely notice a scan is being performed.
Compatibility with
Anti-Virus and other Security Software: no conflicts with other
software that may cause problems.
VERDICT: Spyware Doctor provides
robust protection from all types of spyware, and and is really a
breeze to use. It is designed for the average computer user, not
experts. This is one of the reasons it was awarded the People's Choice
Award in the past 2 years. Although it has all the options and
capabilities that expert users expect.
Spy Sweeper comes a very
close second to Spy Doctor. It removes only marginally less spyware
than Spyware Doctor, hence the close second. However, Spy Sweeper is
more automated, and better suited to those that want all the
protection possible without needing to think about it.
Is there any major threat
that Spy Sweeper will miss, and that Spyware Doctor will detect and
remove? Nothing significant that we've found - they're pretty much on even ground, and
the differences in the threat database are only marginal.
The software interface was
designed with the average user in mind, requiring virtually no
knowledge. While spyware doctor may also be user-friendly, the
interface is not quite as well laid-out.
The only element that is
particularly annoying about Webroot's Spysweeper is on slow computers,
the software will be working in the background automatically updating
itself. This process can momentarily bog down slower computers, and
you know nothing about it unless you open the interface and see it
working. So while it's good that is works automatically, but a bit of
a pain when it slows down your computer without you readily knowing
about it. On faster computers, you are unlikely to notice any
difference.
Features and Benefits:
True Real-Time
Protection: works automatically in the background, and one of the
few scanners that actually offers genuinely effective real-time
protection.
Unlimited FREE Updates:
This is an absolute must because new threats are discovered daily. The
database of malware, spyware and viruses is updated frequently.
Quick Scans: Does
not excessively bog down system resources unless the computer is
particularly old.
Compatible with
Anti-Virus and other Security Software: seamless integration
VERDICT: Spy
Sweeper comes a very close second to Spyware Doctor. Generally we'd
advise Spyware Doctor instead, unless you hold complete automation in
very high regard. You will get much the same protection as Spyware
Doctor.
StopZilla
is another one of the consistent award winners, and rightfully so. But
it's still not quite as good as the others. Most importantly, it lacks
database size. What do we mean by database size? We don't mean a
database that enables detection of every petty little potential
threat, however minor it can be. We mean the real threats that can
actually do your computer harm, or even potentially steal private
information from your computer. Not that removing all the petty
threats like cookies isn't a good thing, but that's not why you really
get protection in the first place - the protection is to avoid system
damage, compromising of system stability, protection against data
thieves and hackers, and the alike. This is where is counts, and
StopZilla proved less effective than Spyware Doctor and Spy Sweeper.
The StopZilla interface is friendly,
and probably the most attractive of all packages. We're not saying you
can't get looks and performance, just that not all that glitters is
gold. What counts ultimately is software's ability to stop threats
getting to your computer in the first place, detecting them if they
somehow manage to be installed, then safely removing them. The safe
removal of some spyware is where StopZilla fell short. We found while
it succeeded in detecting some of the more evasive malware and spyware,
the removal left a few holes in the system that needed to be repaired.
VERDICT: StopZilla did not
appear to compromise the functionality of major and very common
software, although it did for some more obscure software, that
although is not the kind of software you find in your local computer
store, but is still widely used. It still performed better than
Spyware Detector in the safe removal department, but ideally you'd be
able to feel confident all your favourite programs wont be mistakenly
harmed. Real-time protection is provided, but not against as many
severe threats as competing packages.
Maxsecure's
Spyware Doctor offers robust protection, but is still behind Spyware
Doctor and SpySweeper. We found it missed a significant amount of the
latest threats, despite it having an auto update feature which should
be considered essential.
If you consider the best
anti-spyware software to be the one that removes the most "potential
threats", this is not at all a bad package. But the problem is that
although Spyware Detector detects a lot of potential threats, it
detects a lot of the wrong thing. This is why if you run a test scan
to see the number of potential threats, the number of threats detected
does not determine the effectiveness of a spyware removal tool. This
is very important to understand.
Most notably, we found
this software contributed to overall system instability, that is to
say it conflicted with popular software. Moreover, it is not for the
average user because some features can easily be incorrectly used
which can really play havoc with your system. Some vital system files
can quite easily be accidentally be removed, whereas competing
software recognizes required files. In many cases, unless you know
exactly what a suspicious file is, you may remove it and corrupt your
system. It's either that or risk leaving a potentially dangerous file
on your system. That's something you'd rather avoid.
For advanced users, it
will still do most of the major critical tasks, but just not as well
as the two top rated cleaners. It has not won many awards at all, and
has received considerably less recognition. As the old saying goes,
great minds think alike, and fools seldom differ.
VERDICT: Adequate
protection, but it hasn't received anywhere near as many awards or
recognition than Spware Doctor or Spy Sweeper, and for good reason. In
controlled tests, not detected fewer major threats, and incorrectly
identified critical files as potential threats. This software in the
hands of a novice or the average computer user can be disastrous as
they may unwittingly remove critical files, and degrade system
stability and performance. At the price of $29.95, there's no reason
why you'd purchase this software over the other top rated packages.
XoftSpySE
is an emerging software package, but it simply does not detect enough
of the most significant threats. For example, you can say software
removes millions of known spyware, which may for all you know be
harmless cookies. Cookies simply track you so if you purchase a
product, an affiliate is credited with the sale. Cookies are mostly
completely harmless - they wont harm your system at all and you wont
even know they're on your system. And just about every spyware killing
software will remove them. That doesn't make it better protection.
Having said that, ParetoLogic's XoftSpySE's spyware database is
acceptable. By no means it is poor, and in actual fact is is still
quite good. But here were are comparing software, and the database of
known threats is still relatively small in comparison to the more
popular packages such as Spyware Doctor and Spy Sweeper.
VERDICT: XoftSpySE
is good, but not as good as the others. The scans are quick as you'd
expect them to be, most of the major threats are covered, but not as
many as competing software. The prices of security software are much
the same, and again there's no reason why you wouldn't purchase the
software that has won the most awards. The awards do count for
something.
About Spyware:
Spyware is discrete software that is
usually installed without your permission. The intention of such
software is usually to obtain private data about you for various
purposes ranging from stealing passwords, to displaying popup windows
or advertisements that become a nuisance. They usually slow the
performance of your PC. Most commonly, spyware is usually part of
software that you download and install. The terms of service you may
read when installing even free software may tell you you're about to
install spyware, but you are unlikely to read the terms of service for
every free download you install. Often, spyware is installed without
any notice being given at all. Such an example is software that spawns
popup window advertisements that appear though they're part of an
actual website you're visiting, when in fact they're spawned from
software embedded on your computer system, disguised to look like a
completely different application.
Free spyware removers are available,
but unfortunately they don't remove enough of the threats, and in some
cases, freeware removal tools are actually spyware themselves. As
such, is is important to ensure protection packages against such
malicious activity is provided by a trusted source. In particularly as
new threats are being discovered daily, it is extremely important that
the removal tools update their databases of threats so they can
readily identify and remove the latest threats.
Spyware Doctor is our #1 pick
not only because it detects more threats that any other package, but
also because it is easy enough to use for the novice computer user.
A word of warning
about software review web sites: most review sites exist to promote
spyware removal tools in a commercial sense. This of course it fine,
unless the review site is biased towards specific products they have a
license to promote, which unfortunately is the case for most review
sites. While we do receive commissions on software we advertise, we
only promote genuinely the most effective removers. While the
promotion of other removers might be more profitable for us, we do not
wish to compromise the integrity of our reviews in exchange for higher
profits. Our aim is not solely to promote the listed packages, but
also to present reliable and unbiased information regarding available
software. So you know this to be true, we list logos of other
authorities who have endorsed the reviewed software. You may know very
well the authorities that have provided the endorsements are indeed
credible, and they have nothing to gain or lose from providing the
endorsements. However, other software review sites may not even list
the top-rated software we've listed - after all, they aren't going to
profit by promoting software that they don't receive higher
commissions for. But if you do thorough research, you will find in
particularly Spyware Doctor is agreed to be the best all-round spyware
removal software by leading authorities that have nothing to gain from
endorsements.
Consistently
voted the World's leading anti-spyware software, and for good
reason. It is easy to use, does not compromise your computer's
stability or efficiency, and removes malicious adware and spyware
that other removers don't.
Consistently
voted the World's leading anti-spyware software, and for good
reason. It is easy to use, does not compromise your computer's
stability or efficiency, and removes malicious adware and spyware
that other removers don't.
StopZilla
is another one of the consistent award winners, and rightfully so. But
it's still not quite as good as the others. Most importantly, it lacks
database size. What do we mean by database size? We don't mean a
database that enables detection of every petty little potential
threat, however minor it can be. We mean the real threats that can
actually do your computer harm, or even potentially steal private
information from your computer. Not that removing all the petty
threats like cookies isn't a good thing, but that's not why you really
get protection in the first place - the protection is to avoid system
damage, compromising of system stability, protection against data
thieves and hackers, and the alike. This is where is counts, and
StopZilla proved less effective than Spyware Doctor and Spy Sweeper.
Maxsecure's
Spyware Doctor offers robust protection, but is still behind Spyware
Doctor and SpySweeper. We found it missed a significant amount of the
latest threats, despite it having an auto update feature which should
be considered essential. 
XoftSpySE
is an emerging software package, but it simply does not detect enough
of the most significant threats. For example, you can say software
removes millions of known spyware, which may for all you know be
harmless cookies. Cookies simply track you so if you purchase a
product, an affiliate is credited with the sale. Cookies are mostly
completely harmless - they wont harm your system at all and you wont
even know they're on your system. And just about every spyware killing
software will remove them. That doesn't make it better protection.
Having said that, ParetoLogic's XoftSpySE's spyware database is
acceptable. By no means it is poor, and in actual fact is is still
quite good. But here were are comparing software, and the database of
known threats is still relatively small in comparison to the more
popular packages such as Spyware Doctor and Spy Sweeper.