#4 Spyware Detector (Max Secure)

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.