EmailBest Reviewed
Anti-Spyware
- Best anti-spyware software PC Tools Spyware Doctor 6.0 *Est. $30
- Budget anti-spyware software Sunbelt CounterSpy 3.1 *Est. $20
- Security suite with the best spyware prevention Norton Internet Security 2009 *Est. $45
- Free adware/spyware removal tool Lavasoft Ad-Aware Free Anniversary Edition *Est. $0
- Free real-time spyware blocker Microsoft Windows Defender 1.1 *Est. $0
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Best anti-spyware software
- Accurate malware detection
- Thorough malware removal
- Easy-to-use interface
- Time-consuming installation
- Can slow system performance
March 2009. With their recently released version 6 of the popular Spyware Doctor, PC Tools has taken the lead in the anti-spyware software category over its perennial competitor Webroot Spy Sweeper (*est. $25). Reviewer tests rank Spyware Doctor 6.0 just ahead of Symantec's much-improved Norton Internet Security 2009 (*est. $45) for malware detection and removal. Users give it high marks for effectiveness despite some issues with system drag. If unobtrusive scanning is your priority, critics say Norton Internet Security works quietly in the background with little effect on system performance.
PC Magazine has some of the best security software reviews, including one for Spyware Doctor 6.0. Programs are tested for malware detection and removal as well as for performance and general ease of use.
British website WebUser covers the latest version of Spyware Doctor as well, but its review is short and lacks critical balance. There are also short write-ups at AdwareReport.com and British website Pocket-lint. Owner reviews are the best place to research how programs like Spyware Doctor perform over time on end-user systems. We found good coverage at Amazon.com.
PC Tools Spyware Doctor 2009 |
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Our Sources
This review covers the version of Spyware Doctor that also includes antivirus software. Reviewer Neil Rubenking is impressed with how the latest release performs on malware -- in his testing it detects and removes all but one sample -- and names it a PC Magazine Editors' Choice.
Review: Spyware Doctor with AntiVirus 6, Neil J. Rubenking, July 21, 2008
2. WebUser
Roland Waddilove is impressed enough with Spyware Doctor to award it a top overall score and the WebUser Gold award. He doesn't mention any shortcomings in this very short review.
Review: Spyware Doctor 6, Roland Waddilove, Nov. 29, 2008
3. Amazon.com
Reviews on Amazon.com for Spyware Doctor 6.0 are good but not glowing, despite a high overall score of four out of five stars. Most users say it's easy to use and effective at detecting and removing spyware. Many do note, though, that it tends to bog down the system and slow Internet activities, even with automatic scanning turned off.
Review: PC Tools Spyware Doctor 2009 Version 6.0, Contributors to Amazon.com
According to editors at Adware Report, "PC Tools Spyware Doctor 6.0 is hands down the winner in our latest round of testing." This site doesn't go into detail about testing procedures, though. Anti-spyware Max Spyware Detector, which is not reviewed by any of the best review sites, is named a runner-up.
Review: Spyware Doctor 6.0, Editors of AdwareReport.com, July 22, 2008
Stephen Patrick has a short review of Spyware Doctor with AntiVirus 6, but it's not clear how he evaluated it. He likes the simple interface but not the 20-second increase in boot time.
Review: PC Tools Spyware Doctor with AntiVirus 6, Stephen Patrick, Aug. 22, 2008
Anti-Spyware Runners Up:
2 picks by top review sites.
2 picks by top review sites.
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