Webroot SecureAnywhere Complete

Bottom Line

Webroot SecureAnywhere Complete (*Est. $30 for 3 PCs) offers solid and fast web security without some of the extra features of its competitors. It scores highly in malware detection and blocking tests, though its repair ability is a little lacking. If you don't need parental controls or you have Android devices to protect, Webroot offers good antivirus protection. The free 25 GB of online storage for backup is a key feature to this security software, in excess even of that offered by premium Internet security suites such as Norton 360 and BitDefender Total Security.

Ease of Use

Straightforward installation process. Installing Webroot SecureAnywhere Complete is fast and easy. One reviewer reports that "it installed with only a bare minimum of help from tech support." The installation process may seem to take a while as the software also spends time optimizing Webroot SecureAnywhere Complete for your computer and running a full scan. The main control screen of the interface shows most of the security data. Although the software is Windows 8-compatible, it's not touch-friendly like some of its competitors.

Features

Lacks some features of competitors. Webroot SecureAnywhere Complete adds a powerful password-management system to the Webroot Anti-Virus software core antivirus, anti-spyware and anti-phishing functions. In addition, you can use your licenses on any combination of PCs and mobile devices. While Webroot lacks some of the features that its competitors offer, namely parental control tools and a feature to recognize when the user is playing games online, it does have some unique aspects.

A major selling point of SecureAnywhere Complete is that it offers free 25 GB of online storage in which to back up files, shared among all your devices. Another useful tool is the locate feature, which allows you to find lost or misplaced mobile devices. The Android app, also free, ties into your main Webroot account and protects your mobile devices, even allowing you to remotely disable them. Webroot's Identity Shield prevents keyloggers from capturing passwords or taking screenshots of sensitive web pages.

Performance

Small footprint. Webroot SecureAnywhere Complete has a small footprint, taking up less than 10 MB of storage, compared to 100 MB of some of its competitors. The software minimally impacts computer performance and posts one of the fastest times for copying files and running scans in the tests at PC Advisor. Earning top scores in malware blocking and removal tests at PCMag.com, Webroot falls down in the repair tests at PC Advisor, where it performs badly in tests to remove malware and correct modifications that the virus had made to critical systems.

SecureAnywhere Complete posts impressive speeds in its security functions. Tests at professional journals show that it doesn't appreciably slow down booting up a computer or copying files, and it's one of the fastest security suites in running scans. Webroot SecureAnywhere Complete has been certified in the battery of security tests at the renowned AV-Test labs, but its score puts it at the lower end of all the Internet security products tested.