Anti-Spyware Reviews

Anti-spyware software helps users combat an ever-growing number of programs designed to gather system information from the infected computer and send it back to advertisers -- or worse, key loggers looking to steal passwords and other sensitive data. Gartner security analyst John Pescatore writes, "Spyware and phishing are actually bigger problems for consumers than viruses." Viruses cause much more severe damage than spyware, but spyware is far more prevalent. An accumulation of hundreds of spyware applets, which is not uncommon, is as crippling as a virus, and the worst types of spyware can contribute to identity theft.

Value-added products are the current trend. These include Internet security suites and anti-spyware programs with antivirus software or other security software. Internet security suites (covered fully in our report on Internet security software) offer anti-spyware components in addition to antivirus software, spam filters and a firewall. However, most suites remove less spyware than standalone programs, according to PC Magazine. Federal Computer Week's Patrick Marshall agrees, saying, "Generally, we find that those solutions offer basic protection against the most prevalent spyware, but they lack the sophisticated reporting tools and some detection methods of specialized programs."

The best reviews we found are backed by tests -- great for evaluating programs' effectiveness at preventing malware, but they fail to uncover software and system conflicts and other problems frequently revealed in user reviews. Professional reviewers use virtual machines or clean computers for a safe and neutral testing environment. In the most comprehensive tests -- those conducted by PC Magazine -- the reviewer also deliberately infects computers to test detection and removal capabilities. PC World contracts with the independent test lab AV-Test.org for its comprehensive testing. Both magazines also evaluate ease of installation and use, but again, on clean machines.

User reviews are the best guide to potential problems. System slowdowns, installation difficulties, removal difficulties, software conflicts and incompatibilities (especially and primarily with other security programs), and inadequate tech support are common problems in user ratings of anti-spyware software. A caveat expressed in user reviews is that new versions of programs often cause problems that the users didn't experience with previous versions. Amazon.com and CNet.com are good resources for user feedback.

Fake anti-spyware is a problem that's pervasive online. These are spyware programs that masquerade as anti-spyware programs. In a game reminiscent of Mad magazine's Spy vs. Spy, fake anti-spyware reviews are also a problem. We found plenty of sponsored reviews. Some have informational value if the reviewer actually tests the programs, but the conclusions cannot be trusted. For that reason, we consulted only reputable review sources in our research.

Many experts say they use a commercial anti-spyware program and the four best free tools (see chart above). Most of the free programs are risk-free to the end user -- they use minimal or no computer resources. However, some of them are incompatible with Norton, McAfee, ZoneAlarm, Trend Micro and other security programs. Otherwise, the only risk to free software is that it alone won't keep your computer clean.

Still, you may want to skip two free programs that PC Magazine's Neil Rubenking believes have no value. "While it doesn't kill off innocent programs as its predecessor did, SpyEraser 2 just isn't effective at removing malicious software. It's even worse at keeping malware out of a clean system," he says. The other free program is ironically called GarbageClean, which he describes as "the least effective malware scanner I've ever tested."  ... Continued

Our Consensus Report shows how many times products are top-ranked by reviewers included in our
All The Reviews Reviewed chart.

# of Picks	Model (with Retailer Links)
3	Safer Networking Spybot Search & Destroy 1.5 (free)
2	PC Tools Spyware Doctor (*est. $30)
2	Webroot Spy Sweeper 5.5 with Antivirus SE Personal (*est. $45)
2	Sunbelt Software CounterSpy 2.0 (*est. $20)
1 each	Lavasoft Ad-Aware 2007, Spyware Terminator 2.0, SpywareBlaster, Spy Sweeper 5.5

Professional reviewers are evenly divided about which is the best anti-spyware program, but the most credible reviewers select one of the two leading programs, Webroot Spy Sweeper and PC Tools Spyware Doctor 5.0. Both programs are also available with bundled antivirus software. These versions also receive favorable reviews, but the antivirus component of Spyware Doctor has not yet been widely tested by independent labs.

Sunbelt Software CounterSpy 2.0 isn’t as widely reviewed as the market leaders, but it is cheaper and all reviews are favorable. Some reviews say CounterSpy is better at detecting spyware than removing it.

The free programs (Ad-Aware 2007, Windows Defender, SpywareBlaster, AVG Anti-Spyware, Spyware Terminator, and Spybot Search & Destroy) are all recommended in some reviews, but lack the necessary full functionality of the commercial programs, and do not perform as well in tests. The consensus among reviewers is that they should supplement a more successful program.