PCProtect Review

PCPROTECT KEY DATA

GENERAL INFO:

Price: From $19
Money-back Guarantee: YES
Platforms: PC, Mac, Android, and iOS

SCANNING:

Real-time Antivirus: YES
USB Virus Scan: NO
Auto Virus Scanning: YES
Manual Virus Scanning: YES
Registry Startup Scan: NO
Scheduled Scan: YES

THREAT TYPE:

Anti-Spyware: YES
Anti-Trojan: YES
Anti-Phishing: YES
Adware Prevention: NO
Anti-Ransomware: YES
Anti-Malware: YES
Email-Protection: YES
Anti-Worm: YES
Anti-Rootkit: YES
Anti-Spam: YES
Chat/IM Protection: NO

EXTRA FEATURES:

Personal Firewall: YES
Password Vault: YES
Identity Theft Checker: YES
Ad Blocker: YES
Gamer Mode: NO
Smartphone Optimizer: YES
Safe Browser: NO
Parental Controls: NO
VPN Service: YES
Device Tune-up: YES

SUPPORT:

Live Chat: YES
Email Support: YES
Phone Support: YES
Ticket Support: YES


SEE WHAT USERS HAVE TO SAY

Trustpilot Rating: 4.3 out of 5 from 1,401 reviews

“This program seems to work really well and I love all the malware and other scans it does too. When I have to contact PCProtect, they are extremely helpful and great to deal with!”

“Excellent. My second year using PCprotect and will use again next year. Not had any virus or hacking issues as they've always been super good at removing all threats/ breaches immediately. Great for clearing storage and warning you for apps/websites that may be dodgy and have viruses detected. I'm no IT expert so it's great to have software that does it all for you.”

“Very impressed, the installation was fast and simple, as well as the download. Elimination of junk files went flawlessly, cleared up 107Meg of HD space in less than a minute. The first scan went smoothly as well with no viruses detected in about two minutes.”

“Easy to use. I run it about once a week and I was surprised to see some of the things that it catches. One of which being Facebook tracking my browser history especially when I've never visited Facebook or logged into it on my pc.”


FEATURES

PCProtect runs by the same powerful yet lightweight antivirus engine used by Avira. Recently, it has joined all the modern antivirus programs using cloud-based technology for malware detection. Even better, its multi-layer protection will not impact device speed. Check out some of the main components below:

24/7 real-time scanning - one of the most critical features in any antivirus software. Unlike manual scanning, this tool automatically monitors your computer, detects, and quarantines viruses in real-time. For example, if you receive an email with a malicious attachment, PCProtect can instantly block it before it has a chance to infect your device with malware.

Protection against malware - short for "malicious software," malware refers to any program or file that can wreak havoc on your computer. It's a catch-all term that refers to viruses, worms, trojans, ransomware, spyware, and more. PCProtect would scan all of your downloaded files as well as your browser, cache, desktop, startup, or the whole internal desk to ensure none of these harmful software variants are lurking in your system.

Protection against spyware - another type of malicious software, spyware is designed to infiltrate your device, monitor your online behavior, gather data about you, and forward this information to a third party without your consent. An example of a spyware payload is if an app requests access to your mic or camera even when it's not needed — say, the Wordscapes app. Thanks to PCProtect’s behavioral analysis, it's able to block these attempts and suggest the removal of these malicious apps.

Protection against Phishing Scams - WebShield is PCProtect's solution to phishing scams that are becoming more and more sophisticated. It acts as a protective shield against fake and "spoofed" websites designed to steal information by tricking users into thinking they are on a legitimate site.

Adware Protection - also known as advertisement-supported software, adware is responsible for those advertising banners or pop-ups you see on your screen. These display and rich-media ads not only slow down your computer but also disrupts your browsing experience. It's annoying, to say the least, but what's even more alarming is that it might contain malicious code. Fortunately, you can get an ad blocker as part of PCProtect's Safe Site browser extension.


ARE THERE ANY EXTRAS?

PCProtect checks your OS, downloads, browser, emails, apps, installs, and executables to guard against potential threats as they happen. As an antivirus program, this is pretty much par-for-the-course. However, PCProtect does have a few more tricks up its sleeves:

Safe Browsing VPN - PCProtect has a fully functional VPN that can help keep your identity and online activities private. While its server network is not as extensive as stand-alone VPNs, the security measures are just as stringent with military-grade AES 256-bit encryption, SHA-512 authentication, and RAS-4096 handshake. Using this VPN, you can browse in complete anonymity and privacy, prevent ISP throttling, stay safe on public WiFi, and more!

Password Vault - just like any password manager, PCProtect's password vault functionality lets you generate, store, and manage your passwords in an encrypted vault. Your passwords are stored locally, so you can't sync them across all of your devices. However, if you're not comfortable storing your passwords in the cloud, this is a better choice than Avira's password manager. As of this time, PCProtect's password vault is available in both Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox.

PC Performance Optimization Tools - as far as extras are concerned, this is where PCProtect really shines. They offer no less than 5 device optimization tools: junk file cleaner, web browser cleaner, duplicate file remover, startup program manager, and software uninstaller. All of these tools are designed to pinpoint what needs cleaning up and clean it for you. This will help improve the speed and storage capacity of your devices!


IS IT SAFE AND RELIABLE?

We're pretty bummed to find out that PCProtect hasn't been tested by any independent testing labs. We usually look at how an antivirus software scored in AV- Test's and AV-Comparatives' evaluations, so this was a bit of a letdown. That said, we found out that it has been consistently acing VB100 tests by the famed independent testing and certification body, Virus Bulletin. Between March and April 2021, VB100 tested 38 products from 33 different vendors on Windows 10 platform. The test included 1,046 malicious samples for the WildList Detection Test and 999 samples for the Diversity Test. PCProtect received the VB100 certification with a WildList detection rating of 100%, a diversity test rate of 99.90%, and zero false positives. Virus Bulletin is one of the world leaders in security software testing, so these test results say a lot about PCProtect's safety and reliability.


EASE OF USE AND SETUP

Besides its device optimization tools, ease of use is definitely one of PCProtect's strongest suits. Its dashboard has an eye-friendly dark background with splashes of color here and there to break the monotony. The toolbar on the left has all the essential features, including System Boost, Disk Cleaner, and Web Security. You also won't miss those huge buttons for Quick Scan, System Scan, Quarantine, and Real-Time Protection. All in all, the main interface is easy to navigate, so even the non-tech savvy won't have any trouble using all of its components.


WILL IT SLOW DOWN MY COMPUTER?

PCProtect has a relatively light background impact, so you won't even notice it's there. In fact, many users claim that the average RAM usage is no more than 80MB in standby mode and slightly more during a system scan. What's more, the numerous device optimization tools will have your device running at the same speed or even better.


PRICING AND PLANS

Now is the best time for you to take PCProtect for a test drive, so to speak. It usually costs $99 for a year, but they're offering a massive 80% discount right now. Pay only $19 for a year's protection plus all the freebies: VPN, ad blocker, password vault, tuneup tools, and more. It's a limited deal, so tap on any links on this page to get the offer.


CUSTOMER SUPPORT

Several review sites have written about how bad PCProtect's customer service is. Either their reviews are outdated, or PCProtect's finally got their act together because they currently have a rating of 4.3 stars out of 5 in Trustpilot. PCProtect has multiple support channels available: live chat, email, phone, and knowledge base. The support page is easy to navigate with separate tabs for support, billing, and FAQ. We tested their live chat option and were pleased to get through to an agent in less than 2 minutes. As soon as you click on the "Start Live Chat" button, you will be prompted to choose between billing and technical departments. We chose the latter. The rep was friendly and polite, and she also confirmed that they could do remote access if necessary. That would be a huge plus, especially for users who are not very tech-savvy. We also tested their email support and got a response in about an hour. Fast enough, if you ask me. If you wish to talk to someone on the phone, you can call (001) 833 201 8683.


THE VERDICT

Overall, PCProtect is a decent antivirus software with a reliable virus scanning engine against all types of malware. The VPN's pretty solid, and the device optimization tools are easy to use. Better still, the first year is a steal, and even if you change your mind halfway through the first month, you can get a full refund, no questions asked.

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