When comparing Spybot vs Malwarebytes, the Slant community recommends Malwarebytes for most people. In the question“What are the best malware removal tools for Windows?” Malwarebytes is ranked 1st while Spybot is ranked 3rd. The most important reason people chose Malwarebytes is:
In 2014 AV-TEST tested 7 different cleaning tools (along with 10 antivirus solutions) Malwarebytes was the only tool that was capable of completely removing and restoring the system. It was concluded by AV-TEST to be the best tool for removing malware from infected computers.
Specs
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Pros
Pro Free for personal use
Basic functionality (includes malware removal) can be used for free for non-commercial purposes.
Pro Has a portable version
A portable version of the app can be found here. It allows putting the software on an external storage devices such as an USB thumb stick and running it from there without having to install it on the target machine.
Pro Can be installed in safe mode without issues
Pro Achieved a perfect score in a test performed by AV-TEST
In 2014 AV-TEST tested 7 different cleaning tools (along with 10 antivirus solutions) Malwarebytes was the only tool that was capable of completely removing and restoring the system. It was concluded by AV-TEST to be the best tool for removing malware from infected computers.
Pro Antimalware
Antivirus is a specific term referring to well-known and established malware, meaning that you'll still remain vulnerable to new and unique malware if you use an antivirus. Malwarebytes is constantly updated to find newer and rarer malware.
Pro Free for manual scans
Offers a completely free scan and removal version for personal use.
Pro Light resource usage
Pro Simple setup
Pro Doesn't ignore adware and toolbars
Malwarebytes removes toolbars that get bundled with software and adware that some other products keep.
Cons
Con Bad malware detection
In a test performed by PCMag, Spybot detected just 32% of installed malware.
Con Bad at removing found malware, especially rootkits
In a test performed by PCMag over half of malware that the tool attempted to remove was still running after the attempted cleanup. Rootkit removal often crashes other software.
Con Free version lacks scan scheduling
Premium version of the software is required to schedule scans in advance.
Con Awkward interface elements
Con Limited free version
Con Free version lacks scan scheduling
Premium version of the software is required to schedule scans in advance.