In 2008 there's a surprising number of spyware removal tools out there that promise to remove more spyware, protect against more threats and keep your computer safer than any other tool. You'd be amazed at the difference between these programs. Some are pure junk. Others, for the same price or less, are outstanding. Here's an at-a-glance overview of the current tools, showing the key points for each one.
|
Pricing |
Score |
My Notes |
 |
1 Year: $29.95
|
96% |
Spyware Doctor is a clear winner in the spyware race of 2008. We ran this tool next to all the others and it came out way ahead in terms of design, the technology used, the number of threats eliminated, update frequency and the wealth of realtime protection. Despite it's depth of features, it's very simple to get to grips with. Excellent customer service and daily updates. Easily the best spyware scanner to date.
More details |
 |
1 Year: $39.95
(Currently offers a $20 off rebate)
|
87% |
There's very little to complain about with stopzilla. It began life eons ago as a pop-up blocker but has evolved into one of the most powerful spyware blockers we've seen. There's superb customer service, it's easy to use and it does the job of scanning your PC for spyware very well.
More details |
 |
1 Year: $29.95 |
85% |
This is a fantastic tool that's got a great spyware scanning engine at it's heart and offers a wide range of ongoing protection. It's very easy to use and protects your system without you having to configure anything. Support was fast and friendly.
More details |
 |
1 Year: $29.95 / £19.95 |
79% |
A good all-round spyware scanner with a decent level of ongoing protection. Easy to use and offers a number of options you can customize. Not as proficient as the tools that ranked above it and had some problems installing and registering the tool. Also, pricing is unfair if you're in the UK, as it costs more.
More details |
 |
Lifetime: $39.90 |
76% |
You could do a lot worse than buying Spyware Nuker. It's got a sound scanning engine and other program features work well. Let down by infrequent definition updates however. There's better on the market, for less money.
More details |
 |
1 year: $29.95 |
72% |
A decent enough entry into the spyware scanner market. It's easy to use and runs quickly in the background. And offers a good account of what each threat it finds is. But it's dull appearance and lack of settings hamper it. And it's realtime protection is not up to standard.
More details |
 |
1 Year: $19.95 |
60% |
If this tool worked as well as it looks, it would have scored much higher. But despite it's budget price, Spyware Remover fails to deliver on a number of fronts. The software was sluggish, difficult to read at some resolutions, and had a number of other problems. There's other tools you should consider.
More details |
 |
Lifetime: $19.95 |
52% |
This tool is pretty much identical to a number of others. Although it has a good looking interface, the software is leagues behind better tools on the market. It's seriously short on features and even at it's budget price, it's just not worth it.
More details |
 |
Lifetime: $39.90 |
49% |
This tool is looking seriously dated. There's no realtime protection, no customer support, no Vista support and lots of other heavy problems. This one's definitely one to leave on the shelf.
More details |
 |
Lifetime: $37 |
38% |
I didn't like this tool's interface or it's infection reporting. It's very basic compared to the top tools in this market. It's also $17 more expensive than say stopzilla. I think there's better programs available for less money.
More details |
