Best Free Spyware Blockers and Removers

September 14, 2010 By Greg Mombert

Check out our picks for the best free spyware blockers and removers so you can rid your system of possibly damaging adware and other malware.

If you’re looking for protection but don’t want to shell out money for peace of mind than you’ve come to the right place. We’ve rounded up all the best free spyware blockers and removers so you can surf the web without worries.

Ad-Aware Free Internet Security

Lavosoft’s Ad-Aware is one of the most trusted spyware tools and has been a benchmark in the industry for years. The free version provides real-time anti-malware protection, advanced Genotype detection technology, rootkit protection, and a scheduler. Lavosoft is very good at continually updating the software based off user concern.

Malwarebytes Anti-Malware

The free version of Malwarebytes is speedy and does a nice job of removing even the most advanced malware and spyware. If you’re looking for speed it has one of the fastest quick scans on the market coming in at around 8 minutes. Malwarebytes supports multiple drive scanning and a scan-on-demand feature for scanning files individually. The paid version which costs $24.95 opens up real-time scanning and a scheduler for updates and scans.

Trend Micro HijackThis

HijackThis is aimed at advanced users. It generates an in-depth report of registry and files settings from your computer but does not separate safe from unsafe settings instead leaving it up to the user to selectively remove the items. To be on the safe side beginners should look elsewhere as there is an opportunity to do some damage to your system, but it’s possible to look up the flagged entries on the web for help before making the choice to delete them.

SuperAntiSpyware Free Edition

SuperAntiSpyware claims to remove over 1,000,000 threats with its Multi-Dimensional Scanning and Process Interrogation Technology. Options for custom scanning of hard drives, removable drives, registry, and memory are available along with the ability to exclude folders and trust items. Those looking for a little spyware prevention will like the First Chance Prevention feature that examines over 50 critical point of your system during start up and shut down to eliminate threats before they infect your system.

Microsoft Windows Defender

This software has slowly been improving over the years and we think it’s finally worth a look. It offers real-time protection against spyware, pop-ups and helps improve overall performance. Its monitoring system recommends actions when spyware is detected but interruptions are minimal helping you stay on task. You can also schedule your scanning and removal times to a time that’s most convenient for you.

SpywareBlaster

Purely a malware blocker, SpywareBlaster doesn’t remove spyware it prevents it. It blocks Active-X based spyware, dialers, browser hijackers and more. Its tools for IE are also top of the line, it allows users to block cookies, flash content, and create customized ActiveX blocks among other options. No program is perfect so it’s wise to use this as a first line of defense with a spyware remover for anything that gets through.

AVG Free Anti-Virus

This popular free anti-virus package comes packing something extra: free anti-spyware protection built right in. It isn’t as potent an anti-virus solution as some free competitors, like Avira AntiVir Personal, but the spyware detection makes a compelling bonus, especially considering most anti-virus companies (including Avira) only bundle that functionality into their paid bundles.

Showing 5 comments

Robert at 3:59pm 19th September 2010 5. Microsoft Windows Defender: Seems to be a great product, although I would not fully rely on it to defend my windows without other protection as backup. I have removed threats that this product has failed to detect and prevent from entering in. So it's always a good idea to have a helping hand with this software. 6. SpywareBlaster: Is a awesome product. It truly prevents spyware. Many clean scans from my other security software is a result of SpywareBlaster doing it's job. I use this product with confidence and I also highly recommend this as 1 of the best freeware programs available. Two Thumbs Up! 7. AVG Anti-Virus: I love it, and have been using it for several years to protect my system. Although I must say that sometimes it does fail, allowing some trojans through, that is why it is always good to have a few other "trusted" security programs to assist your anti-virus software as an extra layer of protection. I definately give this product a Two Thumbs up!
1. Tink at 3:29pm 20th September 2010 Active Protection : 1. Avira anti virus 2..Comodo Firewall 3. Threatfire 4.spywareguard Passive and scanner protection : 1. Sbybot search and destroy Hosts protection , immunization 2. Spywareblaster 3.Malwarebytes 4.Super Anti Spyware 5. System maintenance program of choice IE: Iobit Advanced Windows care , CCleaner Etc . follow this up with tweaking windows and program settings for a pretty good security setup .
Robert at 3:59pm 19th September 2010 1. Ad-Aware: use to be a great product, but now the updates are sluggish, and the newest release hogs system resources. So a thumbs down! 2. Malwarebytes: Great standalone Anti-malware. Highly recommended in addition to your antivirus software to help remove the threats that your antivirus may leave behind. Two thumbs up! 3. Trend Micro Highjack: This software isn't compatible with my Windows Vista, but I have heard good things about this product from friends that have used it for years. So I would consider it to be a trusted software product, and would use it if it would work on my operating system. 4. SUPERAntiSpyware: I have used this product, but uninstalled it. It never found anything on my system, except a few tracking cookies, while Malwarebytes destroyed what this software failed to find and remove. Which leaves me in doubt about this software. So I neither give it a thumbs up or a thumbs down but rather a few ????
antivirus at 8:12pm 18th September 2010 I like windows defender since it is comes free with my Windows 7 ultimate. And it does not crash with 3rd party antivirus like Kaspersky. So its a kind of compliment to one another.
Dubbs at 8:32am 15th September 2010 I would say Avast! is way better then AVG. I personally have seen AVG not catch a lot of malware, but Avast! will alert you even as the malware tries at enter your system.