Best Antivirus Software · alternatives
Best Malwarebytes alternatives (2026)
8 alternatives to Malwarebytes in antivirus software, ranked by entry price. Malwarebytes starts at $3.75/mo. Every figure links to the vendor's own page and the date we captured it.
Key takeaways
- Cheaper than Malwarebytes: Avast, AVG, Comodo, Bitdefender, McAfee, Kaspersky, ESET.
- Free alternatives: Avast, AVG, Comodo, Bitdefender.
- Closest by price: Avast ($0/mo), AVG ($0/mo), Comodo ($0/mo).
Malwarebytes alternatives compared
| # | Alternative | Entry price | Free | HIPAA | Best for | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Avast | $0/mo | Yes | — | Budget users wanting a full-featured forever-free antivirus | avast.com |
| 2 | AVG | $0/mo | Yes | — | Budget users wanting a genuine forever-free antivirus (Windows, Mac, Android, iOS) | avg.com |
| 3 | Comodo | $0/mo | Yes | — | Security-focused users who want prevention-based (not just detection-based) protection | antivirus.comodo.com |
| 4 | Bitdefender | $2.08/mo | Yes | — | Windows-primary households wanting strong detection with low system overhead | bitdefender.com |
| 5 | McAfee | $2.5/mo | No | — | Households with unlimited devices needing a single subscription | security.org |
| 6 | Kaspersky | $3.25/mo | No | — | Non-US consumers wanting top detection rates at competitive prices | security.org |
| 7 | ESET | $3.33/mo | No | — | Security-focused users who value a vendor with a clean track record | security.org |
| 8 | Norton | $4.99/mo | No | — | Families wanting bundled antivirus + identity theft protection | us.norton.com |
Data current through 2026-06-14. Compare any two directly on the Antivirus Software index.