Is Webroot Good Antivirus to Install in 2023

For many internet users in search of an antivirus solution, the question that often pops up is, “Is Webroot a good antivirus?” In this article, we delve into the details of Webroot’s antivirus products and services, examining its features, performance, pricing plans, and more to provide a comprehensive review of its 2023 offerings.

Introduction to Webroot

Webroot is known for its lightweight, cloud-based antivirus software that is packed with a commendable malware scanner, a robust password manager, and several other features. Its malware scanner has demonstrated decent performance in tests, although it doesn’t quite match up to the 100% malware detection rates reported by competitors such as Norton and Bitdefender.

Webroot: A Closer Look

A Brief Overview

Webroot’s antivirus scanner does a good job of locating and dealing with malware threats on your device. In tests, it successfully found 93.1% of hidden malware samples. However, other antivirus tools such as Norton and Bitdefender demonstrated superior performance, detecting all malware samples.

Additional Features

Webroot also offers a variety of additional features, including:

• Web and phishing protection
• Password manager (LastPass)
• Identity protection
• System optimizer
• 25 GB of cloud storage

The standout feature here is arguably the LastPass password manager. Known as one of the best password managers available, LastPass comes as part of the Webroot package, providing users with a secure and convenient way to manage their passwords.

However, Webroot’s other extra features, such as the web protection, identity protection, and system optimizer, don’t quite match up to equivalent protections offered by top-of-the-line antivirus software on the market. Additionally, Webroot does not offer features like parental controls, and its VPN is only available as a separate purchase.

The Verdict

While Webroot may be lacking in some areas, it is still a decent antivirus option that has minimal impact on system performance. It offers various payment plans designed to cover either 1, 3, or 5 Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS devices. Moreover, all of Webroot’s plans come with a 70-day money-back guarantee, a generous offer that outshines other brands in the market.

Webroot Full Review

Antivirus Scanner

Webroot’s antivirus scanner utilizes a cloud-based malware directory and heuristic analysis to detect threats on your device. As it’s cloud-based, it doesn’t consume much CPU and disk space while scanning. The scanner allows you to run different types of scans, including Deep Scan, Full Scan, and Quick Scan. You can also scan individual folders/files and schedule these scans to occur daily, weekly, or on bootup.

To test Webroot’s malware scanner, 1,000 test files containing trojans, spyware, keylogging malware, and rootkits were downloaded and hidden all over a device. Webroot detected 93.1% of these test files, either removing them or placing them in quarantine. While this result is decent, it doesn’t quite compare to Norton or Bitdefender, which both detected 100% of the malware samples in similar tests.

The ransomware simulator test results were less impressive. Webroot only blocked a fraction of the “threats”, meaning a significant number of files could have been infected in a real-life attack.

Despite these drawbacks, Webroot’s scans are faster than most competitors. On average, Webroot’s scans took about 5 minutes, making it extremely quick compared to industry leaders like Norton. However, it is worth noting that internet connection speeds slowed down significantly during Webroot’s virus scans.

Password Manager

Webroot includes a subscription to LastPass, one of the top-ranked password managers in 2023. LastPass is known for its robust user data protection, utilizing unbreakable 256-bit AES encryption and zero-knowledge architecture. This means your passwords are completely safe, and only you have access to them.

LastPass is feature-rich and easy to use. It offers an intuitive online dashboard that allows you to manage your password vault, audit your vault, and access other extras. Besides the online dashboard, LastPass also provides browser extensions for Google Chrome, Firefox, Microsoft Edge, Opera, and Safari. These extensions allow easy generation and saving of new passwords, auto-filling of saved logins, and management of saved credentials.

Web Threat Shield, Phishing Shield, and Identity Shield

Webroot is equipped with a series of shields designed to protect users online. These include a Web Threat Shield, a Phishing Shield, and an Identity Shield. The Web Threat Shield detects and blocks common web-based exploits. The Phishing Shield helps detect and block phishing sites, while the Identity Shield monitors sites for keylogging, screen logging, webcam theft, or other tools that could steal your details online.

While these shields offer a degree of protection, they are not the best available. Norton’s Safe Web and Avira’s Browser Safety extension are much more effective at blocking suspicious websites, tracking, phishing sites, and intrusive browser snooping tools.

Firewall

Webroot’s firewall is very basic and lacks a lot of features. It only monitors outbound traffic, leaving inbound traffic monitoring to Windows Defender. Additionally, it lacks advanced features like ARP and DNS spoofing protection and man-in-the-middle attack prevention.

System Optimizer

Webroot’s system optimization tool removes browser cookies and junk files, which can protect your online privacy and enhance your CPU performance. However, this tool is quite basic and doesn’t offer much control to users.

Sandbox

Webroot offers a sandbox feature that lets advanced users test applications in an isolated environment. This feature is good for advanced users, although it may not be as useful for beginners.

Additional Features

Webroot also offers several additional features, including a manual threat removal tool, system diagnostics tools, active process control, protection statistics, and identity theft protections. However, some of these features may not be as useful or effective as they could be.

Webroot Plans and Pricing

Webroot offers five different pricing tiers:

• SecureAnywhere AntiVirus
• SecureAnywhere Internet Security Plus
• SecureAnywhere Internet Security Complete
• Secure Anywhere Internet Security Premium (US only)
• SecureAnywhere AntiVirus for PC Gamers

All plans are only available as annual subscriptions and come with a 14-day free trial and a 70-day money-back guarantee.

Webroot Ease of Use and Setup

Webroot is easy to install, set up, and use. Its interface is clean, simple, and user-friendly, making it a good choice for beginners.

Webroot Mobile App

Webroot offers a mobile app for Android and iOS users, although the features offered are quite basic compared to other antivirus mobile apps on the market.

Webroot Customer Support

Webroot offers a range of customer support options, including telephone support, FAQs and user guides, email support, a community forum, and Best Buy Geek Squad support (for Best Buy customers only).

Conclusion

While Webroot may have its limitations, it is still a viable antivirus option for those who prefer a lightweight, cloud-based solution. It is especially a good choice for those on a budget and those who value a robust password manager. However, for those seeking advanced features, other antivirus software may prove a better fit.