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Panda Antivirus Review - Is It Trustworthy?
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Published onAugust 8, 2024
published onAugust 8, 2024
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Read this in-depth Panda Antivirus review to learn if it’s a trusted tool to protect your devices from malware.
A reliable antivirus is a must-have for your PC and smartphone. However, choosing the right one can be a bit tricky. If you’re considering buying a Panda subscription, this review will help you make the right choice.
I tested it for more than a week and assessed it against real-world malware programs. Let’s look at my findings below!
A Quick Look Into Panda Antivirus
Panda Free AntivirusandPanda Domeare two PC and smartphone security solutions from the WatchGuard Technologies brand. They work on Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android devices.
It has a promising antivirus trust test score from AV-Comparatives, the leading malware protection tool assessment agency. For example, in the Real-World Protection Test category for February-May 2024,AV-Comparatives assigned it 2 out of 3 stars.
In the Performance Test category for April 2024, it got a star rating of 3/3. AV-Comparatives has also submitted it to the Malware Protection Test in March 2024.
Panda Antivirus Features
Find below the major functionalities of Panda Dome that protect you from online dangers and USB stick-based viruses, rootkits, and malware:
Scan
Scan is anautomatic featurethat constantly runs in the background. It monitors existing files, processes, programs, newly installed apps, newly connected USB devices, new websites, and so on. The aim is to protect the system from all sorts of new and old viruses or malware infections.
Although it’s fully automated, you can alsouse it for ad-hoc scansif you suspect a virus might have infected your device. Here are the manual scanning options you get:
AntiVirus
AntiVirus and its cloud database are at the core of the Panda Dome PC security app. Itsafeguards your Windows PC, Mac, iOS, and Android devices in real-timeagainst a broad range of malicious programs.
It constantly pulls updated software signature data from a cloud database. Then it scans the running apps and processes against that database to figure out if a certain app is malicious or not.
Furthermore, it uses abehavior-based scanning techniqueto detect and remove suspicious programs. Those apps might escape the signature database scan protocol due to a lack of sufficient signatures. However, heuristic scanning ensures such apps are detected when they try to access system resources that they shouldn’t.
The Panda Dome Antivirus window offers the following insights:
VPN
If you need to browse anonymously you can use theVPNfeature. It offers different regional servers in23 locations. You can manually choose the VPN server from top destinations, like the USA, the UK, Canada, Singapore, Germany, Denmark, and more.
However, you’rerestricted to 150 MB per day. The limit is the same for the Free, Essential, Advanced, and Complete subscriptions. For unlimited high-speed VPN browsing, you must upgrade to Panda Premium.
Panda Dome offers VPN services through Hotspot Shield, which is one of the leading VPN providers. It can efficiently mask your original IP address and location for accessing restricted or country-specific online content.
Dark Web Scanner
If a web service becomes compromised, hackers can steal user data and sell it on the Dark Web. Such data includes user names, passwords, date of birth data, personally identifiable information, demographics data, and so on. Cybercriminals often buy it to impersonate you or steal your money. But here comes thePanda Dome Dark Web Scannerat your rescue.
You can access its portal tocheck if any breaches have compromised your personal data. With a premium subscription, you can get automated notifications for up to five email accounts.
I used a previously compromised email to test if the Dark Web Scanner really works . It’s promising to see thatthe tool works as expected.
After cross-checking the same scan results with Google One’s Dark Web scanning tool, I ensured that the email was really subjected to a data breach back in 2019.
USB Protection
USB sticks and removable storage are the most common external devices that infect Windows PCs. To defend against this, Panda Dome devised a state-of-the-art USB Protection technology. Itautomatically scans all the USB-based storage devices. Also, you can customize it to disable auto-scanning for trusted USB sticks.
TheWindows Explorertool doesn’t get access to the USB until the scan is over. Also, autorun won’t work.
Moreover, Panda Antivirus offers aUSB stick vaccination technology. You can vaccinate a new or existing stick to prevent future infections.
Process Monitor
Panda Dome’s Process Monitoris a great feature that checks for rogue or disguised malicious programs. The tool constantly scans and assesses all the processes currently running on your PC.
It works automatically and consumes negligible memory and CPU bandwidth. However, you can disable the feature if you want to. When running, the tool shows the following statistics:
TheView detailed reportbutton allows you to open theExecuted process reportdialog box.
If you click on a process, Panda Antivirus will show a detailed description of the program.
Rescue Kit
TheRescue Kitlets youcreate a bootable USB device.If your PC experiences any lockout event due to a virus infection, you can use that USB to boot it up.
Then, you can use thePanda Cloud Cleanerservice to scan and remove viruses and malware from the PC. Thus, you don’t need to go through a time-consuming Windows OS installation process.
You can also use theDetect advanced virusestool to scan viruses that often get past conventional antivirus programs.
Panda Antivirus Pricing
Panda Dome Security Suite is available infour different licensing tiers.You’ll find a detailed comparison of these subscription packages in the following table:
Panda Antivirus offers a30-day money-back guarantee.However, itsrefund conditionsare vague.So, I recommend you download the free trial software. Use it for a few days before making the final purchase decision.
Panda Antivirus Support
Panda Dome offers bothin-app and web-based technical support.The in-app method saves you time by directly redirecting you to the right resources, like theSupport Forum,Contact Technical Support,FAQs, andPremium Services.
If you’re using the antivirus at home as an individual, you can use the Contact Technical Support hyperlink in the app.
As thesupport site opens, you should see a chat icon in the bottom right corner. You can use that to send your query to a live support team.
I’ve used this channel to assess the efficiency and responsiveness of the chat support system. It was pretty impressive. A technical support specialistresponded to my text in less than 5 minutesin odd hours. According to the support staff, the team works 24/7.
If you require to speak to a support staff member, you can call the following numbers from your respective country of residence:
Alternatively, you can reach the support team via thiscustomer service email.
Panda Antivirus Review – Verdict
Overall, you can rely on the Panda Antivirus to protect your PC and handheld devices at home, school, or work. The tool is maintenance-free so you don’t need to invest much time in scanning, detecting, and removing malicious programs.
It automates most of the tasks and runs silently so you won’t feel its presence. If you’re an avid gamer or multimedia content producer, you can use it without compromising your PC performance. Still, it should be more transparent regarding the refund policy.
Looking for more options before buying? You can also check out thesebest antiviruses for Windows 10/11 PCs.
Additionally, you can check out thisPanda review for Windows XPand learn how tofix common security errors.
More about the topics:antimalware,antivirus,Free antivirus
Vlad Turiceanu
Windows Editor
Passionate about technology,Windows, and everything that has a power button, he spent most of his time developing new skills and learning more about the tech world.
Coming from a solid background in PC building and software development, with a complete expertise in touch-based devices, he is constantly keeping an eye out for the latest and greatest!
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Vlad Turiceanu
Windows Editor
Coming from a solid background in PC building and software development, he’s a Windows 11 Privacy & Security expert.
