Top Vista Antispyware
February 23, 2009 Windows Vista Tips
PC Tools’ Spyware Doctor 5.0 program for spyware detection and removal finished far ahead of its competitors in 
formal tests independtly conducted by research company AV-Test.org.
1. PC Tools Spyware Doctor 5.0
Price when rated : $30. Renewal price : $30
Performance : Superior
Features : Superior
Design : Very Good
Spyware Doctor offers the best spyware and adware protection and is the only program that protects against phishing Web sites.
2. Grisoft AVG Anti-Spyware 7.5
Price when rated : $30. Renewal price : $20
Performance : Superior
Features : Poor
Design : Very good
The program’s superior adware and spyware detection is marred by weak behaviour-based detection and a high false-positive rate.
3. Webroot SpySweeper 5.5
Price when rated : $30. Renewal price : $30
Performance : Good
Features : Good
Design : Very Good
The former Best Buy is well designed and provides good behavior-bases detection, but disinfection was not as solid.
4. Microsoft Windows Defender 1.1
Price when rated : Free. Renewal price : Free
Performance : Good
Features : Poor
Design : Very Good
This free application did okay with adware, but it can’t detect some types of spyware at all.
5. Safer Networking Spybot Search & Destroy 1.4
Price when rated : Free. Renewal : Free
Performance : Poor
Features : Good
Design : Good
Despite strong real-time protection, this free old favorite cannot recognize and clean up any of today’s threats.
Tests were conducted at default settings except for speed tests, which, when run at default and best settings, produced the same results. Inactive samples included adware, banking-related spyware, and password stealers. Behavior-based tests determined whether software could detect changes to key areas of the system. Prices and ratings are as of 08 August 2007.
