A smart freeware program that can clear all forms of mal-ware from your computer. Spybot S&D is a powerful application that offers a default mode and an advanced mode.

When you install this program, you are immediately given the choice to update, which is of course all important when dealing with the various forms of spyware that you want to be protected from. Unfortunately, when updating, progress can seem rapid and then stop for no apparent reason, for several minutes before finishing off the job.

Once you get over that small hiccup, you are prompted to create a system backup, just in case the program happens to remove something that is actually quite important for the smooth running of your system. It should go without saying that making this backup is recommended after which you may finally immunize your system from a growing database of malicious processes.

The program has plenty of options for tweaking and customizing scans as well as some unrelated functions like the secure shredder and a start-up manager.

Although this is a powerful piece of anti-spyware software, it may be better to see it as part of your security solution. For example, team this up with Ad-Aware SE and you should be covered from practically every form of threat to your online safety.

Download SpyBot Search & Destroy 1.6.0 in Softonic

Ad-Aware is one of the most popular anti-spyware tools, with millions of downloads worldwide, and I bet this number will be increased with the release of Ad-Aware 2008.

Though the interface in itself hasn't changed that much, the new Ad-Aware 2008 includes a few interesting enhancements such as a noticeable improvement in stability and performance, which makes the program a lot lighter on system resources. The rootkit and threat detection tools have also been enhanced for a more efficient protection, together with an all new integrated anti-virus functionality.

Ad-Aware is very easy to install and use, especially if you've been using the previous version, because the program features a similar design. It's constantly updated with new definitions, so that you keep up with the latest online threats and also includes a system restoration point to help you recover your system from a virus or Trojan attack. I especially liked the fact that Ad-Aware supports multiple browsers, which enables you to manage web browsing traces and control your privacy online in Internet Explorer, Firefox and Opera.

The program still keeps some functions as exclusive to the Pro and Plus versions (like the customizable scans or the real-time monitor) but still, Ad-Aware 2008 Free is a reliable, effective anti-malware tool that will keep your system safe and sound without disturbing your daily workflow.

Ad-Aware 2008 features an excellent package of security tools with which you can efficiently protect your PC from virus, Trojans, spyware and other undesirable elements.

Download Ad-Aware 2008 7.1.0.8 Free in Softonic

CyberDefenderFREE's easy-to-use features include earlySPY, a free spyware removal tool that will catch more spyware lurking on your computer faster. Spyware is identified, quarantined, and removed with just a few clicks of your mouse.

earlySPY identifies and resolves both known and unknown spyware threats in real time. Previously classified threats are combated immediately, while new threats are reported instantly to the Early Alert Center™ where a defense is developed and then broadcast to all earlySPY users.

The program provides the latest updates as they become availabl and can prevent malicious websites from changing your home page.

Tighten up your PC security with CyberDefenderFREE today!

Download CyberDefenderFREE 3.0.0614 in Softonic

Previously known as Windows Antispyware Beta 1, Windows Defender (Beta 2) is a free program that helps protect your computer against pop-ups, slow performance, and security threats caused by spyware and other unwanted software. It features Real-Time Protection, a monitoring system that recommends actions against spyware when it's detected, and a new streamlined interface that minimizes interruptions and helps you stay productive.

Download Windows Defender 7.0 in Softonic

While the developers claim that "Free 100% Real-Time Protection" is something that most similar programs charge for may be stretching the truth somewhat, Spyware Terminator & Web Security Guard is very powerful spyware solution.

The program includes all the options you expect to find in such a product including options to manually carry out or schedule scans as well as options to deny or allow access to certain programs to your PC. The program is not just a spyware scanner however as it also includes an antivirus scanner. The developers have also seen fit to include a "Web Security Guard" which carries out the the job that most anti-phishing and pop up blockers in Internet Explorer and Firefox already carry out. This feature also features user generated website reviews along with warnings as to whether the site could be potentially harmful or not. Note that the developers warn that if you are using an unsupported operating system (such as Windows 98 or ME), you it may be better to use version 1.9 which offers the same protection but is much lighter on resources as the one drawback of this program is that it is rather slow to start and close and can hog your memory at peak scanning periods.

This is a comprehensive security solution that has all avenues of attack covered although if you're already using a virus scanner, you may be better to stick with it as it seems the weakest part of what is generally an excellent package.

Download Spyware Terminator & Web Security Guard 2.2.3.444 in Softonic

If your computer's performance suddenly starts to get worse and the whole system behaves in an abnormal way, you're likely to have some kind of malware in your hard drive. Anyway, just to be sure, you can launch this program and see for yourself.

RunScanner analyzes your system (with two possible alternatives, quick or full scan) and displays all running processes in Windows file system and Registry. Each one of the elements has some icons to its left that provide you with more information about it, although you'll have to check that online as the program doesn't include a help file.

Scans are very quick (even the full one) and can help you discover what's wrong with your system. Just bear in mind that this is not a definitive solution and that you need to be sure of what you're doing before actually deleting anything. Just in case, the program includes a backup option to unroll unwanted changes.

RunScanner also features a process killer and a hosts file editor.

Download RunScanner 1.6.3.0 in Softonic

Free Online Armor detects and removes spyware, trojans and attacks Phishing threats. It works by studying the behaviour of programs running on your system and if it detects something suspicious, immediately blocks it from operating or warns you. The program then verifies this behaviour alongside its own database of threats to identify exactly what it is.

When Free Online Armor detects a potentially dangerous program it displays a warning message. However, it avoids overwhelming the user with a large number of alerts because on first use, it asks you to define a white list of safe programs. In addition to this basic function, Free Online Armor also includes a firewall and tools for detecting trojans, unauthorised executable files and protection for e-mail and browsing etc.

This is an all-in-one protection suite although don't be surprised if it doesn't detect all that it promises because it is free and as such, is not designed for those that need very high protection levels.

Download Online Armor Free 2.1.0.130 in Softonic

ThreatFire, previously know as CyberHawk, is a pre-emptive anti-spyware monitoring tool that aims to protects you from malware before it gets anywhere near your system. It does this by monitoring the behaviour of your PC in real time to check for strange or irregular behaviour.

This method supposedly offers faster protection as you don't need to wait for an anti-virus signature file to be updated as with conventional antivirus programs. However, ThreatFire can interpret any kind of new behaviour on your PC as a threat and it can be rather annoying to get warnings and prompts every time you install a new piece of software. However, you can configure it to "trust" certain activity so you can minimise annoying messages in this way.

Obviously, ThreatFire monitors your PC in real time, but you can also configure it to run on demand although it seems there's no way of knowing the progress of these scans. Note that because this program is designed to protect your PC, it can be hard to fully close it down. Even when you've closed the window, it will run in your taskbar and even closing it from there is not clear. Overall though, this is an interesting alternative to conventional anti-spyware.

Download ThreatFire 3.0.13 in Softonic

RunAlyzer is our brand-new autostart & configuration manager that allows you to view and edit all the spots where Windows looks for programs or services to start.

It's a combination of a standard configuration manager and an advanced tool to locate and remove places where hijackers, spyware and other malware hide.

Download RunAlyzer 0.7.1 in Softonic

After just five minutes surfing only a few pages on the Internet - Spyware and other parasites which harm both you and your computer are downloaded to your computer and are used to retrieve sensitive data. If your system is unprotected, spyware and adware can easily infiltrate your system and do any one of the following:

• Dramatically slow down your PC and Internet connection speeds
• Get onto your computer without your knowledge gethering personal and financial information such as passwords and credit card details, as well as other sensitive data
• Flood you with commercial promotions, pop-ups and unsolicited ads from inside your PC
• Send information about you over the internet
• Modify your internet browser
• Steal your identity
• Corrupt your personal data
• Control your PC remotely

Arovax AntiSpyware is a free utility for detecting and eliminating the biggest plague of the internet, spyware. It provides two types of analysis, a deep scan and a quick scan, the latter being extremely speedy and effective. The interface is clear and easy to use, with information about everything that it finds.

Download Arovax AntiSpyware 2.0.65 in Softonic

All-in-One Secretmaker is designed for everyone who wants to avoid unpleasant experiences, protect their privacy and use the Internet efficiently for private or business. It combines 7 powerful tools including a Spam Fighter, Pop-Up Killer, Cookie Eraser, History Cleaner, Privacy Protector, Banner Blocker and Worm Hunter.

It will protect you from spyware, trackware, and viruses. Spam Fighter rates spam and works with any POP3 e-mail client, and the automated whitelist keeps preferred contacts up-to-date. Banner Blocker reduces advertising banners, and Movie Blocker blocks Flash ads. Pop-up Blocker stops unwanted pop-ups, and Privacy Protector hides your identity while you surf. Cookie Eraser circumvents profiling. History Cleaner clears needless files, logs, and tracks. Various whitelists allow user-specific optimizations.

Download All-in-One Secretmaker 4.2.7.5 in Softonic

Scans, disinfects and eliminates over 90,000 viruses, worms and Trojans from all system devices, hard disks, compressed file and all your email. Detects spyware. 84 percent of malware installed on computers worldwide is spyware.

Do you know if your PC is spyware free?

Download ActiveScan 5.52 in Softonic

This application is great for those who want to know exactly how their computer is infected and the best ways to get rid of particularly nasty spyware components. Spy Cleaner Gold stands out in the spyware-removal field, but you'll have to pay for the quality. A slick interface sports controls similar to its competitors, offering options for scanning your drives and Registry, updating online, and saving the last, best system set-up as a backup.

Scanning is fairly quick compared to other programs in the category. We especially liked the way this application displays results, separating different kinds of adware and spyware into categories so we knew in what manner our computer is infected. We also appreciated that this program calls out spyware that it cannot remove, directing us to alternate removal methods.

Download Free Spyware Scanner 9.6 in Softonic

VX2 is one of the most problematic applications to remove from your computer. While Ad-Aware SE effectively deals with most VX2 variants, there are a few that none of today's available antispyware application can detect or remove.

Until the release of Ad-Aware 2006, we will continue providing protection against threats such as certain VX2 variants through the add-on functionality of Ad-Aware SE. Ad-aware 2006 will tackle threats such as VX2 without the need for add-ons. Note that VX2 Cleaner 2.0 works with all editions of Ad-Aware SE.

Download Ad-Aware VX2 Cleaner Plug-In 2.0 in Softonic

In the ever increasing battle against malware, you can never have too many good malware removers and detectors. Malwarebytes Anti Malware scans disks and devices connected to your PC and removes all types of malware.

The program is constantly updated with a list of the latest known malware threats across the net so you'll always be fully covered although the update prompts can be annoying and should be switched off. They may also slow down your PC momentarily but it's worth it to keep up to date. The program cannot be schedule to offer real time protection bit it can scan your system at any time. There is also a list for the files in quarantine and one for those which can be ignored. If an infected file is detected, the programs "Fileassassin" can be launched although use it with caution because it is potent and you may end up deleting essential drivers and files.

If you want realtime protection, you can register online although you'll have to pay for this service.

A powerful and quick scanner but it's a shame there's no realtime protection with it.

Download Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware 1.28 in Softonic

Malware can cause some serious problems on your PC and there are no guaranteed ways of blocking it other than not connecting to the internet. However, Hazard Shield does a pretty good job of blocking threats before they are able to run on your PC.

Hazard Shield also comes with some useful integrated tools. The most popular is the file killer which can remove virtually any file on your system. Its most useful for removing locked or in-use files that Windows won't usually let you access. There are several other tools including an uninstall manager, a process manager and a scheduled task manager.

Like all good anti-malware, Hazard Shield also provides Realtime protection which can monitor and protect your computer by removing threats before they have chance to cause any serious damage. Best of all, it's very very light on resources.

For such a lightweight program, you'll be impressed at the protection that Hazard Shield offers.

Download Hazard Shield 1.8.0.0 in Softonic

Privacy Mantra keeps your computer clean from online and offline tracks. Most people are unaware of that every web site they have visited remains in the undeletable index.dat file, even after the Internet history and cache has been removed. Your system is also keeping information of executables you run, movies you watch and documents you open. Some of these prints can't be deleted manually as they are locked by the system.

Privacy Mantra will erase and wash away most privacy threats in your machine including, Internet history, cache, cookies, index.dat files, auto-complete forms, search assistant, recent documents, open/save dialogs, run files, Mozilla Firefox, Google Toolbar and more. Privacy Mantra allows the user to easily download the latest database of threats. This reliable cleaner will not only protect your privacy but also free disk space by deleting junk files.

Download Privacy Mantra 2.04 in Softonic

WinCleaner AntiSpyware is free software that helps protect your computer against pop-ups, slow performance, and security threats caused by spyware, adware and other unwanted nuisances.

It features real-time protection and an automatic monitoring system against spyware that is both quick and timely so it minimizes interruptions and helps you stay productive.

WinCleaner AntiSpyware exceeds the protection of most commercial grade solutions! And since experts recommend that you have at least two or three different antispyware programs to maximize the security and privacy of your computer, you will find our free antispyware solution to be of great value.

Download WinCleaner AntiSpyware 5.58 in Softonic

Malware Sweeper protects users from malicious malware and monitors the sanity of the running programs and guards the user even before it infects the system.

It features real-time system protection, stops malware programs before they can run, monitors the startup list and monitors changes in internet settings so that you can keep them the way you need them.

It can also monitors favorite items and blocks any unwanted additions as well as shred detected spyware threats files and folders.

Download Malware Sweeper 2.3.0 Free in Softonic

Advanced Spyware Remover is a powerful but easy-to-use anti spyware tool. The program removes spyware, adware, malware, hijacker programs and immunizes them to block future spyware threats that may invade your privacy and even steal your credit card numbers or personal information. It upgrades computer system performance and creating a secure computer that runs reliably.

Advanced Spyware Remover has the ability to block over 20,000 known spyware and internet threats from ever being installed in your computer. It also blocks thousands of harmful website to protect your online privacy and improve computer security.

The program is more than just a spyware remover and scans the hijack programs in your computer and tweaks your system, manages key area of your computer. With the built-in "Process Dictionary" you will know everything that is running on your computer, including system process, general software, spyware/adware and virus. Also, you can remove unwanted browser extended menu items, extended program and browser hijackers in your web browser.

Download Advanced Spyware Remover 1.94.32158 in Softonic