Emsisoft Antivirus: Decades of Trusted Cybersecurity

Security & Protection

The main point when buying an antivirus is how secure the product is, so we ask the question: Can Emsisoft protect our devices from viruses, malware, and other causes of harm?
To answer that, we review the following regarding security and protection:

1. Third-party lab test results

Instead of unquestioningly accepting the claims of antivirus creators, a more thorough assessment involves third-party labs and compiling an analysis report of different resources, ensuring a comprehensive and reliable evaluation.

VB100 tests

Virus Bulletin, an independent security information portal and certification body, has been rigorously evaluating security solutions for over two decades. Emsisoft  has undergone thorough testing and consistently excelled across a variety of assessments.

In the September 2023 VB100 certification tests, Emsisoft Anti-Malware achieved an outstanding A+ grade, detecting 99.60% of malicious samples with an impressively low false-positive rate of 0.05%. This reaffirms Emsisoft's consistent success, as they previously received VB100 certification in September 2022 and March 2023, showcasing their ability to detect malware while maintaining an impeccable record of zero false positives.

AV-Comparatives

AV-Comparative results were outdated as they were last checked by AV-Comparatives back in 2018. Nevertheless, the results were as follows:

• Emsisoft Antivirus scores 2/3 stars (Advanced) in the impact on device performance and resource consumption department
• Emsisoft Antivirus has a Real-World Protection Test with a 1/3 stars (Standard) real-world protection score. According to a test conducted with 758 domains/files, this score evaluates the rate of detection of malicious files and domains. Emsisoft Antivirus had one false positive (false alarm), with the industry average in the test being 17. While successfully blocking 98.5% of threats
• Malware Protection Test: Emsisoft Antivirus has a 3/3 (Advanced +) score regarding malware detection. This was done by testing 10102 Test cases with a 99.5% detection and block, with ten false positives (false alarms)

2. Firewall and IDS protection

Although Emsisoft does not provide an in-house firewall, it compensates by offering meticulous monitoring and hardening of the Windows firewall.

3. USB Rescue ToolKit

While a USB rescue toolkit isn't provided to users, a dedicated malware removal expert is provided to all users to help remove a virus that has infected your device.

Plans & Features

Emsisoft provides users with three main products: Emsisoft Anti-Malware Home, Emsisoft Business Security, and Emsisoft Enterprise Security. The following is a quick summary of the features:

1. Emsisoft Anti-Malware Home

Emsisoft antivirus provides robust protection according to third-party test lab results. The home product contains the following features:

• Anti-ransomware: Provides dedicated protection against ransomware
• Behavior blocker: Provides heuristic and behavior-based analysis and block of suspicious activity, which helps against new zero-day attacks
• File guard: Scans every downloaded and executed file, ensuring no threat harms your device
• Web protection: Blocks access to known fraudulent websites
• Anti-phishing: Provides protection against malicious URLs, keeping you and your data safe
• Automatic updates: Regular automatic updates ensure your antivirus has the latest database

2. Emsisoft Business Security

The Emsisoft Business Security provides businesses with a centralized management console to set the protection level of all devices required using a single dashboard (MyEmsisoft). This business-focused product allows users to buy as many licenses as needed according to the size of the establishment. Notably, this product supports Windows OS, ensuring comprehensive coverage for diverse business environments.

3. Emsisoft Enterprise Security

Emsisoft Enterprise Security includes a mechanism similar to the Business Security product and adds to it:

• Active directory integration: Provides synchronization between your domain and Emsisoft workspace
• Automatic detection: This allows you to synchronize your domain devices and alert your new devices to deploy protection
• Remote deployment through relay devices: Selected devices are used as agents/relays to deploy protection to new devices remotely. Alternatively, administrators can opt for Group Policy Object (GPO) deployment

Emsisoft mobile app

Emsisoft provides mobile security protection as a separate standalone plan. It provides users with real-time protection, the ability to scan all files and folders for possible threats and malware, and anti-theft protection to track the whereabouts of your device. 

Extra features

Among the significant extra features provided by antiviruses, Emsisoft stands as follows:

Password manager

Emsisoft doesn't provide a password manager as part of its plans but as a standalone product. Using the same password repeatedly runs the risk of getting hacked across all your accounts, while using different passwords runs the risk of forgetting them. Password managers are the perfect solution.

Online banking

Emsisoft does provide safe online banking. With safe online banking, a user can do online transactions in safe environments without the risk of losing his information to a man-in-the-middle, attack or other attempts at stealing your data. In addition, Emsisoft automatically redirects users to real sites if they go to a fake one, adding to online security.

Parental control

Emsisoft antivirus lacks a parental control feature. Parental control is a valuable tool for concerned parents, allowing them to set curfews on their children's Internet usage and ensure they are navigating safe online content.

VPN

Emsisoft doesn't have a premium VPN service under any plan or as a standalone product.

Backup

Emsisoft doesn't provide online backup. The presence of encrypted online backup can give peace of mind, especially when one has sensitive documents relating to work, personal, and sensitive files. Moreover, with the online backup, users can find their files saved in the event the main files are lost.

User Experience

Emsisoft provides a great experience for users, be it in the form of the scan speed amplified by the Turbo Scan feature, which shortens scanning time by skipping files it already knows are safe, the simple user interface, or the smooth customer support.

The user-friendly interface with a green smart scan button starts scanning it in the middle with surrounding icons to navigate the application easily.

Customer Support

In terms of customer support, the following methods of contact are available for users when they need help:

• Knowledge base
• Live chat
• Email and ticketing
• Phone call (Enterprise premium support)
• Remote control of your device 

Pricing & Payments

The company's price rates stand out as they're some of the best in the market for business and professional use, especially when factoring in the included features. For home users, their pricing is fairly average in the retail market. It's worth noting that some competitors may appear more budget-friendly initially but often escalate subscription prices significantly in subsequent years. Check out the summarized table below for a detailed breakdown of Emsisoft's pricing per plan.

Payment methods

Payment methods include:

• Major credit cards (Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover)
• PayPal
• PayNearMe
• eCheck/ACH
• Bank/wire transfer
• UnionPay

Money-back guarantee

Thanks to their money-back guarantee, you can use Emsisoft for 30 days without any risk.

Takeaway 

In summary, Emsisoft, with over two decades of experience, stands out as a robust cybersecurity solution focusing on end-point protection from malware. With a high-performance dual-engine scanner and commendable third-party test results, it effectively identifies and mitigates malware threats. While lacking certain built-in features, Emsisoft compensates with careful firewall monitoring and a dedicated malware removal expert. Its user-friendly interface, efficient Turbo Scan, and flexible pricing options, coupled with a 30-day money-back guarantee, make it a compelling choice for those seeking reliable and comprehensive security.