Adware is a type of malware that is installed on your computer with no knowledge. It will then track your computer to determine the things you search for, and then display advertising relevant to the search results. This can result in huge amount of unwanted advertisements which can be extremely distracting and slow your computer. It also poses serious privacy, health and security threats. Adware can be used to take your personal information and then sell it to marketers.
Lavasoft is the company behind Adaware, has been working on antivirus software for a long time and is a legitimate company. The program is simple to install and doesn’t require you to remove your current antivirus. Once it’s installed, it can run a rapid custom or full scan from the main dashboard and perform the necessary updates to your product.
Adaware offers three plans including free, Pro and Total. The free plan offers real-time protection, download protection, but not ad blocker. The Pro version comes with unlimited tech support, email and web security and a robust fire wall. It also includes a document shredder, digital lock, and parental controls.
Ad-aware was able to block 95.4% in AV-Comparatives Real-World tests for protection however, it was unable to block 97% of zero day samples. These results may seem good however they’re not impressive when compared with the best in the field. Both the Pro and Total versions of this antivirus come with a 30-day money-back guarantee.