Best Spyware and Adware Removal Software for Windows (Free and Paid)

At a glance

How to remove spyware for free first: Windows Security

Every copy of Windows 10 and 11 already includes a free spyware remover: Microsoft Defender Antivirus, inside the Windows Security app. Before you pay for anything, run it properly. Most "free spyware removal" searches end here, and for plenty of infections this is enough.

1. Update first. Open Windows Security, go to Virus & threat protection and check for protection updates, so the scan knows the newest threats.
2. Run a full scan. Under Scan options, pick Full scan. A quick scan only checks the usual hiding places; spyware that hides elsewhere needs the full one.
3. Run an offline scan. In the same list, choose Microsoft Defender Antivirus (offline scan). The PC restarts and Defender scans from the Windows Recovery Environment before Windows loads, which makes it much harder for persistent malware to hide. Save your work first, because the restart is immediate. The results appear later under Protection history.
4. Block adware installers. Under App & browser control, open Reputation-based protection and turn on Potentially unwanted app blocking. That stops many bundled toolbars and "PC cleaner" offers that come with free downloads.
5. Clean up by hand. In Settings, uninstall programs you don't remember installing, and remove unknown extensions from every browser. If the homepage or search engine keeps changing back, reset the browser's settings.

When is that not enough? When Defender says the PC is clean but the pop-ups, redirects or new toolbars keep coming back. Adware and potentially unwanted programs often aren't "malware" in Defender's eyes, so a second-opinion scanner that targets them, such as SUPERAntiSpyware, finds what it lets through. And when you want stronger always-on protection, including web filtering, ransomware protection and better scores in the independent labs, a paid antivirus such as Bitdefender is the step up.

Antivirus or second-opinion scanner: which kind of anti-spyware do you need?

The tools in this article do two different jobs, and mixing them up is the most common buying mistake.

1. Bitdefender Antivirus Plus: the best spyware protection overall

Bitdefender Antivirus Plus is the pick here for one reason the others can't match: independent proof. Bitdefender's product page cites an AV-TEST average protection score of 5.96 out of 6 from January 2011 to August 2026, and Bitdefender is a regular in AV-TEST's and AV-Comparatives' results. None of the other tools in this article has current lab results of its own. For spyware specifically, Bitdefender's scanning is backed by Advanced Threat Defense, which watches what running programs do and stops one the moment it behaves like malware, and by web protection that blocks malicious and phishing sites before anything downloads.

The Bitdefender dashboard on Windows: a scan recommendation and quick actions for Quick Scan, System Scan, Vulnerability Scan, VPN and Safepay. This copy's title bar says Total Security, which shares the Antivirus Plus interface.

Day to day it's a set-and-forget app: everything is managed through a free Bitdefender Central account, it updates itself, and Autopilot suggests the next step (turn on ransomware remediation, run a scan) instead of nagging. One subscription now covers Windows, Mac, Android and iPhone, and the 3-device plan costs only $10 more than one device in the first year. It includes Bitdefender VPN with 200 MB of traffic per device per day, which is a taste rather than a full VPN.

Start Bitdefender Free TrialBuy Bitdefender Antivirus Plus

2. IObit Malware Fighter PRO: cheapest real-time spyware and adware protection

IObit Malware Fighter PRO combines IObit's own anti-malware engine with a Bitdefender engine and an anti-ransomware engine, then adds nine real-time guards (file, startup, process, MBR, camera, USB disk, behavior, network and browser password). For adware, its Browser Protect section is the useful part: Homepage Advisor warns when your homepage or search engine is changed, DNS Protect stops malware from redirecting your traffic, Download Protection scans what you download, and Anti-Tracking clears tracking cookies when you close the browser. Version 14 adds AI Script Guard, which checks scripts as they're about to run, including ones started by AI agents, and IObit says the full scan is up to 30% faster.

Browser Protect in IObit Malware Fighter 14 Pro: Homepage Advisor, Anti-Tracking (Pro), Download Protection, DNS Protect and Surfing Protection switched on, and a tile promoting a VPN.

The catch is evidence and upselling. IObit Malware Fighter has no recent published results from AV-TEST or AV-Comparatives, so you're trusting the Bitdefender engine inside it rather than a test of the product. The two Pro engines start switched off even after you activate Pro (turn them on in Security Guard), and the app promotes other IObit products and a VPN. IObit's 60-day money-back guarantee covers wrong purchases, unexpected renewals and problems support can't fix, not a change of mind, so install the free edition first and see how it runs on your PC.

Download IObit Malware Fighter FreeBuy IObit Malware Fighter PRO

3. MalwareFox Premium: a light antivirus with a free adware cleaner

MalwareFox Premium began as the kind of small scanner people ran when a browser started opening strange search pages, and that job is still in it: the Browser Cleaner removes hijackers, adware and unwanted toolbars, and it stays free after the trial ends. Premium turns it into a full antivirus built on K7 Computing's engine, with real-time protection, a ransomware shield, a behavior blocker, web protection through a browser extension and a basic firewall. MalwareFox says it stays under 50 MB of RAM and 1% CPU in normal use, and it doesn't show "your PC is at risk" scare screens.

A MalwareFox manual scan in progress: 14,411 objects scanned, with a Riskware file and a Trojan-Downloader found in the AppData\Roaming folder.

The weak spot is outside proof. The 99.3% protection score MalwareFox quotes from AV-Comparatives belongs to K7's engine, not to a test of MalwareFox itself. It also replaces Defender rather than running beside it, and the installer is big for a "lightweight" tool (about 263 MB, because the virus definitions ship inside it).

Download MalwareFox Free TrialBuy MalwareFox Premium

4. Spybot Home Edition: the classic spyware remover, with immunization

Spybot Home Edition is the paid version of Spybot - Search & Destroy, the free tool many people remember cleaning adware and toolbars off the family PC. Home Edition adds an antivirus engine, Live Protection that checks programs before they start, automatic updates and scheduled scans. Its standout feature for spyware is immunization: it adds known malicious and tracking sites to the Windows hosts file and to your browsers, so they're blocked before anything loads. For adware that keeps coming back, it can repair from a Protected Repair Environment, outside the running Windows session.

A Spybot system scan with 168 results: DownloadSponsor settings, DoubleClick tracking cookies and a generic trojan, each with a threat-level bar (vendor screenshot from version 2.7; the layout is the same in 2.9).

Be honest with yourself about what you're buying, though. The program itself hasn't had a new build since 2.9.85.5 in February 2023; only the signatures keep updating. Independent labs stopped testing Spybot years ago, and reviewers who ran malware samples against it found weak detection. Buy it as a cheap, familiar extra layer and a way to keep Spybot's immunization current, not as your only protection.

Download SpybotBuy Spybot Home Edition

5. Auslogics Anti-Malware: a second-opinion scanner for 3 PCs

Auslogics Anti-Malware is built to run beside your main antivirus, not to replace it, so you don't have to uninstall Defender or anything else to use it. It offers quick, deep and custom scans that look beyond files on disk: running processes, programs set to start with Windows, scheduled tasks, suspicious registry entries, temporary folders and tracking cookies. Finds go to a quarantine you can restore from, an ignore list keeps your own files out of later scans, and you choose the heuristic level (Disable, Lazy, Normal or High), trading more new-threat catches for more false alarms. The full version adds scheduled scans and unlimited clean-ups.

An Auslogics Anti-Malware scan reporting 90 objects. Every row visible here is an internet cookie, each with View details and Ignore links.

That screenshot shows the thing to know about any spyware scanner's numbers: tracking cookies count as detections, so "90 objects detected" can mean 90 cookies and no malware at all. Auslogics Anti-Malware has no real-time protection and no published lab results, and its small 16 MB installer reflects a narrow job. It's a sensible backstop for a family's three PCs, not a replacement for an antivirus.

Download Auslogics Anti-Malware Free TrialBuy Auslogics Anti-Malware

6. SUPERAntiSpyware Free Edition: the best free spyware remover

SUPERAntiSpyware Free Edition is the free spyware remover we'd install first. It's made to run alongside Microsoft Defender rather than replace it, and it targets exactly what antivirus programs tend to let through: spyware, adware, potentially unwanted programs, hijackers, keyloggers and rootkits. It runs quick, complete and critical point scans, quarantines what it finds so you can restore a false alarm, and its System Investigator and repair tools fix settings that malware breaks, such as a disabled Task Manager or a broken internet connection. The newest build adds a Windows Security page to System Investigator, so you can see Defender's status at a glance.

A SUPERAntiSpyware Critical Point Scan: 2 items found under Applications, both "Driver Support", described as a potentially unwanted program that may display ads and is bundled with other applications.

The free edition has limits that matter. It has no real-time blocking: it only removes threats when you run a scan. There are no scheduled scans or automatic updates either, so update the definitions by hand before every scan or you'll be scanning with old ones. The paid Professional X Edition adds all three. Its cart price is $19.95 for the first year on 3 PCs, renewing at $74.95 a year, and the cart also adds LiveTech support, free for the first month and then $19.95 a month unless you cancel it.

Download SUPERAntiSpyware Free

Prices and download sizes compared

Which spyware removal software should you choose?

Who should skip each one

• Skip Bitdefender Antivirus Plus if you want a firewall, parental controls or a full VPN in the same app: those come with Bitdefender's bigger suites.
• Skip IObit Malware Fighter PRO if in-app offers for other products bother you, or if you want protection backed by recent lab tests.
• Skip MalwareFox Premium if you want to keep Defender or another antivirus as your main protection, since MalwareFox replaces it.
• Skip Spybot Home Edition if it would be your only protection: its detection is weak in reviewers' tests and the program hasn't had a new build since 2023.
• Skip Auslogics Anti-Malware if you have no antivirus at all, because it has no real-time protection.
• Skip SUPERAntiSpyware Free Edition if you won't remember to update and scan by hand; the free edition does nothing in between.

FAQs

How do I remove spyware from Windows for free?

Use Windows Security first: update it, run a full scan, then run a Microsoft Defender Antivirus offline scan, which restarts the PC and scans before Windows loads. If pop-ups or redirects remain, add SUPERAntiSpyware Free Edition as a second-opinion scanner, update its definitions and run a complete scan. Both are free.

Is Windows Defender enough anti-spyware protection?

For many careful users, yes: Microsoft Defender catches most spyware and costs nothing. It's weaker against adware and potentially unwanted programs unless you turn on Potentially unwanted app blocking, and paid antivirus such as Bitdefender Antivirus Plus adds stronger web filtering, ransomware protection and better independent lab scores.

What is the best free spyware remover?

SUPERAntiSpyware Free Edition is the best free spyware remover in this comparison. It's free for good, runs next to Defender, targets adware and potentially unwanted programs, and has repair tools. Its free edition only works when you run a scan and update it by hand.

What's the difference between spyware and adware?

Spyware secretly collects information, such as what you browse, what you type or your passwords, and sends it to someone else. Adware's main job is showing ads: pop-ups, injected ads, a hijacked homepage or search engine. Adware often tracks you too, which is why spyware and adware removal tools such as SUPERAntiSpyware and MalwareFox's Browser Cleaner deal with both.

Can I run a spyware remover alongside my antivirus?

Yes, if it's an on-demand scanner. SUPERAntiSpyware Free Edition and Auslogics Anti-Malware are built to run beside Defender or another antivirus. Bitdefender Antivirus Plus, MalwareFox Premium and Spybot Home Edition are real-time antiviruses themselves, so use only one of them at a time.

How do I know if my PC has spyware?

Common signs are a homepage or search engine that changes by itself, new toolbars or browser extensions you didn't add, pop-up ads outside web pages, a PC that suddenly runs slower or a webcam light that turns on unexpectedly. A full scan with Windows Security, followed by a second scan with a tool such as SUPERAntiSpyware Free Edition, is the quickest way to check.

Is Spybot Search & Destroy still good?

Spybot Search & Destroy still works and its signatures are still updated, but the program hasn't had a new build since February 2023 and reviewers' malware tests found weak detection. Spybot Home Edition is fine as a $23.99 extra layer, especially for its immunization, but not as your only protection.

Do spyware removal tools work on Mac or phones?

Only Bitdefender Antivirus Plus covers Mac, Android and iPhone, on the same subscription as Windows. MalwareFox's 3-device and 5-device plans add its Android app. IObit Malware Fighter, Spybot, Auslogics Anti-Malware and SUPERAntiSpyware are Windows only.