The Best Spyware Remover – Top Spy Removal Tools Compared for 2024

In almost every TotalAV VB100 test, the software got a perfect score and managed to find 100% of the hidden malicious files with zero false positives. The core plan provides everything you need to find and remove spyware and block ransomware attacks.

Every TotalAV plan offers real-time device monitoring, ensuring spyware will be rapidly detected and neutralized. To keep your existing files safe, you can also schedule scans on your system.

Spyware will often download malicious files or software to your device. If this happens, you’ll be notified immediately, and TotalAV will begin to neutralize it.

These features make it far harder for spyware to steal your data. In the event that your details are stolen, though, TotalAV’s Data Breach Monitoring feature will notify you if it finds your email and passwords online, so you can update your security information.

The cheapest plan from TotalAV costs $19/year. It includes the provider’s core antivirus features and will enable you to tackle spyware, ransomware, and phishing attacks. Upgrading will get you features like a password manager and VPN, and all plans include a 30-day money-back guarantee.

TotalAV’s comprehensive security package provides excellent spyware removal tools. Its affordable introductory pricing, meanwhile, makes it ideal for individuals and families.

Surfshark scans files in real-time, when downloading and installing files and software. This way, if they’re really hiding spyware, the threat can be neutralized before any damage can be done.

To keep its virus definitions current, Surshark updates its database every three hours. This means that no matter what type of spyware is introduced to the market, Surfshark will have a record of it in its database as soon as it’s identified.

What sets Surfshark apart from TotalAV is the additional webcam protection feature. Spyware will often be able to access your webcam, meaning malicious individuals can spy on you and your surroundings.

With Surfshark, your webcam will be locked to non-approved programs and external users, and you’ll be notified if apps try to access it.

With its Email Masking feature, Surfshark also lets you create and manage a unique online alias with a different name, email, and date of birth to protect your real details during sign ups.

With Surfshark’s second-tier plan, Surfshark One, you get the antivirus and VPN for $36.32/year with a two-year subscription. This also includes a 30-day money-back guarantee.

If you’re worried about your privacy and security online, Surfshark Antivirus is an ideal solution. It allows you to scan your device for spyware, access real-time protection, and encrypt, secure, and anonymize your online traffic. It’s also a notably lightweight solution.

We loved CyberGhost’s centralized dashboard. It’s similar to the VPN interface, with a clean modern UI. It also incorporates a number of other features.

As Windows has loads of privacy settings scattered throughout the system, finding and fine-tuning each one takes time and effort. CyberGhost assembles 76 of these key settings in one place, so you can customize them to your needs.

You’ll be able to track all recent scans, quarantine files, and other updates straight from the dashboard. You’ll also find an update scanner that’ll let you know when apps need an update.

The reports tell you how many files were scanned and the number and type of threats found, quarantined, and neutralized. This comes in handy to locate files that have been causing trouble.

It’s also worth noting that CyberGhost’s VPN has been independently audited, proving that its security claims are accurate.

CyberGhost offers a single plan with a decreasing monthly rate for longer subscriptions and the option to add anti-malware software tools for $1/month. The cheapest rate comes in at $38.28/year with the security tools included.

There’s also a 45-day money-back guarantee and the option of a 24-hour trial.

CyberGhost offers solid security and spyware removal tools, and the top-notch VPN is a significant benefit for online privacy and security.

While it’s not as comprehensive a solution as Surfshark’s VPN offering, it is slightly cheaper, making it a good fit for privacy-focused users on a budget.

If you’re someone who’s frequently on video calls, you’ll love Norton’s SafeCam feature. Most spy apps stay hidden on your system and may be able to access your webcam. SafeCam monitors your camera, immediately blocks spyware, and notifies you of the same.

Norton’s firewall is also different from others. The Norton Smart Firewall monitors all traffic received and sent from your device to protect your personal files from malicious attacks and intrusive eyes.

Plus, its real-time social media monitoring comes in handy for social bees. Norton highlights malicious links on Twitter, Facebook, and web-based emails, ensuring that you can browse your social platforms without the fear of being watched.

You can test all these features and more with the generous 60-day money-back guarantee – the longest I’ve seen. Plus, you get a 30-day free trial.

Norton’s entry-level plan is available for $29.99/year and can protect one device. It includes Norton’s password manager, secure cloud storage, and protection from malware, ransomware, and spyware.

Norton’s Virus Protection Promise is a gold standard for the industry. If you believe you’ve been infected, Norton is committed to fixing the problem – and the guarantee is included with the spyware remover’s cheapest plan, so it’s available to every paying user.

Threat Protection scans files you download online for malware and potentially unwanted programs – after all, that’s the major source of threat for your system. If it finds any suspicious files, it deletes them before it can wreak havoc on your system.

Websites you visit are often full of third-party trackers, too. These keep an eye on your online activity to target you with intrusive ads. Nord Threat Protection blocks these trackers so that you can enjoy high levels of privacy when browsing online.

Similarly, many websites are filled with intrusive ads that can often be riddled with malicious spyware and malware. Nord Protection blocks these ads even before they get a chance to load completely, ensuring you can enjoy an ad-free browsing experience.

Enabling Nord Threat Protection is a breeze. You simply need to open the Nord app, click the shield icon, and toggle the Threat Protection switch on.

As with CyberGhost, Nord Threat Protection may lack independent testing, but it’s from a brand renowned for its online security. Plus, tests conducted on the VPN and password manager have proven it’s undoubtedly a safe protection solution.

For NordVPN Threat Protection, you’ll need to subscribe to the Plus plan for $52.68/year with a two-year subscription. This also includes a 30-day money-back guarantee.

The top-tier Ultimate plan, at $6.39/month with a two-year subscription, adds 1TB of secure storage and identity protection features.

NordVPN Threat Protection is a great solution for rock-solid web protection, and it’s coupled with a fast, secure VPN with a huge global network. If you’re worried about being exposed to malicious links or download files, Nord Threat Protection is ideal.

The Trend Micro spyware remover is extremely easy to use. You simply need to run the software and click on Start Scan. It also comes with a Custom Scan option, where you can select specific locations to run a spyware scan on.

In addition, Trend Micro allows you to scan specific files, so you can check recent downloads, for example, saving you from scanning the entire system.

The Smart Protection Network is another strong feature. Trend Micro is an ever-evolving spyware remover that learns from every device in its network, noting all the threats previously removed on devices using Trend Micro.

It use this information to remove any future threats on devices on its network, and its 100% AV-Test score for zero-day malware detection just goes to prove the effectiveness of its technology.

Trend Micro can scan all the devices connected to your home network for spyware and malware and remove threats immediately.

Trend Micro’s starter plan is priced at $19.95/year and will protect one Windows device with real-time protection, scans, and web security and the ability to block spyware and ransomware.

Trend Micro’s AI-driven scanning technology can give users the edge in tracking down spyware embedded in their system. If you suspect a threat isn’t being caught by other security software, try Trend Micro.

The platform’s user-friendly interface also makes it a good pick for families and beginners.

When it comes to Intego’s security offering, we particularly appreciate its location-specific and daily automated scans – scan types that leading antiviruses like Trend Micro don’t offer.

Location-specific scans allow you to run targeted scans on folders you’re suspicious of, while automated scans are ideal for routine system maintenance.

When Intego finds a malicious entity during scans, it gives you control of how you want the system to be protected. You can repair and remove the threat immediately or quarantine it in a separate folder to stop it from spreading.

Many users will also like Intego’s comprehensive financial protection. It blocks ransomware, banking Trojans, and cryptocurrency stealing malware, ensuring you don’t fall prey to online financial scams.

Intego also provides zero-day protection, blocking advanced and emerging threats that have only just been discovered and which developers may not have had a chance to neutralize.

However, we were a little disappointed by Intego’s inability to run real-time scans on web activity or downloads due to Mac App limitations – and it doesn’t support Android or iPhone mobile devices. That said, its scans make up for it, as it includes email and pop-up protection.

Intego’s cheapest Mac plan costs $37.50/year with a two-year subscription. All plans include a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Intego is a first-class Mac spyware remover, and its results in testing underline its effectiveness in removing malware and other threats from Macs.

Among Avast’s scan types, the Boot Time scan is a feature that stands out. It runs a scan before your system boots up, so viruses, malware, and malicious scripts can’t hide in otherwise undetectable locations.

The Avast free antivirus also comes with a robust anti-spyware scanner that prevents your personal files from the prying eyes of online intruders. This is normally found in paid plans, but Avast offers it for free.

Upgrading to Avast’s paid plans unlocks some very useful features, such as a webcam scanner, an advanced firewall, and a shopping safety tools.

The webcam scanner is handy for those who regularly participate in online meetings. Avast scans your webcam for any suspicious trackers and removes them.

With 435 million+ active users and 30 years of experience, Avast certainly delivers great value for money.

Avast offers a wide range of plans, as well as an excellent free anti-spyware software solution that can block malware and safeguard your inbox. Upgrading to paid plans adds a firewall, web protection, and an app updater.

Avast One Silver starts at $35.88/year for its protection plan, but Antivirus Premium Security is the cheapest dedicated antivirus package. It costs $49.99/year for one device or $69.99/year for ten. The company’s top plan allows you to protect 30 devices.

Avast is perfect if you’re looking for a free spyware software tool. It provides an impressive feature set that only gets better if you upgrade to a paid plan.

A popular McAfee feature is its Protection Score, which rates your system’s overall health and offers suggestions to improve it. For example, if your email password has been compromised, it’ll recommend you change it to boost your score.

McAfee also comes with a file shredder that deletes sensitive files to ensure no traces are left behind. Moreover, McAfee’s identity monitoring keeps an eye on your emails, SSNs, bank accounts, and credit cards and notifies you immediately if there are any changes.

In terms of dedicated spyware and ransomware protection, McAfee’s Ransom Guard strengthens your device’s security to combat unauthorized file encryption or spyware installation attempts.

McAfee also creates a secure backup of the files that were under attack so no data is lost. In recent lab tests, McAfee has achieved a 100% detection rate for widespread and prevalent malware.

Among other features, McAfee offers a VPN, a password manager, and parental control features, round it out as a complete security system for full coverage.

McAfee’s offering runs from the $39.99/year Essential package for five devices to the Ultimate plan, which includes extensive identity protection tools for $199.99/year. There are also family plans to cover additional devices and add parental control tools. All plans include a 30-day money-back guarantee.

With its impressive feature set, McAfee is ideal for implementing multi-layered digital security to combat spyware and to keep your system secure in future. It’s also one of the best spyware tools for protecting Windows devices.