PCProtect Review

Developed by British antivirus specialists SS Protect — the company behind ScanGuard and TotalAV — PCProtect offers an impressive one-stop security solution. Alongside robust antivirus, anti-malware and anti-ransomware protection, you’ll also get a bevy of useful add-ons, including a secure password manager and a VPN.

pcprotect logo

What we like

What we weren’t sure about

Overall Performance

There’s no doubt that PCProtect performs exactly as advertised. Installation is quick and simple. You get ongoing, real-time antivirus monitoring. And scans are as smooth and silent as it gets.

We comfortably ran Photoshop, streamed Netflix videos and browsed the web during a scan, with no noticeable impact on performance. The scan also clocked in at about 23 minutes, which is quite reasonable compared to other antivirus software programs.

Because it only launched in 2016, PCProtect hasn’t yet been independently tested by AV Test, AV Comparatives or Virus Bulletin. As a result, it’s difficult to benchmark it against its competitors.

That said, scanning performance looks robust. And the software is backed by an excellent pedigree — its developers, SS Protect, are the company behind Total AV, which registered a 100% catch rate and zero false positives in its latest round of independent testing on Virus Bulletin.

User Experience

PCProtect’s interface is identical to ScanGuard’s. This isn’t a bad thing. Clearly, SS Protect went for an “if ain’t broke don’t fix it” approach here. And, as far as we’re concerned, this mostly pays off.

The rounded icons and clean, simple layout are easy on the eyes. And you can access the main features quickly from the menu on the left side of the screen.

The flipside is that PCProtect’s interface shares ScanGuard’s downsides. In particular, you can only access some of the features, such as the VPN, by clicking on the icon in the status bar. And this won’t necessarily be intuitive for some users. Similarly, PCProtect’s notification popups are a tad intrusive.

That said, installation is a breeze, getting started is quick and easy and the overall user experience is sleek and effortless. So, really and truly, these feel like minor complaints.

Features and Add-ons

PCProtect works as a one-stop solution for all your security and privacy needs. Alongside its anti-virus, anti-malware, anti-ransomware and anti-spyware protection you’ll also get several additional features to help keep you safe online.

This is very convenient because it means you have all your security and privacy tools in one place. But, more to the point, it’ll also save you money, as you won’t have to fork out extra for subscriptions to third party providers.

You can get most of the extra functionality on the Essential plan — great if you only need protection for one device. There’s a web shield extension that works on all major browsers, optimisation tools, a disk cleaner and a VPN. With servers in over 30 locations across the globe, the VPN is arguably PCProtect’s standout feature.

The Pro throws in more optimisation tools and a secure password vault, another valuable tool to help you stay safe online. The Ultimate package includes all this plus a smartphone optimiser.

All in all, there’s an incredible amount of value to be had even on the Essential plan. But the extras that come with Pro and Ultimate make paying the additional premium worthwhile.

Tech Support

Getting in touch with PCProtect is as easy as clicking on the widget at the bottom right of the screen and keying in some details. You’ll be put in touch with a friendly customer support agent via live chat in seconds.

Support is also available by phone or email.

Billing support is available to all customers 24/7. However, unfortunately, you’ll only get round-the-clock priority tech support if you’re an Ultimate customer. Seeing as the Essential and Pro packages are relatively pricey compared to other antivirus software programs, we thought this was disappointing.

The upside is that PCProtect’s on-site knowledge base makes troubleshooting and sorting out tech issues yourself quite straightforward, even if you’re not especially technically-minded. There’s a wealth of step-by-step tutorials written in plain English as well as easy-to-follow video tutorials.

Price

PCProtect’s antivirus protection comes in three levels: Essential, Pro, and Ultimate.

Unlike some other antivirus software programs, PCProtect is transparent and upfront about the number of devices you can use each licence on. The Essential plan supports one device. Pro supports up to 3 devices and Ultimate supports up to 5.

There’s a hefty discount on the first year’s subscription: $75 / £75 / €75 off on the Essential plan, $80 / £80 / €80 off on the Pro plan and $90 / £90 / €90 on the Ultimate plan. All plans also come with a 30-day money back guarantee.

Here’s a roundup of PCProtect’s three plans, the price of a one-year subscription and what’s included in the price.

Essential Antivirus

$99.95 / £99.95 / €99.95 (First year: $24.95 / £24.95 / €24.95)

Antivirus protection for 1 device (Windows, OSX, Android or iOS), plus:

Ransomware, spyware, malware, adware and phishing protection

Disk cleaner

Performance and optimisation tools (PC Only)

Firewall

Web shield extension

Web browser cleaner and manager

Pro Antivirus

$119.95 / £119.95 / €119.95 (First year: $39.95 / £39.95 / €39.95)

Antivirus protection for up to 3 devices (Windows, OSX, Android or iOS), plus:

Everything on the Essential Antivirus package

Performance and optimisation tools

Password vault

Ultimate Antivirus

Antivirus protection for up to 5 devices (Windows, OSX, Android or iOS), plus:

$149.95 / £149.95 / €149.95 (First year: $59.95 / £59.95 / €59.95)

Everything on the Pro Antivirus package

24/7 Support

Smartphone optimizer

Summary

As a new entrant on the market, PCProtect’s main drawback is that it hasn’t been independently tested yet. But while this may deter some people from giving it a try, the truth is that it’s hard to fault it.

PCProtect has an excellent pedigree. It’s simple to use, smooth and silent. And its excellent set of addons — even on the cheapest plan — means you could easily replace several apps with a single software program, saving yourself a bunch of money in the bargain. Add in the considerable discount on the first year’s subscription and we’d say you’ve got nothing to lose and everything to gain by taking it for a spin.