This might not be the most popular antivirus product, but, when compared to the leaders, it proves to be trustworthy. First of all, anti-malware protection is well above average. Secondly, it comes packed with a decent set of extra features, including a Disc Cleaner, parental controls, and a VPN. Let us go ahead and talk in more detail about all the strong and weak sides of Scanguard.
Pros:
- Strong In Anti-Malware Protection
- Compatible With Win, Mac, iOS, and Android
- Below-Average System Impact
- One Of The Friendliest User Interfaces
- Comes With A Decent Set Of Additional Features
- Excellent Customer Support With A Live Chat
- Only One Account For All Your Devices
Cons:
- Hasn’t Been Tested By Independent Labs Yet
- Doesn’t Offer A Free Trial
- Unreasonably Expensive Renewal Rates
- Occasional Compatibility Issues With The Win Defender
- Security And Reliability
Sadly, there aren’t any real-world third-party tests available yet. Therefore, we had to run our own to check Scanguard’s performance. Overall, we were pleased by how this antivirus deals with modern-day threats, including malware, ransomware, and phishing. The scans are fast, thorough, and won’t interfere with your work both on the desktop and mobile platforms.
Add a VPN and parental controls, and your device will be well-protected. As for the optimization tools, they are available even with the most basic package – Essential.
Ease of Use
The dashboard looks and feels very simple – exactly how it should be. The overall design is eye-catching, and all the menus are precisely where you’d expect them. Downloading and installing doesn’t take more than five minutes, and the user doesn’t have to do anything to make Scanguard work. The apps for all four platforms are fast, intuitive, and run smoothly.
The experienced users, in turn, can always access the more advanced settings and set everything up to their liking. System impact is very low, and the software doesn’t require a top-notch computer or mobile device to run. Scanguard is compatible with Windows XP SP3 and higher and only needs 800MB of hard-drive space. Mac owners will be able to install it on OS X 10.8 and higher; Android users need 4.1 and higher and 50MB.
Pricing, Money-Back guarantee, Free Trial
Here are all the available Scanguard packages and their respective prices:
- Essential Antivirus: $24.95/year
- Antivirus Pro: $39.95/year
- Ultimate Antivirus: $59.95/year
It’s important to say that these are the prices for the first year. When you renew your subscription, the cost will increase substantially (more than three times). There’s no free trial with any of the Scanguard packages; but, you can always rely on a 30-day money-back guarantee.
In many ways, Essential is the best pick, especially if you only need security for one single connection. Owners of several devices should consider switching to Pro, as it can protect multiple connections at the same time. Plus, it adds the Web Shield extension for even more security. Ultimate, in turn, is the most expensive tier, but it doesn’t introduce any significant features for a regular user to switch to it.
Customer Service
Customer support is one of this product’s strongest suits. Just check any Scanguard review – they’ll all tell you that the live chat, phone, and email support are exceptional. The agents are quick to respond, friendly, and always make sure that the client is happy. Support is available 24/7, which means you can get help at any moment.
Plus, you’ll find a FAQ section along with a knowledge base. A quick note: while the live chat and the ticket (email) system deal with every possible problem, over the phone, you’ll only be able to get answers regarding billing. Still, this minor inconvenience doesn’t change the fact that Scanguard is a highly user-oriented antivirus.
Verdict
This is it for our review: we went through Scanguard’s protection, pricing, ease of use, and support. Summing up, we want to say that the pros strongly outweigh the cons. With this antivirus, you’ll get decent security, a 30-day money-back guarantee, excellent customer service, and a generous set of additional features. Plus, the system impact is very low, and the apps for all four platforms work perfectly.
On the downside, there’s no free trial, the renewal prices are unreasonably high, and there are no third-party lab tests available. So, make sure to consider all the advantages and disadvantages before committing to Scanguard. It might be a good idea to take advantage of the affordable first-year plans and then switch to a different antivirus.
