Panda Antivirus Reviews

Panda Dome Antivirus is one of the best antivirus solutions. They offer both free and paid options and are one of the rare Antivirus providers that provide real-time scanning for their free antivirus Panda plan. Panda can provide computer protection against malware, ransomware, viruses, and other threats. It utilizes a powerful antivirus scanner to scan and quarantine threats. Additionally, you also get VPN access with different data bandwidth limitations for plans. You also get access to other valuable features, including Rescue Kit, Safe Browsing, PC Cleanup, Parental Control, Password Manager, File Shredder, File Encryption, and so on!

Panda – internet security software

Panda is a well-known leader in home and business security solutions. With excellent products at your disposal, you can be sure that you are protected from the worst malicious actors out there. However, one of the best solutions it offers is its antivirus service. With excellent protection, it makes sure that you do not have to worry about malware, viruses, and ransomware. Also, it is one of the rare antivirus solution providers that offer an excellent user interface filled with cool-looking icons and transparent backgrounds.

Panda Dome is their flagship internet security software that offers access to advanced antivirus protection. The Panda Dome security suites have five plans, starting from a free program. In addition, Panda Dome offers other vital features to protect your device from threats, including Password Manager, VPN, File shredder, and more! The primary offering of Panda is its Windows version. You can also get the macOS version, but its features are limited.

How to use Panda antivirus

As Panda offers one of the best user interfaces, it is effortless to use. Once you install it, you will be welcomed by their wizard. After the initial scan, it will scan core files and let you know its summary from the main screen. You will also find different options from the main screen available to you. You can also access the options from the side menu.

To start scanning, you need to click on the Scan option. Then, it will redirect you to the new options, where it will ask you if you want to scan critical areas, full scan, and custom scan.

If you want to use the Rescue Drive, click the Rescue Drive option. From there, you can create a new USB-Rescue drive and use it later on if your PC is infected or use the rescue drive on another infected computer to scan and remove the malware. You can also set a scheduled scan and configure your Panda Dome antivirus as per your needs. To learn how to use it correctly, check out Panda Security documentation.

Panda Antivirus Features Detailed

Now, let’s discover some of its great features to help you and your business security.

At the core of Panda Dome, you will find an Antivirus Scanner. The scanner takes care of malware with a high efficiency level when catching them. However, Panda is not as fast as other antivirus solutions out there. It can take anywhere between two hours to five hours to complete a scan.

Panda also offers a cloud-based scanner known as “Panda Cloud Cleaner.” To access it, you need to use the Rescue Kit section. The Cloud-based scanner seems to perform better than the default antivirus scanner. As for the scanning options: critical areas, full scan, and custom scan.

If you get Panda Dome paid plans, you will access Safe Browsing. It es that you do not get infected by malicious URLs when browsing the internet. The malicious URLs are retrieved from Panda’s blocklist. Users can also specify the URL, and then Panda will actively block the links to protect your machine against threats.

If you have an infected computer and there is no option to install antivirus software to get rid of it, you can use Rescue Kit. The Rescue Kit lets you create a USB drive to boot into infected devices and scan it with a cloud scanner. This way, you can clean your infected device without the need to install Panda antivirus.

You are using a Panda rescue USB device to remove the malware from the infected PC. As the cloud scanner is fast, it should take around 20 to 30 minutes for the scan to complete.

You can also clean up your computer with the Panda cleanup antivirus solution for PCs. For example, the cleanup feature lets you do the following.

These PC cleanup features are helpful and help you keep your PC working as optimally as possible.

Almost all the major players in the security marketplace now offer Virtual Private Networks (VPN) as part of their solution. Panda Dome is no different as it offers a VPN that lets you secure your connection against hackers or malicious websites. However, Panda doesn’t implement their VPN solution like other providers. Instead, it uses Hotspot Shield to provide service – a well-known VPN provider.

Panda VPN is unlimited for only Complete and Premium plans. If you opt for the other plans, including Free, Essential, and Advanced, your VPN data is limited to 150 MB/day. That’s too low, considering how data-hungry sites have become. However, if you use it conservatively, you can surely manage your banking and financial-related tasks well within the per-day data limit.

But what about the performance? Is it good? Not really! When connected to the internet using a VPN, the speeds went down considerably — up to 2 to three times slower than the actual internet speeds. On the positive, Panda follows a strict no-log policy which means that it doesn’t store any browsing history or IP addresses when using the VPN.

Ransomware attacks are more common than you think. Panda Dome offers ransomware protection with their File Shredder and File Encryption features. With File Encryption, you can encrypt your files so that malicious actors cannot access the file. The process of encrypting files is also easy — as all you need to do is right-click on the files and then click on encrypt.

You also get other options while encrypting, including deleting original files after them, creating a self-extracting archive, and using the Password Depot password manager to store the specific file decryption password.

On the other hand, the File Shredder lets you take care of sensitive files by shredding them out of existence. Once destroyed, the files cannot be accessed by anyone, including hackers, which lets you protect your private documents.

Panda Dome Password Manager lets you manage your passwords in a single secure place. Initially, you need to create a single master key that will allow you to access your password. The Password Manager also offers other key features such as:

• Auto-fill forms
• Generate strong passwords
• Sync passwords across devices
• Create secure notes
• Remotely close web pages and delete browsing history

Panda Dome offers Data Shield protection to protect your device and files against ransomware attacks. With the Data Shield, you can specify the data you want to protect along with the installed program’s permission to access it. This way, it protects against ransomware attacks that rely on stealing your data and asking for ransom for recovery.

You can turn on Data Shield directly from the main home page. The wizard lets you set it up with proper steps so as not to feel overwhelmed. For example, you can configure file protection by adding folders to protect, adding file extensions to protect, or simply allowing or denying applications access to data.

Panda also comes with a nifty anti-theft tools feature. To use it, you need to enable it from the Home Page. It protects your device from theft. However, you need to turn your location on to make it work. If your device gets stolen or you kept it somewhere and forgot about it, you can go to Panda software from your other device(but with the same account) and then click on “Locate my devices.”

The anti-theft tools have different options for different operating systems:

• Android: Location, Lock, and wipe.
• Windows: Remote location.

Panda Dome Antivirus comes with a decent parental control feature. However, not all plans include Parental Control. The higher plans include Panda Dome Advanced, Complete, and Premium. With Parental Control, admins can control what the user can visit on the internet. This way, parents can protect their kids from accessing inappropriate web pages.

To configure, you need to first turn on Parental Control. Now, you can configure access to the internet for Windows users and then set parameters, including websites and categories denied.

Panda Antivirus Cost

You may find Panda pricing slightly on the expensive side when it comes to pricing. However, the plans are nicely packed, and you can even go with their free version if you want to try it out. All the plans come with a 30-day money-back policy as well. This allows you to try out their paid plans for 30 days. If you do not find them satisfactory according to your requirements, you can always go for a refund.

Currently, they offer five plans to their customers.

Alternatives to Panda Antivirus

Panda Dome antivirus is excellent. It provides all the right features that an antivirus solution should offer. However, it has some cons, including not providing all Mac or Andrion features. In that case, you can look at Panda Antivirus alternatives. Let’s list them below.

Windows Defender comes pre-built with Windows operating system. It is free and offers excellent antivirus and malware protection. So, if you are looking for a free Panda antivirus alternative, then Windows Defender is the best way to go. However, do not expect to find other features that Panda Antivirus offers, including VPN, Parental Control, and so on.

Malwarebytes is a well-known cybersecurity protection provider. It offers an excellent free version that you can use for personal use only. It also offers spyware, viruses, adware, and ransomware protection. Apart from the personal version, you can also look at Malwarebyte’s business aimed at small and medium-scale businesses. With it, companies can protect servers, critical data, endpoints, and much more! Additionally, it also comes with an Enterprise solution. Malwarebytes plans start at $49.00 per year, using 1 to 9 devices.

Avast provides a robust antivirus solution that includes both free and paid options to choose from. Their free version is worth considering as it offers excellent malware protection, along with different scanning modes that come in a fully customizable package, without putting too much strain on the system’s performance. In addition to its ease of use, Avast offers a range of features, such as Wi-Fi inspector, Smart Scan, Intelligent Antivirus, and CyberCapture, that make it an intuitive and effective antivirus software for users of all levels of experience.

Kaspersky Internet Security offers complete protection for your computer by providing free VPN, antivirus solutions, Safe Money, and Webcam protection. It also provides multiple-device protection, allowing you to protect your Android, Mac, and PC devices. Kaspersky uses proactive and real-time protection to provide full-scale protection and provides instant neutralization for any threats. It offers ultra-reliable privacy protection against ransomware and provides privacy tools. Additionally, Kaspersky Antivirus offers Gaming Mode, Application Manager, and Device Security Dashboard as some of its additional features.

There are other notable Panda antivirus alternatives that you can try out below:

Panda Antivirus Review Conclusions

Panda is a well-established security provider with over three decades of experience in the industry. They currently hold 3.2% of the market share, making them the fourth-largest antivirus vendor provider worldwide. This speaks volumes about the quality of their services.

One of their flagship products, the Panda Dome Antivirus solution, offers real-time protection against different types of threats, including viruses, malware, and ransomware. Additionally, it features an attractive user interface that makes it easy for users to run scans and protect their devices.

The software is also feature-rich, boasting a VPN, File Shredder, Password Manager, and many others. It’s worth mentioning that the Panda Dome Free version also provides real-time protection, which is a rare feature in free antivirus solutions.

In summary, Panda Antivirus is an excellent solution with affordable pricing and outstanding protection against malicious actors and methods.