Comodo Antivirus Review 2024: Does It Still Hold Up?

Comodo keeps its price competitive by limiting its devices (no more than three) but trades off with strong tools. Its great if you're seeking affordable protection for yourself, but can be limiting if you need multiple device coverage. 

Comodo antivirus software was founded in 1998, which means it’s grown up with the internet. Because of its history and expertise, Comodo knows what customers are looking for in online protection. Features like a firewall, anti-fraud protection, and web filtering create a security stack that helps guarantee your device is protected.

In this Comodo antivirus review, we’ve laid out pros, cons, pricing, and a breakdown of the advanced features so you can decide if its the best antivirus for you.

Comodo antivirus overview

Price	$29.99–$39.99/yr
Free plan	Yes
# of devices protected	1 – 3
Malware scans	Manual and scheduled
Real-time protection	Yes
EICAR test results	3/3
Firewall	Yes
Phishing protection	Yes
Compatibility	Windows, Android, iOS
Extras	Secure Shopping
24/7 customer support	Yes
Learn more	Get Comodo

Our experience

There were plenty of ups and downs with Comodo. The email detailing how to download and install Comodo was well-organized and provided our license key, which we had to input after downloading. It also provided access to GeekBuddy for 24/7 support via chat or phone. 

All of this was easy to install, although we did have to find where the product key went on the portal rather than being prompted during installation.

Most of the features are active on download, but the quick toggle buttons on the dashboard make it easy to turn them off or on. 

We did have trouble finding some features and noticed they only revealed themselves once we switched over to an older version of the user interface. 

This was hard to confirm when we tried to contact customer support as the self-help center to be frustrating to navigate. It’s difficult to search a feature for your given product in the self-help guides. 

Drop-down menus for product and version are at the top of the page, as is a search bar, but these don’t work together. This is pretty common with tech products, but it’s still annoying that these aren’t more organized and user-friendly.

Who is Comodo best for?

• Recommended for PC users who want security features with lots of options.

Comodo is a strong antivirus solution that offers many features like anti-malware protection, full scans, quick scans, a firewall, gaming mode, and more. Since it’s been around for 25 years, you can expect Comodo to be sophisticated enough to have seen changing cybersecurity needs. It has great protection scores from third-party testers and a host of features offered on its plans, which cover one to three devices.

This number of devices supported isn’t the highest we’ve seen — Norton and Bitdefender cover up to 10 devices each. But that may work for you, especially if you don’t have or want too many internet-connected devices.

Additionally, Linux, iOS, and Mac users won’t be able to use Comodo at all. If you use those devices, you may need to look at a product like McAfee, Avast, or Avira. But if you’re a Windows user looking for a solid, trustworthy antivirus at a reasonable price for up to three devices, Comodo could be the solution for you.

Comodo Internet Security prices and subscriptions

Comodo has an up-front pricing structure: a free antivirus and a premium plan that runs between $29.99–$39.99/yr. The free product contains all of the necessary protection software to keep you safe online.

If you decide to upgrade to the paid Internet Security plan, you’ll get the firewall as well as the Secure Shopping tools to protect you from , web filtering, and unlimited support. If you need to cover more devices, Comodo charges an additional $10 per year for a three-device plan.

As far as antivirus goes, this is an average price, with Bitdefender charging $49.99/yr (first year only) for three devices and Norton charging $39.99/first yr for three devices. Both Bitdefender and Norton do hike the price the second year, so Comodo is less expensive if you plan on keeping it.

The additional protection products like Secure Shopping and the firewall don’t come with the free product. While this is a bummer, it’s pretty much the norm. If you’re in a pinch and need a product to clean up your machine, Comodo has a cost-free option for you.

	Free	Internet Security
Annual price	Free	1 device: $29.99/first yr 3 devices: $39.99/first yr
# devices supported	1	1 - 3
Manual and auto scan
Phishing protection
Ransomware protection
Real-time protection
Firewall
Parental controls
Performance optimization tools

Comodo antivirus features

In addition to the cybersecurity features that all modern antivirus programs should have like malware and antivirus scans as well as real-time protection, Comodo throws in a few extras. 

Its firewall allows for allowlisting (also known as application whitelisting) as well as port visibility. Remote desktop protocol (RDP) ports are one of the easiest ways a hacker can access a system, and Comodo provides you with a trouble-free fix for securing them.

The biggest complaint we had was the dashboard. First, parental controls are scattered and not labeled. While website filtering and device and app blocking are all there, they’re not in a tidy tab on the dashboard like the firewall or containment features.

Malware and antivirus scan

The scan feature is exactly how antivirus software is supposed to work. There are manual and automatic scan options as well as quick, full, and focused scans. 

When testing, all of the scans ran quickly and without issue. We didn’t have an issue scheduling or running manual scans.

Phishing protection

For web protection, you'll need to add Comodo Online Security to your browser. It's available for Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox. 

It works to block dangerous and fraudulent websites as you browse. Although it mentions not slowing down your browser, we did notice much slower load times for several pages. 

Real-time protection

So long as the antivirus is enabled, Comodo is always conducting scans in real time. This helps block and quarantine cyberthreats before infecting your device.

Ransomware protection

One of the best forms of protection offered by Comodo is the ability to run applications in a container. That’s not something we’ve seen in a lot of antivirus tools. 

The container option allows you to open something to see if it’s authentic without risking your device. It’s also a handy tool if you want to try opening an attachment or program to verify if it’s malicious or not.

Firewall

A good firewall can make all the difference. Comodo’s firewall includes options to allow or block applications, manage your network visibility via the stealth ports, view your connections, and manage or stop network activity.

This means Comodo’s firewall options allow you to customize who and what has access to your computer. If there’s an unrecognized connection, you have the ability to stop the activity, delete the connection, and block it so it can’t reconnect.

You’ll also be able to change your visibility if you know you’ll be browsing in a place known for unscrupulous connections. The options are easy to use right from the dashboard.

It’s worth noting that you should always know what the processes or connections are before disabling them so you can avoid disabling something you may need.

Bonus features

Comodo has bonus features that can make your experience easy and much safer. While these features aren’t available on Windows 7 or XP, they are available for all newer operating systems.

• Auto-sandboxing: Lets you choose whether to run a program at full capacity, partial, or not at all. Your need for what type of sandboxing will depend on time allotted and how much space you have for data. This is useful when you want to open an attachment you aren’t sure of or download a file that might be infected without risking your device.
• Game mode: Stops notifications and pop-ups on your device while gaming.
• Application control: Allows admins to control what applications are allowed to download on a device.
• GeekBuddy: 24/7 support for Comodo and other devices (like your printer that just won’t print) via email, chat, or remote options. We received this feature as an add-on with our purchase of Comodo.
• Rescue disk: Creates a backup of your hard drive on a bootable CD or USB flash drive in case your computer becomes heavily infected.
• Virtual desktop: Like having a second computer running independently on your computer. It allows you to open files, attachments, and other suspicious files without infecting your actual machine.

Comodo test results

With every antivirus program, we test their scanning capabilities, run cyberthreat test files to prove their efficacy, and review third-party test results from vetted independent organizations. 

Comodo had fast enough scan speeds and didn't slow down our device. It also passed all three EICAR tests with ease, blocking malware and phishing. Finally, its most recent third-party test results from SE Labs indicate that it provides strong protection, but it lags behind other antivirus programs.

Scan speed

• Result: Average
  

Comodo offers the standard scan types: quick scans for commonly infected areas and memory, full scans of all your files and folders, and custom scans for custom scan profiles.

Scan type	Time spent
Quick scan	21 seconds
Full scan	18 minutes, 43 seconds

Comodo's quick scan was done in a flash, taking only 21 seconds. Its full scan took longer than most of the other antivirus programs we've tested, but being under 20 minutes is still a solid rate. 

Plus, Comodo didn't slow down our computer during its scans.

EICAR test results

• Result: 3/3

EICAR stands for the European Institute of Computer Antivirus Research. It provides cyberthreat test files so you can check your antivirus program's protection claims without infecting your device with real malware.

For our testing, we use files to test for malware detection, drive-by malware downloads, and phishing page detection.

Test	Comodo score
Malware detection	Pass
Drive-by malware downloads	Pass
Phishing pages detection	Pass

Comodo passed all three EICAR tests with ease. When we tried to download the malware files, it immediately blocked those downloads and sent them to quarantine. 

For the phishing test, we added the Comodo Online Security Pro extension to Google Chrome. Once the extension was enabled, it successfully blocked the phishing test page. 

Comodo AV-TEST results

• Result: Comodo only had some minor markdowns on its Windows and Android programs, but completely failed its macOS protection test.

AV-TEST is one of the research organizations we refer to for third-party test results. Using a library of digital malware samples, it tests antivirus programs for their malware protection and detection, impact on device performance, and ability to correctly detect cyberthreats. 

Comodo’s most recent AV-TEST results were in 2019 for Windows, 2017 for macOS, and 2015 for Android products. While these results may seem outdated, that doesn’t necessarily mean the product itself is outdated. AV-TEST does require a fee to test individual products for each operating system, which can deter companies from submitting their products for review.

Test type	Windows 10 score	macOS Monterey score	Android 5 score
Protection	6/6	0/6	5/6
Performance	5.5/6	6/6	N/A
Usability	5.5/6	6/6	5/6
Total	17/18	12/18	10/12
Date	August 2019	December 2017	March 2015
Link to test	Link	Link	Link

Comodo performed pretty well on Windows, only being knocked down in the performance and usability categories. It was slower than the industry average when it came to launch standard software applications and installing frequently-used applications. It also had a few false positives, having flagged legitimate software and specific actions while installing and using legitimate software. 

However, it didn't detect enough infections on macOS to be given a score at all. When testing for protection, AV-TEST throws real viruses a person may encounter in the wild at the security product. This means Comodo was not able to detect, respond, and delete viruses at an acceptable rate on macOS. 

In every other area, however, Comodo did well. Note that Comodo no longer provides support for macOS. 

SE Labs results

• Result: 90%

SE Labs is another organization that's dedicated to improving cybersecurity products. 

Test type	Home Anti-Malware Protection
Total accuracy rating	90%
Date	2024 Q2
Link	Link

Comodo only had 2% of false positives out of 100%. However, it only had a 76% protection rating because it failed six targeted attacks after missing the initial threats when they were introduced to the system. 

Comodo was still approved due to its overall strong performance, we just hope it improves its protection rates for the next round of testing. 

Comodo antivirus compatibility

Comodo is compatible with the following:

• Windows 7+
• Android 5.1+
• iOS 11.2+

Despite there being pages for macOS and Linux software, both products have been discontinued. You can also download the Comodo Online Security extension for Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox.

Comodo customer support

Comodo's customer support portal is abysmal. The product support hub is painfully outdated which makes searching for help items difficult.

Luckily, chat support was quick and friendly. The chatbox feature is built into the website, so you can find it in the bottom-right corner. They confirmed support is available from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 a.m. EST.

Phone support is only available to paid plans. And email support will have you going back and forth with inane questions until they either figure out your issue or you give up. This is, by far, the worst part of the software.

Top alternatives

Comodo is a fine antivirus program, but what if you need to protect more devices? Or if you want to cover your Mac?

If Comodo hasn't checked all your boxes, you can consider the following recommendations:

FAQs

Bottom line: Is Comodo antivirus good?

For the most part, Comodo is a solid choice for anyone with three or fewer Windows devices. If you’re looking for a seasoned Windows product with a lot of features, this may be the antivirus for you.

If you need to cover your entire family or require macOS protection, you can review the best antivirus programs. They excel when it comes to price, extensive security features, compatibility, and more.