Vipre Antivirus Review 2024: Great for Windows (But That Might Be It)

If you’re a Windows user, you’ll find a wide variety of features available with Vipre Antivirus. All plans include free customer support, antivirus and ransomware protection, and real-time scanning. If you choose one of the more comprehensive plans, you’ll enjoy webcam and microphone protection, dark web scanning, and a VPN.

But we found that most features were available only to PC users, so if you’re using Apple products you may want to check out other antivirus options for Mac.

Even so, we found Vipre's customizable plans and extra features like webcam and mic protection appealing. And you can opt for a 30-day free trial to try out Vipre before you commit. We'll dig into the security features and pricing in our Vipre Antivirus review.

Vipre Antivirus review at a glance

Who is Vipre Antivirus best for?

• Recommended for Windows users looking for a lower-cost, effective antivirus

While Vipre doesn’t market itself as exclusively for the Microsoft Windows operating system, we found most features are only available to Windows users. Even more features are available if you use Outlook email.

Vipre is also competitively priced. Anyone looking for an effective antivirus program for around Starts at $20.99/first yr for one computer will be protected with Vipre’s lowest-cost option.

Vipre Antivirus pros and cons

Vipre Antivirus features

Every plan, including the Antivirus plan, comes with free support and malware, spyware, and ransomware protection. Ransomware protection isn’t always included in the least expensive tier of competitors’ plans, so Vipre stands out from its competitors by offering this feature in all plans. The terms ‘computer virus’ and ‘ransomware’ tend to be used synonymously, but they are different beasts. You’ll need individualized protection for both.

Vipre has extremely useful features higher up the pricing tier. Windows users with the Vipre Advanced Security plan and the Ultimate Security Bundle get patch management. If you’re the kind of person who sets your computers and phones to update automatically, patch management is for you. This applies the developer patches so all your programs and apps have the latest versions and security patches.

Malware and antivirus scan

Vipre offers both manual and automatic scans. Manual scanning allows for full scans, quick scans, and custom scans. Custom scans let you choose where to scan. This is helpful if you receive an external drive, like a thumb drive, and you want to check it for potential viruses and malware. In our testing, auto-scanning ran about every 24 hours.

While the Vipre dashboard’s appearance is a little dated, it does the job. We found the scans to be informative and thorough. The information on what was scanned is available on the dashboard, so you can make sure every drive was checked. Vipre also provides timelines of when automatic scans did and will occur. 

All of this is standard with most home antivirus products, but multiple scanning options are definitely something to look out for when buying antivirus software. Having the ability to scan on command could help catch a new threat that real-time protection may miss. It doesn’t happen often, but it does happen.

Phishing protection

A computer virus isn’t the only security issue you need to worry about online. Vipre offers anti-phishing protection as well as anti-spam protection for Outlook. These can be configured in the portal and enabled for Outlook. If you are using a different email program, you won’t be able to tap into these features. We’re aware of how annoying spam is, so it’s nice to have the ability to filter it out of our email.

Phishing can be as dangerous as a virus or malware. Typically, phishing requests aren’t caught by antivirus software because they don’t contain any malicious coding like a virus. Instead, these requests trick you into giving up sensitive information that can lead to theft of your financial accounts or identity. Vipre’s anti-phishing scans your emails for known phrases and actions that look suspicious and flags them for your review.

Firewall

The firewall is for Windows only, so Mac and Android users won’t have access to this protection. In our testing, we found that there were quite a few firewall configurations available. We activated the Boot Time Protection, which enables the firewall on startup, and the Stealth Mode, which turns off automatic response to port scans.

If you aren’t sure what that means, port scanning is a preferred method of attack by hackers. Like the USB ports on your computer, the internal software also has ports that allow people to access other computers or servers. When a hacker automatically scans for open ports, they’re trying to find a way in. By enabling Stealth Mode, it rejects any attempts to access an open RDP port on your system.

There’s even an Intrusion Detection System feature that blocks attacks from other machines on your network. If one of your family members picks up a virus or gets hacked, the firewall can help protect the rest of the computers in your network from also being infected. This can be a lifesaver if you bring your work computer home, as an attack from a family member’s infected computer can be carried back to your office network.

Real-time protection

In Vipre’s portal, real-time protection is called Advanced Active Protection and scans your computer in real-time. It’s looking for malicious scripts and processes that happen as you’re using your computer.

Real-time protection is important because it allows you to go online without the fear of picking up a virus that will root itself in your system. You can stop these issues before they begin and potentially save yourself a lot of wasted time, effort, and money.

Ransomware protection

Ransomware protection is wrapped up in a variety of Vipre’s offerings.

• Patch Management
• Real-time protection
• Specialized ransomware tools

Patch management keeps your apps and programs up-to-date with security, real-time protection constantly scans your activity for malicious codes and scripts, and the ransomware tools built into the product recognize the unique properties of ransomware. Combining these three gives you a strong preventative barrier against infection. Prevention is easier than having to clean up a ransomware mess.

Anti-fraud protection

While Vipre doesn’t focus on anti-fraud protection, there are several tools built into the product that help protect you from fraud, like the anti-phishing and anti-spam tools for Outlook.

Additionally, the Ultimate Security Bundle:

• Scans the dark web for potential data leaks
• Flags sensitive documents that may contain security issues
• Provides you with a VPN
• Includes a Secure File Eraser that makes sure deleted files are completely eliminated from your device

All of this is done through advanced behavioral analysis that monitors your systems and looks for dangers and inconsistencies.

Bonus features

Depending on the plan you choose, Vipre offers a variety of bonus features. We were definitely impressed with them. It’s nice to have an included VPN, and it worked well. The secure file eraser is a feature we’re seeing more of in cybersecurity products. Sometimes file deletion is an afterthought, but if you like to sell your devices, you’ll want to make sure all aspects of your life are gone before handing it over to a stranger.

Overall, if we were shopping for a cybersecurity product, Vipre’s bonus features would be a huge draw toward purchasing this product. The features are a mix of identity theft protection with the dark web scanner and secure file eraser as well as useful tools like the VPN and gaming mode. These enhancements make Vipre worth considering.

Bonus features:

• Secure file eraser
• Webcam and microphone blocker
• Browsing eraser
• Dark web scanner
• VPN
• Gaming mode to reduce lag time and memory usage

Vipre Antivirus test results

EICAR tests are essentially fake viruses, trojans, malware, and potentially unwanted apps (PUAs) that you can run on your computer to check the effectiveness of your antivirus program. They present the same way a virus or piece of malware would as far as code and process, but they won’t harm your device. This allows you to check products like Vipre that haven’t had third-party testing in the last 6 months. We weren’t able to test for false positives or email protection as neither of these tests involved an email client.

Vipre blocked everything EICAR threw at it. The detection rate for each of these was 100%. The only test that was inconclusive was the phishing detection test. It was neither a pass nor a fail because Vipre is not configured for web phishing. The only phishing configuration is for Outlook, so we weren’t too concerned with this.

Vipre Antivirus EICAR test results

Vipre Antivirus third-party test results

Third-party testing is necessary for any security product. A company can tell you all it likes that its products are great, but an independent third-party test is the only real way to confirm. In our research, we found that Vipre doesn’t have consumer tests from any time in 2023. This is a little concerning considering Vipre bills itself as a top antivirus product.

Both AV-TEST and AV-Comparatives are third-party testing sites that require software companies to pay a fee for testing. This fee in no way impacts test results once they’ve been performed. However, it will impact how often a company pays to be included in testing. It’s important that companies purchase a spot in third-party tests at least twice a year to show they can keep up with current threats.

Vipre Antivirus AV-TEST results[1]

Vipre Antivirus AV-Comparatives test results[2]

Our Vipre Antivirus experience

We tested Vipre on our old Windows 10 machine. The download was quick and easy, and we were impressed to see Vipre take out remnants of Comodo’s antivirus. We’re pretty good at deleting all of a program when we’re done testing it, but Comodo had a few files still hiding in there that Vipre found. 

While we do love phishing and spam protection, we wish it was available for our browsers as well as Outlook email. If you aren’t using Outlook, then this feature isn’t helpful.

Vipre didn’t slow down or inhibit our ability to use our computers at all. We ran an initial scan that took well over an hour to complete. Subsequent scans took much less time. This is pretty standard for most antivirus programs. Even during this time, we were easily able to use our machines.

When we began testing with EICAR, we were impressed that Vipre blocked everything EICAR threw at it. Each download prompted a pop-up letting us know something malicious had been blocked. That made us confident that Vipre’s real-time protection was working and would protect us in the event we came across an actual virus. 

Overall, we had a positive experience with Vipre and would feel comfortable using and recommending it.

Vipre Antivirus compatibility

The Antivirus Plus plan is only for Windows, while the Advanced Security and Ultimate Security Bundle are both available for Microsoft Windows and Mac. We found an app in the Google Play store for Android, but there is no Apple Store app for iOS.

This isn’t a deal breaker. Most security suites don’t accommodate iOS because of its advanced security features. If you really want protection for your iPhone, consider a product like 1Blocker to beef up security.

Vipre Antivirus customer support

While we didn’t reach out to customer support, we did scroll through the help center, which was less user-friendly than we’d have liked. Even though we navigated to the Home support section of the help center, we couldn’t always find an answer to our questions. When we typed in “firewall” or “phishing” to get more information on how those features worked, we were often given search results for the business product.

There is a place to contact Vipre support via email, but we wish the help center was better organized so we could quickly find answers.

Vipre Antivirus cost

Vipre offers at least two, but often three, pricing options for each plan. Depending on your device needs, you could pay as low as Starts at $20.99/first yr for the Antivirus Plus plan on one device. You could also pay as much as $81.41/first yr for the Ultimate Security Bundle and coverage on 10 devices. It’s completely dependent on how much protection you need.

After you’ve decided which plan is best for you, you’ll be taken to the checkout page. Make sure you select the correct number of devices you’ll need covered. There will be a drop-down menu under the name of the plan you chose. The price will adjust to match the number of devices. Below, we gave you the starting price for each plan, but remember prices will increase if you add more devices.

Vipre Antivirus plans and prices

Vipre Antivirus alternatives

If you’ve made it this far and you’re still thinking Vipre isn’t your jam, we have other options. Whether you need different features included, like a password manager, or you want more device compatibility, these three competitors are other strong choices. Our three suggestions below are some of the best antivirus software products on the market.

McAfee

McAfee has been around a long time and knows the antivirus landscape well. Depending on the plan you choose, you’ll enjoy parental controls, a password manager, identity monitoring features, and even a VPN. It’s one of the most comprehensive security products on the market.

Get McAfee | Read McAfee Review

Bitdefender

If you’re looking for a program to cover all your devices, Bitdefender has more compatibility than Vipre. You’ll find protection for Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS. The pricing is comparable as well. Bitdefender offers a variety of pricing options and features so you can choose what’s best for you at a price point that fits your budget.

Get Bitdefender | Read Bitdefender Review

Malwarebytes

Where most antivirus protection security suites lack features and functionality for Mac, Malwarebytes is specifically designed to address the unique security issues macOS presents. Chrome compatibility means you can enable spam filtering. It also provides peace of mind because it blocks malicious links like the ones that come from suspicious social media ads.

Get Malwarebytes | Read Malwarebytes Review

Vipre Antivirus FAQs

Bottom line: Is Vipre Antivirus good?

We found through testing and research that Vipre is a good antivirus solution. You’ll get even more out of it if you are a Windows user, but that shouldn’t stop Mac or Android users from using the basic protections available to them. If you’re looking for a program with more features for either of these, we have guides on the best antivirus for Android and the best antivirus for Mac. Whatever you do, make sure you stay protected.

4.5

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Antivirus Software

Vipre Antivirus

• Lots of pricing options + 30-day free trial
• Extra features like patch management, webcam and mic blockers, and a VPN
• No iOS coverage for iPhone, iPad, or iPod

Author Details

Mary James

About the Author

Mary is a seasoned cybersecurity writer with over seven years of experience. With a B.S. in Liberal Arts from Clarion University and an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from Point Park University, she educates audiences on scams, antivirus software, and more. Her passion lies in educating audiences on helpful ways to protect their data.