PC Matic Pro For Android Windows 7/8.1/10/11 (32-bit or 64-bit) & Mac

PC Matic Pro For Android isn’t a regular antivirus solution – we have already established that in this review. And for that reason, it is a bit tricky to test it. Recently, Virus Bulletin ran this software through a series of tests, earning a perfect (100%) detection rating. However, while in the RAP test, this product did fantastic, in the VB100 test, it failed several times.

But that’s because PC Matic is constantly blocking valid programs. In the AV-Comparatives tests, the antivirus also earned a perfect score (in the zero-day attacks test). At the same time, it blocked 800+ legit programs. For comparison, Webroot SecureAnywhere used to be the product with the false positives, with only 12 of those.

PC Matic is a comprehensive cybersecurity software suite designed to protect and optimize personal computers and devices. It combines various tools and features to provide users with a robust defense against cyber threats while also optimizing system performance. PC Matic’s primary focus is on antivirus and anti-malware protection, aiming to safeguard users from a wide range of malicious software, including viruses, ransomware, spyware, and more. The software employs a whitelist-based approach, which means it only allows trusted applications to run, enhancing security by preventing unauthorized or potentially harmful programs from executing.

In addition to its security features, PC Matic offers performance optimization tools to help users maintain their devices’ speed and responsiveness. This includes features like disk optimization, junk file cleanup, and system stability checks. The goal is to enhance the overall user experience by keeping the computer running smoothly and efficiently. PC Matic’s interface is designed to be user-friendly, making it accessible to both tech-savvy users and those who are less experienced with cybersecurity and PC maintenance.

Latest Version

In our series of tests where we intentionally planted malware samples on the system, PC Matic blocked them. Most of these were blocked because they were not on the allowlist. Only 18 per cent of those samples were called dangerous by the Super Shield. Another 54% were labelled unknown, while 11% were flagged as good but were still blocked.

We launched the same “pack” of malware samples the next day, and the results were different. All the unknown and good samples were now labelled as dangerous. That’s because whenever this product comes across unknown files/apps, it submits them for an in-depth analysis. And 24 hours later, all these unknowns are identified.

Malware Protection

Since safelist is a new way of detecting malware, you’re probably wondering how it works. Most antiviruses on the market create blocklists of constantly evolving malware codes/algorithms. PC Matic does the opposite: it creates an allowlist of known safe files. So, whenever it encounters files from the list, it leaves them alone.

All the other files are sent to the company’s research team for analysis and quick tests. As we’ve just mentioned, it takes up to a full day for the team to categorize the unknown files as safe or dangerous. The most significant disadvantage of this method is that you’ll always have to manually “tell” the antivirus that specific files, programs, and sites shouldn’t be blocked.

But allow listing isn’t the only technology used by PC Matic. Hackers are known to use tools like PowerShell to install malware without any .exe files. The Fileless Script Block is the company’s exclusive agent that is excellent at detecting malicious scripting activity. Finally, RDP Controls prevent criminals from getting access to RDP ports.

Scanning Options

With PC Matic, scans are a bit different from the other products. Instead of running a specific test that focuses on finding and dealing with malware, you run a full scan. It includes complete disc fragmentation, performance tweaks, and, of course, malware detection. First, the software launches a quick diagnostic scan to check for OS issues and attend to them.

Performance, Security, Maintenance, and Stability are the cornerstones of this scan. This combines tune-ups, optimization, defragmentation, and regular antivirus scans. Junk files, craplets, driver updates, and potentially dangerous files – that’s what PC Matic checks the system for. Next, it runs several benchmark tests and creates a detailed report.

Failed tests are painted red; grey indicates that a particular test was skipped. Green means your PC performed excellently in a test. You get quick tips and possible solutions with yellow, blue, and purple. You can run a malware scan separately; you must uncheck all the other options.

Note: this is the quick malware scan we’re talking about. If you need the full scan, you’ll need to go to Options – Scan Options – Quick/Full Malware Scan and select Full.

Other PC Matic Features

AdBlocker is a relatively simple tool – it works like all the other ad blockers. With it on, you’ll get rid of most of the malicious and annoying ads. The so-called “malvertising” attacks have evolved over the last couple of years, but PC Matic is eliminating them. As for the ads, they are known to collect personal information, including browsing habits.

And what about the maintenance tools, you might ask? This product’s Automated Maintenance is impressive and can significantly improve system performance. It runs automatically when the user scans the PC. Here is a list of things this tool does during a full OS scan:

• Removing junk files (and freeing up space)
• Optimizing broadband
• Defragmenting all local discs
• Updating all the drivers on the OS
• Cleaning the registry, speeding up the system
• Improving SSD performance
• Excluding non-essential apps from the start-up list
• Getting rid of non-essential OS tasks
• Speeding up downloads in Internet Explorer and Firefox
• Patching up security holes in software

PC Matic Performance

You’ll be surprised by how little of the system impact this product has. We already mentioned that it could work with Win XP (along with Vista, 7, 8, and 10). The official website’s hardware requirements include a 1GHz CPU, 512MB RAM, and 1GB of free space on the hard drive. Yes, PC Matic is the tiniest demanding antivirus on the market.

We ran several tests with PC Mark, and they all proved this. An OS Without this software earned a score of 2500; with it installed, the score was 2492. However, it’s important to note that you’ll need to be connected to the Internet to perform tests. Secondly, once a scan is done, PC Matic requires a reboot and starts another scan.

Ease of Use

Although this is a highly unusual antivirus, it’s still on par with the most user-friendly solutions. While Android is also supported, it is clear that PC Matic was initially designed for Win-run PCs. Installation is fast and easy – you won’t have any problem downloading and installing the software. A regular user might be intimidated by all the available options, but again, the interface is amicable.

Some antiviruses tend to warn the user when they visit potentially dangerous websites or download .exe files from the Internet. One of the best things about this product: it doesn’t “attack” you with pop-up messages all the time. The biggest downside – PC Matic slows down the launch of standard apps. In this regard, it lags behind the competition.

PC Matic Pricing

Annual Subscription:               $50 for 5 PCs

Lifetime Subscription:             $150 for 5 PCs

These plans offer protection (and optimization) for five devices. The customers can purchase licenses for up to 125 devices, which is quite impressive and make it the best-paid antivirus. However, that won’t change anything and won’t give access to additional features.

In comparison with the competitors, these price tags are highly affordable. For example, Bitdefender for five devices costs 69.99 dollars, while Kaspersky is available for $99.95.

The Lifetime subscription, in turn, is a unique opportunity to save a lot of money. No other antivirus/optimization product on the market offers a similar deal.

There’s also a free version available, but it’s not particularly impressive. The only thing that a user can do with it is run scans. However, once the test is over, you won’t be able to fix any issues with PC Matic unless you purchase one of the available plans. With the paid plans, you can always rely on a 30-day money-back guarantee and get a refund during those 30 days.

Support and Customer Service

You’ll find a lot of helpful information on the PC Matic official website. The list includes an extensive FAQ page, many how-to videos, and user guides. On the Customer Service page, there’s some interactive knowledge base. The system will ask you questions and give answers depending on the information you share.

True, it’s not as easy and friendly as a live chat, but you can solve most of your problems. On the Technical Support page, users can send a message via email. According to the website, it won’t take more than a day for the customer to get an answer. Our team of experts tested that claim several times and confirmed that they answered relatively quickly.

There’s also a 32-pages long user’s guide with detailed info on every single feature PC Matic has. The how-to videos are beneficial and easy to understand. If you’re not tech-savvy, these will let you make sense of all the available features. Topics like installation, logging in, scheduling, and system cleaning are fully covered.

Highlights

• A unique approach to detecting and eliminating malware
• Allow listing, Fileless Script Block and RDP Port Controls
• Compatible with every single Windows 7/8.1/10/11 OS, starting with XP
• Available in English, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, and Japanese
• Full support of Android devices
• Automated PC Maintenance
• Low system Impact works with decades-old computers
• Built-in AdBlocker
• Very user-friendly, easy to install

Modern-day antivirus products focus all of their resources on detecting and eliminating malware threats. Tune-up/optimization tools come as a bonus, nothing more. That’s not the case with PC Matic: developed by PC Pitstop, an Iowa-based company, it uses an entirely different approach. It constantly offers valuable deals for regular and new customers. First, it’s a tool for tuning your computer; the built-in antivirus is just a tiny part of the package.

Furthermore, you won’t find the traditional signature/heuristic scanning techniques here. Pitstop believes that allowing listing is the best tool against malware. Fileless Script Blocking and RDP Port Controls will ensure your device is safe and sound. Let us go ahead with the PC Matic review and discuss these highly unusual methods of dealing with online threats.

The List of Pros and Cons