Best anti-spyware tools in 2026

Disclosure: 2-spyware.com earns a commission if you buy Fortect through links on this page. We have no deal with the other vendors listed here. Every product fact below comes from our own published reviews, linked in each section, and from the vendor and lab pages listed under Sources.

Not sure what you are dealing with yet? Our spyware guide explains the types, the signs and the manual removal steps. This page is about the tool: which anti-spyware program to run on a PC or a Mac, what it can and cannot find, and what to use on a phone instead.

What anti-spyware has to catch in 2026

The word spyware covers several different programs. Judge any tool by these four groups, and by whether it also protects the browser, where most stolen data lives.

• Info stealers. They read saved passwords, session cookies, autofill data and crypto wallets from your browsers, upload them and often exit within a minute. Microsoft's analysis of Lumma lists Chromium and Firefox browser data, wallets, VPN profiles, e-mail clients and documents ^[20]. Our info stealer guide covers the rest.
• Keyloggers. Commercial loggers such as Perfect Keylogger and keylogging modules inside trojans record what you type. A scanner has to catch them as files and as running processes.
• Remote access tools. A remote access trojan lets someone watch the screen, switch on the webcam and download files. It stays on the PC, so a scanner has a real chance to find its startup entry.
• Tracking adware and browser extensions. These log the sites you visit and sell the data or inject ads. They sit in the browser, which is why browser coverage matters.

Microsoft's 2004 definition still fits: spyware ranges from unwanted pop-up ads to unseen programs that record keystrokes and steal passwords and personal information ^[7]. What changed is the scale, since stealers are now rented as a service.

Anti-spyware tools compared

Fortect: our pick for spyware on Windows

Fortect scores 9.2 in our review, the highest on this page. It is a Windows security and repair suite, and for spyware that pairing makes sense. Removing a stealer or keylogger is one half of the job. The other half is undoing the settings it changed and clearing the traces it used.

The free scan takes about five minutes. Its Malware and PUA stage searches for viruses, spyware and potentially unwanted applications, and for the system changes such software tends to leave, such as modified settings and damaged system files. You see every finding before anything is changed.

The Privacy Traces stage is where Fortect does extra work against spyware. It collects browser caches and cookies from Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Opera, and the app marks this cleanup as free once the scan is done. Clearing those cookies signs you out of sessions that a stealer may have copied.

• Real-time protection: every current plan includes an antivirus module that monitors new downloads, installs and files ^[1][2]. That is the layer meant to stop a stealer before it runs.
• Browser protection: Fortect offers a Chrome extension that blocks malicious websites ^[1], the kind of fake download pages that spread stealers.
• Price: Essential covers 1 PC for 30.95 euros in the first year, Multi-Device covers 3 PCs for 37.95 euros, and Ultimate covers 5 PCs for 53.95 euros ^[2].
• Refunds: a 60-day refund window on the first purchase, with refunds usually processed within 12 hours ^[2].
• Mac: Fortect for Mac is a separate security product with browsing and phishing protection ^[1].

SpyHunter 5: the name says what it hunts

SpyHunter 5 scores 8.6. EnigmaSoft lists spyware, keyloggers, trojans, rootkits, ransomware, browser hijackers and adware among the threats it removes ^[3]. Our review describes it as a long-standing anti-spyware program with daily definition updates. It was AV-TEST certified in 2024 with 15 of 18 points and detected every widespread sample in that test ^[4].

• Spyware features: real-time System Guards in the paid version, free removal of tracking cookies, and a free Web Security extension for Chrome, Firefox and Edge ^[3].
• Stubborn cases: Compact OS boots a small system beneath Windows to remove files that running malware locks, and the Spyware HelpDesk builds a custom fix from a diagnostic report at no extra cost.
• Mac: SpyHunter for Mac scans for keyloggers, trojans and adware, and checks browser cookies and privacy issues separately ^[3].
• Price: removal starts at $29.70 per six months for SpyHunter 5 Basic ^[3]. The trial asks for a card and bills after 7 days unless you cancel; purchases have a 30-day refund.

Choose SpyHunter if a keylogger or remote tool keeps coming back. Our SpyHunter vs Spybot comparison sets it against the other classic name.

Spybot Search and Destroy: the classic, honestly aging

Spybot Search and Destroy scores 6.4. It was created by Patrick Kolla and is one of the oldest anti-spyware names. Its engine looks for spyware, adware, tracking software and keyloggers ^[21]. Unlike most rivals, the free edition removes what it finds.

Immunization is still its most useful idea. It blocks known malicious sites, tracking cookies and harmful browser plugins before you reach them ^[21]. Startup Tools give a detailed view of what runs at boot, which helps when you hunt a keylogger by hand.

The honest status in 2026: the program build is 2.9.85.5 from February 2023 ^[6]. Detection updates still arrive, but there are no current lab results for Spybot itself. The free edition has no real-time protection or automatic updates, and paid purchases are not refundable. Home costs 18.99 euros and Professional 29.99 euros a year ^[5]. Use Spybot Free as a second opinion, not as your only defence.

Microsoft Defender: it started as Microsoft AntiSpyware

The free scanner in Windows has the strongest anti-spyware pedigree of all. In December 2004 Microsoft bought GIANT Company Software and announced a free spyware detection and removal tool based on GIANT AntiSpyware ^[7]. That beta, Microsoft AntiSpyware, was later renamed Windows Defender and built into Windows.

Today Microsoft Defender Antivirus is a full antivirus, not a spyware add-on. In AV-TEST's August 2026 test on Windows 11 it scored 6 of 6 for protection ^[8]. Two settings make it better against spyware:

• Turn on potentially unwanted app blocking, so bundled trackers and monitoring tools are caught too. Microsoft describes how to detect and block these apps ^[9].
• Run a Defender Offline scan when you suspect a keylogger or rootkit that hides while Windows runs. Our Defender Offline guide shows the steps in Windows 11 and 10.

Microsoft Safety Scanner: free second opinion

Microsoft Safety Scanner scores 7.8. It is a free, portable file that uses the same security intelligence as Defender, removes what it finds and leaves nothing installed ^[10]. Each copy expires 10 days after download, so you fetch a fresh one for every scan ^[10].

Do not confuse it with the Malicious Software Removal Tool that arrives through Windows Update. Microsoft states plainly that MSRT does not remove spyware ^[11]. If you want a free spyware check from Microsoft beyond Defender itself, Safety Scanner is the one to run.

Combo Cleaner and Intego: anti-spyware for a Mac

Mac spyware is mostly stealers such as AMOS that trick you into typing your password, plus tracking adware. Our Mac malware removal guide covers the manual side.

Combo Cleaner scores 8.4. It updates its Mac malware definitions hourly and removes malicious extensions in paid plans. Its Privacy Scanner finds cookies, history and cache in Safari, Chrome, Firefox, Opera, Mail and Messages, with removal in the paid version ^[12]. Essential costs $47.95 per six months for one device ^[13].

Intego also scores 8.4. Intego says its antivirus removes viruses, malware, spyware and adware ^[14]. Its firewall shows which apps try to connect to the internet and lets you block them per app ^[14], which is a direct check on spyware calling home. It got 6 of 6 for protection from AV-TEST in March 2026 ^[15]. Plans for one Mac start at $29.99 for the first year ^[14].

Phones: anti-spyware is a different product class

The tools above are for computers. Most phone spyware is stalkerware: monitoring apps sold as parental control or anti-theft tools and installed by someone with access to your phone.

Kaspersky counted 31,031 of its mobile users affected by stalkerware in 2023 and found 195 different stalkerware apps ^[18]. It notes that such apps rarely appear in the list of installed apps, and that on an iPhone the installer usually needs a jailbreak and physical access ^[18]. See our stalkerware topic and the Spyzie case for real examples.

• Android: keep Google Play Protect on. It checks apps from Google Play and other sources, warns about harmful ones and may disable or remove them ^[16]. Then review apps with Accessibility or device admin access.
• iPhone: open Settings, Privacy and Security, Safety Check (iOS 16 or later). It lets you review who has access to your information and location, remove unknown devices from your Apple Account and reset app privacy permissions ^[17].
• Both: follow our step-by-step check for spyware on a phone, and see Android help or iPhone help if you want a person to look at it.

One warning matters more than any app. Kaspersky advises that if you suspect stalkerware, you should think about your safety before you scan, because removing the app will most likely alert the person who installed it ^[18]. Its report points to the Coalition Against Stalkerware for local support organisations ^[18].

What no anti-spyware can do

Be wary of any product that promises to find every spyware on a phone. Mercenary spyware such as Pegasus from the NSO Group is used against a small number of people, often journalists, activists, politicians and diplomats ^[19]. Apple says these attacks cost millions of dollars and are much harder to detect than ordinary cybercrime ^[19].

No consumer scanner app is built to catch them. Apple detects them with its own threat intelligence and has sent threat notifications since 2021 to users in over 150 countries ^[19]. If you get one, Apple recommends Lockdown Mode and expert help, such as the Access Now Digital Security Helpline ^[19].

On a computer, the hard limit is time. A scanner removes the stealer, but it cannot pull back the passwords and cookies already uploaded. After any spyware detection, follow our steps to secure your accounts after malware from a clean device, and turn on two-step verification where you have not yet done so.

Where the anti-spyware category came from

Anti-spyware was once its own shelf in the software shop. In the early 2000s antivirus programs largely ignored adware and trackers, so separate tools filled the gap. Spybot Search and Destroy became one of the best known, and Microsoft's 2004 purchase of GIANT made spyware removal part of Windows itself ^[7].

The name also attracted fraud. From the late 2000s, fake scanners with names like Spyware Protect 2009 used scare scans to sell licences. We list them under rogue anti-spyware, and the pattern still shows up in fake virus alerts on web pages. Check any unknown site with our website safety checker before you buy.

Today spyware is one detection type among many. For the wider comparison, our best malware removal tools page ranks the same products for general infections; this page stays with your typing, your browser and your saved logins.

How to run a spyware check on a PC

1. Note what worries you: a remote access app you did not install, a webcam light, or logins from strange places. That points to a remote tool, a keylogger or a stealer.
2. Run a full scan with Defender or your main tool, then a second opinion with Safety Scanner or Spybot Free. Read each detection name; a PWS or Keylogger label points to stolen data.
3. Check browser extensions in every browser and remove the ones you did not add, with our extension removal guide.
4. Look for remote access software in your installed apps. If you did not set it up, uninstall it.
5. From a different, clean device, change your e-mail password first, then banking and other important accounts, and sign out of all other sessions.
6. Scan again after a day. If the same item returns, run a Defender Offline scan or ask for help on our forum.