Panda Antivirus Review

Since 1990, Panda Antivirus has been protecting users from viruses. This company has recently gone through a re-branding is now called Panda Dome. The original Panda offered great security—does Panda Dome offer even better protection?

Is Panda Dome Antivirus Good?

Yes, Panda Dome antivirus is pretty good. The software will satisfy most customers, and it is basic enough to stick to default settings. It runs on all major platforms, which is a plus, it is lightweight, and there is a plan to fit just about anyone.

If you’re searching for an affordable antivirus, Panda Dome may be what you are looking for. Each package is budget-friendly and comes with a handful of extra perks. The free plan alone offers 150 MB of VPN traffic daily, so you can shop securely and protect your data while you’re out at the coffee shop using their hotspot.

Let’s look at more specific features of this product:

Features

Real-Time Antivirus
Manual Virus Scanning
USB Virus Scan
Registry Startup Scan
Auto Virus Scanning
Anti-Spyware
Anti-Worm
Anti-Trojan
Anti-Rootkit
Anti-Phishing
Adware Prevention
Compatible with Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android
Personal Firewall
Parental Control
Game Mode
VPN Service
Ticket Support
30-Day Money-Back Guarantee
Discounts Available

As you can see, Panda Dome offers its users plenty of security features—the basic ones, of course, but then some extras. This antivirus is best for those with multiple devices who want more advanced features on a simplistic, easy to use interface.

Panda Dome Antivirus Review

Those who are looking for the best antivirus for their computers, phones, and/or other devices should make sure they read up on the reviews of each product. All antiviruses don’t work as well with all devices, so it’s important to know exactly what you are looking for to best protect your devices.

With no further ado, let’s get into the review part.

Reliability and Security

Panda Dome scored pretty well in the latest test by AV-Test, which was in March 2019. It detected 100% of all malware—it sounds great, but that’s an expected score since the malware samples that were used for the test existed for a couple of days prior to the test.

However, what about zero-day threats? They are more challenging to detect since they are unknown threats. In this test, Panda detected 99.6% of all the samples. The result isn’t perfect, but it is good enough to trust the product.

This antivirus achieved a 6 out of 6 rating during the AV-Test, making it a top virus protection choice.

However, we must look at the AV-Comparatives test from February and March of 2019. The real-world protection test is more complex and can test the true reliability of the software. Panda blocked 98.9% of threats and flagged 12 false positives. The result is not great, but it’s not too bad either.

Overall, even though this security system did not score perfectly on any of the tests, it is still a reliable software.

Additional Protection Features

Unfortunately, Panda doesn’t include ransomware protection in the free and cheaper plans, but it is available in the more expensive plans. The identity protection feature is available with the Advanced, Complete, or Premium plan which protects confidential information while online.

Panda also offers a special feature for PC users—they can “vaccinate” their USB devices to protect them against viruses. Some of the more expensive plans offer data shield, password manager, and parental controls.

Panda Antivirus Performance

Panda earned 9^th place among 12 antiviruses in the performance test from AV-Comparatives from April 2019. This antivirus received the Advanced+ award from AV-Comparatives in performance.

The only areas where Panda slowed down a system was during archiving and unarchiving. However, the impact was not very noticeable.

The AV-Test lab awarded Panda 5 out of 6 points in performance. The antivirus slowed down the system around 12% on the standard PC and 7% on the high-end PC. The speed of the apps decreased by 44%.

Some users may experience a moderate impact on their computers or devices, but others may not. The performance depends on the competencies of the device, and every device differs.

Overall, this antivirus is lightweight; it requires only 124 MB for installed files and from 20 to 50 MB of RAM, which is less than other antiviruses.

How User Friendly is Panda?

This antivirus is pretty user friendly, according to most customers. It is stored in the cloud, so it will not take up space or slow down your device.

When installing this antivirus, users need to make sure their homepage does not get changed to Panda Safe Web, unless of course, they want this browser as their default one.

The program will also install Panda Smart shopping, but users can opt-out of this one too. The installation is quick, according to most users.

Interface

One perk of this program is the interface—it features a beautiful layout and all the features are easily accessible on the main screen. The settings section appears as another window with all the groups so that it is easy for users to access them. The interface can be customized for those who want that feature.

The firewall is easy to use; all you do is set the type of your WiFi network to home, work, or public. Then you can customize the settings to accommodate your connection.

The Process Monitor provides the users with information about the current processes on the device. You can leave this at the default settings or customize the settings.

Scanning

Panda Dome features full, custom, and critical areas scan. Users can also schedule scans for specific times. Regular scans are important when using an antivirus. Customers report that the scans are timely. For example, the Critical Area scan generally takes less than five minutes.

Panda Antivirus Packages

There are five plans available, ranging from free to the premium plan. Here are the plans in detail:

Free Version

The free version is for those who just want basic security, a firewall, and free VPN with 150 MB of bandwidth per day. This plan is compatible with Windows, Mac, and Android.

Panda Dome Essential

This is the cheapest paid plan. This plan provides real-time protection for a Mac and Android. You will be able to scan external devices with the USB vaccination mentioned previously. This plan is $23.49 a year which includes a 50% discount. The price will increase if you need coverage for multiple devices.

Advanced Plan

The advanced plan includes the features of the essential plan, plus parental controls, identity protection, and ransomware protection. This plan is $35.49 for a year with a 50% discount.

Complete Plan

The complete plan includes all the features we mentioned above, plus data shield to encrypt the information, a cleanup tool, and a password manager. The complete plan is $53.49/year for a one-year subscription, including a 50% discount.

Premium Plan

The premium plan features the most protection and security tools of all the plans. With the premium plan, you can get an unlimited VPN along with the antivirus. Premium customers have access to technical support 24/7. This plan is $83.49 a year with a one-year subscription, including the 50% discount.

All plans come with a 30-day trial, so you can get the first month for free. If you don’t want to continue with the plan, you can just cancel it after the 30-day trial. In addition, there is a 30-day money-back guarantee on all plans.

Customer Support

Panda support team is available for issues with the services. Customers must submit a help ticket and will get a response within 24 hours. You can also find answers to your questions on the help forum where there are questions and answers.

Premium customers have 24/7 access to the support team via chat or phone. This customer service is helpful, but unfortunately, it is only available with the most expensive plan.

Pros and Cons

All security programs have pros and cons, and Panda is no different. While there are definitely some perks, there are also some things that are lacking.

Pros:

Additional safety features
Low impact on system
Easy to use
Attractive interface
Compatible with Windows 10, Mac, and Androids
Affordable prices

Cons:

Some of the test results are mediocre
No ransomware protection in the cheaper plans
24/7 is only available for the Premium plan

The Bottom Line

Panda is a pretty good choice for most users who want protection for their devices. It is one of the best security software out there, and we can’t deny the positives. The prices are pretty good, and the protection offered works well for what most people need.