Best Spyware Detectors Reviewed | Top 10 Tools to Remove Spyware on Your Device in 2022

The best spyware detectors will find and neutralize hidden malicious spyware, ransomware, viruses, malware, and other online security threats. With a reliable spyware removal tool guarding your system, you’ll be able to browse the internet without worrying about data breaches or getting spied on through your device’s microphone or camera.

However, finding the best spyware detector from a pool of options isn’t easy. In our research, we considered various criteria ranging from price to customer support, and money-back guarantees. Read on to see which antivirus suits your needs and budget best as we review and compare the best PC and cell phone spyware detection and removal tools for 2022.

The Best Spyware Detectors in 2023 | Quick Answer

Our testing concluded that TotalAV is the #1 spyware detector on the market right now, thanks to its unmatched real-time protection, unlimited VPN, system optimization features, an easy-to-use dashboard, and a 30-day money-back guarantee. See how it compares against other leading software:

1. TotalAV — Overall, the Best Spyware Detection and Removal Tool | Take Advantage of the 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee.
2. Norton — Leading Spyware Detector With the Longest Money-Back Guarantee of 60 Days | Also Offers a 7-Day Free Trial.
3. Nord Threat Protection — A Popular Antivirus Solution With a Handy Lite Version | See It For Yourself With a 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee.
4. Surfshark — Popular Cell Phone Spy Software Removal With No Renewal Hikes | Trial Now with the 30-Day Guarantee.
5. McAfee — The Best Spy App Removal Tool for Beginners | Try it Now With the 30-Day Free Trial and Guarantee.
6. Avast — The Best Free Spyware Detector Software | Also Offers a Paid Version with a 30-Day Guarantee.
7. Kaspersky — The Best Hidden Spyware Detector for Small, Medium, and Large Businesses.
8. TrendMicro — A Free Spyware Detector for Total Protection of All Devices On Your Home Network.
9. Intego — Quality Spyware Removal Tool with Personalized Solutions for Windows and Mac.
10. Avira — A Free and Lightweight Spyware Detector | Has a Free Plan + a 60-Day Money-Back Guarantee.

The Best Spy App Removal Tools in 2023| In-Depth Reviews

Ready to learn all the nitty-gritty details of each of the best antivirus solutions, including their best features, pricing, pros, and cons? Let’s dive right in.

1. TotalAV — The Best Overall Spyware Detection and Removal Tool

TotalAV has over 30 million users and with awards like Top Product, VB100, Deceptor Fighter, and 3* Malware Protection in its bank, picking it as our top pick for the best spyware detector was a rather easy choice.

With TotalAV’s real-time protection, all your devices will always be under a powerful scanner. Any spyware found during the scan will be removed immediately. Plus, you can protect up to 6 devices simultaneously, making TotalAV a solid family antivirus solution as well.

Then there’s the much-acclaimed ‘WebShield’ that keeps your device protected from all harmful internet elements, such as websites that try to spy on or collect your sensitive data.

As one of the best antivirus tools for Android, TotalAV takes its security up a notch through its ‘Rare File Alert’ — an additional layer of customizable security for your mobile devices.

As the name suggests, the ‘Rare File Alert’ functionality will send you a notification anytime the software finds an uncommon file during a scan, like a phishing website launcher or encrypted spyware.

Here, TotalAV will ask your permission to run further tests on the uncommon file so that it can find out the file’s true nature, ensuring protection from any potential zero-day attacks.

To give you more control over your own security, TotalAV’s scheduled scans allow you to run scans on specific folders or drives you’re skeptical about so that you don’t waste hours on device-wide scans.

On top of all this, you can also get your hands on a VPN with TotalAV’s premium plan. Be it frustrating ad pop-ups, malicious codes, spyware, ransomware, viruses, or any third-party intruders, TotalAV is your best bet for 360-degree protection.

Pricing:

TotalAV’s Antivirus Pro plan is priced at just $29/year for the first year. Here are your options:

Although renewal costs are high at $119/year, this is not uncommon with popular, reliable antiviruses. Plus, TotalAV’s comprehensive protection, including features like ‘WebShield’ and ‘Rare File alert’, are truly unmatched.

For coverage of up to 6 devices and a VPN, get TotalAV’s Total Security deal, which is its Antivirus + Internet Security package — it’ll give you complete peace of mind online, plus you’ll be able to unblock geo-restricted content on streaming platforms, securely and with ease.

Unsure? Experience TotalAV in all its glory without risking a single dime with the 30-Day money-back guarantee by your side.

2. Norton — Leading Spyware Detector With the Longest Money-Back Guarantee

Norton matches McAfee as far as being beginner-friendly is concerned. You get human assistance to solve any spyware or security issue you might be struggling with — which, in reality, is far better than the self-help guides you find with most software.

But Norton’s 60-day money-back guarantee makes it a better choice for beginners than McAfee. The platform gives you more than enough time to try it out before asking you to sign up for its paid subscription — which speaks volumes about its confidence in its offerings.

Besides this, one of the biggest reasons that we recommend Norton in our top 3 for spyware removal is its ‘SafeCam’ feature. This is designed to protect you against spyware in a way that very few tools do.

Here’s how it works. It’ll constantly monitor your device’s camera, so anyone trying to inject spyware into your device to take control of your device’s camera and take snapshots and videos will be shut down immediately.

The SafeCam feature does two things in detecting spyware-

1. Block any access to your device webcam.
2. Send you a notification so that you’re informed and can uninstall the spy app.

With Norton on your device, you’ll also enjoy real-time protection on the internet as the tool will highlight all the malicious links on your Facebook and Twitter feeds and even web-based emails.

Norton’s ‘Smart Firewall’ deserves a mention, too. It’s different from other firewalls in that it monitors both incoming and outgoing network traffic — to be doubly sure that no spyware installation or data theft takes place.

Pricing:

Norton’s pricing begins with its Antivirus Plus plan at just $19.99 for the first year (renews at $59.99). Yes, it’s cheaper than both TotalAV and McAfee’s cheapest plans — however, it covers only a single device, whereas TotalAV covers 3 and McAfee 10.

For more features such as ‘Dark Web Monitoring’ and parental controls, get one of Norton’s many high-end plans. The pick of the lot here is Norton’s Select + LifeLock plan, which starts at $99.99 for the first year or $9.99 for the first month.

Try Norton risk-free with the 7-day free trial and take your time to test the software with the solid 60-day money-back guarantee. If it’s not up to your liking, get a full refund.

3. Nord Threat Protection — A Popular Antivirus Solution With a Handy Lite Version

Nord Threat Protection is an add-on to its VPN platform, NordVPN. Available in two versions — Regular & Lite, Nord Threat Protection is designed to add an extra layer of security and protect your device from viruses, malware, and hackers. 

The primary difference between Nord Threat Protection’s two versions is that the Lite version only protects your device when it’s connected to the VPN and is only compatible with Windows and Mac. 

On the other hand, the regular version works even when the device is not connected to VPN and is compatible with Android, Windows, Mac, Linux, Chrome, Firefox, and Edge. This way, you get all-around protection 24/7, irrespective of whether you’re online or not.

Threat Protection works by monitoring your device around the clock, especially your downloads. After all, that’s where most digital threats usually hide. If it finds any downloaded file to be infected, it’ll instantly remove it. Similarly, if you accidentally stumble upon a malicious website, Nord Threat Protection will send you a warning message and block your entry.

To ensure you have a seamless experience, Nord goes a step ahead and blocks unnecessary ads and trackers. By blocking ads, it prevents the constant pop-ups from interrupting your browsing time, whereas by blocking trackers, it protects you from targeted advertising and data theft.

Pricing

If you’re looking to get the best deal, the 2-year plan offered by NordVPN is a great option. Among the choices available, the Standard plan provides the most value for your money, starting at $4.19 per month. It includes high-quality VPN services, ad-blocking features and malware protection.

For a comprehensive security solution, NordVPN’s Complete plan may be worth considering. In addition to the features included in the Standard plan, the Complete plan offers additional security features, such as a cross-platform password manager, data breach scanner, as well as 1 TB of cloud storage.

The best selling point of this plan is that you’ll not experience any price increases upon renewing your subscription.

4. Surfshark — Popular Cell Phone Spy Software Removal With No Renewal Hikes

Surfshark offers a complete package for device security — in fact, not only is it solid when it comes to spyware detection and removal, but it’s also well-known for being one of the best VPN apps in the industry.

While we’re at it, the VPN comes with a fantastic ‘CleanWeb’ function that keeps ads and pop-ups away, plus, you won’t have to worry about any zero-day attacks since Surfshark takes the lead and analyzes suspicious and uncommon files on your system automatically.

You get three types of scan options:

1. Scheduled scans for routine maintenance
2. Manual scan to check any file or folder of your choice that you may find suspicious
3. Automated scans initiated by Surfshark to dig out and repair vulnerabilities and to ensure protection against any potential attacks

It’s surprising how Surfshark, despite being so feature-rich, is still light on a system. It runs 24/7 in the background without troubling your CPU/RAM.

Plus, it’s incredibly hands-on too. For instance, it gives you the option to exclude specific files and folders from a scan, accelerating the scanning process and protecting important files in the process.

Surfshark’s ‘Cloud Protect’ feature deserves a mention too. It enhances your device’s security by finding and recording new spyware so that it can stop them right there and then, before they damage your system.

Pricing:

Surfshark’s 2-year + 2 free months plan at $3.48/month makes it one of the cheapest spyware removal solutions on the market right now. Here are your options:

Besides affordability, there are no renewal hikes either. Remember how other providers have renewal hikes up to 50% of the original price? Surfshark’s stays the same.

Try Surfshark risk-free for a full month with the 30-day money-back guarantee, and get a full refund if you find it isn’t for you.

5. McAfee — The Best Spy App Removal Tool for Beginners

McAfee’s in-house experts that take over your system remotely to dig out any hidden spy apps you couldn’t deal with yourself make it a beginner’s delight. Besides this, McAfee’s Protection Score is the second reason it’s secured our second spot on this list.

Here, McAfee rates the overall health of your device on a scale of 1 to 1,000. Plus, it provides a detailed checklist of all the things you can do to improve your device’s Protection Score and, thereby, your device’s security.

For instance, if the checklist says that your email password has been compromised, you can increase the Protection Score by changing your password to a more secure one.

Like TotalAV, McAfee’s intuitive AI works around the clock to block any unwanted pop-ups automatically, so you can rest assured that you won’t accidentally click on a spyware link.

What’s more, there’s a ‘Ransom Guard’ feature that, as the name suggests, will cover your system in a protective shell and act whenever it senses any unauthorized attempt to encrypt your files or install spyware on your device.

McAfee goes a step further and also creates a cloud backup of all the files under attack, ensuring you don’t lose any data — need we say more? There’s a reason McAfee finds itself high on lists like these time and time again.

Pricing:

McAfee’s cheapest plan — the Antivirus Plus — covers 10 devices at a mere $24.99 for the first year (renews at $64.99/year). Most would call this deal too good to be true, and undoubtedly a godsend for families looking for spyware protection on all their devices.

You can get protection for unlimited devices and features like ‘Identity Monitoring’ and parental controls with McAfee’s Family plans.

Note that the Family plans are 2-year subscriptions as opposed to McAfee’s Individual plans, which are 1-year subscriptions. You’ll certainly get the best bang for your buck with the Premium Family plan at $59.99/year for the first year.

Enjoy all that McAfee has to offer risk-free. Try the 30-day free trial today — plus, if you pay and find you’re unhappy, simply request a refund within 30 days for a full refund.

6. Avast — The Best Free Spyware Detector Software

Avast Antivirus is easily the best free spyware detector, hence why it’s amassed a whopping 400+ million users worldwide.

There’s hardly any other antivirus solution that gives you so many free features to get rid of any spyware problems. This includes:

• Multiple scan options, including scheduled and ‘Boot Time’ scans
• A full suite of shields, including the File, Web, Behavior, and Mail shields

As the names suggest, each of these shields is responsible for protection in a particular department.

For example, the ‘Web Shield’ will safeguard your device and data from any threats that may seep into your device from the internet + from scripts capable of functioning even when you’re offline.

While the scheduled scan might not be a unique feature, Avast’s ‘Boot Time’ scan provides an added layer of protection from hidden spyware as it runs before your system boots up, giving no space for the spyware to hide.

To ensure 360-degree protection, Avast does two things:

1. It scans your device for any vulnerabilities — This may include third-party or outdated software that might act as breeding grounds for hidden spyware.
2. Secondly, it comes with a VPN with access to over 55 server locations, ensuring your internet security and privacy are right up there with your spyware protection.

Pricing:

The Avast One Essential tags along with an advanced firewall, suspicious activity monitoring, and ransomware/malware blocking — all this without paying a single cent.

If you want Avast to do more for you, get the Avast One service. For just $4.19/month for the first year (billed annually), you’ll get data protection, a VPN with access to 55 locations, device cleanup, automatic driver updates, and coverage for up to 5 devices.

Plus, you can put Avast to the test for a full 30 days and get your money back if it isn’t your cup of tea. No risk. No hassle.

7. Kaspersky — The Best Hidden Spyware Detector for Businesses of All Sizes

Kaspersky has separate plans for different types of businesses — whether it be small businesses, medium businesses, or full-on enterprises. If you’re a business owner looking to protect all the devices in your company, Kaspersky is your best option.

Kaspersky’s triple-layer security covers everything you’d want from a leading security solution. It includes:

1. A full scan that combs every folder and drive to find and remove or repair spyware, viruses, malicious codes, and more.
2. A protective shield to protect your device from potential attacks and spyware infection.
3. A to-do list of protocols to follow in case of spyware or any other attack.

Kaspersky’s High-Tech Protection works in tandem with the Kaspersky Security Network to zero in on any threat that might have been on the move before it does any damage.

For those of you wondering, the Kaspersky Security Network is a massive database of information about attacks that have previously been made on Kaspersky-protected devices.

The same duo also works to protect you from any malicious links on an internet page, a Word document, or a PDF file on your device. Kaspersky will ask you for confirmation if a potentially dangerous website is trying to be opened on your device.

This way, you can shut down any outsider’s attempt to infect your device and also protect yourself from accidentally clicking a malicious ad pop-up.

Pricing:

Kaspersky’s Standard Plan at $27.99 for the first year (renews at $56.99) will cover as many as 3 devices — enough for a personal ecosystem or a small family.

Would you also like a VPN, 24/7 remote IT support, and identity protection? Sign up for Kaspersky’s Premium plan starting at $33.99 for the first year.

Now, Kaspersky isn’t the best spyware removal solution for businesses for no reason. It has different pricing for small, medium, and enterprise-level businesses, respectively.

You can choose a plan that best suits your business size and needs and only pay for what you need and not a cent for a feature you won’t be using. Try it risk-free now with the 30-day money-back guarantee.

8. TrendMicro — A Free Spyware Detector for Total Protection On All Devices On Your Home Network

TrendMicro’s spyware detection and removal solution comes packaged under a tool called HouseCall. The biggest plus point to this tool is that it offers a generous free plan with solid features, the best of which is its ‘Smart Protection Network’.

The ‘Smart Protection Network’ works similarly to the Kaspersky Security Network. It, too, leverages its massive user base to collect info about spyware and security threats that have been detected in the past on devices protected by TrendMicro.

It’s also commendable how TrendMicro doesn’t collect any of your personal information in the process of extracting spyware and ransomware attack details for its Smart Protection Network.

On the whole, it uses this data to ward off any threat — which, in all likelihood, it’s already seen before — detected on your system. And, although it sadly lacks real-time monitoring, you’ll still be able to run manual scans to protect your devices.

In fact, it’s incredibly beginner-friendly, simply open the software and click ‘Start Scan’ to begin. Plus, on a side note, if you opt for a premium plan, the number of devices won’t be a hindrance either, since it can protect unlimited devices.

Pricing:

TrendMicro’s HouseCall made its name in the industry because of its free, yet feature-rich, spyware removal service. Although limited in features, the free plan will serve an average user well.

Upgrading to TrendMicro’s Antivirus+ Security — the platform’s cheapest paid plan — at $19.95 for the first year will still only cover a single Windows device.

If you have a large family you’d like to protect against spyware, go for either the Maximum Security or the Premium Security plan that covers unlimited devices on a single plan, including Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS.

Although there’s no money-back guarantee, you can try TrendMicro risk-free with its 30-day free trial.

9. Intego — Quality Spyware Removal Tool with Personalized Solutions for Windows & Mac

Intego does an excellent job at securing both Windows and Mac devices, although it comes in two separate packages for the two operating systems, respectively.

Yes, TrendMicro and Kaspersky provide a myriad of scan options, but none of them come with daily automated scans and location-specific manual scans — something that Intego provides.

While daily automated scans will be perfect for routine maintenance, location-specific manual scans will make sure your scans are quick, yet thorough.

If you’d like your scans to be quicker, you’d be glad to know that Intego, one of the best antiviruses for Mac, marks all recently checked folders so that no time is wasted in scanning them again.

What’s more, data privacy is another thing you don’t have to worry about with Intego’s scans — you can withhold access to your most confidential folders during periodic scans, and without your permission, Intego won’t touch your protected files.

Lastly, you’ll also have full control over where the scan is headed. You can either:

1. Quarantine spyware found during the scan while Intego scans other files, or
2. Neutralize the threat immediately.

It’s disappointing that the Mac App Store restricts Intego from running real-time scans on web activity or downloads. That said, on the whole, Intego soars high as a spyware detection tool, credit to its periodic scans that cover your emails and pop-ups as well.

Pricing:

Intego has different pricing for its Mac and Windows plans.

All Mac plans cover only a single Mac device. The best deal for you here will be the Mac Internet Security X9 plan at $19.99 for 1 year:

With Windows, however, Intego provides coverage for more than 1 PC, but only on its higher-end plans — up to 5 PCs on its Extended plan. The basic Personal plan covers only 1 Windows PC and costs $29.99/year:

Put Intego to the test today without risking any money, thanks to its 30-day free trial and the generous 30-day money-back guarantee.

10. Avira WW — A Free and Lightweight Spyware Detector

Avira has over 35 years of experience, a free plan, and comes with an easy, one-click installation, making it a solid pick for beginners looking for an easy-to-use yet effective spyware detector.

The platform is slightly better than Surfshark as far as being lightweight is concerned — in fact, Avira officially has the smallest footprint in the entire antivirus industry.

What’s more, it also runs 24/7 in the background and provides real-time protection from spyware, viruses, ransomware, and countless other online threats without slowing down your system.

The Avira Protection Cloud works exactly like TrendMicro’s Smart Protection Network and Kaspersky’s Security Network.

It records the details of any newly found spyware and threats in any Avira-protected device worldwide and then uses that database to provide protection from both old and new threats to its users.

With Avira’s ‘Browser Safety’, you’ll have complete immunity from web-based threats. It’s Avira’s very own spyware cleaner and free browser extension that stops you from downloading any corrupted file or spyware from the internet. Plus, it goes a step ahead to suggest safer alternatives too.

If this wasn’t enough, Avira also comes with an intuitive ad blocker to ensure that there’s zero risk of you accidentally clicking on a potentially malicious ad link.

Pricing:

Avira’s free plan tags along with a 500Mb/month VPN and an ‘Update Scanner’, which should be sufficient for an individual’s day-to-day use.

However, if you’d also like to enjoy real-time data breach alerts and automated cleaning and updates, get Avira Prime. It’s competitively priced at just $59.99 for the first year (renews at $99.99/year).

The best part? You can try Avira risk-free today with either its free plan or take advantage of the 60-day money-back guarantee. Don’t like it? Get your money back.

The Best Spyware Detector App Comparison Table

Short on time? Here’s a quick overview of the key differences between our handpicked best spyware detection and removal tools to help you reach a decision quicker:

How We Chose the Best Spyware Detectors  

Wondering how we chose our best spyware detectors? Here’s our secret checklist:

1. Scanning Options

One of the most important things to look for in a spyware removal tool is its scanning options.

You might not have the time for an hour-long full scan, but that shouldn’t come in the way of looking out for potential threats. That’s why we’ve only picked tools that let you choose between quick scans, full scans, and real-time scans.

Some of these also let you set up scans manually or on autopilot, whatever works best for you.

2. Lightweight 

Spyware removal tools are undoubtedly essential, but that shouldn’t come at the cost of slowing down your device.

Look for lightweight tools that can silently run in the background 24/7 without hogging up your CPU or RAM. After all, what good is a spyware removal tool when all it does is slow down your system and disrupt your work?

3. Coverage 

One of the biggest factors that set apart a powerful spyware removal tool from other generic options is its extent of coverage.

Spyware isn’t the only threat to your device. Whatever tool you pick should also be able to detect and remove other malicious entities, like malware, Trojans, viruses, Ransomware, etc.

Along with that, it shouldn’t just protect your device from existing spyware but also against new attacks through shady emails, websites, ads, or popups. This will ensure that all your activities— be they online or offline will be protected 24/7.

4. Usability 

Spyware might be too techy for some people to wrap their minds around. On top of that, if they have to deal with software that takes a million steps just for installation, it’ll only add to the trouble.

That’s why it’s best to look for spy removal apps that are easy to set up and have a navigable, beginner-friendly user interface. Your chosen platform should also offer customer service in case you run into any crisis post-purchase.

How to Remove Spyware

To start. Sign up with your chosen spyware removal tool (we highly recommend TotalAV). Now, you have 3 tricks to remove spyware from your device once and for all:

1. Use a Spyware Removal Tool

The easiest way to get rid of spyware is through a dedicated spyware removal tool. These tools offer custom scans to quickly look for spyware in your device, especially in vulnerable places like unknown emails, files, and apps.

2. Manually Remove Spyware

If you don’t want another tool looking into your device, you can also remove spyware manually. All you have to do is turn on the Safe Mode so that you’re only dealing with the core files and folders where spyware usually hides.

Then look for unknown folders and apps that seem to be serving no real purpose; in short— shady. Remove them all immediately. Some might manage to get administrator permission to prevent you from deleting them.

In that case, you’d head over to Settings > Security > Advanced > Device Administrators, change the permission, and then delete it.

3. Perform a Factory Reset

If none of the above methods work for you, the only option is to get a factory reset. It’ll wipe out all your device data, including your installed apps, emails, media files, messages, etc. With everything gone, the spyware would be deleted in the process too.

Best Spyware Detector FAQs