Adaware Review: Can This Privacy Software Keep You Safe in 2024?

#1 Adaware Review in 2024

Adaware, once known for its traditional antivirus solutions, has shifted gears in 2022. They've focused on privacy-enhancing software, leaving behind their classic antivirus offerings. This change caught my attention, and I decided to examine what Adaware now brings to the table.

In this Adaware review, I'll take you through my hands-on experience with Adaware's Privacy program. You'll discover how it stands up in today's online environment, where privacy concerns are more pressing than ever.

Here's what you'll learn:

• The ins and outs of Adaware's new privacy-focused features
• How well it protects your camera and microphone from sneaky access
• The effectiveness of its VPN in keeping you anonymous online
• Whether its web protection can really shield you from online threats
• If the ad blocker lives up to its promise of a cleaner browsing experience

Let's jump in and see what Adaware has to offer in 2024.

In a Hurry? Here's a Quick Summary

If you're short on time, here's a quick overview of what I found out in this Adaware review:

What You'll Like:

• Simple and easy-to-use user interface
• Includes a VPN for enhanced privacy
• Effective ad blocking capabilities
• Email breach scanner to check for compromised accounts
• Remote management through a web console

What You May Not Like:

• Limited VPN server locations
• Web protection could be more robust
• Small text in the user interface
• Not a complete antivirus solution
• Slow VPN server connections

What Makes This Adaware Review Different?

Many reviews out there seem to be stuck in the past, still talking about Adaware as if it's primarily an antivirus program. But that's not the case anymore. In this review, I'm focusing on what Adaware actually offers today - a privacy-enhancing program.

I spent considerable time testing Adaware Privacy on my Dell XPS laptop running Windows 11. This wasn't just a quick install-and-forget experience. I dug into every feature, ran multiple tests, and even tried to break things (in a good way) to see how robust the protection really is.

Throughout this Adaware review, you'll find many screenshots I took during my testing. These aren't just pretty pictures - they're proof of my hands-on experience and will help you understand exactly what you're getting with Adaware.

Buying Adaware

When I decided to review Adaware, I first browsed their product lineup. I was surprised to find that they no longer offer a traditional antivirus solution - that was discontinued in 2022. Instead, they now focus on privacy software.

Adaware offers two versions of their privacy program: a free standard version and a paid pro version called Adaware Privacy Plus. I opted for the paid version to get the full experience.

The buying process was uncomplicated. I entered my personal information and payment details (they accept credit card, PayPal, and wire transfer). One thing I appreciated was the 50% discount for a one-year subscription compared to the monthly option. That's a good deal if you're planning to use it long-term.

After completing my purchase, I received two important emails. The first asked me to create a password for my Adaware account and included a download link for the software. The second email contained my order details and a link to download the invoice. This level of communication was reassuring - I knew exactly what was happening at each step.

Installation

Installing Adaware was a breeze. After setting up my account password (which had some specific requirements like not using full words or more than 3 identical consecutive characters), I downloaded the installer from the email link.

The installation process itself was quick and simple. There were no complicated options to choose from, and it took less than a minute to complete. Once installed, I was greeted with a short tour of the software, which I found helpful for getting oriented.

One thing I noticed was that the installation didn't give me any options to customize. While this keeps things simple, some users might prefer more control over what gets installed.

Interface

When I first opened Adaware, I was greeted with a clean, simple interface. The main window is divided into a dashboard and a left side panel that gives access to the main features: Dashboard, My Protection, Settings, Feedback, and About.

Adaware's main user interface is simple but the text is a bit too small.

The Dashboard is your go-to spot for monitoring your PC's protection status. It shows real-time alerts for potential threats and displays a summary of the websites you've visited, highlighting any malicious ones it detected.

Under the My Protection tab, you'll find all the main privacy features: camera and mic protection, email breach scanner, VPN, site monitoring, and ad blocker. This layout makes it easy to access and manage all your privacy tools in one place.

The Settings tab lets you customize your Adaware experience. You can change the language (there are 6 to choose from), toggle notifications, set the auto launcher, and decide whether the close button minimizes or closes the program.

Adaware's settings pane - here you can change the language, enable notifications, and more.

While I appreciate the simplicity of the interface, I did find one significant drawback - the text is quite small for my 1920x1200 screen resolution. For users with less-than-perfect eyesight, this could be a real issue. Also, the UI isn't resizable, and there are no themes to choose from. These limitations might make the software less accessible for some users.

Despite these minor drawbacks, I found the interface intuitive and easy to navigate. Everything is where you'd expect it to be, which makes managing your privacy settings an uncomplicated task.

Major Features

In the next section, we’ll assess the standout qualities of Adaware. We’ll determine what makes it a strong contender for meeting your protection needs.

Camera and Microphone Monitoring

In today's world of video calls and online meetings, camera and microphone protection is more important than ever. Adaware's Camera and Microphone Monitoring feature aims to give you control over which applications can access these sensitive devices.

Camera and Microphone Monitoring features include the usage statistics.

When I opened this feature, I was impressed by the detailed view it provided. It shows usage statistics for the last 7 days, letting you know which apps have accessed your mic or webcam. This level of transparency is crucial for identifying any potential privacy breaches.

What I really liked was the ability to create block and white lists. If an app seems suspicious or you simply don't want it accessing your camera or mic, you can easily add it to the block list. Conversely, apps you trust can be added to a whitelist for trouble-free access.

The feature also includes handy notification options. You can choose to receive desktop alerts when a blacklisted program tries to access your cam or mic, or even when any program accesses them. This real-time monitoring gave me peace of mind, knowing I'd be alerted to any unauthorized access attempts.

For those who want more detailed control, Adaware provides links to related Windows settings at the bottom of the window. This integration with system settings is a nice touch, allowing power users to adjust their privacy settings beyond what Adaware offers.

In my Adaware review testing, this feature worked flawlessly. It accurately logged app access attempts and the notifications were prompt and clear. However, I did notice that the list of apps was sometimes slow to update, which could be improved in future versions.

Email Breach Scanner

With data breaches becoming increasingly common, Adaware's Email Breach Scanner is a timely and valuable feature. It allows you to check if your personal data, such as email addresses or passwords, have been compromised in known data breaches.

From the Email Breach Scanner interface you can add the emails you want to monitor.

Using this feature was uncomplicated. You can add up to 5 email addresses to scan, and Adaware will alert you if any of these emails appear in their database of known breaches. The scanner works by collecting data from various sources and compiling them into a searchable database.

When I tested this feature with a few of my email addresses, I was impressed by its speed and the comprehensive results it provided. For one of my older email addresses, it identified a breach I wasn't aware of, allowing me to take immediate action to secure that account.

However, I did notice that the feature doesn't provide much detail about the nature of the breaches it finds. While it tells you if your email was involved in a breach, it doesn't specify what kind of data might have been exposed. This additional context would be helpful for users to understand the potential impact and take appropriate action.

Despite this limitation, I found the Email Breach Scanner to be a valuable tool for staying informed about potential security risks associated with my online accounts.

VPN

A VPN (Virtual Private Network) is crucial for maintaining online privacy, and Adaware includes this feature in their Privacy program. However, my experience with Adaware's VPN was a bit of a mixed bag.

Adaware's VPN interface includes a world map and connection details.

On the positive side, the VPN is easy to use with a simple interface. You can connect to a server with just a click. However, I quickly noticed some limitations. The server list is quite restricted, offering only seven countries and 12 servers (cities). This is far fewer options than many standalone VPN services provide.

Another issue I encountered was the connection speed. Connecting to servers took anywhere from 15 to 30 seconds, which felt quite slow compared to other VPNs I've used.

To test the VPN's performance for this Adaware review, I used fast.com to check speeds with different server locations. Here are the results I got:

• No VPN (Romania): 32 Mbps download, 23 Mbps upload, and 153 ms latency
• Dallas, USA: 32 Mbps download, 18 Mbps upload, and 172 ms latency
• Roubaix, France: 48 Mbps download, 17 Mbps upload, and 55 ms latency
• Guadalajara, Mexico: 23 Mbps download, 35 Mbps upload, and 183 ms latency

While the speeds weren't terrible, they were inconsistent across different locations. The French server actually improved my download speed, which was a pleasant surprise.

However, when it came to privacy testing, the results were disappointing. I used ipleak.net and perfect-privacy.com to check for IP and DNS leaks. Unfortunately, Adaware's VPN failed these tests - my true location and IP address were still visible.

This is a significant concern, as one of the primary purposes of a VPN is to mask your true IP and location. The fact that Adaware's VPN isn't successfully doing this is a major drawback.

In conclusion, while the VPN is a nice addition to the Privacy suite, its limited server options, slow connection times, and failure to properly mask IP and location make it less than ideal for users who prioritize strong VPN performance.

Web Protection (Sites Monitored)

Adaware's web protection feature, found under the "Sites Monitored" section in the My Protection tab, aims to shield users from malicious websites. This feature maintains a list of 20,000 websites that Adaware monitors for potential threats.

Web Protection (Sites Monitored) interface displays the total number of sites that are monitored.

The concept is uncomplicated - if you visit a website that Adaware deems malicious, it should block access and increment the counter of suspicious sites found. This sounds good in theory, but how does it perform in practice?

To put this feature to the test for my Adaware review, I visited several known malicious websites across multiple browsers. Here's what I found:

1. Malicious website test - Adaware failed to block this site.
2. WICAR - Adaware performed better here, blocking 11 out of 13 threats.
3. AMTSO - Adaware blocked 12 out of 15 threats.
4. EICAR - Adaware blocked 2 out of 4 threats.

These results are a bit of a mixed bag. While Adaware did well with some of the tests, it failed to block the first malicious website test entirely. This inconsistency is concerning, as users rely on web protection to catch threats they might not recognize themselves.

It's worth noting that when Adaware does block a malicious site, it provides a clear warning message, which is helpful for users to understand why a site was blocked.

Overall, while the web protection feature shows promise, there's definitely room for improvement. The failure to block some known malicious sites suggests that Adaware's database of threats might need updating or expansion.

Ad Blocker

Adaware's Ad Blocker comes as a browser extension for Chrome and Firefox. This feature promises to block website ads, pop-ups, and video ads, potentially increasing browsing speed and saving bandwidth.

The ad blocker settings show you where you can install the extension: Chrome or Firefox.

During my Adaware review testing, I found the Ad Blocker to be quite effective. It successfully blocked ads on various websites I visited, and I appreciated that it didn't just leave empty spaces where ads used to be. Instead, it made the remaining elements blend seamlessly, resulting in a cleaner browsing experience.

Ad Blocker blocking ads on a webpage

One of the strengths of this ad blocker is its customizability. The extension offers various settings that you can configure to your liking. You can choose to block pop-ups, dangerous sites, or specific webpage elements. For more advanced users, there's even an option to create custom filters for more precise content blocking.

The Ad Blocker advanced settings include configuring the filter list.

I was particularly impressed with the extensive filter lists that come with the ad blocker. These lists are customizable, allowing you to adjust your ad-blocking experience. Whether you want to block more aggressively or allow certain types of content, the options are there to adapt the experience to your preferences.

Another useful feature is the trusted websites list. This allows you to whitelist sites where you want to support content creators by allowing ads. You can easily add or remove sites from this list as needed.

You can also add or remove trusted websites.

Overall, I found Adaware's Ad Blocker to be a solid addition to their privacy suite. It effectively blocks ads across various websites and offers a good level of customization options. While it may not have some of the more advanced features found in independent ad blockers, it should be more than sufficient for most users looking to improve their browsing experience.

Web Console

Adaware provides a remote web console that allows you to manage your subscription from any device with an internet connection. This feature adds a layer of convenience to managing your Adaware products.

Adaware's Web Console displays the available products and details about your license.

When I logged into the web console, I found a clear list of available products. Each product entry includes details like license type, status, total licenses, and download links for the installer. This thorough overview makes it easy to keep track of your Adaware subscriptions across multiple devices.

One feature I particularly appreciated was the ability to remove devices using your products directly from the web console. This can be handy if you've sold or retired an old device and want to free up a license slot.

However, I did notice that the web console's interface could use some updating. While functional, it lacks the polish of some competitor's web interfaces. Despite this, the core functionality is solid and provides a useful way to manage your Adaware products remotely.

System Performance Impact

To evaluate Adaware's impact on system performance, I ran several tests on my Dell XPS laptop with an Intel i7-1065G7 CPU @ 1.30GHz and 16 GB of RAM, running Windows 11.

In standby mode, I found that Adaware consumes about 1 to 3% CPU power and 100 MB of RAM. This varies depending on which background monitoring services are active, such as the email breach checker or camera and mic monitoring.

These numbers are relatively low, indicating that Adaware doesn't significantly impact system performance when idle. However, it's worth noting that the RAM usage is a bit higher than some lightweight antivirus solutions I've tested.

Unfortunately, I couldn't gather data on Adaware's resource consumption during a full system scan, as the software doesn't include traditional antivirus scanning capabilities. This makes it difficult to compare its performance impact directly with full-featured antivirus solutions.

Overall, based on the data I could gather, Adaware seems to have a relatively low impact on system resources. However, users with older or less powerful systems might still notice some slowdown, particularly if multiple Adaware features are running simultaneously.

Adaware Review: Conclusion

After spending a considerable amount of time for this Adaware review, I've come to a mixed conclusion. On one hand, Adaware offers some useful privacy-enhancing features that can help protect your online activities. On the other hand, it falls short in some areas where you might expect more from a privacy-focused product.

Here are the key takeaways:

1. Adaware has moved away from traditional antivirus, focusing instead on privacy features. This is an interesting change, but it means users looking for comprehensive malware protection will need to look elsewhere.
2. The camera and microphone protection, email breach scanner, and ad blocker are solid features that work well. They provide useful tools for enhancing your online privacy.
3. While the inclusion of a VPN is appreciated, its limited server options and failure to mask IP addresses properly in my tests are significant drawbacks.
4. The web protection feature shows promise but needs improvement. Its inconsistent performance in blocking known malicious sites is concerning.
5. The interface is simple and easy to navigate, but the small text size could be a problem for some users. The lack of UI customization options is also a downside.
6. Adaware seems to have a relatively low impact on system resources, which is a positive point.
7. The remote management feature through the web console is a nice addition, offering convenient control over your Adaware products.

In conclusion, Adaware Privacy is a decent privacy-enhancing program that offers more than most utilities of its kind, particularly with the inclusion of a VPN. However, its limitations in web protection and VPN functionality mean it may not be the best choice for users seeking comprehensive online privacy and security.

If you're looking for a simple tool to enhance your privacy and don't need full antivirus capabilities, Adaware could be worth considering. Remember, Adaware is no longer a traditional antivirus program. If that's what you're looking for, you'll need to consider other alternatives in the market.

If antivirus security is your priority, consider Norton, Bitdefender, and TotalAV. See our best software list for 2024 for more options.

Octav Fedor (Cybersecurity Editor)

Octav is a cybersecurity researcher and writer at AntivirusGuide. When he’s not publishing his honest opinions about security software online, he likes to learn about programming, watch astronomy documentaries, and participate in general knowledge competitions.