Vipre Review: Unveiling Its True Potential in 2024

Vipre, a name that's been floating around in the antivirus world since 2013, has always intrigued my curiosity. With its promises of advanced security and privacy protection, I couldn't help but wonder: Does it really live up to the hype?

That's why I decided to roll up my sleeves and thoroughly examine Vipre. I spent a good two weeks testing every aspect of this antivirus, indeed, I have some interesting findings to share with you!

In this thorough Vipre review, you'll discover:

• How Vipre fares against real-world threats
• The ins and outs of its user interface
• The effectiveness of its VPN and Privacy Shield
• Whether its performance impact is as minimal as claimed
• If it's truly worth your hard-earned money

So, let's discover Vipre together!

In a Hurry? Here's a Quick Summary

If you're short on time but still want the important details, I've got you covered. Here's a quick rundown of what I discovered for this Vipre review:

What You'll Like:

• Easy-to-use interface with customizable themes
• Robust web protection against malicious sites
• Comprehensive email security features
• Effective firewall with customizable settings
• Secure file eraser for permanent data deletion

What You May Not Like:

• Limited information about product usage on their website
• Privacy Shield browser extensions need updates
• Installation process could be smoother
• VPN speeds might not satisfy heavy users
• No complete user guides available on their website

What Makes This Vipre Review Different?

You might be wondering, "Why should I trust your review over others?" Well, let me tell you, I'm not your typical reviewer who just repeats information from the product's website. No sir!

I believe in getting my hands dirty. For this review, I actually bought Vipre, installed it on my own devices, and tested it thoroughly. I'm talking real-world testing scenarios, folks!

I used my trusty Dell XPS laptop as my main testing ground, but I also tried Vipre on a MacBook Pro and a Samsung Galaxy S20 FE. Why? Because I wanted to see how it performs across different platforms.

Over the course of two weeks, I clicked, scanned, configured, and analyzed every feature Vipre has to offer for this Vipre review. I even went as far as simulating ransomware attacks to see how well it protects against these nasty threats.

And guess what? I've got numerous screenshots to show you exactly what I found. No smoke and mirrors here - just honest, hands-on experience.

So, if you're looking for a review that goes beyond the surface level and really investigates what Vipre is all about, you've come to the right place. Let's dig in!

Buying Vipre

My journey with Vipre began on their website, where I compared their home products: Antivirus Plus, Advanced Security, Ultimate Security, and Android Security. Being the curious cat that I am, I went for the most comprehensive option - Ultimate Security. This package includes not just the antivirus, but also a VPN, privacy cleaner, webcam and microphone blocker, and more. Talk about getting bang for your buck!

Clicking the "Subscribe Now" button took me to the checkout page. The process was effortless - I entered my details and credit card information without any problems. No pesky upsells to navigate through, which was a pleasant surprise. They also offer PayPal and Amazon Pay options, but I stuck with my trusty credit card. The purchase was processed by Cleverbridge, a well-known payment processor.

Once the payment went through, I was greeted with a webpage containing download links and my product key. They also sent me an email with the same information. So far, so good!

Installation

Now, this is where things get a bit interesting. I downloaded the Advanced Security installer, but surprise, surprise - the link didn't work. I had to go to the product's page and get a free trial installer, then activate it with my license key. Not the smoothest start, I must say.

The installation took a whopping 11 minutes. That's quite a bit longer than I'm used to, but to be fair, it also included a definitions update and a quick first scan. So, I guess it's not all bad.

Vipre installation in progress

The confirmation email also included download links for the Vipre VPN and Privacy Shield programs. Installing the VPN was a bit of a challenge - I had to create an account, and they didn't send me a confirmation that my account was created even though it was. But once I logged into the installed VPN program, it accepted my credentials without a fuss.

On the bright side, installing the Privacy Shield was a breeze. I used the same license key to activate the antivirus, VPN, and Privacy Shield programs. At least they're consistent with that!

Interface

Vipre's user interface is really simple. The main window is clean and uncluttered, with the Vipre logo and version name prominently displayed at the top.

Vipre's clean and minimalistic interface

The upper bar houses three tabs: MyVIPRE (where you can access the scan features and check your protection status), Account (for subscription details and theme selection), and Manage (for general settings). I was pleasantly surprised to find seven themes to choose from - a nice touch for those who like to personalize their software.

One thing to note: you can't change the UI language, and the window isn't resizable. Not deal-breakers, but worth mentioning.

At the bottom of the main window, you'll find the protection timeline. This is where you'll see all your security notifications about scans, definition updates, and more. It's a handy feature that helps you keep track of what Vipre's been up to.

Major Features

Next in this Vipre review, let’s delve deeper into the core functions. We’ll investigate its prominent features and understand why it could be a smart choice for your digital security.

Web Protection

Vipre's web protection is like having a bouncer at the door of your internet browsing. The best part? You don't need to install any browser extensions - it's all built-in.

I put Vipre's web protection through its paces by visiting several known malicious websites. Here's what I found:

• Malicious website test - Blocked
• WICAR - Blocked 13 out of 13 threats
• AMTSO - Blocked 13 out of 15 threats
• EICAR- Blocked 2 out of 4 threats

When Vipre blocks a webpage, it shows you a custom page with a warning message: "Visiting this site might harm your computer." It also provides tips on how to stay safe online.

Here's the web protection feature blocking a malicious site

You can tweak the web protection settings in the Manage > Antivirus tab. Here, you can enable or disable the web filtering shield and manage your allowed or blocked websites list.

Customizing Vipre's web protection settings

Overall, I was impressed with Vipre's web protection. It caught most of the threats I threw at it, providing a solid first line of defense against malicious websites.

Scan

Vipre offers three types of scans: Quick Scan, Full Scan, and Custom Scan. You can access these from the MyVIPRE tab by hovering over the blue Scan button.

Quick Scan

The quick scan focuses on critical files on your computer. In my Vipre review test, it took about 17 minutes to scan 53,000 objects. It detected and cleaned two files, which were leftovers from my previous web protection test. Vipre is capable of catching all types of malware, including spyware, keyloggers, adware, and trojans.

Results of Vipre's quick scan

While 17 minutes might seem long for a "quick" scan, it's worth noting that it was thorough in its examination of critical files.

Full Scan

The full scan is more comprehensive and, as expected, takes longer. In my case, it ran for 1 hour and 10 minutes, scanning 463,131 files. Like the quick scan, it detected two threats from my previous tests.

Vipre's full scan in action

The full scan's duration might seem lengthy, but remember, it's doing a thorough investigation into your system. The thoroughness could be the difference between catching a deeply hidden threat and missing it.

Custom Scan

The custom scan is where you get to play security expert. You can choose what to scan (running programs, Windows registry, rootkits, and archived & compressed files), where to scan, and whether to use VIPRE's RapidScan technology.

Configuring a custom scan in Vipre

I found this feature particularly useful when I wanted to focus on specific areas of my system without running a full scan.

Scheduled Scan

Vipre also allows you to set up scheduled scans. You can name the scan, choose the type (quick, full, or custom), set the schedule, and select scan options. This feature is great for maintaining regular system checks without having to remember to do it manually.

Setting up a scheduled scan in Vipre

Ransomware Protection

Ransomware is a nasty piece of work, so I was keen to see how Vipre handled it. I used a ransomware simulator to test its effectiveness for this Vipre review, and the results were pretty good. Vipre successfully stopped 11 out of 22 ransomware simulation scenarios. While not perfect, it's not bad considering the average success rate is 15 out of 22.

This performance gives me confidence that Vipre can provide a decent level of protection against ransomware attacks, which are becoming increasingly common and sophisticated.

VPN

Vipre's VPN, called Internet Shield VPN, is a separately installed program. It's pretty simple to use, with tabs for country selection and settings. There are 86 servers to choose from, with multiple options in the US, UK, and Australia.

Vipre's VPN interface is simple and I appreciate that you can also see the load percent.

When connected, you can see your new location and IP address. I tested the VPN's speed using fast.com and here's what I found:

• No VPN (Romania): X Mbps download, X Mbps upload, and X ms latency
• Argentina: 130 Mbps download, 37 Mbps upload, and 269 ms latency
• Italy: 130 Mbps download, 64 Mbps upload, and 57 ms latency
• Detroit, USA: 230 Mbps download, 37 Mbps upload, and 162 ms latency

Vipre VPN connected to a server

I also ran privacy tests during this Vipre review using ipleak.net and perfect-privacy.com. Good news - Vipre passed these tests, successfully hiding my real location.

In terms of settings, you can choose between IKEv2 and OpenVPN protocols, install the OpenVPN TAP adapter if needed, and enable or disable the kill switch - a feature that cuts your internet connection if the VPN service stops.

Configuring Vipre VPN options: you can choose the protocol and change the connectivity settings.

Overall, while not the fastest VPN I've used, Vipre's offering provides decent speeds and, more importantly, maintains your privacy online. Other strong antivirus solutions like Kaspersky and Mcafee provide stronger VPN features.

Privacy Shield

The Privacy Shield is another separately installed program that comes with Vipre Ultimate Security. It's designed to protect your identity and privacy online.

Vipre's Privacy Shield main interface includes a status tab and other tabs for login credentials, personal info, documents, and more.

The interface might look a bit dated, but it packs quite a punch in terms of features. It's divided into several tabs:

• Status: Here you can scan and monitor your login credentials and other personal information. You can also block access to your webcam and microphone, and block tracking and ads.
• Login credentials: This tab lets you scan and view all login credentials stored in your browsers. You can move any of them to a more secure vault.
• Personal Information: Scan and monitor your profiles, including associated phone numbers, email addresses, addresses, and credit cards.
• Browsing tracks: View and manage your browsing and tracking records in Chrome, Firefox, Edge, and Internet Explorer.
• Documents: Scan for sensitive documents on your computer and move them to a secure vault.
• Tracking blocker: Install browser extensions to search for tracking cookies in your browsers. You can scramble your digital footprint with every browser session.
• Dark Web: Check if your email or password has been compromised in a data breach.

Privacy Shield's Dark Web scan lets you check whether your email addresses have been affected by data breaches.

One downside I noticed is that the browser extensions for Chrome and Firefox are discontinued, which is a significant drawback. The Edge extension works but is outdated.

Email Protection

Vipre's email protection is a robust feature that scans incoming and outgoing email messages for viruses. Any suspicious files are sent to quarantine.

Configuring email protection in Vipre

You can manage which email applications Vipre should watch in the Manage > Email > Manage email apps section. It's compatible with Outlook and other email clients, and you can specify email ports for scanning.

Another neat feature is spam filtering for Outlook. Vipre labels emails that appear to be spam and allows you to set email addresses to be marked as spam or safe.

Firewall

Vipre's firewall replaces the default Windows firewall and filters incoming and outgoing internet traffic on your computer. You can create exception rules for how you want the firewall to handle traffic .

Vipre's firewall settings - you can disable the firewall, manage rules, view history, and more.

Other firewall features include:

• Intrusion detection system to protect against attacks from within the same network
• Network management to set up how your computer sees different networks
• Process protection (Host Intrusion Prevention System) to stop attacks against running software
• Firewall default behaviors to control how the firewall interacts with new information and network traffic

Configuring firewall behaviors in the Intrusion detection systems.

I tested the effectiveness of the firewall using the GRC ShieldsUp tool, and I'm happy to report that Vipre passed with flying colors. The equipment at my IP address didn't respond to their UPnP examinations, which is exactly what you want to see.

Secure File Erase

This feature allows you to securely and irreversibly remove any trace of files from your computer. You can enable or disable it from the Manage > Privacy tab.

Secure File Erase option in Vipre

To use it, simply right-click on a file or folder and choose "securely erase files and folders" from the context menu. But be careful - this action can't be undone!

Gaming Mode

Vipre includes a Gaming Mode, which prevents the software from running resource-intensive background activities during gameplay or when using other resource-heavy applications.

Vipre's Gaming Mode settings include postponing scheduled scans during gaming.

You can configure Gaming Mode from the Manage > Gaming tab. Remember, you'll need to disable it to modify configuration options.

System Performance Impact

I was curious to see how much of an impact Vipre would have on my system resources. During a full scan, Vipre consumed about 15% CPU power and 500MB of RAM. The CPU usage is below the average of 25%, which is impressive. However, the RAM consumption is slightly above the average of 300 MB.

Vipre Review: Conclusion

After spending two weeks with Vipre, here's what I've concluded for this Vipre review:

• Vipre is indeed an advanced antimalware and privacy protection security program that mostly delivers on its promises. The antivirus engine is powerful and catches most threats you'll encounter online. It also provides solid email and network protection.
• The VPN, while not the fastest I've used, does a good job of hiding your real location and offers decent speeds for most online activities.
• The Privacy Shield program, while packed with features, could use some updates, especially for its browser extensions. Some of them don't work, which is a bit disappointing.
• Additional features like the file shredder and gaming mode are welcome additions that add value to the package.
• One area where Vipre could improve is in providing more thorough information about using the product. The program has a few tooltips, but there are no complete user guides on their website, which might be frustrating for less tech-savvy users.

Overall, Vipre offers a solid security solution with a good balance of features. While it may not be perfect, it certainly holds its own in the competitive world of antivirus software. If you're looking for a thorough security suite that's easy to use and doesn't slow down your system, Vipre is definitely worth considering.

If you’re in the market for antivirus protection, Norton, Bitdefender, and TotalAV are also strong and reputable options. Be sure to review our top antivirus software roundup for 2024.

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.