Panda Security is a Spanish-based company with a strong record of antivirus innovations. From launching daily signature updates in 1998 to introducing behavioral monitoring in 2004 and cloud scanning in 2007, Panda has been involved with a host of technologies we might now take for granted.
The company has several plans for its home users - Panda Dome Essential, Panda Dome Advanced, Panda Dome Complete, and Panda Dome Premium - all building upon each other in terms of features, and each offering a firewall, WiFi protection, online shopping security, a Dark Web Scanner, and at least some VPN .
Higher tiers offer even more tools, including parental control, anti-ransomware, PC optimization, password manager, file encryption and shredding, update manager, and so on. And the best part? All tiers have a 30-day free trial.
Panda Dome Essential
For as low as $34.99 initially ($49.99 upon renewal), you can get a one-year subscription for one device with the Essential package. This offering not only includes fundamental features like real-time antivirus and URL protection but also supports up to 10 Windows, Mac, and Android devices—with pricing adjusting according to the quantity chosen.
Panda Dome Essential enhances its real-time antivirus protection with link filtering and includes a basic firewall to thwart network attacks along with providing free VPN access. While this feature offers limited utility due to the lack of location selection and only 150 MB of daily free data, it serves well enough for sending emails over public Wi-Fi networks when you’re away from home.
Setup
Panda Dome Essential gets installed and starts up within just a few seconds. After completing the installation process, Dome Essential prompted us to sign up for the software by entering our email address. While some might favor an antivirus solution that keeps their identity hidden, several competing programs function similarly to Panda. Additionally, thankfully, we weren’t required to share any billing information with them.
The installation process was impressively swift, without any issues related to 'incompatibility' or similar troubles. When it comes to ranking among top antivirus applications, the statement holds valid for Panda, since its four main background tasks utilized just a negligible 20-50 MB of RAM under typical computer usage conditions.
Features
To initiate a scan, just press the Scan button located at the top-left corner, select your preferred scanning mode (which could be Critical Areas, Full, or Custom Scan), and then await the outcomes. You can perform multiple scans simultaneously without affecting their performance or slowing down your computer system.
Even though the standard scan options provide minimal control over your system check, the ScheduledScan function offers more sophistication. You have the ability to choose specific drives and directories for scanning, opt out certain areas, and adjust several aspects of the scan process.
The initial scanning times are generally moderate. For example, even with the quickest Critical Areas scan, it still took about four minutes to inspect our test system. However, through successful optimization, this time decreases progressively. Our subsequent scan was completed in just around two minutes. Additionally, a complete scan lasted approximately 40 minutes during the first attempt and reduced to merely 26 minutes in the second try.
Dome Essentials' firewall aims to maintain simplicity by presenting a straightforward initial screen that merely requires you to select your present Wi-Fi setting from three options: Home, Work, or Public Space—sufficient for casual users.
As mentioned, if you're well-versed in this area, navigating to Settings > Firewall allows for setting up operational guidelines and offers advanced intrusion prevention options related to port scans, ping management, flood protection, among others.
A useful Process Monitor shows all active processes, with special emphasis on those communicating over the internet and alerts about possible risks. This setup is quite user-friendly for newcomers; however, advanced capabilities can be accessed within just one or two clicks.
The complete Process Monitor report includes the name of each process, records when it was first noticed and most recently checked, indicates where it was obtained from, shows the number of HTTP connections it created, and enables you to see which resources it attempted to reach.
An appealing alternative is to construct a bootable USB rescue disk to assist with removal. malware The standard package isn't capable of achieving this. Additional useful features consist of a software whitelisting system for managing which applications run on your computer, along with a virtual keyboard designed to safeguard against keyloggers.
Additionally, there is a feature that triggers warnings when you log into insecure Wi-Fi networks, along with an option to 'immunize' USB drives to minimize the risk of contamination from autorun viruses.
An excellent feature included is the Dark Web scanner, which continuously scans the obscure sections of the internet and alerts you via email if your login information shows up in recent data leaks, eliminating the need for you to manually conduct these checks regularly.
Protection
Panda Dome has received a AAA award from SE Labs for the months from October through December 2024 As demonstrated, it boasts a Total Accuracy Rate of 99%, with zero false positives – surpassing both Microsoft Defender and Webroot, yet falling slightly short compared to Avast, Kaspersky, or McAfee, each achieving an impeccable 100% score.
At the same time, AV-Test’s Evaluation and Accreditation Report for September - October 2024 has awarded Panda a perfect 6/6 rating for security, a 5.5/6 for performance since it slightly underperformed compared to the industry standard in certain areas, and another 6/6 for ease of use.
On the contrary, Panda Free Antivirus showed somewhat more false alarms than suggested. AV-Comparatives' False Alarm Test from September 2024 , with 28 misidentified cases, with only Norton delivering more, and all the other tested platforms having significantly fewer.
It also had a rather poor offline detection rate of 36.6% in AV-Comparatives’ Malware Protection Test for September 2024 With an improved online detection rate of 77.6% and a robust online protection score of 99.25%, it performs quite well.
Final verdict Essential
Panda Dome Essential is an appealing option due to its user-friendly interface and inclusion of several highly beneficial features, particularly for advanced users. However, it falls short when compared to leading competitors in terms of virus detection efficacy and precision.
Panda Dome Advanced
If Dome Essential doesn't meet your needs, choosing the $41.99 option (with subsequent annual renewals costing $59.99) for a one-year single-device subscription to Dome Advanced provides all the features included in the basic package along with added functionalities such as parental control and extra security measures specifically designed to protect against ransomware attacks.
Antivirus
Like Essential, Panda Dome Advanced has several scanning options. A Critical Area scan checks the most commonly infected areas of a PC; the Custom scan only inspects the files or folders you specify; and the Full System scan, of course, checks everything.
Should those options be insufficient, consider configuring several predefined scans as well. Initiate your process using either a Critical Areas, Full System, or Custom scan; additionally, you have the flexibility to omit specific directories or file categories from these checks (useful for accelerating scanning times).
Scan times were reasonable during testing. Panda Dome Advanced checked our 50GB of test executables in 39 minutes for the first scan, within the 15–50-minute range we typically see. There's some optimization for subsequent scans, and Panda took 24 minutes for scan #2.
Ransomware
Panda Dome uses behavior-driven detection, manages file access through controls, and employs whitelisting techniques. Additionally, it creates backup versions for restoring files should an infection occur.
One of its features includes a data shield mechanism that sets up controls and whitelists, employs decoy files as traps, and creates shadow copies of files and directories to facilitate restoration to prior states in cases of data loss, file corruption, or similar problems.
Parental control
Panda Dome Advanced comes with Parental Control, however, these features fall short of what one would typically anticipate from a dedicated parental control software. It lacks options for managing app usage, setting limits on screen time, or restricting internet access. Additionally, there’s no support for geofencing. The sole feature available is content filtering.
The platform does at least give you lots of categories. Instead of a single catch-all Adult category, for instance, you can individually block or allow subcategories like 'Lingerie and Swimsuit', 'Nudity', 'Sex,' and 'Sex Education.' Although this works, it's nonetheless extremely basic.
Final verdict Advanced
Panda Dome Advanced boasts a reliable primary antivirus component that effectively identifies and eliminates malware. While some leading competitors may surpass its performance in certain areas, it remains a robust option offering both fundamental and sophisticated functionalities.
Panda Dome Complete
The next upgrade option, Dome Complete, includes system cleanup utilities along with a password manager for $53.99 per year for a single device; renewal costs $89.99 annually thereafter.
Cleanup: PC Optimization
Using PC Cleanup, you can clear up space on your computer by eliminating different types of files such as junk, temporary data, registry entries, cookies, and browser history among others. You also have the option to choose which applications start automatically when booting up, set up scheduled cleaning tasks with particular settings, or optimize your hard drive through defragmentation.
Password manager
Panda's password manager functions similarly to other similar products, handling all your passwords with one main access point, automatically filling out forms, producing robust passwords, and keeping everything synchronized across various devices you use.
It additionally enables the generation of 'protected notes'—encrypted digital sticky notes accessible solely through your main generic-addon. Furthermore, it allows for remote deletion of your browsing history and closure of your open web pages and services.
File encryptor
This tool allows you to encrypt any file with a password or an automatically generated key through the right-click menu, transforming data into a sequence of unreadable characters that no one can decipher without the corresponding encryption key.
File shredder
Ultimately, this feature enables an unalterable and secure shredding mechanism for your private or sensitive details to stop them from ending up in undesirable possession. This process accomplishes that by filling the file's contents with random data or zeros to obscure the initial information and render recovery virtually impossible or highly challenging.
Final verdict Complete
Panda Dome Complete includes several handy additional features such as a file encryptor and shredder, a password manager, and PC optimization utilities. If these extra components aren't necessary for your needs, consider opting for either Panda Dome Essential or Advanced instead.
Panda Dome Premium
Ultimately, with the high-end Panda Dome Premium service, you gain unbounded access to every available server location viaVPN, along with features like an update manager and limitless premium technical assistance. The initial cost is $56 annually for single-device protection, which then increases to $139.99 upon renewal.
Premium VPN
Panda Dome Premium also removes any limitations to its VPN use from the lower-level packages and equips the user with unrestricted VPN for secure browsing, connectable to any location where it has servers, including 60+ countries, for up to 5 devices.
We tested theVPN connection using the suggested server and found that it maintained strong download and upload speeds—only marginally lower compared to our standard connection—and connected within just a few seconds. When linking to far-off places such as Thailand from our location in Europe, we noticed only minor latency issues.
Update Manager
The Update Manager feature of Panda Dome Premium ensures your computer remains current to avoid potential security vulnerabilities. This tool enables you to conduct essential or comprehensive checks for updates related to your operating system or applications installed on your device, as well as set schedules for such scans.
For every program identified and added to the list, the software offers the choice to apply individual patches or disregard them. Additionally, there’s an option for updating all programs simultaneously.
Final verdict Premium
Panda Dome Premium offers an excellent all-around antivirus package that justifies its cost once you consider both the complimentary trial period and substantial savings available during your initial year, especially if you anticipate using features like the built-in VPN, Update Manager, and Dark Web Scanner regularly. Nevertheless, subsequent annual subscriptions could prove more expensive as they revert to higher rates.
- We've also highlighted the best antivirus software in this roundup
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