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Cybersecurity · head to head

Malwarebytes vs Qualys VMDR

Malwarebytes logo

Malwarebytes

Cybersecurity

Protects every device, everywhere

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Qualys VMDR logo

Qualys VMDR

Cybersecurity

Cloud-delivered vulnerability management licensed per asset, using scanner appliances and a lightweight agent.

From
$3/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Malwarebytes has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Malwarebytes pricing page information is incomplete or dynamically loaded, making transparent pricing comparison difficult for potential customers; Qualys VMDR licensing is per asset and each capability is its own subscription, so patch management, endpoint detection, web application scanning, container security and policy compliance are separate line items, and the platform demonstrated in a proof of concept is rarely the platform in the quote.
  • They diverge on capability: Malwarebytes covers Malware detection & removal, Qualys VMDR covers Cloud Agent.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Malwarebytes and Qualys VMDR actually diverge.

Attributes where Malwarebytes and Qualys VMDR differ
AttributeMalwarebytesQualys VMDR
Starting priceFree$3/month
Pricing modelfreemiumsubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWindows, macOS, iOS, AndroidWeb, Cloud, Api
Founded20081999

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Cybersecurity).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Malwarebytes

  • Malware detection & removal
  • Ransomware protection
  • Real-time protection
  • Anti-exploit
  • Anti-phishing
  • Browser Guard
  • VPN
  • Brute Force Protection

Only in Qualys VMDR

  • Cloud Agent
  • Scanner appliances
  • Authenticated scanning
  • TruRisk scoring
  • Asset inventory
  • Patch Management
  • Cloud connectors
  • Container sensor

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Malwarebytes

  • Budget-conscious users performing manual scans via free versionnot Qualys VMDR
  • Organisations needing real-time malware and ransomware protection via Premium subscriptionnot Qualys VMDR
  • Users combining antivirus with privacy via Premium plus Privacy VPN bundlenot Qualys VMDR

Qualys VMDR

  • A hybrid workforce where scheduled network scans miss most laptops and continuous agent-based assessment is the only way to get real coveragenot Malwarebytes
  • PCI DSS external scanning where an approved scanning vendor report is a contractual requirementnot Malwarebytes
  • An estate spanning datacentre, multiple public clouds and endpoints that needs one vulnerability view rather than three toolsnot Malwarebytes
  • Organisations replacing a manual patch-verification process with agent-reported evidence that a fix actually landednot Malwarebytes

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Malwarebytes

  • Pricing page information is incomplete or dynamically loaded, making transparent pricing comparison difficult for potential customers
  • Specific price amounts for different tiers (Individual, Family, Small business) are not clearly displayed on the main pricing page
  • No mention of free tier or free trial duration on pricing page, unclear what features are included in each tier

Qualys VMDR

  • Licensing is per asset and each capability is its own subscription, so patch management, endpoint detection, web application scanning, container security and policy compliance are separate line items, and the platform demonstrated in a proof of concept is rarely the platform in the quote.
  • Ephemeral cloud instances consume asset entitlement until they age out of inventory, so an autoscaling group that creates and destroys hosts hourly can burn licence capacity on machines that existed for minutes, and controlling that means tuning purge policies rather than tuning the cloud.
  • Authenticated scanning produces materially better results than unauthenticated, but it requires storing and rotating privileged credentials for every target platform, which is a security project in its own right, and teams that skip it receive reports full of unconfirmed potential findings that nobody trusts.
  • The console is a set of modules with separate interfaces, search syntaxes and report engines, so an analyst moving between vulnerability management, policy compliance and web application scanning learns each one, and cross-module reporting usually ends in a spreadsheet or a script against the API.
  • The tool surfaces findings far faster than any organisation can remediate them, and it does not solve the ownership problem: without an agreed prioritisation policy and a named owner in IT operations, a first scan producing tens of thousands of findings becomes a dashboard that everyone learns to ignore.

Pricing, plan by plan

Malwarebytes

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Malwarebytes review.

Qualys VMDR

$3/month
  • VMDR$3/month
    • Per asset
    • Vulnerability scanning
    • Detection
  • VMDR+$5/month
    • All VMDR features
    • Advanced analytics
    • Cloud integration
  • VMDR Complete$7/month
    • All VMDR+ features
    • Threat intel
    • Response automation

Which should you pick?

Choose Malwarebytes if

  • You need malware detection & removal.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Windows, macOS, iOS, Android.
  • You also want ransomware protection.
Malwarebytes review

Choose Qualys VMDR if

  • You need cloud agent.
  • You work on Web, Cloud, Api.
  • You also want scanner appliances.
Qualys VMDR review

Questions people ask

Is Malwarebytes or Qualys VMDR better?
Neither clearly leads. Malwarebytes starts at Free and Qualys VMDR at $3/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Malwarebytes or Qualys VMDR?
Malwarebytes has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Malwarebytes and $3/month for Qualys VMDR.
Does Malwarebytes or Qualys VMDR run on more platforms?
Malwarebytes runs on Windows, macOS, iOS, Android. Qualys VMDR runs on Web, Cloud, Api.
Can I use Malwarebytes for free?
Yes. Malwarebytes has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Qualys VMDR starts at $3/month.
What is Malwarebytes best used for?
Malwarebytes is most often used for budget-conscious users performing manual scans via free version, organisations needing real-time malware and ransomware protection via premium subscription, users combining antivirus with privacy via premium plus privacy vpn bundle. Of those, budget-conscious users performing manual scans via free version and organisations needing real-time malware and ransomware protection via premium subscription are not what Qualys VMDR is typically brought in for.
What can Malwarebytes do that Qualys VMDR cannot?
Malwarebytes covers Malware detection & removal, Ransomware protection, Real-time protection, Anti-exploit. Qualys VMDR covers Cloud Agent, Scanner appliances, Authenticated scanning, TruRisk scoring.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Malwarebytes: What is the refund policy for Malwarebytes subscriptions?

Malwarebytes offers a 60-day money back guarantee on all purchases. This allows customers to test the product across their devices (PC, Mac, Android, iOS) with full refund protection if unsatisfied.

Source
Qualys VMDR: Agent or scanner: which do I need?

Usually both. The agent covers endpoints and servers you control and gives continuous data; scanners cover devices you cannot install an agent on, such as network gear, printers and appliances, and provide the external perimeter view.

Malwarebytes: What platforms does Malwarebytes support?

Malwarebytes works on Windows PC, macOS, Android, and iOS. Multi-platform protection is available across all subscription tiers including Individual, Family, Small business, and Standard single device options.

Source
Qualys VMDR: Does it patch as well as detect?

Yes, through the Patch Management module, which is a separate subscription using the same agent. Core VMDR detects and prioritises but does not deploy fixes.

Malwarebytes: What is included in customer support with Malwarebytes?

Free customer support is included with all Malwarebytes subscription tiers. The product is backed by a 60-day money back guarantee for risk-free purchasing.

Source
Qualys VMDR: How are assets counted for licensing?

By the number of assets in inventory, which includes cloud instances and containers depending on the modules in use. Short-lived cloud assets count until they are purged, so purge settings directly affect what you consume.

Qualys VMDR: Can I keep the data in a specific region?

Yes. Qualys operates several regional platform instances and you choose which one your subscription lives on. Moving between them later is not trivial, so decide before onboarding.

Qualys VMDR: Does it scan web applications?

Web Application Scanning is a separate module licensed per application, not part of core VMDR, and it is a dynamic scanner with the usual limits around authenticated flows in single-page applications.

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