Comodo Internet Security for Windows

When it comes to looking for the best antivirus software, you want something that you know will protect your system and keep your personal data safe. It’s also helpful if it’s both configurable and easy to use. Comodo Internet Security Pro hits some of those points and misses others. From an antivirus application that works well to a Virus-Free guarantee, you can be assured that your PC is likely well protected, but you will have to watch out for the sneaky way Comodo tries to install a new default web browser and change your DNS settings on installation.

Comodo Internet Security Pro does offer some extra features that are nice to have, but it’s also missing some you would expect. So, Comodo Internet Security Pro is a mixed bag and you’ll have to decide if what you do get is worth losing what you don’t. Read on for our full Comodo Internet Security review.

Type of Protection/Security: Definition Scanning & Behavior Monitoring

Comodo Internet Security Pro performs definition-based scans for viruses based on the proprietary Dragon platform, which promises to catch whatever threats may come your way. According to AV-Test, Comodo delivers on that promise. During industry testing, Comodo consistently scores perfect or near-perfect on the Protection tests. 

Definition scanning is only part of the equation. Comodo also offers behavior-based monitoring to catch viruses, malware, Trojans, and other threats that might not yet have a defined definition. This behavior-based monitoring helps to stop Zero-Day attacks before they can harm your system.

One minor frustration with Comodo’s scan is that it occasionally locks down files as false positives. It happened one time during our tests, but the trade-off is that Comodo stopped all the legitimate threats we threw at it. The occasional false positive is probably worth it when you know that your virus protection is top of the line and stopping whatever threats your system may face.

We also found that the deep scan took an inordinately long time to complete; more than three hours on our test system. And we did experience some lag during that scan, so if you plan to run deep scans often, it’s best to run them during system low- or no-use hours. 

Scan Locations: You Have Options

Most antivirus applications on the market today have both a Quick Scan and a Full Scan. Comodo Internet Security does as well, but it goes a little further by offering a Custom Scan that allows you to scan files and folders you choose. This can include files and folders on external storage devices, however, there isn’t an option to scan the whole external drive at one time. You can select multiple files or folders on a drive, but that’s a little clunkier and less intuitive than we would like for it to be.

You can also run a Rating Scan, which scans commonly infected areas and memory in the cloud to determine if the reputation of those locations is good or bad. If it finds concerning issues, the application will make recommendations on how the issue should be handled. You can choose to apply the selected actions or change them at your discretion.

Types of Malware: Viruses, Rootkits, & Bots

Comodo Internet Security Pro doesn’t shy away from the many types of threats you may encounter on the Internet. The software protects against viruses, malware, spyware, rootkits, and bot threats. It also includes what Comodo calls Defense+, which blocks malware before it can install on your system. It does this using signature monitoring, which allows Comodo to tell if a file has recognizable bits of known threats.

Tuck all of that behind a firewall to protect the perimeter of your system, and you can understand why AV-TEST gives Comodo Internet Security Pro good marks on lab tests.

Ease of Use: Easy to Use, Until It’s Not

The installation of Comodo Internet Security Pro is where you encounter your first stumbling block with the application. The first problem you’ll encounter is that the software automatically installs the Dragon browser, and gives Dragon control over your DNS settings unless you deselect the option for these things during the installation process. Given that most people click right through all the notifications during a software installation, this feels a little underhanded to us.

The good news is, if you slow down and read the notices and options as you’re installing the program, you can deselect these options. If you happen to miss them, you can also go into the settings for the application and change those options, then uninstall the browser, but that’s a hassle when you didn’t want the browser to start with. 

Another issue we encountered when installing the application was that Comodo forced a system restart immediately after installation. It is possible to ignore this request to restart, but if you do, you won’t be able to access the Comodo Internet Security Pro user interface until the restart has been performed. 

Once installed, Comodo is easy to use on the surface. The big buttons on the main dashboard are probably all the tools most users will need. However, if you dig into the application to configure updates, scan external storage, tweak the firewall, or adjust the Host Intrusion Protection System (HIPS), you may feel a little intimidated by all the options. The reconfigurability is great for advanced users, although your specific needs may determine how important it is to you to be able to dig deeper, or if you just need to stay on the surface.

Update Frequency: You Get to Decide, With Limits

Virus definitions are the heart of how your system is protected from threats. Antivirus applications should update regularly to help keep you safe from the latest threats. With Comodo Internet Security Pro, you have some options for how and when you receive updates.  

If you go to Settings > General Settings > Updates you can control when Comodo program updates are checked and when the virus signature database is updated. By default, updates for the Internet Security Pro program are checked once each day. You do have the option to change that to more or less frequently, but we think once a day is reasonable.

You can also change how often to check for virus definition database updates. Comodo defaults to every six hours, but you can update that as you see fit. In most cases, the default settings will be more than sufficient to keep you safe from any new potential threats. 

Performance: Mostly Unnoticeable

The first thing Comodo does when it settles after the install is to run a Quick Scan on your system to ensure you don’t have any common threats that need attention. After that, you’ll have to trigger the Full Scan to do a deep review of your system. During testing, we tried surfing the Internet, streaming movies and music, and a variety of other online activities while both the Quick and Full Scans were running and only noticed minor amounts of lag during the Full Scan.

The Quick scan takes just minutes to complete. On our test system, running Windows 10, the scan was completed in under five minutes. The Full Scan is much longer than that, as would be expected, but it did cause a few moments of lag here and there when we were performing resource-intense activities (streaming, gaming, etc.) while the scan was processing.

Additional Tools: A Few Really Good Ones

For most antivirus applications today, the real differentiator after the effectiveness of virus scans is the tools that are included with the virus engine. For Comodo Internet Security Pro, a few are pretty good.

Despite being disgruntled that Comodo tries to force-install the Dragon web browser, we’re not completely opposed to it. The Dragon browser is a secure browser, which can protect you as you move around the Internet. Our only issue with it is that we would like the option to choose the Dragon browser made cleaner, and easier to spot.

In addition to this, however, Comodo Internet Security Pro also offers one of the better sandbox capabilities that we’ve seen. You can use this sandbox to safely open files you think could be infected with some type of malware without infecting the rest of your system. When we tried it, it worked perfectly every time. No threats managed to escape the sandbox or infect our system.

In addition to the Sandbox, Comodo offers two additional features that many users will be happy to hear about. The first is unlimited live expert virus removal. If your system is infected, Comodo will help you remove the virus from your system at no extra charge.

The other feature and this one is unusual to see in most antivirus applications, is a $500 Virus-Free Guarantee. Comodo covers your computer for up to $500 worth of repairs if you become infected with malware and the Comodo team can’t help you remove it. Comodo is just that confident that it can block or remove any threat you may encounter.  

Type of Support: Paid or Free? The Answer is Murky

Support is another area we are not fond of. After providing the promise of Unlimited Product Support and Unlimited Live Expert Virus Removal, the Comodo website sends you to an "Unlimited Tech Support" program that will cost around $200 a year. It promises 24/7 support, but that is another thing that feels wrong to us. 

Fortunately, if you click the Support link at the top of the Comodo home page, you are given some different options. From that menu, you can access support forums, online guides, and phone numbers that you can use to speak with someone online. There are also chat and ticketing systems, so the help is there, but finding it might not be the easiest thing.

Price: Middle of the Road

The price for Comodo Internet Security Pro is about what you would expect from a mid-level antivirus application. You can expect to pay about $30/year for one device or $40/year for three devices. 

Competition: Comodo Internet Security Pro Vs. Bitdefender

Comodo Internet Security Pro is another security product in a pool of tough contenders. Bitdefender Total Security is one of the toughest. On some levels Bitdefender’s product does many of the same things that Internet Security Pro does; virus & malware protection and a firewall are two examples. And the protection from both companies gets high marks during lab tests. However, once you get past the basics, and that is where these two products differ.

Internet Security Pro also has the Comodo $500 Virus-Free guarantee. Bitdefender Total Security does not, but it does offer a host of other features, including parental controls and a secure VPN. Bitdefender’s sale price of $36 is not too far from Comodo’s price of $29.99. If not on sale Bitdefender's Total Security is listed as $89.99, for coverage on 5 devices, including Android, iOS, Mac, and Windows where Comodo only works on Windows machines. 

Given these differences, we would suggest investing in Bitdefender over Comodo. In doing so, you will get a high-quality virus protection suite that includes more of the features you will need.

Specs

• Product Name Comodo Internet Security Pro
• Price $39.99
• Software Name Comodo Internet Security Pro
• Platform(s) Windows
• Type of License Annual
• Number of Devices Protected 3
• System Requirements (Windows) XP 32bit, Vista/Win7/Win8/Win8.1/Win10 32 bit & 64 bit / 152 MB RAM / 400 MB space
• Price $39/year

Comodo Internet Security is a free, security app that provides complete protection from virus attacks, Trojans, worms, buffer overflows, zero-day attacks, spyware and hackers.

The app is multi faceted and combines powerful Antivirus protection, an enterprise class packet filtering firewall, advanced host intrusion prevention tools, configurable application control and anti-spyware. All in one powerful app.

Key Features include:

• Antivirus: Tracks down and destroy any existing malware hiding in a PC.
• Anti-Spyware: Detects spyware threats and destroys each infection.
• Anti-Root-kit: Scans, detects & removes root-kits on your computer.
• Bot Protection: Prevents malicious software turning your PC into a zombie.
• Defense+: Protects critical system files and blocks malware before it can install.
• Auto Sandbox Technology: Runs unknown files in an isolated environment.
• Memory Firewall: Cutting-edge protection against sophisticated buffer overflow attacks.
• Anti-Malware: Kills malicious processes before they can infect your system.

Overall, Comodo Internet Security features a friendly graphical user interface that can be navigated by users of all levels of expertise. It has a strong, robust firewall, a high quality Antivirus and stacks of other security tools that are all easy to configure; just 'set and forget'.

Technical

Title:

Comodo Internet Security 12.2.2.8012 for Windows

Requirements:

• Windows 8,
• Windows 10,
• Windows Vista,
• Windows 8.1,
• Windows 7,
• Windows XP

Language:

English

License:

Free

Latest update:

Thursday, May 27th 2021

Author:

Comodo

https://www.comodo.com/home/internet-security/antivirus.php

SHA-1:

b1119e1543c8073c45bd6d833c9b3b0617c1fbd5

Filename:

cispremium_installer.exe

Changelog

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Comodo is a free antivirus for Windows that comes with lots of features — but unfortunately, it’s not very good. It has a powerful firewall and a good virtual desktop tool, but the rest of its features (including the virus scanner and phishing protection) are disappointing.

Comodo’s virus scanner only detected 93% of the malware samples I’d hidden on my test PC. In comparison, most top competitors (like Norton and Bitdefender) detected 100% of malware samples.

Comodo comes with:

• Real-time malware protection.
• Secure firewall.
• Anti-phishing protection.
• Virtual desktop.
• Secure browser.
• Ad blocker.
• Geek Buddy (24/7 tech support, paid plan only).

Comodo’s additional features are almost uniformly terrible. The phishing protection failed to block known phishing websites, the secure browser isn’t very secure, and the ad blocker didn’t block any ads. Worse still, the cloud backup and VPN that Comodo still advertises on its website are in fact no longer available. Ultimately, there are much better products available on the market. Bitdefender’s web protections are excellent, and Norton offers tons of cloud storage with its 360 plans, along with a pretty good VPN (although if you’re looking for a top-tier VPN, you’ll be better off getting a standalone product like ExpressVPN).

All that said, I did like Comodo’s firewall, which provides excellent protection and numerous advanced customization options. The virtual desktop is also a decent feature — it allows you to create a secure environment in which to safely run suspicious applications. But so many competitors, including Avira and TotalAV, also have similar features to these, plus far better additional features.

One plus point is that most of Comodo’s features are included in the free plan. All you get by upgrading to Comodo’s paid plan is Geek Buddy (24/7 product and tech support), and a vague virus warranty. Depending on where you look, the discontinued cloud-backup feature and VPN are also still advertised as part of the upgraded paid plan, but they no longer exist — it’s actually pretty insulting that Comodo is still trying to charge for these features.

It’s also worth mentioning that Comodo’s website lists the vast majority of its features (including the firewall) as being on the paid plan only. I know this isn’t correct as I’ve tested it, but it’s confusing and makes me wonder if they’re gearing up for a change? Sadly, the customer support wasn’t able to shed any light on this, so it’s anyone’s guess if and when the different inclusions may change.

On a similar note, Comodo’s website states that it also supports Mac and Linux, but in fact these products have been discontinued — they just haven’t bothered (yet again) to update their website.

Honestly, I struggle to recommend Comodo — there are just too many things wrong with it. There are much better free options out there (like Avira), and if you’re in the market for the best antivirus protection, you should check out our list of the top 10 antiviruses in 2022.

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Comodo Full Review

Comodo doesn’t detect malware as effectively as top antivirus competitors like Norton, but it has a good firewall and virtual desktop.

Comodo’s other features aren’t any good, though. The anti-phishing, secure browser, and ad blocker all underperform, and the real-time protection was only able to block 93% of threats in my tests. Also, Comodo used to offer a VPN and cloud storage on its paid plan, but these have been discontinued, leaving only 24/7 tech support and a virus-guarantee as its paid-for features — making Comodo’s paid plan one of the worst-value offers on the market.

Although all of Comodo’s core security features are free, you’re better off looking at other options if you want decent protection. Avira is our top free antivirus in 2022, and Norton is our top pick for a full-featured paid internet security suite.

Comodo Security Features

Malware Scanner

Comodo’s malware scanner is only okay — especially when compared to the competition.While it isn’t the worst malware scanner I’ve ever seen, it is worse than all those on our list of the top 10 antiviruses. I also experienced some annoying bugs during my testing.

Comodo has 4 scan options:

• Quick scan. Scans system memory and commonly infected areas for malware threats.
• Full scan. Scans your entire PC and removable devices for malware threats.
• Rating scan. Uses Comodo’s cloud database to give files a trust rating.
• Custom scan. Allows you to select which files or folders to scan.

I installed thousands of malware samples on my test PC before individually running all 4 scanners. The Quick Scan only took 3 minutes to complete, but I was disappointed in the results — it missed malware samples that competitors like Norton had detected in their quick scans. (Norton and other competitors like McAfee, Bitdefender, and Avira regularly detect 100% of malware samples in our testing).

The results were better when I ran the Full Scan (which took 3 hours on my PC). This time it found 93% of malware samples, including the samples the Quick Scan had missed. But this is still a fair way off a 100% detection rate.

The Rating Scan checks your files and security certificates against Comodo’s cloud database, and marks your files and security certificates as either trustworthy or untrustworthy — but its ratings are wildly inaccurate. The scan only took 30 seconds to complete, but it marked files I trusted with a poor rating, and gave my PC an overall trust rating of 0% despite only having 24 unrecognized files.

I much prefer ESET’s Running Processes feature, which works similarly but gives trust ratings to files that are actually running and likely to cause damage if they’re malicious.

The Custom Scan was the only scan option that I didn’t have any issues with. I like how Comodo allows you to scan a particular file or folder on a schedule, and it was super easy to set up the custom scans.

Overall, Comodo’s scanner isn’t the best on the market, by a long shot. You can’t fully rely on the Quick Scan, and the Full Scan’s detection rates aren’t as good as other competitors. If you want a free antivirus with a reliable scanner, you’re better off getting Avira’s free package instead, which has one of the best malware scanners around.

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Real-Time Malware Scanner

Comodo’s real-time scanner blocks malware files in real time, and it does a decent job. It also includes a host intrusion prevention system (HIPS) that stops malicious files or programs from accessing critical system folders.

I tested the real-time scanner by attempting to download a collection of nearly 1,000 malware samples. Comodo’s real-time protection blocked over 90% of these samples before I could install them. Again, this isn’t terrible, but it’s not as good as premium antivirus suites like Norton and Bitdefender, whose real-time scanners can block 100% of malware files.

Unfortunately, there aren’t many customization options for the real-time scanner — you can’t adjust scan intensity and it’s hard to whitelist safe files. In comparison, Bitdefender is highly customizable and lets you choose which objects the scanner should defend against.

Comodo’s HIPS feature is turned off by default. Most users will be fine keeping it this way as the real-time protection is sufficient. However, advanced users will appreciate being able to use HIPS to create rulesets that prevent particular executables from running without permission.

Overall, Comodo’s real-time scanner is okay, but it’s not nearly as good as the best antivirus programs in 2022. If you’re looking for an antivirus with excellent real-time protection, Bitdefender, Avira, and Norton are all better options.

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Secure Firewall

Comodo’s Secure Firewall is its best feature — it’s highly secure and has a lot of options to customize your network protections. In my tests, Comodo was able to detect a variety of network intrusions, spoofing attacks, and malware files that Windows’ built-in protections failed to block.

Comodo’s Firewall has 4 modes:

• Block All. Blocks all traffic and prevents your PC from connecting to the internet.
• Custom Ruleset. Allows you to specify rules that the firewall follows.
• Safe Mode. Automatically creates rules for traffic that Comodo recognizes, and asks your permission before allowing traffic it doesn’t recognize.
• Training Mode. Uses machine learning to create custom rulesets based on your activity.

Most users will just want to stick with Safe Mode, but I really liked Comodo’s other options too.

Block All is a good choice if you have a virus on your system and want to keep your computer offline.

Custom Ruleset is good for advanced users. You can create rulesets that you can quickly apply to individual applications. For example, I made a new ruleset called “Video games”, which allows all in and out connections. I could then individually add video games to that ruleset without defining their permissions every time.

Finally, the Training Mode uses machine learning to create rules based on your activity. While this is a pretty good feature, it can be problematic if your computer has a malware infection — if the malware is running during your “training”, the firewall will remember it as a legitimate process and fail to block it. Training Mode is great for advanced users, but I wouldn’t recommend it for the average customer.

The firewall also comes with many customization options, which advanced users will appreciate. You can turn off alerts, automatically filter IPv6 and loopback traffic, block fragmented IP addresses, and enable anti-ARP spoofing. You can also easily block individual network connections, which is pretty cool.

If the firewall blocks a false positive, it’s really easy to whitelist it. Pressing a button on the main user interface lists the most recently blocked applications. You can simply right-click on a trusted application and select Unblock. The firewall will then make a custom ruleset permanently allowing that application a network connection. I really like how easy this is to do — many competitor firewalls (like ESET’s) only allow you to unblock an application by digging through the settings.

Finally, Comodo’s firewall allows you to view all active connections on your device. You can block dangerous connections and easily see if any applications are using all of your bandwidth.

Overall, Comodo’s firewall is one of the best I’ve tested — it’s just as good as firewalls from premium competitors like Norton and Bitdefender.

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Phishing Protection/Website Filtering

Comodo’s phishing protection didn’t perform very well in my testing. I visited hundreds of phishing sites and measured Comodo’s detection rate against Google Chrome, and Google Chrome blocked more phishing websites than Comodo. In comparison, Norton and McAfee blocked more phishing sites than Google Chrome.

The website filtering feature is also disappointing. It’s only compatible with Internet Explorer (an obsolete browser in 2022) and Mozilla Firefox. Most antiviruses, including Norton, McAfee, and Bitdefender, have web-protection tools that are compatible with all the top browsers.

Overall, Comodo’s anti-phishing feature is disappointing. It doesn’t work as well as Chrome’s default protections and lacks compatibility with most web browsers. If you’re worried about phishing attacks, you’re better off using Norton or McAfee (or even just sticking with Chrome’s default protections).

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Comodo Virtual Desktop

Comodo’s Virtual Desktop is a secure sandbox environment for testing potential malware files without the risk of those files spreading throughout your device. It’s a cool feature for security professionals, but it won’t be very useful for most users.

Secure sandboxes run a simulated version of your operating system. This means a malware file thinks that it’s running on your hard drive, but it’s actually just running in a simulated environment where it can’t invade your disk or make changes to your system. iOS and Chrome OS both use sandboxing to make their devices malware-proof.

For my testing, I downloaded and installed a variety of malware samples inside the Virtual Desktop, and then closed the Virtual Desktop. The malware files were nowhere to be found anywhere on my actual PC, which proved that Comodo’s sandbox is fully secure.

Overall, Comodo’s Virtual Desktop is a well-designed security tool, but it’s definitely aimed at more advanced users. Your average everyday user only really needs a secure antivirus program, like Norton or Bitdefender, which will automatically detect and block all malware files on their system without requiring an additional testing step.

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Comodo Secure Shopping (Secure Browser)

Comodo’s Secure Shopping is a decent tool for enhancing your privacy via a secure browser, but it was pretty buggy during my testing.

This feature is slightly misleading in name given that it’s not only for shopping — it’s basically a secure browser. It provides the following security features:

• Hides your sensitive data from other processes that are running on your PC.
• Blocks keyloggers from recording your keystrokes.
• Warns you if there’s a remote connection to your PC.
• Detects fake SSL certificates, in order to prevent man-in-the-middle attacks.
• Prevents any hackers or malware from being able to take screenshots of your session.

These protections are pretty good (although any antivirus with a good firewall should be able to detect remote connections, and fake SSL certificates aren’t much of a problem in 2022 because of modern internet encryption methods).

However, even with Secure Shopping activated, I found I could still screen capture my online activity. This is obviously far from ideal, as that’s one of its core features in order to protect against hackers stealing your data.

Secure Shopping is almost helpful, but it just doesn’t work quite well enough. Bitdefender’s Secure Browser is a much better feature which can successfully block screen capture, keyloggers, and unsafe connections, plus it didn’t block any of my games and apps during my testing.

Overall, Comodo’s Secure Shopping is okay, but it’s not as good as the secure browser feature from competitors like Bitdefender.

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Ad Blocker

Comodo’s Ad Blocker is impressively ineffective — it literally doesn’t work at all. It’s available as a Google Chrome extension, but there are many better alternatives out there.

When I downloaded the ad blocker and restarted my browser, I could still see advertisements on the web. In fact, I was staring right at numerous pop-ups while Comodo told me there were none detected on the page.

Competing antiviruses like Avira and TotalAV both offer good ad blockers, and ProtonVPN’s ad blocker is also really good.

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Additional Features

Comodo’s Internet Security plans also come with a number of other features. These are:

• Comodo Cleaning Essentials.
• Task Manager.
• Watch Activity/KillSwitch.
• Gaming Mode.
• Rescue Disk.
• Virus Scope.
• Cloud Backup (paid plan; doesn’t work).
• VPN (paid plan; doesn’t work).

Comodo’s Task Manager didn’t work on my system and just showed a blank screen. However, KillSwitch worked well. KillSwitch is like a more-detailed version of the Windows Task Manager, and it’s pretty good. Similar to Windows Task Manager, it allows you to end processes. However, you can also terminate network activity, see a list of programs based on how often you use them, and more.

Gaming Mode mutes Comodo’s notifications while running full-screen apps. It works well enough, but unfortunately it doesn’t provide system optimization like Norton’s gaming mode. Comodo’s gaming mode also doesn’t turn on automatically when you enter full-screen mode, like Norton’s does.

The Cloud Backup feature theoretically allows subscribers to store up to 50 GB of data on Comodo’s cloud network — but it doesn’t work. When I went to register for the storage, I received an error. I contacted customer support, and they told me the cloud storage is undergoing maintenance. According to Comodo’s website, cloud storage is only compatible with computers running Windows 7 or older, meaning it’s been down since 2012.

And finally, Comodo advertises a VPN called TrustConnect as being part of its paid Pro plan, but again — it no longer works. Just as with the cloud storage, customer service said it’s currently under maintenance, but it actually looks to have been discontinued since 2012. I have no issue with products being discontinued, but Comodo needs to update its web pages and be more upfront with its customers.

Overall, Comodo has a lot of additional features — but the vast majority either don’t work particularly well, or no longer exist at all.

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Comodo Plans and Pricing

Comodo essentially has two plans: a free one and a paid one. However, Comodo’s website advertises a range of differently named plans, most of which don’t exist any longer, and it doesn’t accurately list what’s included in any of the plans — so things can get pretty confusing.

Despite what the website says, the free plan (Internet Security Premium) in fact includes pretty  much all of Comodo’s features. The paid plan (Internet Security Pro) costs $29.99 / year for 1 PC, or you can upgrade to cover up to 3 devices. It also comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee. However, it really isn’t worth upgrading to.

Comodo then has a separate mobile package, Comodo Mobile Security, which is also available as either a free or paid version. However, the mobile and desktop packages are completely separate from one another.

Comodo Internet Security Premium — Free Plan for Windows

Comodo’s free software, Comodo Internet Security Premium, comes with all of its main features, including:

• Malware scanner.
• Real-time protection.
• Secure firewall.
• Anti-phishing protection/Website filtering.
• Virtual desktop.
• Secure shopping (secure browser).
• Ad blocker.
• Gaming mode.

Given it’s free, it’s not a terrible option. The firewall is excellent, the virtual desktop and sandbox feature work well, and the malware scanner and real-time protection work well enough to at least make this a better option than no protection at all. But frankly, I’d recommend Avira’s free antivirus software instead — it has a number of features that are much better than Comodo’s, including a scanner with a 100% malware-detection rate.

Comodo Internet Security Pro — Not Worth the Upgrade

Comodo Internet Security Pro is (currently, at least) the only paid plan actually available for purchase and download.

Comodo’s paid plan includes the free Comodo Internet Security Premium software, and additionally comes with:

• Geek Buddy (24/7 tech and product support).
• A $500 virus-free guarantee.

So with this package, you are effectively just paying for an additional help service and a guarantee — there are no additional features in the software, or even a different software to download. It’s the exact same software as the free plan.

Geek Buddy gives you 24/7 access to a remote support team. These engineers can take control of your PC in order to help you use the Comodo software, and run a “personalized malware cleaning service”. Norton offers the same feature with its plans, but Norton’s support team will also help optimize your PC (and Norton’s plans are also full of useful extras that work really well, unlike Comodo’s).

The virus-free guarantee covers you for up to $500 worth of virus damage if your PC becomes infected while Comodo’s antivirus software is installed. Personally I find this a very odd “paid” extra feature, and it only makes me question the reliability of Comodo’s free anti-malware protection. However, given that a bad malware infection can have costs that spiral into the thousands of dollars, this is clearly not worth paying the extra for anyway.

Basically, all of Comodo’s paid features are pretty worthless, so you should just avoid paying for Comodo in 2022.

Comodo Internet Security Complete — Discontinued Plan (But Still Promoted)

Comodo Internet Security Complete is in fact no longer available for purchase, but this is the plan most prominently advertised on Comodo’s web pages.

The details presented on Comodo’s home page (amongst others) suggest that the free plan includes far fewer features than it actually does, and encourages you to upgrade to Internet Security Complete in order to benefit from features such as the firewall and secure shopping — which are in fact included in the free plan — plus the following additional features:

• Unlimited product support (elsewhere called the Geek Buddy service).
• $500 virus-free guarantee.
• 50 GB cloud storage space.
• TrustConnect VPN with 10 GB data.

As already mentioned, the VPN and cloud storage have been discontinued since 2012, so these are long gone. However, that aside, you’ll soon realize that Internet Security Complete isn’t actually available for purchase anywhere anyway.

It really annoys me that Comodo’s website is so out of date, confusing, and misleading. To be promoting completely incorrect features and plans on their most prominent web pages is a big no-no for me. If you want a decent antivirus that comes with a VPN and cloud storage, I’d suggest Norton 360.

Comodo Mobile Security — Free Plan with Paid Add-Ons

Comodo’s mobile software, Comodo Mobile Security, is available for both iOS and Android, although the iOS version is very limited. The software is free to download, and comes with a number of free-to-use features. You can then upgrade to a premium version directly from your mobile device.

Comodo Mobile Security for Android includes:

• Virus scanner.
• Safe browsing (web protection).
• ID protection.
• App lock.
• Wi-Fi security.
• Firewall.
• VPN with unlimited data. (Upgraded plan)
• Secure vault. (Upgraded plan)

Unfortunately, most of the free features don’t work particularly well, so while the paid-for features aren’t bad, they’re not really worth the cost on their own. Most top antiviruses, such as Norton and Avira, have excellent mobile support that come as part of their full packages — meaning you can protect all of your devices with one subscription, and for a better overall value.

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Comodo Ease of Use and Setup

One thing that Comodo has done relatively well with is its user interface (UI) — which is nice and straightforward to navigate.

The UI comes with two views: Basic and Advanced.

Basic view allows you to scan your PC, unblock applications blocked by the firewall, update Comodo, and access Secure Shopping. It hides many of the advanced features, like the virtual desktop and firewall settings, but it’s ideal for users who want a basic experience and to not be overwhelmed by too many tools and controls.

Advanced view then allows you to access everything. You can also change the color and language of Comodo’s user interface.

Using the basic features, such as running scans and even setting up custom-scan profiles, is also really simple and intuitive. As is scheduling the scans to run regularly according to your preferred schedule.

In terms of installing the software — it’s easy, but you need to install 2 separate applications:

• Comodo Internet Security Premium.
• Comodo Secure Shopping.

Plus, you’ll need to install even more software or extensions if you want to access additional features, like the ad blocker. To be honest, having separate apps and extensions made Comodo feel like bloatware (especially given that most of Comodo’s additional features are ineffective and buggy). Most competitors (including Bitdefender) provide all of their features in a single user interface, which I far prefer.

Overall, Comodo is pretty easy to set up and use. It utilizes a clean UI with large buttons and various themes so you can adjust the colors to your liking, but I’d prefer it if Comodo bundled all of its tools in one helpful online dashboard, like Norton does.

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Comodo Mobile App

Comodo has a free mobile app that supports both Android and iOS — but it’s not very good. Comodo’s Mobile Security is also completely separate from Comodo’s desktop product and subscription, which is a little annoying.

Comodo’s Mobile Security for Android includes:

• Virus scanner.
• Safe browsing (web protection).
• ID protection.
• App lock.
• Wi-Fi security.
• Firewall.
• VPN with unlimited data. (Premium only)
• Secure vault. (Premium only)

The iOS app is considerably more limited: it only has the Safe Browsing and ID Protection features on its free plan, with the VPN and Vault (plus a more comprehensive version of ID Protection) on the paid plan.

To test the virus scanner, I hid hundreds of malware samples on my Android device. Comodo detected and removed 93% of them in less than 3 minutes, which is decent — but not great. By comparison, Norton’s mobile app detected 100% of the malware on my Android in my testing.

Comodo’s mobile anti-phishing tool was unfortunately just as bad as Comodo’s anti-phishing tool for desktop — it failed to block many dangerous sites and was less effective than the built-in protection from Chrome, Safari, and Firefox.

ID Protection supposedly checks a proprietary database to see if your email and credit card have been leaked in a data breach, but it doesn’t work. During testing, I used an email which has definitely been compromised, and Comodo said it wasn’t listed in any data breaches. Many competitors like Norton have highly accurate dark web monitoring tools which can give you live updates if any of your information is breached — Comodo’s ID protection does not.

App Lock lets you lock chosen apps behind a passcode, which is a basic but helpful feature for users that share mobile devices with family, or just want that extra layer of security.

Wi-Fi Security scans networks for unsafe behavior — I found it was able to determine if I was logging into a network that wasn’t password protected, but that’s all. Many competitors, including McAfee, have much better Wi-Fi security centers that can show all devices connected to a network and notify you when new connections are made.

To test the VPN and Vault features I had to upgrade to a premium plan. This also includes an extended version of ID Protect, which allows you to monitor 20 emails and 20 credit cards — but given it doesn’t work, that’s not anything to get excited about.

The secure vault is a pretty decent feature — it allows you to protect your files behind a passcode or biometrics, and it works.

Comodo’s mobile VPN comes with unlimited data, which is better than many free VPNs. Unfortunately it only has servers in 8 locations (which is not even close to TotalAV’s 100 locations), but that said, I was pleasantly surprised at the speeds when connected to nearby servers — I didn’t notice any slowdowns while browsing the web, and I could still stream HD video. I also checked for IP leaks and found the VPN was fully secure. However, given the other Mobile Security features are so poor, paying for this alone really isn’t worthwhile. Other antiviruses such as Bitdefender, Norton, and TotalAV all have decent VPNs for mobile as well as on their desktop plans, which make them a far better value.

Overall, Comodo’s mobile app is disappointing. While it has a decent-ish malware scanner, most of its other features don’t work, or they’re just buggy and ineffective, and the paid plan really just isn’t worth the money. If you want a fully functional mobile antivirus, you should instead check out our lists of the best Android and iOS antivirus apps in 2022.

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Comodo Customer Support

Comodo provides several options for customer support. However, while their live chat, knowledge base, and forums aren’t bad, the rest leaves a lot to be desired.

Comodo’s support options include:

• Live chat. (Windows software only)
• Email.
• Phone support. (Paid plans only)
• Knowledge base.
• Forums.

The live chat support is accessible from the main website or the antivirus UI, which is pretty handy. I connected with an agent moments after opening a ticket. They were semi-helpful — eventually — but very slow to reply to most of my questions, and I frequently had to repeat myself, which got pretty frustrating. They also couldn’t help me at all with any questions about the mobile apps, which are handled by a different team.

When I submitted an email about the Windows software, I got a confirmation moments later and a response 30 minutes after that, which is great. Some support teams (like TotalAV) can take up to 24 hours to respond via email. However, there were a lot of emails back and forth before I got useful answers to my questions, which was both time consuming and annoying.

The mobile support (which is via a different email address) was non-existent. I sent them an email to which I received an automated response confirming receipt, but I never heard from them again — so my questions went unanswered.

When I tried Comodo’s phone support, the agent was pretty helpful and answered all of my questions. However, you only get access to phone support if you pay for one of Comodo’s premium plans. Since I wouldn’t recommend paying for Comodo, it’s hard to get too excited about Comodo’s phone support.

The knowledge base is fairly helpful and gives easy-to-follow instructions on most Comodo Internet Security Premium features. The instructions use lots of screenshots and are easy to follow. They even include tutorials on more advanced tasks. However, they don’t have instructional videos like Bitdefender does, and — as per most things on Comodo’s site — there are lots of old and out-of-date articles, so finding exactly what you need can take a while.

When I posted on Comodo’s forums, I sometimes received replies in about 4 hours that were both helpful and informative. But it wasn’t always reliable, and some of my posts went without replies entirely.

Overall, Comodo’s customer support is okay, but not great. You won’t get any phone support without paying for a product, and the email and live chat support, though both quick to answer, weren’t as helpful as I’d have liked. And if you have any questions about Comodo’s mobile app, I can only wish you luck.

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Can Comodo Protect All of Your Devices in 2022?

In a word — no. Comodo is not a good antivirus in 2022, especially when compared to top competitors like Norton and Bitdefender.

Firstly, Comodo no longer supports macOS or Linux, and its iOS app is extremely limited, so Comodo is only really worth considering for Windows and Android users — despite Comodo’s own website suggesting otherwise.

In terms of the Windows software, I was impressed with Comodo’s excellent firewall feature, and its Virtual Desktop tool is helpful for security and malware research (although most security researchers will already have their own standalone sandbox apps).

But Comodo’s antivirus scanner isn’t as good as any of those on our top 10 antiviruses in 2022 list, its anti-phishing feature is poor, and most of its additional features are also not very good.

Comodo’s developers have also abandoned many of its other features — namely the cloud storage and VPN. None of these features work in 2022, yet are still mentioned all over its website.

The customer support channels aren’t bad. You can connect to a live chat agent quickly (but may need to be patient in terms of getting the answers you want), the knowledge base is generally helpful, and the forums are pretty active.

But overall, I really wouldn’t recommend Comodo. Its free plan is simply not as good as others available, and its paid plan is definitely not worth the money. If you want a good free antivirus, Avira is the best choice, and if you’re looking for the very best protection in 2022, I’d recommend Norton.

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Is Comodo Antivirus good?

Honestly, no. Comodo Antivirus isn’t good. The malware scanner didn’t score well in my testing, the anti-phishing feature is weaker than Google’s default protections, and the ad blocker simply didn’t work at all. Also, many of the premium features are no longer available, even though Comodo still promotes them. If you want a good antivirus, you should check out our top 10 list of antiviruses in 2022, or just pick whichever Norton 360 plan is best suited to you (Norton is our #1 overall antivirus for 2022).

Is Comodo Antivirus free?

Yes, Comodo Antivirus is free — but Comodo’s website doesn’t make this very clear. All of Comodo’s antivirus and internet security features are in fact included in the free version (called Internet Security Premium). This includes the malware scanner, firewall, secure browser, and more. Comodo also has a paid plan, Comodo Internet Secuirty Pro, but I wouldn’t recommend buying it as it only includes 24/7 tech support and a virus warranty that you’ll probably never need to use, in addition to the free software.

There are a lot of much better (and good-value) antivirus programs on the market, like Bitdefender and TotalAV — or if you’re focused on getting a free antivirus, Avira is our favorite free antivirus for 2022.

Does Comodo Antivirus have a firewall?

Comodo does have a firewall, and it’s good. I thoroughly tested Comodo’s firewall and was impressed by how easy it was to use, as well as by its advanced features and customization options — which tech-savvy users will appreciate. Despite what Comodo’s website may say, the firewall is available as part of its free software package, so if you’re primarily looking for a decent and free firewall, Comodo is a decent option.

However, if the firewall is just one of many features you’re interested in, you’ll be better off going for a different premium antivirus suite — like Norton or McAfee — which have equally good firewalls, plus a lot of other features that are much better than Comodo’s.

Is Comodo Antivirus safe?

Comodo Antivirus isn’t unsafe in itself, but it can’t fully protect you from malware or other online threats. Comodo’s software will provide you with more protection than if you have no antivirus software at all. However, its malware scanner isn’t as effective at identifying, blocking, or removing malware as competitors like Norton, and the anti-phishing feature doesn’t even work as well as Chrome’s default protections. There’s also no way to protect your data on desktop PCs using a VPN — since Comodo’s VPN is no longer supported.

Given that Comodo’s antivirus software is free, it’s better than having nothing at all. But if you want to ensure your PC is completely safe from online threats, you should opt for a more secure antivirus, such as Norton, McAfee, or Bitdefender — or Avira if you want free software.

Comodo Internet Security is the awarding winning and free security solution for Windows that uses a powerful combination of antivirus, firewall, auto-sandbox, host intrusion prevention and website filtering to immediately protect your computer from all known and unknown malware. Our real-time scanner constantly monitors your computer for threats, protecting you from the moment you start Windows. Our cloud-based scanner uses real-time virus blacklists, so you don't have to download updates before you receive protection against newly discovered threats. Did you know traditional antivirus software can only detect around 40% of the viruses in circulation? The other 60% of viruses are allowed to run because they are 'unknown' to antivirus software. Comodo Internet Security protects you against this other 60% by automatically isolating all unknown files in a secure container called the sandbox. Applications in the sandbox run with restricted privileges, write to a virtual file system and registry, and are not allowed to access other processes or your private data. This means any potential new malware is securely locked away instead of being allowed to run amok as it would in other antiviruses. Our Secure Shopping feature provides the next-generation of security for online banking and shopping. Under Secure Shopping, websites will open inside a virtual environment which is isolated from the rest of your system, so nothing you download can infect your computer. No other processes are allowed to interfere with your browser, and your online session also benefits from SSL certificate checking, key-logger protection, website filtering, screen-shot blocking and remote connection prevention. This creates a direct, threat-resistant tunnel between you and your target website which cannot be hacked by malware or online thieves. Whether you are an IT novice or an experienced user, Comodo Internet Security is the ultimate protection against today's dangerous online world.

Comodo Internet Security (CIS) is developed and distributed by Comodo Group, a freemium Internet security suite that includes an antivirus program, personal firewall, sandbox, host-based intrusion prevention system (HIPS) and website filtering.

Version history[edit]

Release 5[edit]

In CIS 5.0 cloud antivirus protection and spyware scanning capabilities were added. As it could not clean all the malware it found effectively, Comodo Cleaning Essentials was developed to supplement CIS.^[4]

Host-based intrusion prevention system: Comodo's host-based intrusion prevention system (HIPS), named Defense+, is designed to provide protection against unknown malware.Its purpose is to limit the operations of unfamiliar programmes as well as access to key files, directories, settings, and the Windows Registry. Defense+ by default refuses any unknown program to install or execute except when specifically allowed by the user or when the file appears on Comodo's whitelist. In CIS 4.0 a sandbox was added to Defense+ to isolate and run unknown applications.^[5]

Release 6[edit]

CIS v6, released February 2013, provided a major revision of the user interface and significant new features such as a fully sandboxed desktop environment.^[6]

Release 7[edit]

On 6 March 2014, Comodo announced completion of beta testing for CIS v7. Release 7 became official in April 2014. This release includes a new virus monitoring tool called VirusScope and Web Filtering features that provide control over user access to web content.^{[citation needed]}

Release 8[edit]

Became official on 3 November 2014. It includes enhanced auto-sandboxing features.^[7]

Release 10[edit]

Became official on 22 December 2016.^[8] It includes Secure Shopping, prevention on malware intercepting during online transactions.^[9][10]

Release 11[edit]

Became official on 26 June 2018. It includes many stability and performance changes.

Release 12[edit]

Became official on 26 March 2019. It includes extra functionality in creating rules and full support for Windows 10 October 2018 update.^[11]

Comodo Endpoint Security Manager (CESM)[edit]

Comodo Endpoint Security Manager (CESM) is a server product for centrally managing the security settings and security components of network endpoint computers.^[12] CESM manages the distribution and updates of antivirus and firewall software.^[13][14][15]

The antivirus and firewall software managed by CESM are versions of the same software used by the consumer versions of Comodo Internet Security^[16][17][18]

Reception[edit]

Reviews[edit]

PC Magazine lead security analyst, Neil J. Rubenking, reviewed Comodo Firewall Pro 3.0 and Comodo Internet Security 3.5 on 3 November 2008, giving 4.5 out of 5 to the first and 2.5 to the second. He praised the suite's firewall capabilities but criticized its antimalware capabilities.^[19][20] On 28 May 2009, Roboert Vamosi of PC World reviewed Comodo Internet Security 3.8 and gave it a score of 1 out of 5, criticizing it for its "disappointing malware detection" based on AV-TEST result and "limited feature set".^[21]

Three years and three version later, Comodo Antivirus results became significantly better. On 30 January 2012, Rubenking reviewed Comodo Internet Security 2012 Pro (v5.0), giving it 4 stars out of 5. He praised its support service and antimalware features but was panned for its "effectively off by default" firewall, Defense+ popups, lack of parental control, antispam, antiphishing, and privacy protection features, and finally, "Low ratings from independent labs".^[22]

In a 9 January 2013 review, Techworld awarded Comodo Internet Security Pro 2013 4 of 5 stars and concluded "Cloud-based scanning and behaviour analysis joins a suite of top-notch security tools, designed to keep your PC secure. Recommended."^[23] Also on the same date, Mike Williams of BetaNews.com reviewed Comodo Internet Security Pro 2013 and concluded "The program remains too complex for total PC beginners, we suspect. The average user will appreciate its largely automatic operation, though, while experts enjoy the powerful tools and extreme configurability."^[24]

On 7 February 2013, Comodo Internet Security Complete v6 earned the PC Magazine Editor's Choice award. Reviewing the software again, Neil J. Reubenking gave it a score 4.5 of 5 stars, commended its support service, VPN solution, Comodo Secure DNS service and value for price but criticized its behavior blocker and its poor anti-phishing capabilities. Reubenking concluded "The biggest win for Comodo Internet Security Complete 2013 isn't in features, but in support. The GeekBuddy service fixes any problem, security or otherwise, using remote assistance. A Virus-Free Guarantee reimburses you for damage if malware gets past Comodo; you can also get reimbursed for expenses related to identity theft. Add a GeekBuddy-powered tuneup tool and an unusually powerful backup utility and you've got a winner."^[25]

Once again, PC Magazine lead security analyst, Neil J. Rubenking, reviewed Comodo Internet Security in 2019 with very poor performance.^[26]

Independent test labs[edit]

AV-TEST, an anti-virus test lab based in Germany, tested Comodo. Products that surpass the industry standard (measured by the mean score of the participating products) are awarded a certificate. Comodo Internet Security participated in their tests since 2010, and for the first time in February 2013, Comodo Internet Security Premium version 6.0 obtained the AV-TEST certificate in the field of home products.^[27]

On 18 January 2013, Matousec, an independent tester of security software, analyzed 38 security products for their proactive defense capabilities and ranked Comodo Internet Security 2013 Premium (v6) number one. Comodo Internet Security 2013 was tested on Windows 7 SP1 with Internet Explorer 9 and passed 101 out of 110 tests (92%).^[28][29] It was also ranked number 1 in 2012.^[30]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

External links[edit]

Comodo is a free antivirus for Windows that comes with lots of features — but unfortunately, it’s not very good. It has a powerful firewall and a good virtual desktop tool, but the rest of its features (including the virus scanner and phishing protection) are disappointing.

Comodo’s virus scanner only detected 93% of the malware samples I’d hidden on my test PC. In comparison, most top competitors (like Norton and Bitdefender) detected 100% of malware samples.

Comodo comes with:

• Real-time malware protection.
• Secure firewall.
• Anti-phishing protection.
• Virtual desktop.
• Secure browser.
• Ad blocker.
• Geek Buddy (24/7 tech support, paid plan only).

Comodo’s additional features are almost uniformly terrible. The phishing protection failed to block known phishing websites, the secure browser isn’t very secure, and the ad blocker didn’t block any ads. Worse still, the cloud backup and VPN that Comodo still advertises on its website are in fact no longer available. Ultimately, there are much better products available on the market. Bitdefender’s web protections are excellent, and Norton offers tons of cloud storage with its 360 plans, along with a pretty good VPN (although if you’re looking for a top-tier VPN, you’ll be better off getting a standalone product like ExpressVPN).

All that said, I did like Comodo’s firewall, which provides excellent protection and numerous advanced customization options. The virtual desktop is also a decent feature — it allows you to create a secure environment in which to safely run suspicious applications. But so many competitors, including Avira and TotalAV, also have similar features to these, plus far better additional features.

One plus point is that most of Comodo’s features are included in the free plan. All you get by upgrading to Comodo’s paid plan is Geek Buddy (24/7 product and tech support), and a vague virus warranty. Depending on where you look, the discontinued cloud-backup feature and VPN are also still advertised as part of the upgraded paid plan, but they no longer exist — it’s actually pretty insulting that Comodo is still trying to charge for these features.

It’s also worth mentioning that Comodo’s website lists the vast majority of its features (including the firewall) as being on the paid plan only. I know this isn’t correct as I’ve tested it, but it’s confusing and makes me wonder if they’re gearing up for a change? Sadly, the customer support wasn’t able to shed any light on this, so it’s anyone’s guess if and when the different inclusions may change.

On a similar note, Comodo’s website states that it also supports Mac and Linux, but in fact these products have been discontinued — they just haven’t bothered (yet again) to update their website.

Honestly, I struggle to recommend Comodo — there are just too many things wrong with it. There are much better free options out there (like Avira), and if you’re in the market for the best antivirus protection, you should check out our list of the top 10 antiviruses in 2022.

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Comodo Full Review

Comodo doesn’t detect malware as effectively as top antivirus competitors like Norton, but it has a good firewall and virtual desktop.

Comodo’s other features aren’t any good, though. The anti-phishing, secure browser, and ad blocker all underperform, and the real-time protection was only able to block 93% of threats in my tests. Also, Comodo used to offer a VPN and cloud storage on its paid plan, but these have been discontinued, leaving only 24/7 tech support and a virus-guarantee as its paid-for features — making Comodo’s paid plan one of the worst-value offers on the market.

Although all of Comodo’s core security features are free, you’re better off looking at other options if you want decent protection. Avira is our top free antivirus in 2022, and Norton is our top pick for a full-featured paid internet security suite.

Comodo Security Features

Malware Scanner

Comodo’s malware scanner is only okay — especially when compared to the competition.While it isn’t the worst malware scanner I’ve ever seen, it is worse than all those on our list of the top 10 antiviruses. I also experienced some annoying bugs during my testing.

Comodo has 4 scan options:

• Quick scan. Scans system memory and commonly infected areas for malware threats.
• Full scan. Scans your entire PC and removable devices for malware threats.
• Rating scan. Uses Comodo’s cloud database to give files a trust rating.
• Custom scan. Allows you to select which files or folders to scan.

I installed thousands of malware samples on my test PC before individually running all 4 scanners. The Quick Scan only took 3 minutes to complete, but I was disappointed in the results — it missed malware samples that competitors like Norton had detected in their quick scans. (Norton and other competitors like McAfee, Bitdefender, and Avira regularly detect 100% of malware samples in our testing).

The results were better when I ran the Full Scan (which took 3 hours on my PC). This time it found 93% of malware samples, including the samples the Quick Scan had missed. But this is still a fair way off a 100% detection rate.

The Rating Scan checks your files and security certificates against Comodo’s cloud database, and marks your files and security certificates as either trustworthy or untrustworthy — but its ratings are wildly inaccurate. The scan only took 30 seconds to complete, but it marked files I trusted with a poor rating, and gave my PC an overall trust rating of 0% despite only having 24 unrecognized files.

I much prefer ESET’s Running Processes feature, which works similarly but gives trust ratings to files that are actually running and likely to cause damage if they’re malicious.

The Custom Scan was the only scan option that I didn’t have any issues with. I like how Comodo allows you to scan a particular file or folder on a schedule, and it was super easy to set up the custom scans.

Overall, Comodo’s scanner isn’t the best on the market, by a long shot. You can’t fully rely on the Quick Scan, and the Full Scan’s detection rates aren’t as good as other competitors. If you want a free antivirus with a reliable scanner, you’re better off getting Avira’s free package instead, which has one of the best malware scanners around.

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Real-Time Malware Scanner

Comodo’s real-time scanner blocks malware files in real time, and it does a decent job. It also includes a host intrusion prevention system (HIPS) that stops malicious files or programs from accessing critical system folders.

I tested the real-time scanner by attempting to download a collection of nearly 1,000 malware samples. Comodo’s real-time protection blocked over 90% of these samples before I could install them. Again, this isn’t terrible, but it’s not as good as premium antivirus suites like Norton and Bitdefender, whose real-time scanners can block 100% of malware files.

Unfortunately, there aren’t many customization options for the real-time scanner — you can’t adjust scan intensity and it’s hard to whitelist safe files. In comparison, Bitdefender is highly customizable and lets you choose which objects the scanner should defend against.

Comodo’s HIPS feature is turned off by default. Most users will be fine keeping it this way as the real-time protection is sufficient. However, advanced users will appreciate being able to use HIPS to create rulesets that prevent particular executables from running without permission.

Overall, Comodo’s real-time scanner is okay, but it’s not nearly as good as the best antivirus programs in 2022. If you’re looking for an antivirus with excellent real-time protection, Bitdefender, Avira, and Norton are all better options.

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Secure Firewall

Comodo’s Secure Firewall is its best feature — it’s highly secure and has a lot of options to customize your network protections. In my tests, Comodo was able to detect a variety of network intrusions, spoofing attacks, and malware files that Windows’ built-in protections failed to block.

Comodo’s Firewall has 4 modes:

• Block All. Blocks all traffic and prevents your PC from connecting to the internet.
• Custom Ruleset. Allows you to specify rules that the firewall follows.
• Safe Mode. Automatically creates rules for traffic that Comodo recognizes, and asks your permission before allowing traffic it doesn’t recognize.
• Training Mode. Uses machine learning to create custom rulesets based on your activity.

Most users will just want to stick with Safe Mode, but I really liked Comodo’s other options too.

Block All is a good choice if you have a virus on your system and want to keep your computer offline.

Custom Ruleset is good for advanced users. You can create rulesets that you can quickly apply to individual applications. For example, I made a new ruleset called “Video games”, which allows all in and out connections. I could then individually add video games to that ruleset without defining their permissions every time.

Finally, the Training Mode uses machine learning to create rules based on your activity. While this is a pretty good feature, it can be problematic if your computer has a malware infection — if the malware is running during your “training”, the firewall will remember it as a legitimate process and fail to block it. Training Mode is great for advanced users, but I wouldn’t recommend it for the average customer.

The firewall also comes with many customization options, which advanced users will appreciate. You can turn off alerts, automatically filter IPv6 and loopback traffic, block fragmented IP addresses, and enable anti-ARP spoofing. You can also easily block individual network connections, which is pretty cool.

If the firewall blocks a false positive, it’s really easy to whitelist it. Pressing a button on the main user interface lists the most recently blocked applications. You can simply right-click on a trusted application and select Unblock. The firewall will then make a custom ruleset permanently allowing that application a network connection. I really like how easy this is to do — many competitor firewalls (like ESET’s) only allow you to unblock an application by digging through the settings.

Finally, Comodo’s firewall allows you to view all active connections on your device. You can block dangerous connections and easily see if any applications are using all of your bandwidth.

Overall, Comodo’s firewall is one of the best I’ve tested — it’s just as good as firewalls from premium competitors like Norton and Bitdefender.

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Phishing Protection/Website Filtering

Comodo’s phishing protection didn’t perform very well in my testing. I visited hundreds of phishing sites and measured Comodo’s detection rate against Google Chrome, and Google Chrome blocked more phishing websites than Comodo. In comparison, Norton and McAfee blocked more phishing sites than Google Chrome.

The website filtering feature is also disappointing. It’s only compatible with Internet Explorer (an obsolete browser in 2022) and Mozilla Firefox. Most antiviruses, including Norton, McAfee, and Bitdefender, have web-protection tools that are compatible with all the top browsers.

Overall, Comodo’s anti-phishing feature is disappointing. It doesn’t work as well as Chrome’s default protections and lacks compatibility with most web browsers. If you’re worried about phishing attacks, you’re better off using Norton or McAfee (or even just sticking with Chrome’s default protections).

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Comodo Virtual Desktop

Comodo’s Virtual Desktop is a secure sandbox environment for testing potential malware files without the risk of those files spreading throughout your device. It’s a cool feature for security professionals, but it won’t be very useful for most users.

Secure sandboxes run a simulated version of your operating system. This means a malware file thinks that it’s running on your hard drive, but it’s actually just running in a simulated environment where it can’t invade your disk or make changes to your system. iOS and Chrome OS both use sandboxing to make their devices malware-proof.

For my testing, I downloaded and installed a variety of malware samples inside the Virtual Desktop, and then closed the Virtual Desktop. The malware files were nowhere to be found anywhere on my actual PC, which proved that Comodo’s sandbox is fully secure.

Overall, Comodo’s Virtual Desktop is a well-designed security tool, but it’s definitely aimed at more advanced users. Your average everyday user only really needs a secure antivirus program, like Norton or Bitdefender, which will automatically detect and block all malware files on their system without requiring an additional testing step.

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Comodo Secure Shopping (Secure Browser)

Comodo’s Secure Shopping is a decent tool for enhancing your privacy via a secure browser, but it was pretty buggy during my testing.

This feature is slightly misleading in name given that it’s not only for shopping — it’s basically a secure browser. It provides the following security features:

• Hides your sensitive data from other processes that are running on your PC.
• Blocks keyloggers from recording your keystrokes.
• Warns you if there’s a remote connection to your PC.
• Detects fake SSL certificates, in order to prevent man-in-the-middle attacks.
• Prevents any hackers or malware from being able to take screenshots of your session.

These protections are pretty good (although any antivirus with a good firewall should be able to detect remote connections, and fake SSL certificates aren’t much of a problem in 2022 because of modern internet encryption methods).

However, even with Secure Shopping activated, I found I could still screen capture my online activity. This is obviously far from ideal, as that’s one of its core features in order to protect against hackers stealing your data.

Secure Shopping is almost helpful, but it just doesn’t work quite well enough. Bitdefender’s Secure Browser is a much better feature which can successfully block screen capture, keyloggers, and unsafe connections, plus it didn’t block any of my games and apps during my testing.

Overall, Comodo’s Secure Shopping is okay, but it’s not as good as the secure browser feature from competitors like Bitdefender.

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Ad Blocker

Comodo’s Ad Blocker is impressively ineffective — it literally doesn’t work at all. It’s available as a Google Chrome extension, but there are many better alternatives out there.

When I downloaded the ad blocker and restarted my browser, I could still see advertisements on the web. In fact, I was staring right at numerous pop-ups while Comodo told me there were none detected on the page.

Competing antiviruses like Avira and TotalAV both offer good ad blockers, and ProtonVPN’s ad blocker is also really good.

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Additional Features

Comodo’s Internet Security plans also come with a number of other features. These are:

• Comodo Cleaning Essentials.
• Task Manager.
• Watch Activity/KillSwitch.
• Gaming Mode.
• Rescue Disk.
• Virus Scope.
• Cloud Backup (paid plan; doesn’t work).
• VPN (paid plan; doesn’t work).

Comodo’s Task Manager didn’t work on my system and just showed a blank screen. However, KillSwitch worked well. KillSwitch is like a more-detailed version of the Windows Task Manager, and it’s pretty good. Similar to Windows Task Manager, it allows you to end processes. However, you can also terminate network activity, see a list of programs based on how often you use them, and more.

Gaming Mode mutes Comodo’s notifications while running full-screen apps. It works well enough, but unfortunately it doesn’t provide system optimization like Norton’s gaming mode. Comodo’s gaming mode also doesn’t turn on automatically when you enter full-screen mode, like Norton’s does.

The Cloud Backup feature theoretically allows subscribers to store up to 50 GB of data on Comodo’s cloud network — but it doesn’t work. When I went to register for the storage, I received an error. I contacted customer support, and they told me the cloud storage is undergoing maintenance. According to Comodo’s website, cloud storage is only compatible with computers running Windows 7 or older, meaning it’s been down since 2012.

And finally, Comodo advertises a VPN called TrustConnect as being part of its paid Pro plan, but again — it no longer works. Just as with the cloud storage, customer service said it’s currently under maintenance, but it actually looks to have been discontinued since 2012. I have no issue with products being discontinued, but Comodo needs to update its web pages and be more upfront with its customers.

Overall, Comodo has a lot of additional features — but the vast majority either don’t work particularly well, or no longer exist at all.

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Comodo Plans and Pricing

Comodo essentially has two plans: a free one and a paid one. However, Comodo’s website advertises a range of differently named plans, most of which don’t exist any longer, and it doesn’t accurately list what’s included in any of the plans — so things can get pretty confusing.

Despite what the website says, the free plan (Internet Security Premium) in fact includes pretty  much all of Comodo’s features. The paid plan (Internet Security Pro) costs $29.99 / year for 1 PC, or you can upgrade to cover up to 3 devices. It also comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee. However, it really isn’t worth upgrading to.

Comodo then has a separate mobile package, Comodo Mobile Security, which is also available as either a free or paid version. However, the mobile and desktop packages are completely separate from one another.

Comodo Internet Security Premium — Free Plan for Windows

Comodo’s free software, Comodo Internet Security Premium, comes with all of its main features, including:

• Malware scanner.
• Real-time protection.
• Secure firewall.
• Anti-phishing protection/Website filtering.
• Virtual desktop.
• Secure shopping (secure browser).
• Ad blocker.
• Gaming mode.

Given it’s free, it’s not a terrible option. The firewall is excellent, the virtual desktop and sandbox feature work well, and the malware scanner and real-time protection work well enough to at least make this a better option than no protection at all. But frankly, I’d recommend Avira’s free antivirus software instead — it has a number of features that are much better than Comodo’s, including a scanner with a 100% malware-detection rate.

Comodo Internet Security Pro — Not Worth the Upgrade

Comodo Internet Security Pro is (currently, at least) the only paid plan actually available for purchase and download.

Comodo’s paid plan includes the free Comodo Internet Security Premium software, and additionally comes with:

• Geek Buddy (24/7 tech and product support).
• A $500 virus-free guarantee.

So with this package, you are effectively just paying for an additional help service and a guarantee — there are no additional features in the software, or even a different software to download. It’s the exact same software as the free plan.

Geek Buddy gives you 24/7 access to a remote support team. These engineers can take control of your PC in order to help you use the Comodo software, and run a “personalized malware cleaning service”. Norton offers the same feature with its plans, but Norton’s support team will also help optimize your PC (and Norton’s plans are also full of useful extras that work really well, unlike Comodo’s).

The virus-free guarantee covers you for up to $500 worth of virus damage if your PC becomes infected while Comodo’s antivirus software is installed. Personally I find this a very odd “paid” extra feature, and it only makes me question the reliability of Comodo’s free anti-malware protection. However, given that a bad malware infection can have costs that spiral into the thousands of dollars, this is clearly not worth paying the extra for anyway.

Basically, all of Comodo’s paid features are pretty worthless, so you should just avoid paying for Comodo in 2022.

Comodo Internet Security Complete — Discontinued Plan (But Still Promoted)

Comodo Internet Security Complete is in fact no longer available for purchase, but this is the plan most prominently advertised on Comodo’s web pages.

The details presented on Comodo’s home page (amongst others) suggest that the free plan includes far fewer features than it actually does, and encourages you to upgrade to Internet Security Complete in order to benefit from features such as the firewall and secure shopping — which are in fact included in the free plan — plus the following additional features:

• Unlimited product support (elsewhere called the Geek Buddy service).
• $500 virus-free guarantee.
• 50 GB cloud storage space.
• TrustConnect VPN with 10 GB data.

As already mentioned, the VPN and cloud storage have been discontinued since 2012, so these are long gone. However, that aside, you’ll soon realize that Internet Security Complete isn’t actually available for purchase anywhere anyway.

It really annoys me that Comodo’s website is so out of date, confusing, and misleading. To be promoting completely incorrect features and plans on their most prominent web pages is a big no-no for me. If you want a decent antivirus that comes with a VPN and cloud storage, I’d suggest Norton 360.

Comodo Mobile Security — Free Plan with Paid Add-Ons

Comodo’s mobile software, Comodo Mobile Security, is available for both iOS and Android, although the iOS version is very limited. The software is free to download, and comes with a number of free-to-use features. You can then upgrade to a premium version directly from your mobile device.

Comodo Mobile Security for Android includes:

• Virus scanner.
• Safe browsing (web protection).
• ID protection.
• App lock.
• Wi-Fi security.
• Firewall.
• VPN with unlimited data. (Upgraded plan)
• Secure vault. (Upgraded plan)

Unfortunately, most of the free features don’t work particularly well, so while the paid-for features aren’t bad, they’re not really worth the cost on their own. Most top antiviruses, such as Norton and Avira, have excellent mobile support that come as part of their full packages — meaning you can protect all of your devices with one subscription, and for a better overall value.

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Comodo Ease of Use and Setup

One thing that Comodo has done relatively well with is its user interface (UI) — which is nice and straightforward to navigate.

The UI comes with two views: Basic and Advanced.

Basic view allows you to scan your PC, unblock applications blocked by the firewall, update Comodo, and access Secure Shopping. It hides many of the advanced features, like the virtual desktop and firewall settings, but it’s ideal for users who want a basic experience and to not be overwhelmed by too many tools and controls.

Advanced view then allows you to access everything. You can also change the color and language of Comodo’s user interface.

Using the basic features, such as running scans and even setting up custom-scan profiles, is also really simple and intuitive. As is scheduling the scans to run regularly according to your preferred schedule.

In terms of installing the software — it’s easy, but you need to install 2 separate applications:

• Comodo Internet Security Premium.
• Comodo Secure Shopping.

Plus, you’ll need to install even more software or extensions if you want to access additional features, like the ad blocker. To be honest, having separate apps and extensions made Comodo feel like bloatware (especially given that most of Comodo’s additional features are ineffective and buggy). Most competitors (including Bitdefender) provide all of their features in a single user interface, which I far prefer.

Overall, Comodo is pretty easy to set up and use. It utilizes a clean UI with large buttons and various themes so you can adjust the colors to your liking, but I’d prefer it if Comodo bundled all of its tools in one helpful online dashboard, like Norton does.

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Comodo Mobile App

Comodo has a free mobile app that supports both Android and iOS — but it’s not very good. Comodo’s Mobile Security is also completely separate from Comodo’s desktop product and subscription, which is a little annoying.

Comodo’s Mobile Security for Android includes:

• Virus scanner.
• Safe browsing (web protection).
• ID protection.
• App lock.
• Wi-Fi security.
• Firewall.
• VPN with unlimited data. (Premium only)
• Secure vault. (Premium only)

The iOS app is considerably more limited: it only has the Safe Browsing and ID Protection features on its free plan, with the VPN and Vault (plus a more comprehensive version of ID Protection) on the paid plan.

To test the virus scanner, I hid hundreds of malware samples on my Android device. Comodo detected and removed 93% of them in less than 3 minutes, which is decent — but not great. By comparison, Norton’s mobile app detected 100% of the malware on my Android in my testing.

Comodo’s mobile anti-phishing tool was unfortunately just as bad as Comodo’s anti-phishing tool for desktop — it failed to block many dangerous sites and was less effective than the built-in protection from Chrome, Safari, and Firefox.

ID Protection supposedly checks a proprietary database to see if your email and credit card have been leaked in a data breach, but it doesn’t work. During testing, I used an email which has definitely been compromised, and Comodo said it wasn’t listed in any data breaches. Many competitors like Norton have highly accurate dark web monitoring tools which can give you live updates if any of your information is breached — Comodo’s ID protection does not.

App Lock lets you lock chosen apps behind a passcode, which is a basic but helpful feature for users that share mobile devices with family, or just want that extra layer of security.

Wi-Fi Security scans networks for unsafe behavior — I found it was able to determine if I was logging into a network that wasn’t password protected, but that’s all. Many competitors, including McAfee, have much better Wi-Fi security centers that can show all devices connected to a network and notify you when new connections are made.

To test the VPN and Vault features I had to upgrade to a premium plan. This also includes an extended version of ID Protect, which allows you to monitor 20 emails and 20 credit cards — but given it doesn’t work, that’s not anything to get excited about.

The secure vault is a pretty decent feature — it allows you to protect your files behind a passcode or biometrics, and it works.

Comodo’s mobile VPN comes with unlimited data, which is better than many free VPNs. Unfortunately it only has servers in 8 locations (which is not even close to TotalAV’s 100 locations), but that said, I was pleasantly surprised at the speeds when connected to nearby servers — I didn’t notice any slowdowns while browsing the web, and I could still stream HD video. I also checked for IP leaks and found the VPN was fully secure. However, given the other Mobile Security features are so poor, paying for this alone really isn’t worthwhile. Other antiviruses such as Bitdefender, Norton, and TotalAV all have decent VPNs for mobile as well as on their desktop plans, which make them a far better value.

Overall, Comodo’s mobile app is disappointing. While it has a decent-ish malware scanner, most of its other features don’t work, or they’re just buggy and ineffective, and the paid plan really just isn’t worth the money. If you want a fully functional mobile antivirus, you should instead check out our lists of the best Android and iOS antivirus apps in 2022.

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Comodo Customer Support

Comodo provides several options for customer support. However, while their live chat, knowledge base, and forums aren’t bad, the rest leaves a lot to be desired.

Comodo’s support options include:

• Live chat. (Windows software only)
• Email.
• Phone support. (Paid plans only)
• Knowledge base.
• Forums.

The live chat support is accessible from the main website or the antivirus UI, which is pretty handy. I connected with an agent moments after opening a ticket. They were semi-helpful — eventually — but very slow to reply to most of my questions, and I frequently had to repeat myself, which got pretty frustrating. They also couldn’t help me at all with any questions about the mobile apps, which are handled by a different team.

When I submitted an email about the Windows software, I got a confirmation moments later and a response 30 minutes after that, which is great. Some support teams (like TotalAV) can take up to 24 hours to respond via email. However, there were a lot of emails back and forth before I got useful answers to my questions, which was both time consuming and annoying.

The mobile support (which is via a different email address) was non-existent. I sent them an email to which I received an automated response confirming receipt, but I never heard from them again — so my questions went unanswered.

When I tried Comodo’s phone support, the agent was pretty helpful and answered all of my questions. However, you only get access to phone support if you pay for one of Comodo’s premium plans. Since I wouldn’t recommend paying for Comodo, it’s hard to get too excited about Comodo’s phone support.

The knowledge base is fairly helpful and gives easy-to-follow instructions on most Comodo Internet Security Premium features. The instructions use lots of screenshots and are easy to follow. They even include tutorials on more advanced tasks. However, they don’t have instructional videos like Bitdefender does, and — as per most things on Comodo’s site — there are lots of old and out-of-date articles, so finding exactly what you need can take a while.

When I posted on Comodo’s forums, I sometimes received replies in about 4 hours that were both helpful and informative. But it wasn’t always reliable, and some of my posts went without replies entirely.

Overall, Comodo’s customer support is okay, but not great. You won’t get any phone support without paying for a product, and the email and live chat support, though both quick to answer, weren’t as helpful as I’d have liked. And if you have any questions about Comodo’s mobile app, I can only wish you luck.

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Can Comodo Protect All of Your Devices in 2022?

In a word — no. Comodo is not a good antivirus in 2022, especially when compared to top competitors like Norton and Bitdefender.

Firstly, Comodo no longer supports macOS or Linux, and its iOS app is extremely limited, so Comodo is only really worth considering for Windows and Android users — despite Comodo’s own website suggesting otherwise.

In terms of the Windows software, I was impressed with Comodo’s excellent firewall feature, and its Virtual Desktop tool is helpful for security and malware research (although most security researchers will already have their own standalone sandbox apps).

But Comodo’s antivirus scanner isn’t as good as any of those on our top 10 antiviruses in 2022 list, its anti-phishing feature is poor, and most of its additional features are also not very good.

Comodo’s developers have also abandoned many of its other features — namely the cloud storage and VPN. None of these features work in 2022, yet are still mentioned all over its website.

The customer support channels aren’t bad. You can connect to a live chat agent quickly (but may need to be patient in terms of getting the answers you want), the knowledge base is generally helpful, and the forums are pretty active.

But overall, I really wouldn’t recommend Comodo. Its free plan is simply not as good as others available, and its paid plan is definitely not worth the money. If you want a good free antivirus, Avira is the best choice, and if you’re looking for the very best protection in 2022, I’d recommend Norton.

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Is Comodo Antivirus good?

Honestly, no. Comodo Antivirus isn’t good. The malware scanner didn’t score well in my testing, the anti-phishing feature is weaker than Google’s default protections, and the ad blocker simply didn’t work at all. Also, many of the premium features are no longer available, even though Comodo still promotes them. If you want a good antivirus, you should check out our top 10 list of antiviruses in 2022, or just pick whichever Norton 360 plan is best suited to you (Norton is our #1 overall antivirus for 2022).

Is Comodo Antivirus free?

Yes, Comodo Antivirus is free — but Comodo’s website doesn’t make this very clear. All of Comodo’s antivirus and internet security features are in fact included in the free version (called Internet Security Premium). This includes the malware scanner, firewall, secure browser, and more. Comodo also has a paid plan, Comodo Internet Secuirty Pro, but I wouldn’t recommend buying it as it only includes 24/7 tech support and a virus warranty that you’ll probably never need to use, in addition to the free software.

There are a lot of much better (and good-value) antivirus programs on the market, like Bitdefender and TotalAV — or if you’re focused on getting a free antivirus, Avira is our favorite free antivirus for 2022.

Does Comodo Antivirus have a firewall?

Comodo does have a firewall, and it’s good. I thoroughly tested Comodo’s firewall and was impressed by how easy it was to use, as well as by its advanced features and customization options — which tech-savvy users will appreciate. Despite what Comodo’s website may say, the firewall is available as part of its free software package, so if you’re primarily looking for a decent and free firewall, Comodo is a decent option.

However, if the firewall is just one of many features you’re interested in, you’ll be better off going for a different premium antivirus suite — like Norton or McAfee — which have equally good firewalls, plus a lot of other features that are much better than Comodo’s.

Is Comodo Antivirus safe?

Comodo Antivirus isn’t unsafe in itself, but it can’t fully protect you from malware or other online threats. Comodo’s software will provide you with more protection than if you have no antivirus software at all. However, its malware scanner isn’t as effective at identifying, blocking, or removing malware as competitors like Norton, and the anti-phishing feature doesn’t even work as well as Chrome’s default protections. There’s also no way to protect your data on desktop PCs using a VPN — since Comodo’s VPN is no longer supported.

Given that Comodo’s antivirus software is free, it’s better than having nothing at all. But if you want to ensure your PC is completely safe from online threats, you should opt for a more secure antivirus, such as Norton, McAfee, or Bitdefender — or Avira if you want free software.

Operating system: Windows

Category: Comprehensive protection

License: Free

Official page: Comodo Internet Security Premium

Wikipedia: Comodo Internet Security Premium

Description

Comodo Internet Security Premium – the comprehensive computer protection in real time. A modern antivirus engine detects and neutralizes viruses of various types, malware and network threats, and the cloud analysis module detects unknown applications based on the information from its own database. Comodo Internet Security Premium supports heuristic technologies to detect suspicious software activity and malicious working of running processes. The built-in firewall protects the user while surfing the internet by controlling all input and output data. Comodo Internet Security Premium contains a built-in sandbox which is completely isolated from the main system, so launching malicious software, viewing unknown files and visiting phishing websites will not damage or infect the main system. Also, Comodo Internet Security Premium allows you to selectively scan disks, flash drives, files and folders.

Main features:

• Cloud antivirus scanner
• Built-in firewall
• Intrusion prevention system
• Detection of phishing and malicious websites
• Isolated virtual environment

When it comes to looking for the best antivirus software, you want something that you know will protect your system and keep your personal data safe. It’s also helpful if it’s both configurable and easy to use. Comodo Internet Security Pro hits some of those points and misses others. From an antivirus application that works well to a Virus-Free guarantee, you can be assured that your PC is likely well protected, but you will have to watch out for the sneaky way Comodo tries to install a new default web browser and change your DNS settings on installation.

Comodo Internet Security Pro does offer some extra features that are nice to have, but it’s also missing some you would expect. So, Comodo Internet Security Pro is a mixed bag and you’ll have to decide if what you do get is worth losing what you don’t. Read on for our full Comodo Internet Security review.

Type of Protection/Security: Definition Scanning & Behavior Monitoring

Comodo Internet Security Pro performs definition-based scans for viruses based on the proprietary Dragon platform, which promises to catch whatever threats may come your way. According to AV-Test, Comodo delivers on that promise. During industry testing, Comodo consistently scores perfect or near-perfect on the Protection tests. 

Definition scanning is only part of the equation. Comodo also offers behavior-based monitoring to catch viruses, malware, Trojans, and other threats that might not yet have a defined definition. This behavior-based monitoring helps to stop Zero-Day attacks before they can harm your system.

One minor frustration with Comodo’s scan is that it occasionally locks down files as false positives. It happened one time during our tests, but the trade-off is that Comodo stopped all the legitimate threats we threw at it. The occasional false positive is probably worth it when you know that your virus protection is top of the line and stopping whatever threats your system may face.

We also found that the deep scan took an inordinately long time to complete; more than three hours on our test system. And we did experience some lag during that scan, so if you plan to run deep scans often, it’s best to run them during system low- or no-use hours. 

Scan Locations: You Have Options

Most antivirus applications on the market today have both a Quick Scan and a Full Scan. Comodo Internet Security does as well, but it goes a little further by offering a Custom Scan that allows you to scan files and folders you choose. This can include files and folders on external storage devices, however, there isn’t an option to scan the whole external drive at one time. You can select multiple files or folders on a drive, but that’s a little clunkier and less intuitive than we would like for it to be.

You can also run a Rating Scan, which scans commonly infected areas and memory in the cloud to determine if the reputation of those locations is good or bad. If it finds concerning issues, the application will make recommendations on how the issue should be handled. You can choose to apply the selected actions or change them at your discretion.

Types of Malware: Viruses, Rootkits, & Bots

Comodo Internet Security Pro doesn’t shy away from the many types of threats you may encounter on the Internet. The software protects against viruses, malware, spyware, rootkits, and bot threats. It also includes what Comodo calls Defense+, which blocks malware before it can install on your system. It does this using signature monitoring, which allows Comodo to tell if a file has recognizable bits of known threats.

Tuck all of that behind a firewall to protect the perimeter of your system, and you can understand why AV-TEST gives Comodo Internet Security Pro good marks on lab tests.

Ease of Use: Easy to Use, Until It’s Not

The installation of Comodo Internet Security Pro is where you encounter your first stumbling block with the application. The first problem you’ll encounter is that the software automatically installs the Dragon browser, and gives Dragon control over your DNS settings unless you deselect the option for these things during the installation process. Given that most people click right through all the notifications during a software installation, this feels a little underhanded to us.

The good news is, if you slow down and read the notices and options as you’re installing the program, you can deselect these options. If you happen to miss them, you can also go into the settings for the application and change those options, then uninstall the browser, but that’s a hassle when you didn’t want the browser to start with. 

Another issue we encountered when installing the application was that Comodo forced a system restart immediately after installation. It is possible to ignore this request to restart, but if you do, you won’t be able to access the Comodo Internet Security Pro user interface until the restart has been performed. 

Once installed, Comodo is easy to use on the surface. The big buttons on the main dashboard are probably all the tools most users will need. However, if you dig into the application to configure updates, scan external storage, tweak the firewall, or adjust the Host Intrusion Protection System (HIPS), you may feel a little intimidated by all the options. The reconfigurability is great for advanced users, although your specific needs may determine how important it is to you to be able to dig deeper, or if you just need to stay on the surface.

Update Frequency: You Get to Decide, With Limits

Virus definitions are the heart of how your system is protected from threats. Antivirus applications should update regularly to help keep you safe from the latest threats. With Comodo Internet Security Pro, you have some options for how and when you receive updates.  

If you go to Settings > General Settings > Updates you can control when Comodo program updates are checked and when the virus signature database is updated. By default, updates for the Internet Security Pro program are checked once each day. You do have the option to change that to more or less frequently, but we think once a day is reasonable.

You can also change how often to check for virus definition database updates. Comodo defaults to every six hours, but you can update that as you see fit. In most cases, the default settings will be more than sufficient to keep you safe from any new potential threats. 

Performance: Mostly Unnoticeable

The first thing Comodo does when it settles after the install is to run a Quick Scan on your system to ensure you don’t have any common threats that need attention. After that, you’ll have to trigger the Full Scan to do a deep review of your system. During testing, we tried surfing the Internet, streaming movies and music, and a variety of other online activities while both the Quick and Full Scans were running and only noticed minor amounts of lag during the Full Scan.

The Quick scan takes just minutes to complete. On our test system, running Windows 10, the scan was completed in under five minutes. The Full Scan is much longer than that, as would be expected, but it did cause a few moments of lag here and there when we were performing resource-intense activities (streaming, gaming, etc.) while the scan was processing.

Additional Tools: A Few Really Good Ones

For most antivirus applications today, the real differentiator after the effectiveness of virus scans is the tools that are included with the virus engine. For Comodo Internet Security Pro, a few are pretty good.

Despite being disgruntled that Comodo tries to force-install the Dragon web browser, we’re not completely opposed to it. The Dragon browser is a secure browser, which can protect you as you move around the Internet. Our only issue with it is that we would like the option to choose the Dragon browser made cleaner, and easier to spot.

In addition to this, however, Comodo Internet Security Pro also offers one of the better sandbox capabilities that we’ve seen. You can use this sandbox to safely open files you think could be infected with some type of malware without infecting the rest of your system. When we tried it, it worked perfectly every time. No threats managed to escape the sandbox or infect our system.

In addition to the Sandbox, Comodo offers two additional features that many users will be happy to hear about. The first is unlimited live expert virus removal. If your system is infected, Comodo will help you remove the virus from your system at no extra charge.

The other feature and this one is unusual to see in most antivirus applications, is a $500 Virus-Free Guarantee. Comodo covers your computer for up to $500 worth of repairs if you become infected with malware and the Comodo team can’t help you remove it. Comodo is just that confident that it can block or remove any threat you may encounter.  

Type of Support: Paid or Free? The Answer is Murky

Support is another area we are not fond of. After providing the promise of Unlimited Product Support and Unlimited Live Expert Virus Removal, the Comodo website sends you to an "Unlimited Tech Support" program that will cost around $200 a year. It promises 24/7 support, but that is another thing that feels wrong to us. 

Fortunately, if you click the Support link at the top of the Comodo home page, you are given some different options. From that menu, you can access support forums, online guides, and phone numbers that you can use to speak with someone online. There are also chat and ticketing systems, so the help is there, but finding it might not be the easiest thing.

Price: Middle of the Road

The price for Comodo Internet Security Pro is about what you would expect from a mid-level antivirus application. You can expect to pay about $30/year for one device or $40/year for three devices. 

Competition: Comodo Internet Security Pro Vs. Bitdefender

Comodo Internet Security Pro is another security product in a pool of tough contenders. Bitdefender Total Security is one of the toughest. On some levels Bitdefender’s product does many of the same things that Internet Security Pro does; virus & malware protection and a firewall are two examples. And the protection from both companies gets high marks during lab tests. However, once you get past the basics, and that is where these two products differ.

Internet Security Pro also has the Comodo $500 Virus-Free guarantee. Bitdefender Total Security does not, but it does offer a host of other features, including parental controls and a secure VPN. Bitdefender’s sale price of $36 is not too far from Comodo’s price of $29.99. If not on sale Bitdefender's Total Security is listed as $89.99, for coverage on 5 devices, including Android, iOS, Mac, and Windows where Comodo only works on Windows machines. 

Given these differences, we would suggest investing in Bitdefender over Comodo. In doing so, you will get a high-quality virus protection suite that includes more of the features you will need.

Specs

• Product Name Comodo Internet Security Pro
• Price $39.99
• Software Name Comodo Internet Security Pro
• Platform(s) Windows
• Type of License Annual
• Number of Devices Protected 3
• System Requirements (Windows) XP 32bit, Vista/Win7/Win8/Win8.1/Win10 32 bit & 64 bit / 152 MB RAM / 400 MB space
• Price $39/year