Pros & Cons
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- Excellent performance in testing
- Full physical server network
- Recent security audit by X41 D-Sec
- Transparent privacy policy and open-source infrastructure
- 14-day no-obligation free trial
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- Device-based price structure
- Lack of key features like multi-hop
- Small server network
- Confusing relationship with AzireVPN
Malwarebytes Privacy VPN Specs
| Blocks Ads | |
| Free Version Data Limit | No Free Version |
| Geographically Diverse Servers | |
| Server Locations | 62 Countries |
| Simultaneous VPN Connections | 1-20 |
Malwarebytes launched in 2008 and has a long history as an affordable, lightweight antivirus. The company has since expanded into security suite territory with a VPN, identity monitor, and browser protection tools. In 2024, Malwarebytes acquired AzireVPN, replacing its previous white-label implementation of Mullvad VPN for its own Privacy VPN. This means Malwarebytes users can take advantage of Azire's fast, privacy-focused VPN, powered by a physical server network and transparent data handling practices. However, Malwarebytes Privacy VPN has a rigid pricing structure, lacks advanced configuration options, and struggled to unblock Netflix in testing. It's a solid value as part of Malwarebytes' bundled plans, but it falls short of more advanced competitors, such as Editors' Choice winner Proton VPN.
Pricing: A Complex, Device-Based Subscription Model
Malwarebytes limits subscriptions to one- and two-year terms. I prefer month-to-month subscriptions, as they let you ditch a service when it doesn’t work for you. Long-term plans come with caveats and may lock you into a service that stops working for your particular use case down the road. Malwarebytes makes up for this a bit with a lengthy 60-day money-back guarantee, which is twice the standard 30-day guarantee we see from competing VPN providers.
(Credit: PCMag/Malwarebytes)Subscription prices get convoluted because plans are differentiated by device limit. For ease of reading, I’ve organized the plans into a bulleted list below:
- One year (1 device): $39.99
- One year (3 devices): $49.99
- One year (5 devices): $59.99
- One year (10 devices): $99.99
- One year (20 devices): $149.99
- Two years (1 device): $79.98
- Two years (3 devices): $99.98
- Two years (5 devices): $119.98
- Two years: (10 devices): $199.98
- Two years: (20 devices): $299.98
One one hand, I appreciate the flexibility to tailor plans to the exact number of devices you may have. On the other hand, this structure feels outdated, given that competitors like ExpressVPN and TunnelBear offer plans with unlimited device connections. Aside from the 20-device plans, all other terms fall close to the average VPN subscription cost of $10 per month. That price makes Malwarebytes an affordable VPN, but I’d like to see a monthly plan for added flexibility. Even a single device monthly option would be great for users who may not want to commit to the service for an entire year. You can see how Malwarebytes stacks up against the price of every VPN I have reviewed in the chart below:
Malwarebytes also offers a few tiers of bundled plans that include the VPN, antivirus, and identity protection. Standard is the company's basic antivirus-only plan. The next tier is Plus, which adds the VPN. The final tier, Ultimate, includes antivirus, VPN, identity protection for both adults and kids, and data removal. The pricing gets a little complicated, so I've organized it into another list below:
- Standard (1 device): $44.99 per year
- Standard (3 devices): $59.99 per year
- Standard (5 devices): $79.99 per year
- Plus (1 device): $59.99 per year
- Plus (3 devices): $79.99 per year
- Plus (5 devices): $99.99 per year
- Ultimate (1 device): $119.99 per year
- Ultimate (3 devices): $139.99 per year
- Ultimate (5 devices): $159.99
- Standard Family (10 devices): $119.99 per year
- Standard Family (20 devices): $169.99 per year
- Plus Family (10 devices): $149.99 per year
- Plus Family (20 devices): $249.99 per year
- Ultimate Family (2 adults, 10 kids, 10 devices): $199.99 per year
- Ultimate Family (2 adults, 10 kids, 20 devices): $249.99
The Plus plan is a solid pick if you're in the market for both an antivirus and a VPN, since it saves you the cost of buying them separately. If you're curious about any plan, you can give Malwarebytes a free 14-day trial without handing over your payment data. Download the desktop application for any plan, and you’ll automatically get 14 days to give the full suite of features a shot. Those features include the VPN, antivirus, identity protection tools, and browser guard. After that two-week period, the software will revert to a free manual antivirus scanner. It’s one of the longest no-obligation free trials I’ve seen from a VPN, and you don’t have to worry about getting charged once your trial is up.
Payment options are limited to credit cards and PayPal. You can’t pay anonymously with cryptocurrency or cash as you can with Mullvad or IVPN, so keep that in mind before you sign up if complete anonymity is a must.
Features: Basic Tools With Limited Advanced Controls
A Malwarebytes subscription includes an adequate set of VPN features. Desktop applications offer additional configuration options, while mobile platforms are limited to the basics. The desktop app supports both regular and inverse split tunneling, so you can customize which apps or sites are protected by the VPN tunnel. You can also configure a kill switch on Windows and macOS, but the feature isn’t available on mobile.
Unfortunately, multi-hop is no longer supported. The VPN used to be powered by Mullvad, which supported a highly customizable multi-hop feature. I confirmed with a support member that, due to the transition to AzireVPN, multi-hop is no longer available. A spokesperson for Malwarebytes informed me that plans to bring multi-hop back are in place, but there are no firm dates at the moment.
The server list shows the country and city-level location for each server as well as details for ISP, ASN, and overall capacity. A spokesperson from Malwarebytes stated that they do not plan to include user load as a server statistic, as doing so would require logging excess data. Other extras include auto-connect options and support for local devices. You don’t get many advanced features with Malwarebytes, making the VPN feel more like an add-on than an independent service.
As is, the VPN lacks polish. It needs consistent cross-platform features, multi-hop compatibility, detailed server listings, and a more customizable dashboard to stand on its own. To Malwarebytes' credit, the company has made substantial improvements to the service over the last year, including undergoing a security audit that I will go into more depth on later.
Protocols: WireGuard Only, With No Alternatives (Yet)
Malwarebytes makes it simple and sticks to the latest, best-in-class encryption technology, WireGuard. Every connection, regardless of platform, is secured with WireGuard. While the VPN doesn’t currently support post-quantum encryption, I spoke with a Malwarebytes representative and was informed that it's on the roadmap.
WireGuard will be all that most users need. It's the industry standard protocol for good reasons. It's lightweight, open source, fast, and secure. Even so, having access to alternative protocols like OpenVPN and IKEv2 can be useful in certain network environments.
Server Network: Physical Infrastructure With Solid Global Reach
Malwarebytes has a modest server network with 153 dedicated servers spread across 62 countries. The majority of coverage is centered in North America and Europe, with a scattering of servers in South America, Asia, and Australia. The server page lists every location along with its nearest city, ISP, and speed.
(Credit: PCMag/Malwarebytes)Each server is RAM-based and fully physical, meaning every server you connect to is housed in the region it supports. Malwarebytes goes one step further in securing its servers with a method the company has called Blind Operator. Once deployed, the ability to access the servers locally (TTY) and remotely (SSH) is disabled. A Malwarebytes representative stated that, “The servers are completely headless after deployment, and it is not possible to log in to them.”
Capacity varies significantly between servers, ranging from 2Gbps to 80Gbps. While all of Malwarebytes’ servers are considered fast, it's worth checking to make sure you’re close to a server that supports at least 10Gbps for the best experience and to limit the possibility of user congestion. Simply put, the higher the capacity the more room there is for user congestion. 10Gbps meets the mark for high quality, so it's a nice to see feature here that Malwarebytes supports up-to 80Gbps servers.
Any physical server network is, by design, smaller than one that relies on virtual servers. Virtual servers can be deployed on existing physical hardware to mimic locations and provide access to hard-to-service countries. Virtual servers can be useful, but they have limitations that physical servers do not. One such limitation is performance.
For example, consider a virtual server connection in Turkey. A resident in Turkey could connect to it and access local content, but they may find that their connection speeds slow to a crawl. This is because what appears to be a server in Turkey is actually a virtual location running on physical hardware located in New York City.
It's easy for services to inflate their server counts by using virtual servers and appear to have a larger network than they actually do. I'm glad to see that Malwarebytes is sticking to a physical network, which makes for a faster, more transparent user experience.
Privacy: Open-Source Roots, Audited Infrastructure, and Mixed Jurisdiction
Malwarebytes is best known for its antivirus service that launched in 2008. The company has been a long-standing proponent of online privacy with minimal data tracking from its core services. That same attitude carries over to the VPN. Malwarebytes acquired the privacy-focused AzireVPN in 2024 and has since shared infrastructure for its proprietary Privacy VPN.
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Azire still operates independently while also providing Malwarebytes with the existing server network and technology. It’s not quite a white-label VPN, since Azire is now part of the Malwarebytes group, but the two VPNs continue to operate both together and separately. This relationship can be a bit difficult to parse, since the pricing structure is different when you order directly from Azire, even though you’re getting what appears to be the same service.
(Credit: PCMag/AzireVPN)I reached out to Malwarebytes and was informed that the price difference stems from user experience and bundled features. You only get the VPN with Azire, while Malwarebytes bundles a range of free tools even with its base VPN-only plan. Malwarebytes’ device-based pricing model muddies the waters for direct comparisons. Azire supports five simultaneous connections, while Malwarebytes’ plans vary depending on how many devices you need. The relationship is confusing and creates an unclear buying experience for potential customers trying to choose between these two similar (but not quite identical) services.
The privacy policy clearly states that it's a no-logs service that doesn’t retain any significant user data. It’s a lengthy document since it covers all of Malwarebytes’ products, but you can find the short section on the VPN under the header titled “What information do we collect?” Alternatively, the privacy policy section on Azire’s site goes into greater detail, explaining exactly where your data goes and how it is handled. I’d like to see the two pages more closely aligned or combined into a single page, since the services are the same but have different documentation, which creates a confusing user experience.
Both documents clearly state that the VPN doesn’t retain location data, IP addresses, browsing information, telemetry data, or bandwidth information. The company’s exact jurisdiction is tricky. Malwarebytes is headquartered in the United States, while the VPN is powered by Azire’s infrastructure in Sweden. This split jurisdiction means the VPN is now subject to US data laws and could be forced to hand over data in response to a lawful request. However, complying with such a request requires retaining data, which the privacy policy states is not done.
This stalwart privacy stance is further strengthened by a transparency report that documents all lawful orders received. No requests have resulted in the handover of user data as of 2025. The 2026 data will be available at the end of the year since these reports are released on an annual cadence. Azire’s site has an active warrant canary stating that no compromising orders or seizures have taken place. Further, the VPN's infrastructure is fully open source and available in its entirety on Azire's GitHub page.
In April 2026, Malwarebytes Privacy VPN underwent its first third-party security audit since the acquisition. You can view the summarized results and full report here. The audit was conducted by X41 D-Sec, a firm specializing in penetration testing and security. As most audits do, this one found a couple of issues that Malwarebytes quickly remedied. I was pleased to see such a transparent display of data, with the full report easily accessible. I’ve seen many VPNs only summarize their findings or fail to disclose them at all, so it’s an excellent sign of trust to see Malwarebytes publish the data in its entirety.
Performance: Fast Speeds With Minimal Overhead
I run each VPN I review through a speed test to get a general idea of its performance. First, I run ten consecutive speed tests without a VPN to get a baseline median score for that day. Next, I run that same test while connected to the nearest VPN server to my location. You can read more about my testing process here.
Malwarebytes performed exceptionally well, with only a slight reduction in download and upload speeds: 4.95% and 5.62%, respectively. Latency was minimally affected, with a 76.51% increase. These scores make it a strong contender for our list of the fastest VPNs. You can see how Malwarebytes stacks up against the competition in the chart below:
Netflix Streaming: Inconsistent Netflix Access Across Regions
Malwarebytes had mixed results with Netflix in testing. It unblocked catalogs in the UK, US, and Canada without issue. Unfortunately, it was detected and blocked in Australia and Japan. You can see how it compares with the competition in the chart below:
While it struggled to unblock all catalogs, the VPN does not make any claims regarding streaming or regional content access. There are no specialized streaming servers either. I consider streaming access nice to have but non-essential. If you’re looking for a VPN that excels at unblocking regional content, check out our rundown of the best VPNs for streaming.
Apps and Usability: Clean Design, But Feature Inconsistencies Across Platforms
I tested Malwarebytes on an Intel NUC 12 Enthusiast Kit ‘Serpent Canyon’ running the latest version of Windows 11. The app has a gray-and-blue design with a modern feel. It’s easy to browse, and all sections are labeled appropriately. The VPN shares space with other Malwarebytes products, so you’ll need to scroll down and click on the VPN tab to get the full interface.
(Credit: PCMag/Malwarebytes)The VPN dashboard features a map on the left-hand side showing your current server location, with the full server list accessible on the right-hand side. Likewise, the settings menu has options for each tool. Navigate to the VPN section to configure the kill switch, split tunnel, and auto-connect options.
(Credit: PCMag/Malwarebytes)That is it, aside from some additional options for trusting local devices and configuring a separate DNS server. The simple interface may be enough if you want a set-it-and-forget-it VPN, but I’d like to see more options. Tinkerers who like to fine-tune their connection will find the VPN lacking features like multi-hop, specialized servers, dashboard configuration, protocol selection, and automation.
I also tested Malwarebytes on a Pixel 9 Pro running Android 16. The VPN dashboard is simple, with a map showing your current location and a large on/off switch.
(Credit: PCMag/Malwarebytes)Tap on the location bubble below that switch to get a full list of server options. The settings menu is pretty sparse, with just split tunneling and always-on VPN options. You can’t configure any other advanced features on Android.
(Credit: PCMag/Malwarebytes)I then tested Malwarebytes on an iPhone 14 running iOS 26.4. The dashboard and general interface are the same across platforms, but the iOS version lacks split tunneling. You can only configure auto-connect options and enable local device connections.
The macOS version is identical to the Windows version, except it lacks custom DNS options and the ability to auto-connect to the VPN on public networks.
Customer Support: Responsive Help Center and Fast Human Assistance
I take a look at the support options for every VPN I review. Even the best services can experience outages or errors from time to time. I look for a robust help center with useful troubleshooting articles as well as live chat and support ticket options. Malwarebytes covers all of those bases with an expansive help center full of useful articles.
(Credit: PCMag/Malwarebytes)I was worried it would be difficult to browse the support center, which contains guides for troubleshooting all the company's products, but the search tool filtered out articles based on VPN keywords quite well. Each guide contained straightforward instructions and often included images to better illustrate the steps.
You can get live support as well, but it does require at least a free account. Once you're logged in, click on the blue chat bubble and tell the AI assistant to send you to an agent. It was pretty quick for me, taking just under a minute to get connected with a real person. If you don't want to make an account or have a more complex issue, then you can submit a support ticket through that same chat bubble. In both cases, I found the support staff to be knowledgeable and friendly. My support ticket was answered in just under an hour, with a detailed response to my question. Overall, I was impressed with Malwarebytes' support offerings.
Final Thoughts
(Credit: Malwarebytes)
Malwarebytes Privacy VPN
Malwarebytes Privacy VPN is a fast, secure, and beginner-friendly privacy solution that delivers solid core performance and good value as part of a broader security suite, though it lacks some advanced features.