Which is better Spybot Search & Destroy or Ad-Aware SE?

Question

I need a new free anti-spyware program and these 2 look the best, Spybot Search & Destroy and Ad-Aware SE.

Which 1 do you think is the best?
Should i install both of them?
Will installing both of them slow my system down?
Do you know others that you think are better than these 2?

Answer 1

best free anti-spyware app is from avg:



http://free.grisoft.com/

Answer 2

I had the same question awhile back as kept on having friends and co workers complain about different spyware problems and so forth. So I began by installing Spybot and that seemed to clear out a ton of items. I would then install AdAware and that would clear out several more that didn't get caught. Then next time some one else had the same issue I would install Adaware first and then Spybot, and I noticed the same pattern, that the first would catch a lot of items, and then second would catch less.

All in all, I've come to the conclusion that I must use both of them. On my machine I will install both, run the updates, run the scans, clean it all out and then uninstall when I'm done.

I will usually leave AdAware installed because I find it easier to use than Spybot. The layout is easier to read and interpret and seems to get rid of a lot more. But like I said, I would use them in conjunction with each other to get the best results...

Answer 3

Umm, you can not just use one product. I am in the IT Help Desk field and I know that one product does not catch every thing. Ad-aware and spybot are equal in my book and I use them 100% together.



Yes run them at the same time when you have an hour away from the computer. Once the scan is done it does not affect the speed of your computer until you run it again.



I would also recommend getting a registry cleaner like RegVac.



The only complaint I have is the new Ad-Aware is sluggishly slow but it still does the job. I current still use the older version SE Personal to keep away from the sluggish new version.

Answer 4

I haven't used Ad-Aware for a number of years, but when I did, I was using them both concurrently. I prefer S&D for it's sheer amount of features. The development team is alive and well; it receives support. I've interacted with their developers on their support forum and had a good experience. S&D is also very good protection-wise. If you set it up right, you can "set it and forget it". It's nice. Now it runs invisibly, I only go into it when I want to use some of it's advanced features, I don't have to check it or babysit it at all. It updates itself, scans by itself when I'm out of the house, and it just generally all around rocks :) You don't need both; that's a little paranoid/overkill. The more software you have running on your system, the more it will slow down, so no, don't get them both.

Answer 5

I use them both as they complement each other well and are both free. They have a small footprint so they don't take up much space on your hard drive.



Each will find items that the other misses. Just make sure you update the programs' file signatures before you scan each time.

Answer 6

They search for two different software types.



One is for spyware. The other deletes ad software. You know those annoying pop up ads.

Answer 7

spybot

No!

not really but there no point in having 2 scanners



Macafee