Trend Micro Antivirus Review 2017

Company Overview

Trend Micro was founded in 1988 by Steve Chang, Jenny Chang and Eva Chen. The team anticipated an interconnected world of computer users and the need for computer antivirus protection and virus removal. In the 1990s Trend Micro led the industry in innovation by offering the first corporate server protection followed by the first gateway virus protection. A few years later, Trend Micro was recognized for its quality products when it was chosen to protect against imbedded viruses for all MSN Hotmail users.

Nearly 20 years after its inception, Trend Micro introduced the industry’s first cloud-based global threat intelligence. The company also released the first agentless anti-malware for virtualized desktops and data centers. In recent years, Trend Micro has become the recognized global leader in cloud security and has received awards for its innovative virus scanner products that detect targeted attacks and advanced persistent threats.

Software Features

Trend Micro’s features are valuable for their protection and their excellent reaction time to new threats. The company has the fastest response to new Internet threats in the industry.

Trend Micro offers products based on the number of devices covered and features included. Basic PC antivirus and Mac antivirus protection includes: antivirus threat prevention, detection and elimination of phishing emails, and identification of dangerous links in websites, email, instant messages and social networking.

Basic protection also includes more features for Windows antivirus protection such as: system performance improvement, control of desktop apps settings for children, scans of social network privacy settings and fixes for common PC issues.

System optimization for basic coverage is excellent, especially the inclusion of a feature to help users fix common PC problems. The maximum and premium security programs include coverage for PCs and Macs, as well as Android and iOS devices. Maximum security offers 5 GB of data storage in the cloud, and premium security offers 25 GB of storage.

The maximum and premium programs cover 3 or 5 devices, while the standard antivirus protection covers one computer. Maximum and premium users also benefit from extra features such as: a password manager for online accounts, a secure browser for online banking, mobile device virus scanner and protection, backups, recovery and contact sharing for mobile devices and battery life extension for mobile devices through system optimization.

Usability

The best example of the ease of us of Trend Micro’s products is the system optimization and email scanning features of the antivirus programs. The products offer fixes for common PC issues that not only optimize system performance, but also take away a common annoyance or source of confusion for PC users. Another common annoyance that is a dangerous threat to users is phishing. It is also removed by all levels of Trend Micro protection.

Another great tool for users is the cloud storage options that come with the maximum and premium protection packages. Users can save time looking for data storage by using a program with both antivirus protection and cloud storage.

Customer Support

Technical support for Trend Micro is available based on a user’s package level and support plan. Bundled 24-hour support services start at $59.95, and a la carte help ranges from $39.95 to $79.95 per incident, depending on the issue. The company’s website also offers free step-by-step instructions for handling frequent issues and a variety of informational entries on malware topics.

Pricing

Trend Micro’s standard antivirus protection covers one Mac or one PC, and starts as low as $29.95. The protection includes threat detection and removal and elimination of phishing emails.

Trend Micro offers an internet security plan for PCs for an additional cost. This plan covers three PCs and adds the desktop management option for children, social network privacy setting scans and fixes for common PC problems.

Trend Micro offers download protection for $8.95 and optional extension packages to add another year of protection for a price break. All products come with an unconditional 30-day money back guarantee.

Our Verdict

Trend Micro has excellent antivirus protection that includes the industry’s fastest response time to new threats. They have many options for their software packages but as such, it can be a bit complicated to choose what you want. If you are looking for an antivirus with strong technical support, Trend Micro may not be a good fit as their free support is limited. The antivirus protection for PCs plus mobile coverage makes Trend Micro products a solid choice for users with PCs and a desire for cloud storage capabilities.