PC Matic review

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PC Matic: What about it?

With the thousands of computer optimization and anti-malware software programs out there, it is somehow hard for anyone software to offer much in the way of unique services or differ in the way it operates on PCs and other devices. Wait a minute, did I say that? Well, that’s what I used to believe until I learned about PC Matic. PC Matic is an award-winning cyber-security software from American company PC Pitstop, and I’d like to give you my review of the software after using it for a while. Please note that this is an unbiased and honest personal review of the software, and as such, should not be taken as a generalization about how the software will work for you.

PC Matic Features

With PC Matic, you get all the basic functionalities of a standard computer optimization suite coupled with malware detection, prevention, and protection. It is easy to list all the features of the software, and that’s just what I’ll do, so here we go:

  • Automated PC optimization and maintenance scans
  • Powerful adblocker and protection from fake virus scam alerts while online
  • Whitelisting files and programs in real-time
  • Malware prevention, including real-time antivirus protection, anti-spyware, anti-trojan, anti-phishing, anti-adware, and anti-rootkit.
  • All-round superior security
  • Remote Management
  • And a lot more.

What you don’t get with PC Matic

Having done a brief rundown of all the features of the software, it is also important to point out the features absent in the software. The following are some features you won’t get with PC Matic.

  • USB virus scan: I don’t know of any other antivirus or anti-malware program without this critical feature. How can you stay protected from viruses and malware when USB file sharing is a huge vulnerability?
  • Email protection: I guess they didn’t think this was necessary since they already have anti-phishing.
  • Safe browsing: This is a standard feature in most antivirus apps these days, but it is absent from PC Matic’s suite.
  • VPN Service: This would have been a bonus, but VPN is sadly absent from the app.
  • No support for Mac and IOS: PC Matic is only available on Windows platform and Android, at least for now.

Apart from these, some other features absent in the app include:

  • Personal firewall
  • Parental Control
  • Game mode and some more.

It’s not an Antivirus Program

PC Matic is a great app to have on your PC but not as a holistic antivirus solution. While most antivirus solutions out there focus on beefing up your computer’s security and leaving as little room as possible for malware and other threats to infiltrate your pc, PC Matic doesn’t focus on that. Instead, PC Matic’s suite is filled with a host of pc tune-up utilities that ensure that your pc is running at its best performance level. The antivirus utilities offered in the app are there like extras, an exact opposite of other antivirus utilities. 

First off, scanning your computer for threats is different from PC Matic. PC Matic scans your computer and brings up a result page with a detailed diagnosis of all the performance issues on your computer, including disk fragmentation, driver updates, junk files, malware, and other security threats. However, if you’re not interested in getting a report about your PC’s performance issues, you can uncheck the box before you run your scan.

One other thing to note is that the antivirus feature is inactive in offline mode. That means you have to be connected to the internet all the time if you need real-time antivirus protection.

Pros and Cons of PC Matic Software.

Having tested the app reasonably extensively on my PC for a couple of days, here are a few things I like about the app:

  • The optimization utilities are impressive: When you run a diagnostic scan from the app, you get in-depth information about your computer’s performance, stability, and security. The tune-up tools are just excellent.  You can use the app to protect 5 devices on one account, and you get information about all 5 devices on the app’s main interface on any of the devices at all times. Information like RAM usage, disk fragmentation level, and other issues are compiled for all devices connected to the account and displayed on the app’s desktop.
  • The diagnostic result page is informative: I already mentioned that the results of each computer component are also color-coded to make it as easy as possible to decide what to do with each result component.
  • Anti-malware protection is excellent: Like the performance-centric nature of the app, its whitelist-based anti-malware detection is also excellent. 
  • Cheap alternative compared to other programs: With one PC Matic account, you get protection for 5 devices. That presents a more affordable alternative when compared to other antivirus products. 
  • Lightweight and easy to run: It doesn’t put any real stress on your PC. All that’s required to install this on any PC is 512mb of RAM and 1GB storage space.
  • Full Android Support: PC Matic currently supports both Windows and Android devices. That means you can stay protected on your PC and mobile devices all from one account. 

And the cons of the software include:

  • It detects a lot of false positives: That’s where I usually draw the line with any software I use. This app does a lot in terms of optimization but leaves little to be desired when it comes to malware and virus scans. It simply marks all unknown apps and files as dangerous threats, leaving you with the unenviable task of selecting which programs are useful and which are not. 
  • No offline antivirus protection: If you need to stay protected all the time (which is what we all need), you must visit online all the time. That might not seem like it’s a problem, but it might mean incurring extra subscription costs. 

Those are just a few things I observed from using the app.  That doesn’t change the fact that this is a fantastic program, and it will be useful for your PC or Android device should you choose to use it. 

Pricing

PC Matic is available for a $50 annual subscription. You can also pay a one time fee of $150 to get lifetime protection from the app.