6 Best Ransomware Protection &

Removal Tools in 2024

To defend against attacks, ransomware protection software and removal tools employ a variety of methods like backups,
network segmentation, incident response, and endpoint security. Effective ransomware protection and removal allow
organizations to resume operations without interruption, regardless of the severity of the ransomware assault. To assist you
in selecting the most suitable one, I’ve examined the leading ransomware protection and removal tools.

Here are the six best ransomware protection and removal tools:

 Malwarebytes: Best overall ransomware removal tool

 Bitdefender: Best ransomware remediation tool

 Trend Micro: Best for pricing and extra security capabilities

 ESET PROTECT: Best for real-time endpoints visibility

 Sophos: Best for customer support and cyber insurance

 Avast: Best free ransomware scanner and prevention tool

Table of Contents

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Top Ransomware Protection & Removal Tools

Comparison
Here’s a comparison chart for the six best tools, outlining their key ransomware protection and removal capabilities
and their pricing details.
 Expert Lowest
Ransomware Support Tier
Ransomware Cyberthreat
Decryptor for Rescue Pricing
Detection Insurance
Tools & Per
Restoration Device

Malwarebytes $6/month

Bitdefender $4/month

Trend Micro $4/month

ESET
$13/month
PROTECT

Contact
Sophos
sales

Avast $13/month

= Yes = Limited/Add-On

While several products excelled in individual categories, Malwarebytes leads among the options due to its
overall ransomware protection and removal capabilities. However, Bitdefender and Trend Micro are very close contenders.
Read more below to see each tool’s performance in pricing, features, and key use cases, or head directly to my evaluation
methodology.

Note: All per-endpoint prices are based on a one-year commitment unless otherwise noted.

Malwarebytes – Best Overall Ransomware Removal Tool

Overall Rating: 4.4/5

 Core features: 4.6/5
 Extra security capabilities: 3.8/5

 Pricing and transparency: 4.6/5

 Ease of use and admin: 5/5

 Customer support: 3.4/5

 Compliance and data privacy: 4.7/5

Malwarebytes leads our list of the top anti-ransomware tools with its wide array of core features, intuitive UI, and easy
deployment. Malwarebytes Premium actively prevents ransomware attacks and includes robust features including threat
 advisory services, multi-platform compatibility, suspicious website blocking, and detection with rollback capabilities. It also
employs AI and machine learning to give more complete protection against emerging threats.

VISIT MALWAREBYTES

Pros
 Easy-to-use interface
 Real-time threat detection

 Available for company and home-user contexts

Cons
 Some issues with support’s responsiveness
 Users report lags in software updates

 Premium plan per endpoint costs high

Pricing
Key Features
Screenshot
Alternatives

Bitdefender – Best Ransomware Remediation Tool

Overall Rating: 4.3/5

 Core features: 4.4/5
 Extra security capabilities: 4.5/5

 Pricing and transparency: 3.9/5

 Ease of use and admin: 5/5

 Customer support: 2.9/5

 Compliance and data privacy: 4.7/5

Bitdefender’s GravityZone is a unified platform that offers a ransomware remediation tool to secure against ransomware
attacks by automatically backing up items such as documents, photos, videos, and music. When Bitdefender detects a
 ransomware attack, it stops all relevant processes, starts the cleanup process, and alerts the user. This enables the
recovery of encrypted data without the need to pay a ransom, protecting data from loss or destruction.

VISIT BITDEFENDER

Pros
 Clear and searchable documentation
 Available on cloud and on-premises

 Integrates with many security tools

Cons
 Customers report slow response in support
 Non-malicious devices can be blocked by default

 Limited VPN usage on basic plans

Pricing
Key Features
Screenshot
Alternatives

Trend Micro – Best for Pricing & Extra Security

Capabilities

Overall Rating: 4.2/5

 Core features: 4.1/5
 Extra security capabilities: 4.3/5

 Pricing and transparency: 5/5

 Ease of use and admin: 3.8/5

 Customer support: 2.8/5

 Compliance and data privacy: 5/5

 Trend Micro Deep Security’s ransomware protection tool offers additional security features such as a data/file shredder,
interaction with security tools, a vulnerability scanner, and access to cyberthreat insurance for total protection. It provides
cloud and on-premises deployment options, antivirus, ransomware detection, and a list of decryptor tools you can use. They
provide transparent pricing details for all their plans so you can gauge the most suitable plan for you.

VISIT TREND MICRO

Pros
 Detailed pricing information for all plans
 Transparent privacy policy and compliance

 Offers anti-hacking features

Cons
 Hard-to-configure policy management
 Logging and reporting needs improvement

 Full scans take a lot of time

Pricing
Key Features
Screenshot
Alternatives

ESET PROTECT – Best Real-Time Endpoints Visibility

Overall Rating: 3.8/5

 Core features: 4.4/5
 Extra security capabilities: 3.2/5

 Pricing and transparency: 3.9/5

 Ease of use and admin: 4.4/5

 Customer support: 2.5/5

 Compliance and data privacy: 4/5

 ESET PROTECT provides real-time visibility of all endpoints via a user-friendly online portal available on-premises or in the
cloud, offering extensive monitoring and administration capabilities. The Advanced edition protects against ransomware and
sophisticated threats by combining endpoint security, complete disk encryption, and cloud sandbox analysis. It uses
advanced ML and behavioral inspection to accurately prevent ransomware-like processes.

VISIT ESET

Pros
 Offers cybersecurity training add-on
 Provides free ransomware decryptors

 Uses advanced machine learning

Cons
 Has false positives
 Consumes system resources, leading to lagging

 Encrypting needs improvement

Pricing
Key Features
Screenshot
Alternatives

Sophos Intercept X – Best Customer Support & Cyber

Insurance

Overall Rating: 3.7/5

 Core features: 4.3/5
 Extra security capabilities: 3.7/5

 Pricing and transparency: 2.2/5

 Ease of use and admin: 4.8/5

 Customer support: 3.5/5

 Compliance and data privacy: 4/5

 Sophos Intercept X offers global expert support via Sophos X-Ops to provide rapid, effective enterprise-level ransomware
security. Through their latest CryptoGuard 5 technology, the tool protects endpoints and servers against ransomware by
preventing illegal encryption and then restores data. Combining the tool with Sophos MDR, users can reduce their cyber risk
via Cysurance’s enhanced ransomware protection and up to $3.2M insurance coverage.

VISIT SOPHOS

Pros
 Non-disruptive background operations
 Console provides overall view of all solutions

 Integrates well with other security solutions

Cons
 Lacks pricing information
 Hard to manage for small businesses

 Hogs the device’s memory

Pricing
Key Features
Screenshot
Alternatives

Avast – Best Free Ransomware Scanner & Prevention

Tool

Overall Rating: 3.7/5

 Core features: 4/5
 Extra security capabilities: 3/5

 Pricing and transparency: 4.2/5

 Ease of use and admin: 4.3/5

 Customer support: 1.9/5

 Compliance and data privacy: 3/5

 Avast provides a reliable and free ransomware detection and prevention tool, supported by a large community of over 435
million members. Its free antivirus tool, Avast One, prevents viruses and malware, detects threats in real time, scans for Wi-
Fi weaknesses, and protects personal files from encryption. Their paid plans offer advanced protection, including a
sophisticated firewall to prevent data theft and Avast SecureLine VPN for encrypted browsing.

VISIT AVAST

Pros
 Easy user interface
 Offers free antivirus tool

 Easy deployment on devices

Cons
 Sometimes recognizes normal files as threats
 Directly deletes some quarantined files

 Slow responses in customer support

Pricing
Key Features
Screenshot
Alternatives

Top 5 Features of Ransomware Protection & Removal

Tools
Ransomware detection, decryptor tools for file recovery, and expert restoration assistance are all essential features of
ransomware protection and removal tools. A good tool should also provide real-time antivirus protection to avoid attacks and
should incorporate cyber insurance for financial protection against ransomware assaults.

Ransomware Detection
The ransomware detection feature quickly identifies and warns users about ransomware threats before they encrypt files or
affect systems. It uses complex algorithms and behavioral analysis to proactively detect ransomware-like activity, allowing
users to take timely action to neutralize the danger and avoid potential data loss or extortion efforts.

Decryptor Tools
Ransomware decryptor tools are specialized software that reverses the encryption that ransomware uses on files or
computers. These tools use a variety of approaches, including brute-force attacks and exploiting encryption weaknesses, to
recover encrypted data without paying the ransom, allowing users to safely restore access to their files and computers.

Rescue & Restoration Expert Support

This offering delivers immediate assistance during ransomware outbreaks. Ransomware solutions often include support
services from cybersecurity professionals who guide customers through recovery methods, decrypt files, and reduce
damage, providing quick system restoration and little downtime, protecting data integrity and business continuity.

Real-Time Antivirus Protection

Real-time antivirus protection continually watches for harmful actions that could indicate a ransomware encryption attempt.
Using an antivirus tool prevents file encryption by quickly detecting and fighting ransomware in real time, reducing the risk of
data loss and financial extortion. It then ensures that users retain control of their systems.

Cyber Insurance
Cyber insurance protects against the financial losses resulting from ransomware attacks. It includes expenses such as data
recovery, legal fees, and regulatory fines. By having a cyber insurance service, you reduce the financial effect of assaults
while allowing your firm to recover swiftly and continue operations with minimal disruption.

How I Evaluated the Best Ransomware Protection &

Removal Tools
To conduct an extensive review, I classified six main criteria of ransomware protection and removal tools. Each category
includes subcriteria — a list of specific features and functions, all weighted and scored based on their availability. Based on
the overall scores, I identified the top six tools. Lastly, I determined each tool’s specific use cases by taking into account
their highest scores and supplemented it with my research on user reviews and other relevant resources.

Evaluation Criteria
In this evaluation, I prioritized assessing the core features required for ransomware prevention and removal. Following that, I
evaluated the extra security features to determine their added significance. Next, I considered the pricing transparency, as
well as ease of use and administration. Finally, I conducted a comparison of the tools’ customer service quality, their data
privacy policies transparency, and their compliance procedures.

 Core features (25%): Identifies the available fundamental features in ransomware protection and removal tools
such as detection, decryptor tools, threat insights, backup, storage, and more.
o Criterion winner: Malwarebytes

 Extra security capabilities (20%): Checks the additional features that make a tool more robust in security,
including integrations, vulnerability scanning, and cyberthreats insurance.

o Criterion winner: Bitdefender

 Pricing and transparency (20%): Compares the availability of free trial and demo, pricing transparency, flexibility
in pricing models, and lowest to highest subscription costs.

o Criterion winner: Trend Micro

 Ease of use and admin (15%): Evaluates features such as intuitive user interface, centralized management
console, non-disruptive operations, and user reviews from different platforms.

o Criterion winner: Multiple winners

 Customer support (10%): Assesses the availability of live chat, email or contact information, and 24/7 phone
support, and user reviews on customer service from platforms like Capterra and Gartner.
 o Criterion winner: Sophos

 Compliance and data privacy (10%): Checks the transparency of privacy policies and the adherence and
certifications to major security compliance like ISO 27001/9001 and SOC2.

o Criterion winner: Trend Micro

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

How Do Ransomware Removal Tools Work?
Ransomware removal tools isolate the affected device from networks to prevent further spread. They then identify the
ransomware type and create eradication measures. They use antivirus software to scan for and remove ransomware.
Restoration entails recovering a clean backup or using a decryption tool. They also offer advice on recommended practices
for preventing such attacks and ensuring system security through regular updates.

Are Ransomware Removal Tools Effective Against All Types of

Ransomware?
Although ransomware removal solutions can be useful, they can’t eliminate all types of ransomware. Prevention is the key to
reducing these threats. While removal techniques may be effective in some circumstances, certain ransomware strains may
resist removal. Focus on strong preventative methods to reduce the possibility of malware, particularly ransomware,
accessing network systems.

Do Ransomware Removal Tools Interfere with Existing Antivirus or

Security Software?
Ransomware removal tools typically supplement existing antivirus or security software, working together to improve
protection. However, compatibility difficulties or competing functionalities may occur, thereby affecting system performance.
It’s essential to check tool compatibility and review any potential conflicts ahead of time.

Bottom Line: Protect Your Assets with Ransomware

Protection & Removal Tools
If your files are encrypted with highly secure ransomware, recovery is extremely difficult. I don’t recommend paying the
ransom as it has no guarantee of file recovery. While ransomware removal tools don’t always decrypt files, decryption tools
can certainly help with recovery for some strains. Conduct regular backups to reduce the need for ransomware recovery and
use free versions and trials to check that the solutions you choose meet your needs.