Trend Micro Antivirus Review Is It Good Enough 2022?

Trend Micro Full Review

Trend Micro’s malware scan and real-time security are top-notch. There are also some privacy features that enhance online and offline security.

Trend Micro’s additional features aren’t as good as other antiviruses on market, but it’s still a user-friendly product. It has core features that perform well and the plans will meet most users’ requirements.

Trend Micro Security Features

Virus Scanner

Trend Micro’s anti-malware scanner offers excellent detection. It uses signature-based scanning (cross-referencing files against Trend Micro’s vast virus database) as well as machine learning. It protects against known malware, zero-day threats, and variants of malware.

Trend Micro 3 scan options

• QuickScan:Scans areas where security risks are often found. These include your system folders. Background processes. Registry.
• Full scan:Scans entire disk (not files encrypted or password protected).
• Custom scan:Scans files in folders you choose.

I downloaded nearly 1000 malware samples to test different scan options. All the samples were hidden in different locations so that they could be found in my registry and system folders.

First, I ran Trend Micro’s quick scan. It took just 3 minutes on my PC, which is impressive considering other antivirus products can take anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes for a quick scan.

I was impressed that my scanner spotted every malicious piece in my critical folders.

The Trend Micro full scan took me only 40 minutes. That’s faster than McAfee who took almost an hour. Trend Micro was able, although not as well as Norton’s 100% detection rates, to detect approximately 97% malware on my computer.

My computer speed was not affected during the scan. I was still in a position to stream HD video.

Other helpful options are available for the scanner. For example, you can adjust the level and sensitivity of protection. You can also change the notification settings. Trend Micro can even ask to delete unneeded files or PUPs (potentially unwanted program), or deactivate machine-learning.

I love how Trend Micro offers so many scan settings.

Trendmicro’s malware scanner doesn’t drain the system resources. While the detection rates of Trend Micro’s malware scanner aren’t perfect, they’re very close. You can fine-tune your antivirus experience with a multitude of settings.

Real-Time Protection

Trend Micro’s instant malware protection is effective, but basic. It monitors all your internet activity and stops you downloading malicious attachments or files. It also monitors files on your hard drive and blocks them modifying your computer.

Trend Micro’s instant protection can protect against the following:

• Malware.
• Potentially unwanted programs (PUPS).
• Ransomware.
• Exploits.

I deleted all remaining samples from the anti-virus scanner test on my computer to check the real-time protection. Next, I attempted to redownload this archive (which contained almost 1,000 samples) in order to test it. Trend Micro’s Real-Time scanner detected every file of malware, stopping them from being downloaded or potentially infecting my computer.

Trend Micro’s online protection against WICAR’s Web-Based Exploits Database was also tested. It impressed me that Trend Micro prevented all exploit attacks before they could target my browser or plugins.

The Trend Micro real-time protection was extremely efficient in preventing malicious software from running on my machine.

Phishing / Web Protection

Trend Micro’s Web Protection works in the background to block fraudulent and malicious sites. The web protection compares all websites you visit to an online list of blacklisted sites. Trend Micro will block you access if your site is listed on the database.

I tested the protection with Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox. Trend Micro blocked my access to all of the phishing sites I visited. It even blocked access websites that the default protections of web browsers, such as Chrome and Firefox, failed to block.

I love how easy it makes it to whitelist secure sites. Trend Micro displays a small dialogue box each time it blocks any website. The dialog allows users to either ignore its warnings and continue visiting the site, or to whitelist the site completely.

Overall, I was impressed by Trend Micro’s anti-phishing protection. It’s very easy to use, and it blocked all phishing websites in my tests.

PC Health Check-Up

Trend Micro’s PC-only system optimization feature, PC Health Check Up, optimizes your PC in four ways. PC Tune up can be activated in just one click.

• Repair Security Vulnerabilities.Checks that your OS is current and that the firewall settings are safe.
• Cut down on computer startup time:Changes which applications start when you log onto your computer.
• Restored Disk Space: Empties your recycle bin, deletes duplicates files, and cleans temporary directories.
• Clean privacy data:Removes private data from Windows and messenger applications.

This feature did not impress me. Although it took just 5 minutes for the PC Health Checkup to perform a complete scan of my computer’s hard drive, it couldn’t save any space. The built-in Windows Disk Cleanup app saved me almost 300MB when it ran on my PC.

The “Reduce Computer Startup Time” option highlights the programs that can be manually disabled when launching at startup to increase startup speed. It is available by default in Windows and Mac, so it doesn’t really add any value to the tune up feature.

Trend Micro’s PC Health Checkup overall isn’t very good. Many of its features are also available on Mac and Windows by default. They generally perform better. PC Tune-Up only offers one benefit: the ability to access all of your optimization functions in one place. If you don’t have that option, you can use your system’s built-in clean-up tools.

Privacy Scanner

Trendmicro’s privacy scanner allows users to adjust their web browsers and social media privacy settings. Once you have downloaded the Trend Micro Toolbar, log in to the social account you wish scan. Trend Micro will examine the account and then open a popup window that allows to address any privacy concerns. Trend Micro will look for:

• Who has access to your personal information.
• If your social media account appears in search engines.
• Who can look up your email address?
• You can be reached at your telephone number to get in touch with someone.
• Advertisers might be able to display targeted ads that are based on your activities.

I downloaded Trend Micro toolbar Chrome on Chrome, ran a scan on all my Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn accounts.

The scanner took less than a minute and displayed all privacy concerns along with an option for easy adjustment. The scanner is very useful, especially as many social media sites make changing your privacy settings quite difficult.

However, the browser scanner component of privacy scanner was even less satisfactory. My testing showed that it was not compatible with Chrome or Internet Explorer. It allowed me the option to enable tracking and password storage on Internet Explorer and Firefox as well as to disable or turn off their built-in anti phishing protections.

These features are useful in their own right, but they can also be found in web browsers’ individual settings. Trend Micro is not required to use them. Trend Micro’s browser scanner may not be as useful, especially since Internet Explorer has become a dead browser. Microsoft has poured its entire energy into the new Chromium based Edge browser.

Despite this, Privacy Scanner can help you find and modify privacy settings in your social media accounts.

Trend Micro ID Security (Mobile Only)

Trend Micro ID Security scans every inch of the dark web and immediately alerts if it finds any personal identifiable information (PII).

• Email addresses.
• Passwords.
• Numbers for credit cards.
• Bank account numbers.
• Passport information.

It isn’t as impressive and comprehensive as Norton, however, which employs AI technology and covers additional information, such insurance numbers. Trend Micro is superior to TotalAV, which only uses Have I Bened Pwned’s database to scan emails for breaches.

The data monitor from Trend Micro sends you alerts when there’s a breach to your mobile or email.

I tested the email security scanner using an older email address that I intentionally entered into many sketchy websites. The email scanner performed well and turned up 20 other sites that had leaked the email address.

Trend Micro ID Safety is only available for iOS or Android. I found this a bit strange. Trend Micro’s site only gives access to basic email scanners for Mac and PC.

Although Trend Micro’s ID Security provides more coverage than some of its rivals’ products, it’s still not as thorough as Norton’s. It’s possible to see if your passwords, credit card numbers or other personal information have been compromised. If you really care about identity protection, it’s a good idea to opt for a service with live support that protects additional types of information.

Password Manager

Trend Micro’s password managers protect passwords and other sensitive information with 256 bit AES encryption. Trend Micro’s password management software is limited to 5 passwords. This can be disappointing when you consider that many free password managers allow for unlimited password storage. Trend Micro’s Premium Package includes an upgraded version that lets you store unlimited passwords.

Trend Micro’s password administrator includes:

• Unlimited password storage (premium version).
• Password generator.
• Automatic form filler.
• Secure note.

The password manager is not available as a desktop app. There are browser extensions for desktop users, and mobile apps both for iOS and Android. Once you’ve downloaded the relevant app or browser extension, the password manager will require you to create your master password.

Trend Micro’s password managers operate on a zero knowledge protocol. If you forget your master passcode, you won’t have the ability to reset it. This is great for security. However, it can lead to problems if your password is lost or forgotten. This is a problem in my opinion. LastPass and Dashlane both have many account recovery options for those who lose access to their accounts.

While the password storage/auto-fill feature on Trend Micro is quite basic, it works well. If you log in, Trend Micro will ask for your details to be saved. You will be asked if it is okay to log back in after you have returned to a saved site. It’s very easy and quick, and it was able to recognize all of the saved websites I had visited during testing.

Trend Micro also offers a password-generator. It allows you create passwords consisting of between 8-20 characters. You can use upper- and lowercase letters or numbers as well symbols. This is a very useful feature. However, Bitwarden doesn’t offer a passphrase generator.

Trendmicro’s password manager does a good job, but it lacks many features. The password generator is easy to use and has autofill and password saving options. It does not offer additional features such 2FA (two -factor authentication), password vault inspection, or password sharing which are standard in top password managers.

Parental Controls

Trendmicro’s parental controls can be used to help you:

• Block Websites.
• Limit the time you have internet access. You can limit specific apps or your entire device.
• Block Applications.

After you have run parental controls for the first time, a startup wizard will guide through the setup and let you select the sites or apps you want to block. You can also select from different age presets, if you want Trend Micro just to set everything up.

I created an imaginary profile for a preteen child between 8-12 years old, which could only access the computer for 4 hours during weekends. I also blocked the test profile denial from accessing certain applications.

The website filtering functioned well. It can block 31 different categories of websites including:

• Adult websites.
• Communication media sites.
• Websites that have been criticized.
• Shopping sites.
• Entertainment websites.

Trend Micro displayed a pop-up message in the bottom corner telling me that the website was blocked when I tried to access a banned site.

You can click the “Temporarily allowed” or “Permanently allowed” links in the message to be asked for your password before you are able to access the blocked website. This is an extremely useful feature. I’m sure many parents will appreciate this ability to temporarily whitelist sites.

Trend Micro’s content-filtering was very inconsistent. It worked with certain categories like adult websites but not others. However, I was still able to access other websites and videos about weapons when I tried to filter it out. However, any parental control application can make it difficult to filter out YouTube videos deemed dangerous. We recommend that you visit our blog post regarding keeping your kids safe on YouTube.

Trend Micro’s Image Search Filter didn’t work. When it was on, I could still view adult images via Google Images.

The time limitations worked well — I could limit the time children can spend on a computer and also schedule time for internet access. By entering your password, you can easily extend the time your kid spends online.

Similar to the above, if their hours of computer/device activity are ending, a timer will show warning them that they have only 5 minutes left before they’ll be logged off. To regain control of the device, you will be asked to enter your password. You can also enter the password during the 5-minute countdown for an additional hour.

Program Access controls are also quite effective. I tried it with various applications including video games and Trend Micro blocked them all. I tried many things to trick the app blocking software, including moving, deleting, and reinstalling blocked applications.

I was however disappointed by Trend Micro’s parental controls screening screen. It does not report attempts to access blocked website — so if your kids are accessing other inappropriate sites that haven’t been filtered yet, there is no way to know. It does not monitor application use so it is impossible to track what your kid’s time is being spent on (e.g. if they are playing video games, or using educational apps).

The top parental control programs will display every website visited by your child, every app they have tried, and the time spent in each app. These are extremely useful features that parents will appreciate and Trend Micro’s product does not have.

Overall, I would say that Trend Micro’s parental monitoring is not very good. The content filtering was inconsistent. I also felt the report screen needed to be more detailed. It is easy to use and customizable with web-filtering presets. Also, there are automatic age-based defenses.

Trend Micro VPN

Trend Micro’s VPN only comes with the premium plan.

It does transmit your data via a secure cloud server, which uses 256-bit AES encryption. This is the same standard as used by many banks and governments. However, the VPN offers no protection beyond a standard HTTPS page.

Trend Micro’s VPN is also not able to give you a virtual ip address or allow connections to different regions. Instead, it runs your connection through one of the four VPN servers that are listed in your computer’s network settings.

It is impossible to choose which server you want to connect to. Trend Micro will ask you for your username and digital certificate if you attempt to change the server manually. It was very frustrating as my connection was constantly dropping. I could not fix it by switching servers.

Trend Micro’s VPN doesn’t offer many customization options. These options are available:

• Manual VPN: Turn the VPN on and off manually.
• Automatic VPN: Connects automatically to unsecured networks.
• VPN Always on: Connects whenever you turn on your device.
• VPN Always On: VPN will not turn on unless you manually activate it.

DNS leak protection and kill switches are not available. If your VPN connection is lost, your activity may no longer be hidden. Hackers might be able intercept your data. ExpressVPN is an example of a VPN that has a DNS leak protection and a kill switch. This means that your data will still be protected even if the VPN connection is lost.

Short version: Trend micro’s VPN is far less effective than the best VPNs available. It is not as good as other antivirus-bundled VPNs such McAfee and Norton.

Additional Features

Trend Micro also offers some nice additional features to go along with the above features.

• Pay Guard:Opens the browser window in a secure manner for shopping online or banking (Chrome Firefox Edge Internet Explorer).
• Data theft prevention: Stops sensitive data like credit card numbers being sent over the Internet.
• Folder shield:Adds extra security in selected folders, to stop ransomware decrypting them.
• Trend Vault:Stores sensitive data in a password secured folder
• Safe Erase: Permanently deletes a file so it cannot be recovered. This feature is only available to customers who have the Premium Security, Maximum Security or Internet Security plans.
• Firewall Enhancer:Enhances Windows’ builtin firewall and blocks botnets stealing your PC.

Many of these features are excellent. Pay Guard opens whenever you navigate to a bank or finance website. This window offers protection from exploit attacks as well as pop-ups. TotalAV, Avira, Bullguard, and Bullguard all provide secure browsers. However, none of them offer the same one button functionality that Pay Guard.

Trend Micro’s secure file vault and erase feature are great. However, the firewall booster, folder protection, and data theft prevention are not as good as I thought. I appreciate that Trend Micro has so many other features to improve security.

Trend Micro Plans and Pricing

Trendmicro offers 4 plans. Internet Security a slightly higher-end plan is available, but only for Windows. Maximum securityand premium security suite are two premium plans that work on both PCs and Macs. They also work with Androids, iOS, Chromebooks, Chromebooks, Chromebooks, and Chromebooks.

Trendmicro doesn’t offer a FREE plan, though it offers some free features, including House Call which is an online security scan and the Safety Filter For Kids browser extensions. All of its packages require a subscription for one or two years. Trend Micro offers a free 30-day trial on all plans. Also, all purchases come with a 30 day money-back guarantee.

Trend Micro Ease of Use and Setup

Trend Micro is extremely easy to setup and use. It took me just 5 minutes to set it up. After it had started, I was directed to a simple-to use user interface (UI), which showed the main features in 4 easy-to read icons.

Each feature can be accessed in just a few steps. By clicking the “Device”, you can access security settings including the real time scanning options, the computer optimizer, and the mute option (which temporarily disables the Trend Micro notifications).

The Privacy Scanner & Social Media Protection are accessible via the “Privacy” button at the top of the main UI. This is where you can configure your Payguard settings. You can choose which websites to open in Trend Micro’s secure web browser.

The Data Theft Prevention options can also be found under the Privacy tab. Trend Micro will protect the data you provide, much like Pay Guard.

On the main interface, you can access Folder Shield and Secure Erase from the “Data” button.

Finally, click on the “Family”, which gives you access the Parental controls. This took me only a few seconds to configure.

Trend Micro’s interface overall is easy to use and intuitive. This makes it simple to access and adjust all features in just few clicks.

Trend Micro Mobile App

Trend Micro’s mobile Security for Android and iOS comes as part of the Max Security and Premium Safety Suitepackages. But you can also get it separately. The following features are available:

• Malware scanner. Android only.
• Website protections.
• VPN.
• Blocker to SMS Phishing.
• App manager.
• Anti-theft protection.
• Parental control.

My malware scanner worked great during my tests. Trend Micro was able to detect almost all the viruses in my archive.

Trend Micro’s mobile security protections are quite good, and I love the smishing-based phishing blocker. Trend Micro’s mobile VPN is as harmful for desktop users as it for mobile devices.

Trend micro’s theft protections are my favorite. You can remotely lock, wipe your data, locate using GPS, and even turn the alarm off. Once you log in, navigate to Trendmicro’s Lost Device portal from your web browser. All anti-theft options are easily accessible with a simple interface. The “locate device” function can pinpoint your device to within 50-100 yards.