In our Cylance Smart Antivirus review, you will find out everything you need to know about this software. We’ll discuss its features, pricing options, and how it compares to its competitors.
The BlackBerry-owned company uses the latest technologies to keep your devices safe from online threats. Furthermore, the numerous satisfied customers attest to the quality of the antivirus program.
Keep reading to discover all about Cyclance’s services and whether it offers the proper protection for you and your family.
What Makes Cylance Stand Out
Cylance is an AI-driven threat protection engine that offers way more than regular antivirus software. The research for our Cylance Antivirus review shows that thanks to its state-of-the-art technology, it knows how to recognize a threat even before it attempts an attack on your device.
Pros
- Real-time threat protection
- Easily visible security status
- Easy setup
- Mobile app
Cons
- No desktop app recognition
- No offline management of the antivirus settings
About Cylance
Let’s start by answering the primary question — what is Cylance? It is an AI-driven threat protection engine, constantly improving itself and learning about new dangers. It can recognize any threat and knows all the possible ways malware could behave.
Over 700 employees are in charge of enhancing the company’s Unified Endpoint Security (UES) solution. The main goal of this software is to stop the malware before it affects your computer.
The company was founded in 2012, and in 2019, it was acquired by BlackBerry Limited and is currently a part of BlackBerry Cybersecurity.
Pricing Plans
Let’s see how much does Cylance cost. There are three different plans to choose from and an affiliate program that offers a 30% commission.
Monthly Plans
- Single device — $5.99
- Five devices — $9.99
- Ten devices — $14.99
Annual Plans
- Single device — $29
- Five devices — $69
- Ten devices — $99
Two-Year Plans
- Single device — $58
- Five devices — $138
- Ten devices — $198
Occasionally, the company offers discounts that can lower these prices in half.
Cylance Services
As mentioned earlier in our Cylance Smart Antivirus review, it uses AI to power the cloud-based malware scanner. One of the top benefits is that it’s lightweight due to its storage. It operates on a neatly organized web-based dashboard without a desktop interface.
Furthermore, you can remotely operate all your connected devices, see their security status, and remove threats. Now, let’s examine all the functions Cylance has to offer.
Notifications
If you want Cylance for home use, you will significantly benefit from this function. All you need to do is install the software, and it won’t disturb you further.
Instead of alerting you about each detected threat, it quarantines the suspicious files and automatically deletes them after 30 days. That is excellent for anyone who doesn’t want to waste time manually removing the files.
Desktop Interface
Unfortunately, this feature isn’t available since the antivirus operates on a web-based dashboard. Still, it is pretty straightforward to use, and you will have no trouble with the functions. Overall, that is the only disadvantage we found for our Cylance Antivirus review.
Web Interface and Popup Client
The Web dashboard is easy to use and navigate. From there, you can remotely manage your devices, adjust settings, and perform different actions with the quarantined files. It presents a clear overview of your computer’s safety status.
However, you do need an Internet connection to use the dashboard, otherwise, it won’t be accessible. If you need to check whether your device has been exposed to any malware, you can access the popup client from your Taskbar even when you are offline.
One of the primary Cylance benefits is the simplistic interface of the popup client with just two sections — Threats and Events. It’s ideal for quick monitoring when a threat to your device has been discovered. You cannot perform any actions from there, but a convenient shortcut will log you into the Web dashboard.
Malware Scanner
The malware scanner is definitely one of the best software features. You can run system checks manually and automatically. Still, it might be a bit challenging to find the manual option.
The reason for that is Cylance doesn’t expect you to use this function since it provides continuous real-time scanning. The automatic scans save you a lot of time and effort and prove to be absolutely efficient.
We tested the program for our Cylance Antivirus review for 2022 on different types of malware, such as trojans, viruses, spyware, etc. Thanks to its state-of-the-art technology, it successfully quarantines known and unknown threats.
The Cylance scanning process effectively saves your computer resources. Namely, it will only scan new downloaded or imported files and the files that act suspiciously. As it doesn’t run checks on everything, it preserves a lot of space and energy.
However, Cylance has an average detection rate of 95%, while some other software like Norton offers 100% protection.
Cloud File Scanner
We confirmed for our Cylance Smart Antivirus review that the software sends all quarantined files to its cloud — “Cylance Cloud.” There, it performs more thorough scanning.
That is an excellent feature because, this way, the antivirus database is constantly being updated as it learns how to recognize new types of threats.
Also, Cylance doesn’t send notifications when the files are scanned or uploaded. You can also manually disable this function, as Cylance set it as a default. Still, we feel like there is no reason to do that.
Risk Tab
There you could see a listing of quarantined data. It immediately spots and handles executables as they are accessed.
Mobile App
Included in the affordable Cylance price is an app available for Android and iOS. While the Android app is available anywhere the antivirus is sold, the iOS app can be used only by US residents. However, the user reviews aren’t entirely positive as the software can be confusing to set up.
There are some differences between the two versions — the iOS app won’t allow you to perform real-time virus scanning. However, the Android version does an automatic initial scan and lets you perform manual checks.
You will see the scan results in three different tabs. Under Device Safety, you will see recommendations for scouring your phone. Additionally, Network Safety checks the security of your internet connection, and Apps Safety tracks possible suspicious apps.
Cylance Trial on Effectiveness
Most tests prove Cylance to be highly effective in detecting malware, with an impressive rate of 95% and higher, and its ransomware detection is at 100%.
Another great thing about this software is that it uses machine learning, meaning it’s constantly widening its knowledge about malware behavior and detection. Furthermore, the program is high-speed and doesn’t impact your system’s performance.
How Does Cylance Work
You will need to create a Cylance account and log into the Internet console where the majority of the program’s administration work is. We downloaded, installed, and set up the whole Windows integration in a couple of steps.
Compared to similar software, it takes much less space. The absence of source monopolizing is because Cylance is antivirus only, and it is developed to be the actual “set and forget” program.
Once you start it, you won’t need to check the user interface. This antivirus has a brief function listing, making it simple to use.
Cylance Smart Antivirus Login
It is effortless to set up the antivirus. First, choose and pay for the plan you want. Afterward, you will receive an email invitation to create your Cylance account and a detailed manual on using the software.
Open the dashboard in your preferred browser, log into your account and click on “Add a Device.” Another screen will appear, and you will be able to download the antivirus.
To keep this Cylance Smart Antivirus review fully detailed, we are emphasizing one thing. You will need to enter the code you will find at the bottom of the “Settings” tab into the empty field on the screen. For every new device you want to connect, you will need to generate a new token.
Cylance doesn’t require restarting your PC to complete the installation process, as there is no desktop dashboard. On the other hand, desktop-based antiviruses require restarting the PC to finish the installation.
Your PC will be added to the “My Devices” list in your dashboard when the installation is complete. Afterward, Cylance will start real-time checks in the background.
Cylance Smart Antivirus Support
There are a couple of ways to fix eventual problems you may encounter while using Cylance. You can send the support team an email or go to the “Support” page. When you click the tab, it will open an online form. Once you submit it, you will receive an auto-reply but no indication when you can expect the answer.
There are also “How to” guides on their website and detailed and helpful FAQs. You can post a question on their users’ community and get advice. On the other hand, the support responsiveness isn’t at the highest level, and there is no live chat or phone number available.
Antivirus Software Comparison
Cylance vs. Norton
Compared to Norton, Cylance is basic software as it is purely an antivirus program. Still, thanks to that, it takes much less space, and in terms of protection, it is very similar in its performance.
However, Norton is slightly better at malware detection at a 100% rate, while Cylance is around the industry average with 95%. Besides that, the Norton subscription is way more expensive than the Cylance Antivirus price.
Furthermore, Norton can seem a little complicated to operate since it includes a couple of different programs.
Cylance vs. McAfee
McAfee offers better customer support via phone, live chat, and email. Still, their plans are much more expensive compared to Cylance. We also feel that Cylance’s interface is much less complicated and easier to operate for users.
Furthermore, Cylance is an AI-based antivirus that is constantly learning and improving. Also, McAfee takes much more space on your device, while Cylance is very economical.
Cylance Antivirus Review — Summary
This antivirus is excellent for many reasons. First, its powerful malware scanner is AI-based, ensuring that the program is constantly improving itself. Other advantages are that it offers affordable prices and is very lightweight.
The web dashboard is intuitive and easy to use, however, the program doesn’t have a desktop one. Additionally, the support team is doing a good job but could definitely improve.
In conclusion, we would like to say that even though Cylance doesn’t offer any extra features, it is still excellent at its goal — protecting your devices.
People Also Ask
Cylance is one of the best antiviruses we have ever tested. Even though it doesn’t include any extra features, it is still excellent at recognizing possible threats.
Besides that, it is lightweight and straightforward to manage. You won’t need to do almost anything after installing the program because it was created to do all the work by itself without sending any notifications.
A couple of antivirus programs feature great detection rates. For example, Norton is known as one of the best on the market, with a 100% detection rate.
Still, Cylance isn’t much far from it, with a rate of 95%. Besides, it is much cheaper and lightweight. So if you are looking for excellent protection for a low price, Cylance should be on your list of choices.
Cylance stops all types of malware, including ransomware. All the more, it has the highest rate of ransomware detection — up to an amazing 100%. Furthermore, its malware detection rate of 95% is around the industry average.
Combine all that with the low price and low weight, and it is easy to conclude that Cylance truly offers one of the best bargains out there.
This antivirus uses AI to power the malware scanner. The engine constantly monitors the system and learns how threats will or are likely to behave. After that, based on its findings, the software will stop all processes that seem suspicious.
Also, it won’t notify you about the detected threats. Instead, it quarantines all the suspicious files and then deletes them automatically after 30 days. That is one of the things we highlighted as our favorite in this Cylance Smart Antivirus review.
