ZoneAlarm Anti-Spyware 2008 is a good, solid product that does a decent job of detecting and more so of protecting your computer from spyware. Included in this package is ZoneAlarm's stingy firewall, which in and of itself helps reduce threats.
ZoneAlarm Anti-Spyware Screenshots. Click to Enlarge
Ease of Setup/Use:
Setup is a snap, and there's also a nice tutorial that walks you through the most important facets of PC security and how to use ZoneAlarm to lock down your PC.
Detection Effectiveness:
Detection isn't quite as effective as our higher-ranked products, but in the constantly changing environment of PC security, that's not to say it won't take notice of the most malicious spyware out there. Their award-winning firewall certainly helps, and risk is further reduced with the automatic updates.
Removal Effectiveness:
There is room for improvement on removal, but that's true for nearly every antispyware product out there.
System Performance:
While a powerful application, ZoneAlarm Anti-Spyware 2008 uses about what one would expect of system resources. There's always a price to pay for protection, and ZoneAlarm's product is fairly efficient when it comes to memory usage.
Scan Performance:
System scans were average when compared to our higher-ranked products, but it's always a good idea to have your system scanned while you're away from the computer.
Support/Documentation:
ZoneAlarm's application help is clear and concise, and written well enough for a novice user to understand key concepts. We were disappointed that their phone support cost $2.95 per call, but they also offer email support.
Summary:
You could do much worse when it comes to antispyware software. ZoneAlarm also bundles their firewall software with Anti-Spyware 2008, which makes it a security solution to be reckoned with.