What is Webroot used for?

Webroot is a cloud-based antivirus and endpoint protection product from OpenText, sold in plans that add identity protection, backup and a VPN. It is a good fit for home users protecting PCs and phones from malware; gamers wanting lightweight antivirus; and families bundling antivirus, VPN and identity monitoring.

How much does Webroot cost?

Paid plans for Webroot start at $24.99 per year, and there is no free plan.

Is Webroot open source?

No. Webroot is proprietary (closed-source) software. Open-source alternatives to Webroot include ClamAV.

What are some alternatives to Webroot?

Webroot competes with Norton, Malwarebytes and Bitdefender. For open-source options, see Enlisted's ranked list of open-source Webroot alternatives.

Webroot: features, pricing and alternatives

About Webroot

Webroot is a cloud-based antivirus and security product, now owned by OpenText. It is marketed to consumers and small businesses who want malware protection that runs with a light footprint and uses machine learning to spot new threats.

The consumer range is organized into tiers: Essentials for antivirus, Premium for antivirus plus identity protection, and Total Protection as an all-in-one bundle that combines antivirus, identity protection, a VPN and backup. Other items include security for Chromebooks, antivirus aimed at PC gamers, a PC optimizer, a secure VPN and a newer scam protection feature. The company also presents itself as a source of threat intelligence services.

Webroot is sold as a subscription through its website, with plans and pricing on a dedicated page, a free trial option, mobile apps and account management for renewals and upgrades. It runs on the user's own devices and relies on cloud analysis.

Key features

Cloud-based antivirus scanning
Identity protection monitoring
Secure VPN for private browsing
Backup in all-in-one plans
Scam protection against fraud
PC optimizer tool
Security for Chromebook

Good fit for

→Home users protecting PCs and phones from malware
→Gamers wanting lightweight antivirus
→Families bundling antivirus, VPN and identity monitoring

Tags: antivirus; endpoint-protection; identity-protection; vpn; consumer-security; cloud-security; opentext

Webroot: questions and answers

What is Webroot used for?: Webroot is a cloud-based antivirus and endpoint protection product from OpenText, sold in plans that add identity protection, backup and a VPN. It is a good fit for home users protecting PCs and phones from malware; gamers wanting lightweight antivirus; and families bundling antivirus, VPN and identity monitoring.
How much does Webroot cost?: Paid plans for Webroot start at $24.99 per year, and there is no free plan.
Is Webroot open source?: No. Webroot is proprietary (closed-source) software. Open-source alternatives to Webroot include ClamAV.
What are some alternatives to Webroot?: Webroot competes with Norton, Malwarebytes and Bitdefender. For open-source options, see Enlisted's ranked list of open-source Webroot alternatives.