How to Cancel Malwarebytes Premium in 2026 (Keep the Free Version Instead)

Updated 2026-02-21 · 6 min read

Good news: Unlike most antivirus companies, Malwarebytes offers a genuinely useful free version. You don't need to fully uninstall — just cancel Premium and keep using the free scanner alongside Windows Defender. This is actually the recommended setup by most security experts.

What Malwarebytes Premium Costs

Premium (1 device): $44.99/year intro → $69.99/year renewal
Premium (5 devices): $79.99/year intro → $99.99/year renewal
Premium + Privacy VPN: $59.99/year intro → $109.99/year renewal
Teams (per device): $119.97/year for 3 devices
Free version: $0 — manual scans only, no real-time protection

Premium vs Free: What You Actually Lose

On-demand malware scanning
✅ Available in Free — the core feature. Scan your computer anytime for malware, PUPs, and adware

Real-time protection
❌ Premium only — but Windows Defender already provides this for free and scores 99.5%+ on AV-TEST

Exploit protection
❌ Premium only — blocks zero-day exploits. Useful but niche; keeping software updated is more effective

Ransomware protection
❌ Premium only — but Windows 10/11 has built-in Controlled Folder Access (free) for ransomware protection

Malicious website blocking
❌ Premium only — but uBlock Origin (free browser extension) blocks malicious sites and is more comprehensive

Step 1: Cancel Premium (Keep Free)

Go to my.malwarebytes.com and sign in
Click Subscriptions
Find your Premium subscription → click Manage
Click Turn off auto-renewal
Confirm the cancellation

When Premium expires, Malwarebytes automatically downgrades to the free version. You keep the scanner — you just lose real-time protection (which Windows Defender already covers).

Malwarebytes Refund Policy

New purchase: 60-day money-back guarantee (generous compared to competitors)
Auto-renewal: Contact support within 30 days for a full refund
How: Email support@malwarebytes.com or submit a ticket at support.malwarebytes.com
App Store purchases: Request refund through Apple/Google, not Malwarebytes

💡 The ideal setup (free): Windows Defender for real-time protection + Malwarebytes Free for monthly on-demand scans + uBlock Origin for browser protection. This is what most IT professionals actually use on their personal computers. Total cost: $0.

If You Want to Fully Uninstall

If you want to remove Malwarebytes entirely (not just downgrade to free):

Windows:

Settings → Apps → find "Malwarebytes" → Uninstall
If that fails: download the Malwarebytes Support Tool → Clean → Yes
Restart your computer
Verify Windows Defender is active

Mac:

Open Malwarebytes → Help menu → Uninstall Malwarebytes
Or: Finder → Applications → drag Malwarebytes to Trash
Remove leftovers: ~/Library/Application Support/Malwarebytes

Why Malwarebytes is Different (and Still Worth Keeping Free)

Unlike Norton, McAfee, and AVG, Malwarebytes doesn't try to replace your existing antivirus — it's designed to work alongside it. The free version is a genuinely useful second-opinion scanner that catches things Defender might miss. It doesn't slow your computer, doesn't nag excessively, and doesn't bundle unwanted toolbar/browser extensions. Cancel Premium, save $45-100/year, but keep the free version installed for monthly scans. It's one of the few security products where the free tier is actually recommended by professionals.

💰 Savings: Malwarebytes Premium + Privacy ($109.99/year) → downgrade to Free ($0) + Windows Defender ($0) + ProtonVPN Free ($0) = $109.99/year saved. Same effective protection.

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Quick Cancel Guide: Malwarebytes

Direct cancel link + step-by-step instructions