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Yes. Malwarebytes Premium versions 5.5 and 5.6 scored 18 out of 18 and received AV-TEST’s Top Product award in the lab’s July/August 2026 Windows 11 consumer security test. The perfect score covers protection, performance and usability in that specific test—not every Malwarebytes product, platform or real-world situation.
What Malwarebytes scored in AV-TEST’s latest cycle
AV-TEST’s product report records Malwarebytes Premium 5.5 and 5.6 at the full six points in each of its three categories. The lab’s stated Top Product threshold is 17.5 out of 18, so this result cleared it by half a point.
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| Category | Malwarebytes score | Maximum |
|---|---|---|
| Protection | 6 | 6 |
| Performance | 6 | 6 |
| Usability | 6 | 6 |
| Total | 18 | 18 |
The scores and award threshold are from AV-TEST’s July/August 2026 Malwarebytes report. In this framework, protection, performance and usability are distinct dimensions; a perfect overall score means the product reached the maximum in each one for this evaluation.
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1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsWhat the test covered—and what it did not
AV-TEST evaluated 15 home-user security products during July and August 2026. The Malwarebytes entry identifies the tested system as Windows 11 Professional, English, 64-bit, and the product versions as Premium 5.5 and 5.6. The lab says testing used default settings and the latest publicly available versions, with products able to update and query cloud services. It describes its approach as using realistic scenarios and real-world threats, with products required to demonstrate their protection components and layers.
#1 Best Overall
That is meaningful independent evidence for the stated product and test setup, but it is not a guarantee that Malwarebytes will block every threat on every device. It also does not establish the same result for other operating systems, product editions or versions, or configurations that differ from the lab’s setup.
How it compares with Malwarebytes’ previous AV-TEST result
In AV-TEST’s March/April 2026 Windows 11 consumer test, Malwarebytes Premium 5.5 scored 5.5/6 for protection, 6/6 for performance and 6/6 for usability, totaling 17.5/18. That was the lab’s stated award threshold. The earlier scores appear in the March/April 2026 product report.
Rank #2
The two reports show results from two separate test cycles. They do not, by themselves, establish a broader performance trend or a ranking against competing products. A fair product comparison would use results from the same cycle, platform, product category and configuration, and examine each category as well as the total.
Other test results mentioned by Malwarebytes
In an October 1, 2026 announcement, Malwarebytes also reported receiving Level 1 Certification in MRG Effitas’ July 2026 consumer assessment and stopping 100% of threats before they could run in AVLab tests in May and July. The company’s account of the MRG Effitas assessment cites 300 live malware samples, zero false positives across 100 legitimate apps, and five live phishing sites blocked. These are claims summarized by Malwarebytes; the underlying MRG Effitas and AVLab reports are not independently established here.
Rank #3
The same company announcement says Malwarebytes has received the AV-TEST Top Product award more than a dozen times since entering the test in 2018. That historical count is also the vendor’s statement, rather than a count verified by the two product reports cited above. See the October 1 Malwarebytes announcement for the company’s summary.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What the award tells a Malwarebytes user
For someone considering Malwarebytes Premium on Windows 11, the latest AV-TEST result is a strong outcome in an independent lab’s defined consumer test: the product achieved the maximum score across protection, performance and usability. It is most useful as one data point, read alongside results from the same test cycle and with attention to the tested version and platform. It should not be treated as proof that one product is universally better or that any security software eliminates risk.
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