Applore vs Malwarebytes for a stalkerware check

This comparison is based on public documentation and store listings as they were on 15 September 2026. If something has changed or is wrong, email info@applore.io and we will check it.

At a glance

Where Applore is different

• A narrower check, and it says so. Applore is not an antivirus. It checks installed apps against a reviewed list of known stalkerware, based on the public Echap indicators, and flags sideloaded apps that behave like hidden monitoring apps. [6] It states what it can miss (see below).
• Free, with no ads on safety screens. Needs your review, Safety Check, safe-removal steps, support hotlines and Quick exit are free in both Applore Free and Applore Pro, and show no ads.
• Safety Check. A guided review of settings someone could change with brief access to the phone, such as screen lock, accessibility services and device admin apps.
• Steps before removal, and a report. Removing a monitoring app can alert the person who installed it. If Applore flags an app, it walks you through steps before removal. It can also create a report on your phone that you share only if you choose.
• Everyday tools in the same app. App Lock, a Password Vault, a file manager and contact tools.

Where Malwarebytes is different

• A full malware scanner. Malwarebytes states that its Malware Scanner “scans for and removes malware and potentially unwanted programs”. [2] Applore does not remove malware.
• Real-time protection. Malwarebytes states that Real-Time Protection on Android “proactively defends against ransomware, PUPs, and phishing attempts in real time”. [2] Applore’s checks run on a schedule and can be delayed by battery saving.
• An independent stalkerware test. In AV-Comparatives’ Stalkerware Test 2025, run with the Electronic Frontier Foundation and published on 5 November 2025, Malwarebytes Mobile Security detected all 17 stalkerware test apps. [3] AV-Comparatives notes that the test used a particular set of samples. Applore was not part of this test.
• Scam help. Malwarebytes describes Scam Guard as “a free AI-powered tool built into Mobile Security”. [2]
• VPN and web protection. Malwarebytes’ Android page lists a VPN and web protection. [1]

What Applore cannot do

Many people use more than one tool. A security app and Applore’s check can run on the same phone. Neither one replaces reviewing which apps have sensitive access in your settings.

Privacy and permissions

Both summaries are quoted from each app’s Google Play Data safety section, checked on 15 September 2026.

Malwarebytes - Mobile Security [4]

• Shared: no data shared with third parties.
• Collected: device or other IDs; files and docs; personal info (name and email address); app activity (app interactions and installed apps).
• Security: data is encrypted in transit, and you can request that data be deleted.

Applore [5]

• Shared: device or other IDs, for app functionality and analytics.
• Collected: app interactions, for app functionality.
• Security: data is encrypted in transit, and you can request that data be deleted.

Applore’s check runs on your phone, and the list of installed apps is not sent to analytics. Read how detection works and what Google Play Protect checks.