Panda Cloud Antivirus

Panda Cloud Antivirus was an antivirus software developed by Panda Security. It was available in both free and paid versions. The software was cloud-based in the sense that files were scanned on a remote server, minimizing the use of the user's machine’s processing power. This cloud scanning approach was powered by Panda’s Collective Intelligence technology. It provided real-time protection against viruses and malicious websites, although some users reported system slowdowns during operation.

Panda Cloud Antivirus
Developer(s)	Panda Security
Initial release	November 10, 2009; 15 years ago (2009-11-10)
Stable release	16.1.1 / February 2016; 9 years ago (2016-02)
Operating system	Windows XP SP3 or later
Platform	32-bit, 64-bit
Available in	English, German, Spanish, Greek, French, Italian, Dutch, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Swedish, Turkish and Chinese
Type	Antivirus
License	Proprietary
Website	www.pandasecurity.com/homeusers/

Panda Cloud Antivirus was discontinued and replaced by a more modern antivirus suite under the Panda Dome branding^[1]. As of 2025, the original standalone Panda Cloud Antivirus product is no longer actively maintained or promoted.

Features

According to Panda Security, Panda Cloud Antivirus is able to detect viruses, trojans, worms, spyware, dialers, hacking tools, hacker and other security risks.^[2]

Panda Cloud Antivirus relies on its "Collective Intelligence" and the cloud for up-to-date information.^[3] It normally uses an Internet connection to access up-to-date information; if the Internet cannot be accessed, it will use a local cache of "the most common threats in circulation".^[4]

Today, Panda's cloud scanning technology still exists in its modern security products such as Panda Dome Essential, Advanced, Complete, and Premium ^[5] which use advanced AI and real-time analytics to deliver similar functionality under a more comprehensive suite of tools.

Reviews

Panda Dome has received mixed reviews from security analysts and users alike, reflecting its evolution into a lightweight but sometimes inconsistent antivirus solution.

A 2024 review from TechRadar highlighted Panda Dome's strong lab results, noting a 99.25% online protection rate and zero false positives in SE Labs' Q4 2024 report. The antivirus was praised for its simplicity and real-time protection, but offline detection was notably weak at 36.6%, and 28 false positives were flagged by AV-Comparatives during the same period. ^[6]

SafetyDetectives, in its 2025 hands-on test, found that Panda Dome successfully blocked 100% of spyware and ransomware, and over 95% of general malware. However, it underperformed in phishing protection and lacked a kill switch in the VPN. The review noted that support responses were slow and often unhelpful. ^[7]

In ExpertReviews' summary of a 2023 AV-Comparatives test, Panda Dome blocked 99.97% of threats, putting it on par with top-tier tools like Kaspersky and Bitdefender. However, the software generated over 100 false positives, significantly more than any competitor tested. ^[8]

A 2025 review by AllAboutCookies described Panda Dome as a feature-rich, user-friendly solution, ideal for users wanting an all-in-one antivirus and system optimization suite. However, the macOS version was criticized for lacking key tools such as a firewall and tune-up utilities. Slow scan speeds were also mentioned as a drawback.^[9]

License

The free edition of Panda Cloud Antivirus is released under a license. Its usage is exclusively allowed for private households, state schools, non-governmental and non-profit organizations.^[10]

As of today, Panda Security (now owned by WatchGuard Technologies since 2020) offers Panda Dome Free for non-commercial use, with premium plans available for home and business customers. ^[11]