Nothing gets to you.
Spider maps the web for a living. Shield turns what we learn into a filter on your device that blocks malware, spyware, phishing pages and the trackers inside your TV before the first byte arrives. Safe traffic passes. It costs nothing.
A drawing of a spider's web with your device at the centre. One phishing host is caught on an outer ring and struck through. One mail request has passed through to the centre.
What Shield blocks, and where.
One filter under every app on the device. Four things it does that an antivirus scan and a browser extension do not.
Blocks threats before they arrive
Antivirus scans a file after it lands. Shield refuses the connection that carries it, so malware, spyware and phishing pages never reach your disk.
Covers every app, including the TV
Shield filters below the browser, so Mail, games and whatever installs next are covered. Smart TVs report what you watch to data brokers. Shield blocks that reporting by name: Samsung ACR, Samba, Inscape, Alphonso, Roku telemetry.
Threat lists from the crawl
Spider crawls the web every day. Shield's lists name the ad networks, spyware brokers, phishing kits and malware droppers the crawl turns up. Signed, refreshed every hour, cached for offline.
Checks the route as well as the page
A hijacked router can send a real address to a fake page. Your device answers its own DNS, and Shield collects a small amount of operational data to keep checking that trusted routes still lead where they should. The Terms describe it.
Shield watches the road, never you.
- On-deviceVerdicts on your device
Blocking decisions happen locally, against Shield's own lists. Your browsing is never sent to a server to be scored.
- SignedSigned threat lists
Shield verifies each list on your device before using it, refreshes it hourly, and caches it so protection holds offline.
- VigilanceData collected in your defense
Shield collects a small amount of operational data to test that trusted routes still lead where they should. That is the whole collection, and the Terms describe it.
- Fail-safeFails open, never dark
If a list misfires, Shield lets traffic through instead of taking your connection down.
- No accountNo account, ever
No sign-up, no email, no login. Install it and it is on.
- FreeFree
No trial, no tier, no upsell. The bandwidth sharing in the Terms is what pays for it.
Questions.
Is Spider Shield really an antivirus?
Yes, one layer earlier. Antivirus waits for a malicious file to land and then scans for it. Shield blocks the connection that carries malware, spyware, phishing pages and tracking payloads, so nothing lands and there is nothing to clean.
What makes Spider Shield the best free antivirus?
It blocks threats before they arrive instead of scanning after. Its lists come from Spider's own crawl, are signed, and refresh every hour. And it is free, with no trial or upsell.
Is Spider Shield really 100% free?
Yes. No trial, no tier, no upsell. The bandwidth sharing described in the Terms is what pays for it, and you see that before you download.
Can Spider Shield protect my smart TV?
Smart TVs run automatic content recognition, which fingerprints what is on screen and reports it to data brokers. Shield's lists block that reporting by name: Samsung ACR, Samba, Inscape, Alphonso, Roku telemetry. On Android TV, install the Android app on the television. For any other TV, point its DNS at a machine running Shield.
Why does Shield collect some data?
Because the network itself can be the attacker. A hijacked router can serve a fake page at a real address. Shield answers DNS on your device instead of trusting the router, and collects a small amount of operational data to keep checking that well known routes lead where they should. The Terms describe it.
Does Spider Shield collect or sell my browsing history?
No. Blocking decisions happen on your device against Shield's own lists, and your browsing is not sent to a server to be scored. The only collection is the operational data used to detect route hijacking, disclosed up front. The Terms are the authoritative description of what the software does.
Will it slow down my computer?
No. Shield removes traffic rather than adding it. With ads, trackers and telemetry filtered out, pages make fewer connections, and there is no scan engine running on your disk.
Does it protect every app, or just my browser?
Every app. Shield filters at the device, below the browser, so Mail, Slack, games and whatever installs next are covered.
How is Shield different from an ad-blocker extension?
An extension protects one browser's tabs. Shield protects the machine, in every app and on any network you join, at home or away.
Do I need an account or any setup?
No. There is no sign-up and nothing to configure. Install it and protection is on.
Which platforms does Spider Shield run on?
macOS, Windows, Linux and Android, including phones, tablets and Android TV. One free download for each.
Nothing to clean. It never got in.
One download per platform. No account.
By downloading you agree to the Terms, including the bandwidth sharing and route testing they describe.
Spider Shield is independent and not affiliated with or endorsed by any carrier, network provider, or television manufacturer named above.
