Most smartphone and laptop users have programs and applications downloaded from Softonic. They have MS Word for creating documents, Adobe Photoshop for editing images, Corel Draw for designing graphics, etc. In other words, Softonic saves you a lot of time which you need to visit respective websites to download programs one after another.
Thus, it is easier and faster to download programs and applications from a single platform. But is Softonic safe? The article reviews the popular platform including tons of apps and programs from various developers to confirm whether it is safe or not.
Let’s start.
Softonic explained
Softonic International started Softonic.com in 1997 in Barcelona, Spain. The objective was to offer a software hosting service. Thanks to this, users can now find a variety of applications and software for their mobile or desktop devices.
The Windows software platform is accessible in multiple languages including Arabic, Chinese, Dutch, English, German, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese , Russian, Spanish, Thai, Turkish and Vietnamese. Advertisement-seeking developers upload their apps and programs to Softonic. But the developer hub was shut down due to security concerns. Today, any developer wishing to put their software online must contact the site’s sales team and follow the procedure to ensure security. The apps and programs currently on the platform are genuine and virus free.
Is it safe to use Softonic?
Famous and new developers have uploaded genuine apps and programs on this platform, and users are downloading them free of charge. Some apps have both free and premium programs, so Softonic allows direct downloads or redirects users to the program developer. But the same developers can create insecure applications, which leads users to question the security of Softonic.
In fact, the platform had to discontinue its downloader in 2015 after malicious links impersonated it. As a result, several users filed complaints regarding such viruses and malware. To minimize risk of downloading harmful apps, users should avoid unknown apps. For example, popular programs like Microsoft Word, Google Chrome, and Netflix are provided by well-known developers. Moreover, the platform provides the latest versions of these apps, and it is easy to confirm before downloading.
The second way to protect yourself from harmful apps and programs is to review reviews before downloading anything from Softonic. Although the Windows software platform has taken steps to protect its users, you can also take precautions by downloading apps with positive reviews and high ratings. So read the reviews and look at the ratings. For example, most downloaded apps have more than 4 out of 5 stars. VLC media player has 4.1 stars and around 84,000 ratings and reviews from its users. This confirms that Softonic is safe.
The third way to prevent apps containing viruses and malware on this platform – which is still rare – is to check the Softonic Security badges. A clean app has a green colored badge, those with a warning are yellow while blocked ones are red.
Finally, Softonic has gone a step further and uses more than 50 world-renowned anti-virus services to scan its associated files and URLs. The measure is to block harmful app developers who are not willing to adhere to Softonic’s policy because they know theirs are dirty.
Therefore, all threat-free applications have a clean badge (in green color) because they are safe to download from Softonic. Apps with a yellow badge go through multiple scans to weed out the malicious ones and upgrade the clean ones. Users should stay away from any app with a yellow badge until Softonic confirms it is safe to download.
Verdict
Is it safe to download an application or program from Softonic? The answer depends on the badge color of the apps you want to download. If you download those with yellow badges, you are very likely to end up with apps that contain viruses and malware. So only download the clean ones, and Softonic will always be a safe platform to download your apps and programs.
