When it comes to antispyware apps, there's nothing quite like Spybot Search and Destroy. Not only is it free, Spybot offers a wide variety of customization options, from skins to language choice, all while maintaining the integrity and thoroughness you'd expect from our CNET Editors' Choice award winner.

In January, Microsoft joined the antispyware party, also offering a free antispyware tool. However, the Microsoft app doesn't currently have as much customization as Spybot, and, in an informal side-by-side test, the Microsoft Antispyware app missed a few spyware apps readily identified by Spybot. We found that on older machines, Microsoft Antispyware produces a noticeable drag. Spybot, on the hand, remains light on your system and won't impede your work flow.

Not to be outdone, however, is Symantec, which also released its own antispyware app in April. Rather than making its product available separately, Symantec rolled it into the existing Norton Internet Security product. The result? Microsoft's app may produce a slight drag, but Symantec's tool can downright slow your old PC to a crawl. Like Microsoft's product, Symantec's Norton Internet Security 2005 Antispyware edition is currently in beta. Both companies are expected to announce their final versions later this summer.