# HitmanPro Application: Sophos Also called hitman pro, hitmanpro.alert, sophos hitmanpro Sophos, Security A second-opinion scanner Sophos owns. The window is HitmanPro.exe. It is not Malwarebytes and not Sophos Home. ## What you need to know HitmanPro.exe is an on-demand second opinion. It is not Malwarebytes. Sophos owns HitmanPro. The usual job is a scan beside an existing engine. Malwarebytes is another vendor. Sophos Home is the resident household SKU. Two live realtime products is still a fight if you turn Alert into a resident. - **What is it?**: Sophos second-opinion scanner **Same as Malwarebytes?**: No. Different vendor **Resident AV?**: On-demand by default. Alert can add extras Feex says If you already have Defender, HitmanPro is a scan you run, not a second resident. Malwarebytes Premium is the product that tries to take the slot. I would not run Alert realtime plus Defender plus Sophos Home. ## What is HitmanPro? HitmanPro is a Sophos-owned on-demand scanner. HitmanPro.exe is the Windows process. Malwarebytes is a different second-opinion vendor. ## If you have never used it If you want a second opinion Sophos owns, this is HitmanPro, not Malwarebytes. Download it from hitmanpro.com. HitmanPro.exe is an on-demand scanner you run and close. It is designed to sit beside an existing antivirus, not to replace Windows Security as a second resident engine. Sophos Home is the household resident SKU. Alert is a different HitmanPro product with realtime. ## What is it used for? **On-demand second opinion** Run a scan while Defender or another AV stays resident. That is the intended job. Malwarebytes Free is the other common second opinion. **Cloud reputation look-ups** HitmanPro asks its cloud about files. That is not ekrn.exe and not MsMpEng.exe. **Alert extras** HitmanPro.Alert adds exploit and crypto extras. That SKU is easier to confuse with a resident AV. The base HitmanPro.exe scan is still on-demand. ## Who is it for? - People who already have an AV and want another scan - Users who should not install Sophos Home as a second resident on top of Defender plus this - Anyone who mixed this with Malwarebytes Premium realtime ## Current status Actively offered under Sophos. This article is the on-demand scanner, not Sophos Central. ## How old is it? Surfright shipped HitmanPro in 2008. Sophos bought it. Current on-demand builds are still the second-opinion tool. HitmanPro.Alert is the extra product with exploit extras. A 2010 portable scan is the same idea. ## Versions Major channels first. Exact build numbers are not all verified here. HitmanPro on-demand HitmanPro.Alert ## System requirements Values follow the publisher's public guidance. Workload still changes the real need. ### Minimum | Operating system | Windows 10 or Windows 11, per HitmanPro support | | ---------------- | ----------------------------------------------- | | RAM | Light when closed. A scan follows the disk | ## Resource profile - **CPU demand**: During the scan **Network demand**: Cloud look-ups while scanning ## Installed processes These executables belong to this product when it is installed. | HitmanPro.exe | On-demand scanner. Not MBAMService.exe | | ------------- | -------------------------------------- | ## Startup components On-demand HitmanPro should not need to start with Windows. Alert extras can add a resident. That is the SKU to watch. ## File locations | Typical install | C:\Program Files\HitmanPro\\ | | --------------- | ---------------------------- | ## Common problems ### Alert realtime plus live Defender The on-demand scanner is safe beside Defender. Turning on a second resident layer is the two-engine case. ### People treat it as Sophos Home Home is the household suite from home.sophos.com. HitmanPro is the second-opinion exe. ## Getting unstuck ### Install from hitmanpro.com malwarebytes.com is the other second opinion. home.sophos.com is the resident Home SKU. ### Run the scan, then close it if you only wanted on-demand A leftover Alert resident plus Defender is the fight to avoid. ### Check Windows Security if you enabled Alert protection The owner page should still make sense. Two live engines is the warning. ## Alternatives Malwarebytes Free for another on-demand scan. AdwCleaner for PUPs only. Windows Security as the resident engine. ## Official help and downloads Start with the vendor. Random exe sites are not a support channel. | Download | [www.hitmanpro.com/ ](https://www.hitmanpro.com/)Official installer or vendor page | | ------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Help | [support.hitmanpro.com/ ](https://support.hitmanpro.com/)Vendor support | | Official site | [www.hitmanpro.com/ ](https://www.hitmanpro.com/)Start here, not a random exe host | ## Related hardware A scan is disk-heavy. That is the job. It should not stay as a second resident on a small laptop. ## Technical details Technical details Vendor version numbers change. This article does not pin a build. ## Related These entities connect to this article. Type is shown on every link. [Sophos Home: Application](https://feex.it/wiki/software/sophos)[Malwarebytes: Application](https://feex.it/wiki/software/malwarebytes)[How to read Task Manager: Guide](https://feex.it/wiki/software/system/how-to-read-task-manager) ## Sources and verification Reviewed by Feex editorial. Last verified August 2026 Status: Feex Reviewed. [How we research](https://feex.it/wiki/research). - [HitmanPro official site ](https://www.hitmanpro.com/)· Vendor product page - [HitmanPro help ](https://support.hitmanpro.com/)· Vendor support - [Foxhole process map ](https://foxhole.feex.it/)· First-party samples on Windows PCs. Not a lab benchmark. ## Was this article useful? A yes or no is enough. Pick a reason if you want, or add a short note. Quick facts The short identity of this page. Specs, sources, and the full story stay in the article. - **Developer**: Sophos **Category**: On-demand second-opinion scanner **Process**: HitmanPro.exe **License**: Paid on-demand. Not a full resident suite by default **First released**: 2008 **Official site**: [hitmanpro.com](https://www.hitmanpro.com/) **Mapped by Feex**: Seen on Windows PCs in Foxhole Feex Reviewed: Last verified August 2026 --- Source: [Canonical Feex Wiki page](https://feex.it/wiki/software/hitmanpro/) [Developer guide](https://feex.it/wiki/developers/) | [API policy](https://feex.it/developers/api-policy/) | [Agent guidance](https://feex.it/wiki/llms.txt)