If you’ve ever had your sound stop working or your video card get cranky after a Windows update, you know what it’s like to mess around with drivers. It’s the part of the system that no one thinks about until everything goes to hell.
Then IObit Driver Booster Pro becomes necessary. A program that seems like it should fix everything in a couple of clicks. But is it as good as they say it is? I tried it – I’m telling it like it is.
What Driver Booster Pro actually does
In essence, it is a software to update drivers automatically. It checks your computer, discovers outdated or faulty drivers and provides new installations. All this through a fairly simple interface and with almost no input from you.
In the free version, you can update drivers too, but:
- download speed is limited,
- not all drivers are available,
- no backup functions,
- offline update does not work.
The Pro version removes all of these limitations. Plus, it puts WHQL-certified drivers (those verified by Microsoft), can make backups, and, most importantly, often helps you fix hardware errors even when Windows can’t handle them.
How it works – step by step
- Scanning. The program scanned my PC in 15 seconds. It found 18 outdated drivers. Honestly, I was surprised.
- Update. I pressed one button and the download and installation started. Everything happened quietly and without pop-ups.
- Result. After rebooting, the bug with the video driver, which made games slow down, disappeared. The sound also became cleaner – as it turned out, it suffered because of the old Realtek driver.
What I liked about it
- Simple interface
Everything is clear, even if you are not very tech-savvy. There is one screen, one big button. Press it and go.
- Speeds up the launch of games
Driver Booster Pro puts so-called “Game Ready drivers”, which really help – I got +10 FPS in Apex Legends. No kidding.
- Driver Backups
If something goes wrong, you can roll back. This saved me when one of the Bluetooth drivers turned out to be glitchy.
- Works even without internet
There is an offline mode where the program creates a package of the required drivers on another device. This is useful if you have, say, a broken network card and the driver won’t install.
But there are disadvantages
- Paid subscription
Pro-version costs about \$23 per year (you can find it at a discount). It’s not critical, but it may seem expensive to some people. Especially if you’re not a fan of regular subscriptions. (but you can still download it for free from our site).
- sometimes offers unnecessary
The program tries to push other IObit products. Not intrusive, but still. You can turn it off, but it’s annoying.
- Not all problems are solved automatically
Despite loud promises, not every driver is updated perfectly. Once I had to manually download a driver from the manufacturer’s website because the one Booster offered conflicted with the BIOS.
Comparison with other programs
I’ve tried both Driver Easy and Snappy Driver Installer. The latter is free and powerful, but terribly complicated. Driver Easy is similar in functionality, but with a more confusing interface.
Driver Booster Pro wins due to its simplicity and speed. And its driver database is actually larger.
Who it’s good for
For those who have occasional crashes of sound, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and other hardware.
Those who don’t want to have to go through Device Manager manually.
Gamers – especially if you have an old graphics card and want to get the most out of it.
Those who have no internet connection on their PC and the network card driver is down – offline mode really helps here.
Verdict: Is it worth taking?
If you want to forget about drivers for the next year – yes, you should.
The program is quiet, fast and does what it promises. It’s not perfect – but it saves a lot of time and nerves. Especially if you don’t want to go to the Realtek or Intel site every time looking for the right file.
Where to get and what to look out for
It is best to download from our site – so there is less chance of running into actual version with viruses, we have everything crystal clear and safe.
And yes, from time to time there are promotions and coupons – you can get a license for a year for 15 dollars (if you do not want to continue to sit on the free version). Just Google “Driver Booster Pro coupon”.
