{"id":94675,"date":"2025-04-18T21:12:49","date_gmt":"2025-04-18T21:12:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.auslogics.com\/en\/articles\/?p=94675"},"modified":"2025-07-15T10:46:14","modified_gmt":"2025-07-15T10:46:14","slug":"full-review-the-best-driver-updater-tools-for-windows-pcs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.auslogics.com\/en\/articles\/full-review-the-best-driver-updater-tools-for-windows-pcs\/","title":{"rendered":"[REVIEW] The Best Driver Updater Tools for Windows PCs in 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"

Many Windows issues are tied to faulty device drivers<\/a>. These are the small programs that allow your operating system and hardware components to understand and talk to each other. If your games are not running well, you\u2019re experiencing choppy audio, or some peripheral devices refuse to connect, updating the affected device\u2019s driver almost always resolves the problem.<\/p>\n

Driver updates are also used to introduce new device features.<\/p>\n

However, downloading and installing driver updates<\/a> for more obscure devices can be a challenge. Windows also lacks the ability to notify you whenever a manufacturer drops a must-have new driver version.<\/p>\n

You can resolve these issues with driver updaters. This article shows you the safest driver updaters to use and goes through what you should ideally look for in these utilities.<\/p>\n

How Do Driver Updaters Work?<\/h2>\n

Drivers provided by manufacturers are generally free to download and install. Developers pool these software packages into databases connected to their driver update utilities. The programs (driver updaters) are designed to compare your computer\u2019s drivers to the official updates in the database.<\/p>\n

The next step is to list available updates for your system based on its findings.<\/p>\n

In many cases, you\u2019ll get extra features, such as driver update schedules, backup and restore, and bulk installations, for a small fee.<\/p>\n

Do You Need a Third-Party Driver Updater?<\/h2>\n

Yes, if you want to avoid tracking new driver releases manually or installing numerous device manufacturer programs.<\/p>\n

You need it more if you intend to reinstall Windows. Device Manager\u2019s yellow tags for driverless and unidentifiable devices are all too familiar for users who have gone through this process before. These devices generally do not work as they should, and Device Manager cannot update them in most cases. While Microsoft publishes drivers through Windows Update, you don\u2019t always get the drivers you need.<\/p>\n

Manually identifying, downloading, and installing updates for every unrecognized device is not only time-consuming but also risky. There\u2019s a chance that you might download a software package for a different Windows architecture, which could cause even more problems. Another risk involves downloading from unsafe sources.<\/p>\n

A driver updater will spare you the headache and help you avoid the risk of downloading the wrong drivers. You also need driver updaters when finding updates for peripherals like USB mice and keyboards<\/a>, external microphones, and Bluetooth or wired headphones<\/a>\u00a0proves difficult.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a snapshot showcasing the differences between manual driver updates, the Windows Update tool, and third-party driver updaters:<\/p>\n

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Aspect<\/strong><\/th>\nManual updates<\/strong><\/th>\nWindows Update<\/strong><\/th>\nThird-party driver updater<\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
Ease of use<\/strong><\/td>\n\u274c Users must search official websites to find the correct driver updates for their devices and operating systems<\/td>\n\u2705 Windows Update displays available updates for device drivers<\/td>\n\u2705 One-click driver scans and updates<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Speed<\/strong><\/td>\n\u274c The process can be laborious and time-consuming, especially when updating multiple drivers<\/td>\n\u274c Metered network may slow down the process<\/td>\n\u2705 Third-party apps are the fastest options, as some can download and install multiple driver updates simultaneously<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Driver detection and matching<\/strong><\/td>\n\u274c Users must check their driver versions in Device Management to confirm which software package to install<\/td>\n\u274c Does not scan for outdated drivers on demand; only installs updates released by Microsoft<\/td>\n\u2705 Can perform scans to detect outdated and updated device drivers; shows driver information, such as version and date<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Notifications<\/strong><\/td>\n\u274c Not available<\/td>\n\u274c Windows automatically downloads drivers in some cases, but it does not scan and notify you about new drivers<\/td>\n\u2705 Pushes notifications when new drivers are available<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Driver backups<\/strong><\/td>\n\u274c You have to back up your drivers manually, which can be bulky<\/td>\n\u274c Does not back up drivers<\/td>\n\u2705 Allows you to back up and restore individual drivers<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Security<\/strong><\/td>\n\u274c The process can be risky since it\u2019s possible to download drivers from unsafe sources after a Google search<\/td>\n\u2705 Safe<\/td>\n\u2705 Some third-party programs allow you to scan drivers using your antivirus software<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Peripheral driver updates<\/strong><\/td>\n\u274c You can download and install driver updates for peripheral devices but searching for each driver manually<\/td>\n\u274c Windows Update does not typically provide drivers for peripheral devices<\/td>\n\u2705 Most third-party tools provide updates for peripheral devices<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n
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Need help with your PC?<\/div>\r\n\t
Try our Ask a Question<\/a> service — our experts will diagnose and resolve your PC issues completely free of charge.<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\n

Do You Need to Update Drivers Regularly?<\/h2>\n

In some cases, yes. Some device manufacturers only release drivers when new updates are required to iron out a few kinks or deploy new features.<\/p>\n

However, in other cases, such as with graphics card drivers<\/a>, updates are more frequent. You may not need to download and install every single release since some target specific computers, games, and software applications.<\/p>\n

Still, keeping your drivers up to date<\/a> is the best way to avoid problems and security loopholes.<\/p>\n

The Best Driver Updater Tools: Our Top Picks<\/h2>\n

The applications on this list are designed to automatically detect outdated device drivers and install the latest versions compatible with your system. They also provide other features that make the update process faster, easier, and safer than manual installations.<\/p>\n

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I ranked programs based on reliability, accessibility (level of free access), usefulness (the type of driver updates they provide), and value. Features, such as security checks, backups, and ignore lists, were also factors. <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\n
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Driver Updater<\/strong><\/th>\nFree update installation (including free trials)<\/strong><\/th>\nMultiple updates<\/strong><\/th>\nBackup and restore<\/strong><\/th>\nCustom scan schedules<\/strong><\/th>\nUpdates for external device drivers<\/strong><\/th>\nIgnore lists<\/strong><\/th>\nPrice ($)<\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
Auslogics Driver Updater<\/strong><\/a><\/td>\n\u2705 Yes<\/td>\n\u2705 Yes<\/td>\n\u2705 Yes<\/td>\n\u2705 Yes<\/td>\n\u2705 Yes<\/td>\n\u2705 Yes<\/td>\n\ud83d\udcb2 22.80 (full 3 PC license)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Intel Driver and Support Assistant<\/strong><\/a><\/td>\n\u2705 Yes<\/td>\n\u2705 Yes<\/td>\n\u274c No<\/td>\n\u274c No<\/td>\n\u274c No<\/td>\n\u274c No<\/td>\n\ud83c\udd93 Free<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
IObit Driver Booster<\/strong><\/a><\/td>\n\u2705 Yes (only limited drivers)<\/td>\n\u2705 Yes<\/td>\n\u2705 Yes<\/td>\n\u274c No (only automatic, and may be convenient)<\/td>\n\u2705 Yes<\/td>\n\u2705 Yes<\/td>\n\ud83d\udcb2 22.95 – 27.95 (annual subscription)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
AMD Software<\/strong><\/a><\/td>\n\u2705 Yes<\/td>\n\u2705 Yes<\/td>\n\u274c No<\/td>\n\u274c No<\/td>\n\u274c No<\/td>\n\u274c No<\/td>\n\ud83c\udd93 Free<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Snappy Driver Installer<\/strong><\/a><\/td>\n\u2705 Yes<\/td>\n\u2705 Yes<\/td>\n\u274c No<\/td>\n\u274c No<\/td>\n\u2705 Yes<\/td>\n\u274c No<\/td>\n\ud83c\udd93 Free<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Driver Easy<\/strong><\/a><\/td>\n\u274c No<\/td>\n\u2705 Yes<\/td>\n\u2705 Yes<\/td>\n\u274c No<\/td>\n\u2705 Yes<\/td>\n\u274c No<\/td>\n\ud83d\udcb2 29.95 (annual subscription for up to 3 PCs)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Avast Driver Updater<\/strong><\/a><\/td>\n\u2705 Yes<\/td>\n\u2705 Yes<\/td>\n\u2705 Yes<\/td>\n\u274c No<\/td>\n\u2705 Yes<\/td>\n\u2705 Yes (but no defined lists)<\/td>\n\ud83d\udcb2 43.99 (annual subscription)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
OEM Software<\/strong><\/a><\/td>\n\u2705 Yes<\/td>\n\u2729 In some cases<\/td>\n\u2729 Rare<\/td>\n\u274c No (automatic schedules in some cases)<\/td>\n\u274c No<\/td>\n\u274c No<\/td>\n\ud83c\udd93 Free<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n

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\r\n \"IMG\"\r\n <\/div>\r\n
Auslogics Driver Updater: Overall best driver updater<\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n
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\r\n \"Auslogics\r\n <\/div>\r\n
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What we like<\/div>\r\n