Driver Booster v11 Review (Free Driver Updater)

Driver Booster is a free program that updates drivers in Windows. It regularly checks for outdated drivers for your hardware and even downloads and updates them with one click. Every driver package is downloaded directly through the program, and batch downloading makes it easy to get multiple device driver updates with one click.

Driver Booster Features

Driver Booster boasts an impressive list of attributes:

• Works with Windows 11, Windows 10, Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Vista, and Windows XP
• Millions of device drivers are supported
• Definitions for those devices update automatically and frequently, meaning there's no need to manually update the program every time a new driver is added to the database
• A driver's version number, size, and release date are displayed next to each driver that needs to be updated (in the Driver Details window), helping to identify the size and age of a new driver before it gets updated
• Drivers that are already up-to-date are also shown but in a separate section from the outdated ones
• The number of days since you last scanned with Driver Booster is shown on the main screen
• It also checks for outdated game components, like Microsoft DirectX Runtime
• An option in the settings lets you have the program auto-delete driver packages after they've been used for an installation, which is an easy way to make sure it's not collecting useless junk files
• You can export the list of outdated drivers to a file that includes the device name, class, vendor, current and available version, hardware ID, and compatible ID
• Installation windows and other pop-ups are hidden to make installation as easy and quick as possible
• The list of drivers found in Driver Booster is labeled according to the severity of the update, two examples being Extremely Old and Old
• Tools is a section that includes some tools for fixing sound errors, correcting network failures, cleaning up data related to unplugged devices, and fixing resolution issues by cleaning up driver data. There's also a "system information" area that shows details about the computer and operating system and a way to install drivers when you're offline

My Thoughts on Driver Booster

If you're looking for an easy-to-use driver updater, Driver Booster is likely your best bet. I use this program all the time, on my computer and other PCs I service, and I have yet to encounter any problems downloading or installing drivers. Unlike reports I've read, it's never caused BSOD errors for me.

The updates don't launch in a web browser, so you don't have to download these drivers manually as you might with other driver updater tools. That's far too much of a hassle that might even deter some from updating their drivers, and it can sometimes lead to clicking the incorrect download link.

Something to be aware of: The program cannot scan correctly unless an active internet connection is established (some driver updaters don't need a network connection to scan). It will look like it's working, but without network access, it will simply scan without using any factual update information, which results in displaying an incorrect set of updates (or none at all). If you need to use the offline feature, find it in the Tools menu.

Because there's also Driver Booster Pro, some features are limited in the free version. For example, millions of additional drivers are supported in the professional program. Features like automatically downloading and backing up drivers, and automatic program updates, aren't options in the free edition. If you opt to use the Pro trial, know that it's limited to one driver update per day.

So what about the things I don't like? There's not much. Besides the Pro features not being included in the free version, one gripe I have is that the Action Center tab is basically a giant ad for the company's other products. Also, there's a Game Boost and a System Optimize tool in Driver Booster that aren't related to drivers at all. Fortunately, they're tucked away in their own tab, though, so they're not really in the way.

Another thing to note: There are occasionally promotional pop-ups that you simply can't get rid of. After you install Driver Booster, you'll likely see little windows pop up on the bottom right side of the screen, advertising IObit's other apps. Unfortunately, all you can do is exit them.