Reliable antivirus programs. Antivirus programs: list of the best

They are provided with special programs - antiviruses. Ratings of the best free antiviruses, amateur and completely reputable tests are published with enviable regularity, but choosing a high-quality and functional product is not so easy.

In addition, free programs are not considered to provide as much protection as paid software. In fact, even in the segment of free applications you can choose the optimal solution. The ratings of free antiviruses are presented below.

Standard antivirus from Microsoft: prevalence and performance

Windows Corporation is the undisputed leader among suppliers of operating systems and related software. As of 2016, Windows 7 was installed on 55% of all devices, while Linux and Apple's OS X 10.11 accounted for 2% and 7% of users, respectively.

The ratings of free antiviruses rarely include standard solutions, but they are also acceptable programs to ensure the required level of security. Windows Defender, which comes with Windows 8 and 10, recognizes and eliminates up to 95% of common threats and about 85% of so-called zero-day attacks, i.e. the latest viruses against which protection algorithms have not yet been developed.

Is Windows Defender enough for the needs of the average user?

In general, along with compliance with basic security rules, the use of a modern browser and regular software updates allow you to successfully use a standard antivirus (reviews and the Windows Defender rating confirm this possibility) as the main security solution. But for those who often download pirated content, are an active Internet user, or store important data on their hard drive, it is better to take a closer look at other, free, but somewhat more functional programs.

Testing in independent antivirus laboratories

Comparative tests with a large number of samples are regularly carried out by leading antivirus laboratories. Test results allow developers to improve their own products, so participation is usually paid. Basically, the ratings of Windows antiviruses (the operating system is the most common, which is why tests are carried out on it) include paid versions of programs, but if a free solution provides complete protection, the software is also rated.

In May 2016, AV-Comparatives conducted dynamic testing of 19 antivirus programs. The study used the Windows 7 platform (with up-to-date third-party programs, such as Adobe Flash or Java) and 350 malicious test samples. Below is the rating of free antiviruses according to AV-Comparatives.

Results of practical research

The “Free Antivirus” rating (Windows 10 and other corporate-based operating systems) was topped by Bitdefender and ThreatTrack Vipre, which did not miss a single threat and worked without false positives. Trend Micro and F-Secure also took leading positions with a 100% malware recognition result, but 7 and 15 false positives, respectively. Kaspersky Internet Security closed the top five, missing 0.3% of threats but passing the test without false positives.

Free analogues of tested antivirus programs

Bitdefender's free counterpart, Free Edition, is used as an alternative to many paid applications, provides background virus protection and is capable of detecting spyware. ThreatTrack Vipre is not available in a free version. Trend Micro Titanium Antivirus+ is freely distributed only as a trial version (6 months of free use), like F-Secure (90 days). An analogue of Kaspersky Internet Security is Kaspersky Free Anti-Virus (Free) with a free license, which has somewhat limited capabilities compared to KIS or Total Security, but remains the optimal solution.

Antivirus rating for Windows: functionality

“Antivirus for free” (the rating is compiled by many reputable sources and amateurs) often differs in functionality from paid versions. However, this does not mean that free software is not capable of protecting your computer from viruses, malware and spyware.

In general, antivirus programs provide the following capabilities:

scanning for threats upon user request;

Constant system protection in the background;

scanning the file system while the computer boots;

an algorithm for detecting the latest malware, methods of combating which are not yet included in the general version of the application;

working with cloud storage;

network traffic control (firewall or Firewall);

third-party intrusion detection system;

Recognition of malicious attachments;

web protection;

interactive analysis and spam recognition;

automatic update.

At the same time, the best free antivirus for Windows 7 (ranked by functionality) does not necessarily have to include the entire set of features. The main thing is that the chosen solution meets the requirements and subjective ideas of a particular user.

Rating leader: ESET Nod32 Smart Security

All of the above features include a comprehensive antivirus with multi-level protection ESET Nod32 Smart Security. In addition to standard phishing protection, file system security, Internet access, and email in desktop email clients, ESET has some other interesting features. Among these additional features:

A serious disadvantage of the antivirus is the lack of protection in the free version against software that records user actions (mouse movements, keystrokes, clipboard, snapshots, and sometimes video recording of the screen).

Rating of free antiviruses: performance and tests

Another rating of free antiviruses is based on testing results and analysis of program performance. Panda Antivirus Pro and 360 Total Security have a slight effect on the loading speed of the system; AVG Antivirus Free, Bitdefender Antivirus Free Edition and ESET NOD32 Smart Security are not far behind. Avira Free Antivirus significantly slows down loading (more than three minutes).

Scanning system folders (even if malware is detected) takes about ten minutes for Avast Free Antivirus, AVG Antivirus Free, Avira Free Antivirus and ESET NOD32 Smart Security. Comodo Antivirus showed the worst result - the scan took more than half an hour.

The smallest amount of memory is used by Avast Free Antivirus and Panda Antivirus Pro (only 40 MB), and the real heavyweights are Avira Free Antivirus (175 MB), AVG Antivirus Free (130 MB) and 360 Total Security (120 MB). At the same time, Avira uses the processor by only 5%, while the smaller AVG Antivirus Free uses as much as 16%.

Distribution of places based on rating results

In general, free antiviruses for Windows XP (rating by performance), as well as for other platforms (Windows 7, 8, 10), are ranked as follows:

Panda Antivirus.

360 Total Security.

AVG Antivirus Free and Bitdefender Antivirus Free Edition.

Avira Free Antivirus and Comodo Antivirus.

Brief review of Panda Antivirus Pro

One of the main advantages - the low load on the system from Panda Antivirus, along with providing sufficient protection - is explained by the fact that the program is The software has most of the necessary functions, USB scanning is additionally available, but there are quite a lot of significant disadvantages that can be listed.

For example, a free antivirus (rated as the best solution based on test results) does not provide any protection against data interception by third-party programs, requires an active Internet connection to scan the system, and does not provide web protection. In addition, some users find malware in the installation files of the antivirus itself. The unsightly interface is another drawback of Panda Antivirus.

Antivirus apps for Android

If Windows occupies a leading position in the computer equipment market, then for mobile devices the Android operating system is almost a monopolist: 80% of smartphones run on Android. Mobile antiviruses are represented both by analogues of the already mentioned extended versions, and by programs that operate exclusively on smartphones.

The AV-Test laboratory tested mobile antiviruses. The rating of free antiviruses for Android is topped by the AhnLab application. The application carries out a comprehensive scan of the mobile device, prevents Internet threats, and allows you not to worry about the security of files and other personal data. At the same time, most of the programs presented in this rating are not common in the Russian-language segment, so you should rely more on real user reviews - there are no authoritative laboratories that would evaluate Russian-language applications.

Quite good solutions for choosing active users are CM Security, Dr.Web Light and a free antivirus (reviews, rating below). CM Security does not load the system and effectively copes with its duties, Dr.Web Light provides powerful protection, but irritates many users with frequent advertising . AVG AntiVirus is also a universal solution, in addition, in the Pro version of the application many useful additional functions become available, but this build consumes a large amount of resources, which is why the device may work slower.

In conclusion

An antivirus is a necessary program, because the user’s needs are not always met by standard options for protection against viruses and malware (especially on mobile devices). The choice of the optimal solution here largely depends on individual needs and subjective judgments, so you can be guided by various ratings, but you should not rely entirely on testing. What is the use of an antivirus that, according to research results, copes with its tasks perfectly, but is extremely inconvenient to use or significantly slows down the operation of a laptop or smartphone? Many users need to first try several options in order to ultimately choose the only one that is convenient.

The main evaluation criteria, which included 200 indicators, were:

• virus protection;
• ease of use;
• influence on the speed of the computer.

Protection against malware is the most important evaluation criterion: indicators within this group of parameters accounted for 65% of the overall antivirus rating. Ease of use and impact on computer speed accounted for 25% and 10% of the overall score, respectively.

Antivirus programs were selected for research based on popularity among consumers and affordability. For this reason, the list of antivirus programs studied included:

• Free programs - both built-in and offered separately.
• Paid programs from leading antivirus brands. Based on selection principles, the study did not include the most expensive versions of software products from these brands.
• Only one paid product from one brand for one operating system could be included in the rating. The second product could only be included in the rating if it was free.

This time, the international study included products developed by Russian companies in the category. As a rule, the list of products for international testing includes products with a sufficient market share and high recognition among consumers, so the inclusion of Russian developments in the study indicates their wide representation and demand abroad.

Top Ten for Windows

All antiviruses in the top ten cope with spyware protection and protect against phishing - attempts to gain access to confidential data. But there are differences between antiviruses in the level of protection, as well as in the presence or absence of this or that function in the tested versions of the antivirus.

The summary table shows the top ten programs according to the overall rating. It also takes into account the features of the packages in terms of their set of functions.

How good is standard Windows 10 protection?

As of February 2018, the share of Windows PC users with Windows 10 operating systems installed on their desktop computers was 43%. On such computers, the antivirus is installed by default - the system is protected by the Windows Defender program, which is included in the operating system.

The standard antivirus, which, judging by statistics, is used by most people, was only 17th in the ranking. In terms of overall performance, Windows Defender scored 3.5 out of a possible 5.5.

The built-in protection of the latest versions of Windows is getting better every year, but it still does not match the level of many specialized antivirus programs, including those that are distributed free of charge. Windows Defender showed satisfactory results in terms of online protection, but completely failed the phishing and anti-ransomware tests. By the way, protection against phishing is claimed by antivirus manufacturers. It also turned out that it does a poor job of protecting your computer offline.

Windows Defender is quite simple in terms of design. It clearly reports the presence of a particular threat, clearly demonstrates the level of protection and has a “parental control” function that limits children from visiting unwanted resources.

Windows 10's standard protection is only decent. Based on the overall rating, 16 programs for protecting a personal computer on Windows OS turned out to be better than it. Including four free ones.

In theory, you can rely only on Windows Defender if the user has regular updates turned on, their computer is connected to the Internet most of the time, and they are advanced enough to consciously avoid visiting suspicious sites. However, Roskachestvo recommends installing a specialized anti-virus package for greater confidence in the security of your PC.

How we tested

Testing was carried out in the world's most qualified laboratory specializing in antivirus programs over a period of six months. A total of four groups of malware protection tests were conducted: general online protection test, offline test, false positive rate test, and automatic and on-demand scanning test. To a lesser extent, the final rating was influenced by checking the ease of use of the antivirus and its effect on the speed of the computer.

• General protection

Each antivirus package was tested online against a set of viruses, totaling more than 40,000. It was also checked how well the antivirus copes with phishing attacks - when someone tries to gain access to the user's confidential data. A test was carried out for protection against ransomware, which restricts access to a computer and data on it for the purpose of ransom. In addition, an online test of a USB drive containing malware is carried out. It is needed to find out how well the antivirus copes with finding and eliminating viruses when neither the presence of malicious files nor their origin is known in advance.

• USB offline test

Detection of malware located on a USB drive connected to a computer. Before the scan, the computer was disconnected from the Internet for several weeks so that the anti-virus packages were not 100% up-to-date.

• False positive

We tested how effectively the antivirus identifies real threats and skips files that are actually safe, but which the product classifies as dangerous.

• Automatic and on-demand scanning test

We tested how effectively the scanning function works when automatically scanning the computer for malware and when running it manually. The study also tested whether scanning could be scheduled for specific times when the computer was not in use.

Since the advent of viruses, antivirus programs have been improved and fight to protect the safety of information on your computer. Attacks on information resources have become commonplace, and programs that protect against attacks are available on almost every personal computer. As a rule, every serious company spends large sums and employs people to avoid penetration into its data libraries, but for a person, a simple anti-virus program is usually enough.
The choice of such antivirus programs is quite wide. Which one to use and which one to trust is a personal matter for everyone. Many of them do an excellent job; it is enough just to update the databases of known viruses, but users and specialists compare and study existing programs for optimality, efficiency and user-friendliness. This is what the ranking results for the past year look like - the best antiviruses.

1

When tested, this program showed a 100% result in searching for the viruses presented. It perfectly processes the mail that comes to you, the sites you visit, and, of course, computer resources. Its interface is user-friendly and easy to use, and it has rightfully taken the top position in this top 10 best antivirus.

2

A very well-known antivirus program that presents a large number of its products on the market. Testing went great and caught all types of viruses during testing. Can perform any tasks related to protecting resources from penetration, infection, destruction or theft. It rightfully took an honorable second place in the top 10 best antiviruses. Capable of checking absolutely everything you need to visit, including Internet sites and your email. The only drawback mentioned by users was the rather expensive license, but, as they say, if you want to be protected, you need to invest in protection.

3

It began to be developed in the late eighties and has a reputation as a reliable protector against any viruses. Modern versions of the product pay especially great attention to social networks. Uses SONAR 4 technology, which detects even a little-known virus.

4

Quite an old antivirus that processes files at great speed. It uses a small amount of resources when working and is simply a wonderful computer protector from various types of harmful programs. A negative property of F-Secure Anti-Virus is its inability to detect and warn about phishing links on visited Internet sites.

5

This antivirus program is built on the engines of such well-known antivirus programs as Avast and Bitdefender. On the one hand, this indicates its reliability, but on the other hand, this may not have the best effect on the operating time of a personal laptop in offline mode.

6

The big advantage of this antivirus program is its fairly convenient and easy to configure interface. Bullguard Antivirus uses multi-layered protection against any kind of virus, be it spyware or anything else. Constant database updates provide reliable results, and the ability to protect yourself from any kind of spam provides additional opportunities and guarantees of reliable computer operation.

7AVG Antivirus

One of the oldest antivirus programs, which appeared back in 1992. Protects your resources from various types of virus attacks and has many customization options.

8

Convenient enough to work online. Unfortunately, it does not detect phishing links on visited sites, which is its only drawback.

9

Works only with the company server. On the one hand, there is a plus in that your computer is not loaded with unnecessary data; everything is on the company’s server. On the other hand, you won’t be able to check anything offline and will have to wait for a connection. The downside of the program is that the priority for found infected programs is removal. He practically does not try to treat them.

10

It’s not bad at working with viruses, but not all tests pass, so it’s only effective on home personal computers that are not attacked by more and more new malware. But it recognizes already known spyware quite effectively. Does not require large resources.
We hope that now everyone can decide what suits them best.

Good day! It's no secret that any computer should always be software protected from various virus utilities that “walk” on the global network and can harm the PC (operating system, personal data, etc.). Therefore, it is advisable to go online only with anti-virus software installed. The 2016 antivirus rating will help a simple beginner or a confident user decide on a decent antivirus product and protect their favorite PC from viruses.

Back in the early 2000s, antivirus programs could be listed on one’s fingers. Today, the situation has changed on a large scale: there is so much antivirus software that their number exceeds hundreds of thousands. A simple user faces a responsible and difficult task: choosing a truly high-quality and effective antivirus from a huge number of software products in order to protect your computer as much as possible.

Our top antiviruses 2016 formed thanks to many important factors (positive reviews, number of downloads, tests from independent laboratories, etc.). So, below we will consider the best computer antiviruses for personal computers.

TOP best antiviruses for computer

10th place: System Care Ultimate
The System Care program can easily replace a good antivirus if your PC cannot, according to its technical characteristics, fully support complex protection systems. That is, if you are looking for an antivirus for a weak computer, then this software is suitable like no other.

The creators of System Care have achieved good results, proving that their comprehensive protection works quite stably and effectively, while the installer itself takes up minimal disk space. And it is not surprising, since the popularity of this antivirus is such that now in 2016 there are about 2,000,000 users who have System Care installed on their computer.

The antivirus program is essentially paid, but for 30 days users can use it for free, trying out all the “delights” of this software. During this period, you can easily decide whether to buy the full version of this product. System Care will provide real-time protection, contains three PC scanning modes (fast, full, custom), and does not load the computer while working in the background. This antivirus takes tenth place in our ranking of antivirus software. You can download it from the official website. Let's move on.

9th place: AVG
AVG is a fairly popular antivirus company from AVG Technologies, which is still actively recruiting new users. Virtually all reviews are positive about this software product, and that says a lot. Personally, I came across this antivirus and I can’t say anything bad about it, since it worked like a charm both on weak machines and on modern ones.

Czech developers emphasize the following features of their product: cross-platform, stable operation on computers with low specifications, a unique algorithm for effectively detecting and removing virus programs, and a user-friendly interface. There is a free version of AVG with the prefix FREE, a paid version called AntiVirus, and another paid version called Internet Security. You can download it from the link

8th place: AVAST
Well, who hasn’t heard of Avast antivirus software! I think such people can be counted on one hand. Over all the years of its existence, it has managed to gain the position of a truly reliable defender who can identify and eliminate any virus file.

The updated version of AVAST antivirus is adapted for the new operating systems Windows 8 and Windows 10. Some code has also been rewritten, which allowed the antivirus product to become more “lighter”. The update also affected the user interface, where you can see something similar to tiles from the new Windows operating systems. The developers promise that now the update can be obtained much faster, unlike before. You can download Avast from the link.

7th place: Avira
Here is an excellent free antivirus that is used by many users. The most important feature of Avira is its cross-density nature, which makes it possible to attract not only users of personal computers, but also people using mobile gadgets. The new version of antivirus software in 2016 has improved the algorithms for searching and removing malware.

This is what the main window of the Avira antivirus program looks like. A few words from myself: I installed this product on various computers, everything works to this day stably and without complaints. You can download Avira software from this link

6th place: Comodo
Next on our list of the best antiviruses is Comodo. Free, browser extensions, quick search and destruction of malicious code, minimal consumption of computer resources, convenient and functional user interface - all this makes it possible to use a truly high-quality antivirus product.

You can download the anti-virus comprehensive solution from the link

5th place: Dr. Web
In sixth place in the top computer antiviruses is Dr. Web. It has been known to everyone for a long time, and thanks to various improvements and enhancements by the developers of their product, Dr. antivirus software. The Web, as before, does not let its users down. Virus databases are constantly updated, which is a very important factor.

An antivirus can analyze the behavior of programs thanks to a special algorithm and thus find potentially dangerous or unwanted software for subsequent destruction. Download Dr. Web link

4th place: ESET NOD32
Eset NOD32 is an excellent comprehensive solution for protecting your PC from a variety of virus threats. This antivirus has long proven itself and copes well with various Trojans, viruses, adware, ruktits, spam, etc. The developers of this software product believe that “the best defense is an attack,” so the strict settings of the utility are aimed only at the permanent removal of any threat.

The NOD32 antivirus product is distributed on a paid basis, but if you search the global network, you can find a hacked version. By the way, this applies to any antivirus program. You can download NOD32 from the official website.

3rd place: Bitfender Soft
If you value your personal data on your computer and are worried about it, then choose Bitfender Soft antivirus software, where the developers have focused on protecting user files.

Many software testers recommend this antivirus system to those users who value personal data. Bitfender is recognized as the best paid antivirus according to reviews from users from all countries. Maximum protection is available for 26 bucks for a year. You can download Bitfender Soft antivirus here

2nd place: Kaspersky Anti-Virus
In second place in our top anti-virus systems is the well-known product - Kaspersky. I think you have probably heard about this antivirus, since it has been known throughout the world for a long time. Kaspersky Anti-Virus is very popular among users and occupies top places, and this is not surprising, since it provides comprehensive computer protection against any virus applications.

Over the years, the developers have improved their brainchild and now it is not just an antivirus, but also an email protector, a firewall, a virus scanner for mobile gadgets, and powerful protection against all kinds of threats.

Unfortunately, there is no point in installing it on weak computers, since Kaspersky Anti-Virus “eats” a lot of RAM. If you have a more or less modern computer, then there is nothing to worry about. You can download this product from the link

1st place: 360 Internet Security
The first line of our top antivirus is occupied by 360 Internet Security, which is rapidly gaining popularity. This antivirus today surpasses many competitors in comprehensive protection. Main program window:

A high-quality virus scanner, regular updates of virus signatures and program versions, a built-in application for cleaning your PC from various “garbage”, a built-in utility for closing “holes” in the operating system, maximum interaction with the system - all this is 360 Internet Security. Do you want your PC to be as protected as possible? Then install this antivirus without hesitation.

The article turned out to be quite large, but I think it will be useful for you, because choosing an antivirus is a very important point. Remember, no antivirus will give you a 100% guarantee of protecting your PC. Therefore, the best antivirus is a backup copy of personal files to other media. If you want to add anything on the topic, write in the comments! That's all, thanks for your attention!

PCMag tested all the popular solutions in the free antivirus category during 2016. This rating allows you to choose the best free antivirus to protect your Windows computer

Antivirus vendors typically pay for the opportunity to participate in testing because lab reports help improve products. The number of laboratories that include a particular product primarily indicates its importance. In any case, to test an antivirus, two conditions must be met: the laboratory must consider the product important enough, and the development company must be satisfied with the cost of participation. Labs are not required to test free products, but many vendors include full protection in free solutions while adding advanced features to paid products.

PCMag's own amateur tests

In addition to its rigorous analysis of lab test results, PCMag performs its own amateur program-blocking testing of antivirus products. Each antivirus encounters a set of different types of malware, after which the product’s reaction to the threat is recorded. Typically, an antivirus removes most samples at once and detects several more instances of malware when it tries to launch. Based on the test results, the product can receive from 0 to 10 points for blocking, depending on how thoroughly it protects the system from test threats.

The test collection has been in use for months, so the malware blocking test does not provide any indication of an antivirus's ability to detect the latest threats. A separate test attempts to download malware from online sources no more than a day old, provided by the MRG-Effitas laboratory. The testing process notes whether the product blocked access to a network location, cleared the malware payload during download, or ignored the threat. Avira Free Antivirus received the highest score in this test, followed by McAfee and Symantec in the final table.

Useful features

Each antivirus product in the collection scans files on access to prevent potential malware from running, and also scans the system on demand or on a set schedule. Blocking access to malicious links is a great way to stay out of trouble. Many products extend protection to prevent you from visiting fraudulent or phishing sites that try to steal your credentials. Some solutions assign rankings to search results by flagging suspicious and dangerous links.

Behavioral detection is featured in some products in the collection. On the one hand, this component can detect malware, which are unknown threats. On the other hand, behavioral analysis can lead to false positives for reliable programs.

One simple way to keep your computer as protected as possible is to install security updates for Windows, browsers, and other popular programs. Windows 10 has made updates mandatory for consumers, but many gaps remain in popular apps and plugins. Vulnerability scanning in the form of missed updates is a feature often found in commercial antivirus products. However, some free antiviruses have similar functionality.

Who was not included in the rating

This article contains information only about free antivirus solutions that have received at least a “good” rating from PCMag reviews. Among those products that were not included in this rating is Windows Defender, which was awarded 2.5 stars. Microsoft participates in tests from all monitored antivirus labs, but only for basic protection. If a product cannot exceed the basic level of protection, it is not worth considering.

Avast Free Antivirus 2016 scores highly in independent lab tests and PCMag's own tests, especially in its anti-phishing test. Additional features, such as a new password manager and innovative router security check, make the product an excellent choice for free protection.

The latest version of AVG AntiVirus Free scores high in tests from independent laboratories, and also performed well in our own amateur tests. AVG remains PCMag's Editors' Choice in the free antivirus category.

Although Panda Free Antivirus is not superior to the best commercial solutions, many paid antiviruses are inferior in effectiveness. The product remains PCMag's Editors' Choice in the free antivirus software category.

Bitdefender Antivirus Free Edition (2014) remains invisible on your system until a threat is detected. The tiny main window and automatic operation mode are perfect for users who value simplicity, efficiency and unobtrusiveness.

ZoneAlarm Free Antivirus + Firewall 2016 combines powerful antivirus protection from Kaspersky with a high-quality firewall. The product is an excellent choice for users who do not want to install a complex solution.