Rating of paid antiviruses for windows 7. Which antivirus to choose for Windows

Antivirus protection does not stand still and developers are constantly coming up with new protection features and updating not only databases, but also the shell and core of the antivirus itself.

Last year, some companies made such loud statements as “ cloud antivirus will stop virus threats 100% of the time". American company Reason Software even invented one such cloud-based antivirus, which, according to the company itself, catches 100% of threats, in real time, and the database is allegedly constantly updated on their server. In fact, any antivirus must go through many years and gain tremendous experience in order to cover virus threats from around the world. So it works much better in the US than in other countries. Also stated the ability to work in conjunction with other antiviruses as a "helper". This project is at the testing stage and was created only in 2015. You can get to know him. There is also a free, limited real-time version available for download.

Currently, companies are "catching up" with all hackers and inventors of new viruses. Antivirus vendors release databases only on the analyzed viruses. The latest viruses can only be detected by the real-time protection system, but it can miss 0.01% of viruses from the best antiviruses.

Let's see how to identify these best antiviruses of 2017. In this article, you will see:

1. Comparison of the Best Antivirus 2017
2. Highlighting in separate lists of paid and free antiviruses 2017
3. Expert test scores
4. Tables, graphs and download links

Antivirus 2017 and their Developers

AT Table No. 1 "Antiviruses and their Developers" the companies leading constant development of antiviruses are presented. Most of them have rich experience in developing security programs. Among them are companies from all over the world. Most of them were created in the early 90s.

Some antiviruses can be seen for the first time only in this review, because. they have not previously been evaluated by information security experts.

Some companies provide users with both paid and free antiviruses.

Recently, the trend has become very popular to displace the simple name of the antivirus and use Complex Systems Internet Security (Internet Security). This fashionable trend is gradually moving from paid antiviruses to free ones.

The Microsoft Windows Defender program is presented below to compare the performance of professional antiviruses with the standard built-in protection in Windows. In Windows 10, this protection also works as in the tables below.

Table No. 1 "Antiviruses and their Developers"

In 2010, Intel bought McAfee, but the brand was never officially renamed - the antivirus is still called McAfee Internet Security.

Indicators and overall rating of paid antiviruses 2017

For comparison with paid antiviruses and a more complete analysis of antiviruses 2017, below is provided table No. 2 "Overview of paid antiviruses 2017".

Among paid antiviruses, 4 antiviruses can be distinguished that received the highest scores for 3 indicators derived Independent Institute of IT Security - AV-Test in April 2016. Table #3 "Best Paid Antiviruses 2017".

Indicators and overall rating of Free Antivirus 2017

Chart #1 "Real Time Security Test - June 2016"

According to the chart above, we are interested in companies which have the largest block green, a red blocks— compromised attacks, when viruses got into the system — are minimal. orange blocks are virus attacks that depend on the decisions made by the user. If the user decides to continue working without blocking a potentially dangerous file, then the computer may be infected.

orange lines represent the number of "false virus alerts".

Speed ​​Test Data AV-Comparatives.Org

According to Schedule #2 "Speed ​​Test - June 2016" above, the speed test data carried out by AV Comparatives.org shows deep Scan level of influence installed antivirus for computer operation. Computer speed is usually slower when antivirus is running. And how many specific resources the antivirus will “eat” is shown as a percentage in the table above, the numbers are indicated above the histogram columns.

Popularity of Antiviruses according to a survey on www.site

Since 2013, this site has been running a survey among site visitors about which antivirus they use. You can see the result of the survey as of August 2016.

Table No. 6 "Number of Users who completed the Survey on the website www.site"

Rating of the Best Free Antivirus 2017

Reviews and tests of antiviruses

It is unlikely that your computer will be infected with a virus, but at the same time there is a risk of infection with other types malware and online threats. Ransomware Trojans encrypt important files and wait for a ransom payment before unlocking access to them. Banking Trojans interfere with online transactions and try to steal cash. A botnet infection will make your computer a link in a chain of devices used to organize DDoS attacks. For these and many other reasons, you should protect your computer with an antivirus. Don't worry about the price. The best free antiviruses are more effective than some commercial solutions. The PCMag Internet portal has conducted a comprehensive review of more than a dozen free antiviruses and recommends the best products for selection.

Many of the presented antiviruses are free for non-commercial use only. If you want to protect computers in your organization, you will need to purchase the paid version. In this case, it is worth considering switching to a full-fledged complex antivirus. After all, the security of your business depends on it. If you need to protect large enterprises, then SaaS solutions come to the rescue, which allow you to centrally monitor and manage the protection of all computers in the company.

Your antivirus must reliably remove malware that has taken root in the system, but its main task is to prevent new infections with ransomware Trojans, botnets, Trojans and other types of threats. All antiviruses presented in this rating offer real-time protection against malicious attacks. Many products offer strong web protection that blocks access to malicious object sources and prevents sensitive data entry on fraudulent sites.

Laboratory testing

Researchers at independent labs spend a lot of time and effort testing antiviruses. Some organizations regularly publish test reports. PCMag tracks results from 5 major labs: AV-Comparatives, AV-Test Institute, Simon Edwards Labs formerly Dennis Technology Labs), Virus Bulletin, and MRG-Effitas. The presence of certification in ICSA Labs and West Coast Labs is also taken into account.

Typically, antivirus developers pay for the opportunity to participate in testing. In turn, the labs provide vendors with detailed reports that help improve products. Thus, the number of laboratories that test a particular product is an indicator of the significance of this decision. 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, adding only advanced features to paid products.

PCMag Tests

In addition to a thorough analysis of the results of laboratory tests, PCMag conducts its own amateur testing of antiviruses to block malware. Every antivirus faces a set of malware different kind, after which the reaction of the product to the threat is recorded. Typically, the antivirus removes most of the samples at once and detects a few more instances of malware when it tries to run. Based on the results of the test, the product can receive from 0 to 10 points for blocking, depending on how carefully it protects the system from test samples.

The test collection has been in use for months, so the malware blocking test does not provide any indication of the ability of antiviruses to detect the latest threats. A separate test attempts to download malware from online sources less 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 at boot time, or ignored the threat. Norton scored the highest in this test, followed by Avira Free Antivirus in the final standings.

Useful Features

Each antivirus product in the collection scans files on access to prevent potential malware from running, and 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 expand protection to prevent visits to fraudulent resources, phishing sites that try to steal your credentials. Some solutions rank search results by flagging suspicious and dangerous links.

Behavioral detection is featured in some of the 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 trustworthy programs.

One in a simple way for maximum computer protection is to install security updates for Windows, browsers and other popular programs. In Windows 10, updates are mandatory and fully automated, but it remains a large number of gaps in old WIndows systems, popular applications and plug-ins. Scanning for vulnerabilities in the form of missed updates is a feature often found in commercial antivirus products. However, some free antiviruses have similar functionality.

Who is not ranked

This rating contains information only about free antivirus solutions that have received at least a “good” (Good) rating from PCMag reviews. Among those products that did not make it into this rating is Windows Defender, which was awarded 2.5 stars. Microsoft participates in the tests of all monitored antivirus labs, but only as a baseline protection. If a product can't beat the basic level of protection, it's not worth considering.

Avast Free Antivirus 2017 combines highly effective antivirus protection with an extensive collection of additional tools.

AVG AntiVirus Free (2017) has received an updated interface and new security technologies. Tests by independent laboratories and PCMag's own tests show that protection is even stronger than before.

Bitdefender Antivirus Free Edition includes the same antivirus protection as the paid Bitdefender Antivirus, but lacks the additional functionality of the commercial version.

Free Kaspersky Antivirus offers full-featured basic antivirus protection that scores excellent in lab tests.

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

Sophos Home allows you to provide powerful corporate antivirus capabilities to ordinary home users absolutely free of charge. The product performs well in tests by independent labs and in most of PCMag's own tests.

Avira Free Antivirus (2017)

Avira Antivirus gets excellent scores from independent labs, but in amateur tests, PCMag was very slow in scanning the test system. Also, web protection only works in Chrome and Firefox.

Adaware Antivirus Free 12 gets a new name and a new appearance. However, its test results are not the best, and competing free antiviruses offer more features.

Comodo Antivirus 10 received a new look and achieved a perfect detection rate in the malware blocking test. However, the product performed worse in other tests by PCMag and in tests by independent labs.

Panda Free Antivirus has an attractive user interface and an unusual USB vaccination feature. However, the product showed not the most top scores in tests by independent laboratories and in PCMag's own tests.

Qihoo 360 Total Security comes with a powerful set of additional tools, but its basic antivirus protection can't compete with the best free antiviruses out there.

Provided with special programs - antiviruses. The rating of the best free antiviruses is published by amateur and quite authoritative tests with enviable regularity, but it is not so easy to choose a high-quality and functional product.

In addition, it is considered that free programs do not provide the same protection as paid software. In fact, in the segment of free applications, you can choose the best solution. The rating of free antiviruses is presented below.

Standard antivirus from Microsoft: prevalence and performance

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

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

Will Windows Defender be enough for the average user?

In general, along with the observance of elementary security rules, the use of a modern browser and regular software updates allow you to successfully use a standard antivirus (reviews, 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 look at other, free, but somewhat more functional programs.

Testing in independent antivirus laboratories

Comparative tests with large quantity samples are regularly conducted by leading antiviral laboratories. Test results allow developers to improve their own products, so participation is usually paid. Mainly in the ranking Windows antivirus (operating system is the most common, which is why it is being tested) include paid versions of programs, but if the free solution provides complete protection, the software is also evaluated.

In May 2016, AV-Comparatives dynamically tested 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 a 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. Leading positions were also taken by Trend Micro and F-Secure with 100% malware recognition results, but 7 and 15 false positives, respectively. Rounding out the top five was Kaspersky Internet Security, which missed 0.3% of threats, but passed the test no false positives.

Free analogues of tested anti-virus programs

The free version of Bitdefender - Free Edition - is used as an alternative to many paid applications, provides background protection against viruses and is able to detect spyware. ThreatTrack Vipre is not available in a free version. Trend Micro Titanium Antivirus+ is distributed freely only as a trial version (6 months free use), as is 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 best solution.

Antivirus rating for Windows: functionality

"Antivirus free" (the rating is compiled by many reputable sources and amateurs) often differs in functionality from paid versions. However, this does not mean at all that free software cannot protect your computer from viruses, malware and spyware.

In general, antivirus programs provide the following features:

scanning for threats at the user's request;

real-time system protection in the background;

scanning the file system during computer boot;

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

work with cloud storage;

network traffic control (firewall or Firewall);

third-party intrusion detection system;

Recognition of malicious attachments;

web protection;

interactive spam analysis and recognition;

automatic update.

At the same time, the best free antivirus for Windows 7 (rated by functionality) does not 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 anti-phishing, file system security, Internet access, Email in stationary mail clients ESET has some other interesting features. These additional features include:

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

Free antivirus rating: performance and tests

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

Scanning system folders (with equal detection of malware) 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 - by as much as 16%.

Distribution of places according to the results of the rating

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

panda antivirus.

360 Total Security.

AVG Antivirus Free and Bitdefender Antivirus Free Edition.

Avira Free Antivirus and Comodo Antivirus.

A Brief Review of Panda Antivirus Pro

One of the main advantages - a small load on the system from Panda Antivirus along with providing sufficient protection - is explained by the fact that the program has most of the necessary functions, USB scanning is additionally available, but there are quite a few significant drawbacks.

So, for example, antivirus is free (the rating is recognized best solution tests) 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 shortcoming 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 monopoly: 80% of smartphones run on Android. Mobile antiviruses are presented as analogues of the already mentioned extended versions, as well as programs that operate exclusively on smartphones.

AV-Test laboratory tested mobile antiviruses. The rating of free antiviruses for Android was topped by the AhnLab application. The application performs a comprehensive check 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-speaking segment, so you should rely more on real user reviews - there are no reputable laboratories that would evaluate Russian-language applications.

Pretty good solutions for the choice of active users are CM Security, Dr.Web Light and 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 annoys many users with frequent ads. AVG AntiVirus is also an all-in-one solution, plus many useful extra features become available in the Pro version of the application, but this build consumes a lot of resources, which can make the device run slower.

Finally

Antivirus is a necessary program, because not always the user's needs can satisfy the standard options for protecting against viruses and malware (especially on mobile devices). Choice optimal solution here it largely depends on individual needs and subjective judgments, so you can be guided by various ratings, but you should not completely rely on testing. What is the use of an antivirus that, according to research, does an excellent job with its tasks, but is elementary inconvenient to use or significantly slows down a laptop or smartphone? Many users need to try several options first, in order to finally decide on the only convenient one.

Austrian laboratory AV Comparatives is an independent organization that regularly tests anti-virus products entering the market, both for personal computers and for corporations and mobile phones.

Laboratory specialists claim that they use the most complete, most modern and most complex tests when testing. A product that "survived" such a test can rightly be considered the best antivirus 2018. Here are ten antivirus products recognized by AV-Comparatives top quality at the end of last year.

Opening the list of the top ten antivirus programs in 2018 is the product of an Indian computer company - QuickHeal antivirus. Although the quality of the work of Indian programmers has already become a household name, this antivirus is quite suitable and will successfully rid the computer of worms, viruses and other unpleasant surprises.

9.AVG

After the Indians come the Czechs. AVG Antivirus - the brainchild of the Czech company AVG Technologies, can scan files, mail and is able to monitor computer activity 24/7.

This antivirus has a free version, which can be used indefinitely with almost no loss of functionality. Features like anti-spam and firewall are cut off, but you can surf the Internet quite calmly.

8. Avast

The main advantages of Avast are a small load on the computer and high speed scanning. Plus, it's completely and completely free. Avast will take care of the safety of online purchases, check mail for viruses and Trojans, and scan suspicious applications.

And gamers will appreciate another feature of Avast - turning off Windows system alerts before the end of the game. Avast "sags" in the rating in several categories - malware removal and the definition of this very malware in files.

Finnish guys take the best from the computer developments of other countries. Until 2010, they used the kernel from Kaspersky, and then switched to BitDefender in combination with their own ideas.

Despite the fact that F-Secure is positioned as a regular antivirus, it also has a firewall, a spam filter, and even its own VPN. Although it does not completely prevent the content of malicious sites from loading, it does deal with it quite effectively after.

The sixth place in the 2018 antivirus rating goes to an Austrian product based on its own developments - Emsisoft. It is able to protect the user's computer both from ordinary viruses, Trojans and spyware, but also blocks access to dangerous sites, checks all executable files and the course of already known programs - are they doing something criminal?

According to the developers, users will not even feel the load on the system from the antivirus.

5. ESET

And ESET is named the fifth among the best antiviruses. People who were present at the birth of the Russian Internet will certainly remember the NOD32 antivirus - one of the most popular antiviruses at the turn of the twenty-first century.

Bratislava scientists continue to work even now, and at the end of 2016 they released new version ESET NOD32 Internet Security. It is able to protect the computer from network threats, and the camera from unauthorized connections. In addition, according to the assurances of the developers, the work of the program almost does not "eat" computer resources.

The American company ThreatTrack Security specializes in protecting companies from threats, attacks and spyware. Vipre antivirus offers a wide range of additional services - checking mail, websites and even Facebook pages, as well as clearing the history of visited sites and other traces of user activity in Windows. However, in tests to detect and block suspicious and malicious software, the antivirus showed average results.

In third place in the ranking of the best antiviruses of 2018 is Kaspersky Lab. However, AV-Comparatives experts note that the results of the top three - Kaspersky Lab, Bitdefender and AVIRA - turned out to be so similar that the Austrian scientists even had to introduce a special category for them called Outstanding Products.

Kaspersky has solutions for every taste - from private computers to large corporate networks, from simple home-use antivirus to password storage software, for smartphones and tablets, and even protecting children from Internet bullying.

In second place in the top 10 antiviruses of 2018 is the product of a Romanian company, whose antivirus engine is in first place in terms of the number of licenses sold - it is used by many companies around the world when developing their own antiviruses. There are protection options for personal computers, mobile devices, corporate networks.

Antivirus from Bitdefender, including its free version, provides real-time scanning and protection, virus control, malware detection and neutralization, as well as web protection and anti-rootkit. And all this requires very little system resources during operation thanks to SmartScan technology.

1. AVIRA

And the best antivirus of 2018 in the ranking is AVIRA from the German company of the same name. This program received the best scores in all indicators - virus detection, performance, real-time protection and malware removal.

The antivirus has both a free version for private use and a paid one, which, however, differs from the free one only in web protection and mail checking. Moreover, with the help of AVIRA you can even find a lost phone or block it in case of danger.