At the top are the premium "security suites," which toss in all the extra security tools an antivirus brand can offer, such as password managers, VPN client software, backup software, online storage and even identity-protection services.
The password managers are often quite good, but the online storage can be paltry and the VPN services often don't give you unlimited data. We've collected the best premium antivirus packages on this list of the best internet security suites. Our evaluations are based on each antivirus program's interface, performance, protection and extra features.
Was the interface intuitive and user-friendly? How badly did malware scans slow performance? How well did the program detect and remove malware? Does the program offer useful additional tools? Some of our newer performance tests were done on a Lenovo ThinkPad T with a 2.
To assess a program's impact on system speed on both Windows and macOS, we used our own custom tests, which measure how long a CPU takes to match 20, names and addresses on an OpenOffice or Excel spreadsheet. The longer it took the laptop to finish either test, the heavier the performance impact. Each lab subjects the major antivirus brands' products to stress tests involving thousands of pieces of malware, including hundreds of previously unseen samples. Kaspersky antivirus products have been banned from U.
Because the company is Russian and antivirus software can peer deep into a PC, using Kaspersky software would create an unacceptable risk for persons and organizations involved in national security and critical infrastructure. However, we still think Kaspersky software is perfectly safe for home users. We've seen no evidence to convince us otherwise. Kaspersky researchers are well respected throughout the antivirus industry, and the company has publicly exposed Russian cyberespionage campaigns as well as those from the United States and other countries around the world.
Paul Wagenseil is a senior editor at Tom's Guide focused on security and privacy. He has also been a dishwasher, fry cook, long-haul driver, code monkey and video editor. He's been rooting around in the information-security space for more than 15 years at FoxNews. If you use a Windows PC, you'll need to have one of the best antivirus programs installed, whether free or paid. View Deal. Bitdefender offers the best value in antivirus software. Norton packs in everything but the kitchen sink. Kaspersky Total Security.
Specifications Anti-theft: Yes. Backup software: Yes. Firewall: Yes. Game mode: Yes. Hardened browser: Yes. Parental controls: Yes. Password manager: Yes. Ransomware rollback: Yes. Webcam protection: Yes. Virtual keyboard: Yes. VPN: Limited upsell. Wi-Fi scanner: Yes. Bitdefender Antivirus Plus. Specifications Anti-theft: No. Backup software: No. Firewall: No. Parental controls: No. Webcam protection: No. Reasons to avoid - Heavy background system impact.
Norton Deluxe. Hardened browser: No. Ransomware rollback: No. VPN: Unlimited. Reasons to avoid - Heavy slowdown during full scans - Pricey. McAfee Internet Security. Virtual keyboard: No. Reasons to avoid - Very heavy performance hit - No parental controls on mid-priced tier. Trend Micro Maximum Security. Specifications Backup software: No. Reasons to avoid - Heavy performance hit during scans - Many false positives on some tests. Game mode: No.
Password manager: No. Wi-Fi scanner: No. Reasons to avoid - So-so malware protection - Moderate performance penalty during scans - Lacks VPN, password manager, file shredder. Kaspersky Security Cloud Free. Specifications Email scans: Yes. Password manager: Limited. Ransomware reversal: Yes. Scan scheduler: Yes. Support options: FAQs, forums. Upsell nag factor: Moderate. Bitdefender Antivirus Free Edition. Specifications Email scans: No.
Ransomware reversal: No. Scan scheduler: No. Upsell nag factor: Minimal. Reasons to avoid - No extra features whatsoever - No quick scans or scan scheduling. Windows Defender Antivirus. Password manager: Yes, with other Microsoft apps. Upsell nag factor: Nonexistent. Reasons to avoid - Some features work only on Microsoft products - Hard to schedule scans.
Avast Free Antivirus. Specifications Email scans: Separate tool. Hardened browser: Separate tool. Password manager: Not any more. Ransomware reversal: Shield only. Support options: : FAQs, forums. Upsell nag factor: Omnipresent. Reasons to avoid - Password manager discontinued - Mediocre malware protection - Heavy system hit during scans. Upsell nag factor: Inescapable.
Reasons to avoid - Middling malware protection - Slow full-system scans - Almost no extra features. Malwarebytes Free. Reasons to avoid - Installs trialware of paid version - Manual definition updates.
Paul Wagenseil. Topics Antivirus. See all comments The best and lightest free antivirus software is NAS!! Your email address will not be published. Raymond [ Reply ]. Tex [ Reply ]. Harsh Singh [ Reply ]. Squidward [ Reply ]. ZamZam [ Reply ]. Michele McDonough [ Reply ]. Colin [ Reply ]. Heru [ Reply ]. Didas [ Reply ]. Raouf [ Reply ]. I think Panda antivirus is the lightest and with the simplist interface…. Nima [ Reply ]. Well, this was paid for. Norton in the top even? Nevi [ Reply ].
Those are the most ram hungriest antivirus in the world. Anon [ Reply ]. Using Bitdefender Free, and it sucks more than 2GB on file transfer activity. Tim Locke [ Reply ]. Crot [ Reply ]. In addition to scanning for, and alerting about, issues, it also provides actionable security tips unique to each platform. It will often recommend Attack Surface Reduction rules that can help make your network more secure.
For home users, I remain a fan of Microsoft Defender, which is built into both Windows 10 and Though some would rather have a third-party vendor be on the lookout for security issues — they argue that relying on Defender is like letting the fox guard the hen house — my philosophy is that any form of antivirus is reactionary, not proactive. Antivirus is not the best tool to filter email for phishing attacks, nor is it the best tool to check where you browse online.
You need security services in front of your computer, not just something that checks the software on your computer. These days, security is about more than antivirus.
Start with the basics, such as your email provider, and review your options. And your options extend beyond just Gmail and Outlook; look to services such as ProtonMail for secure and encrypted email. Next, use a password manager to keep track of passwords or even gasp! Thus, if one site is breached, attackers can try those stolen passwords elsewhere and often get in. The next key security move is to back up everything.
And then back it up again — preferably using offline backup media.
0コメント