Best Antivirus 2021 - Top 10 Antivirus Ranking
Best Antivirus 2021. Check which antivirus program is worth buying in 2021! We present the best applications you can trust.
How do antiviruses work?
Which protection package is reliable? This question was faced by the AV-TEST lab, which has been researching security suites for 6 months (including Windows Defender, which is only 10th in terms of protection - 9 other tools provide better protection).
The programs have been tested for protection, performance, and usability of Windows 10. They have assessed whether the packages falsely identify harmless files, thereby causing false positives.
In all test segments, it was possible to get up to 6 points, a maximum of 18 points in total. Only two antiviruses - Kaspersky and NortonLifeLock achieved the highest score.
Antivirus software is a key element of protecting the operating system, user files and its privacy. It should protect your laptop or PC in every aspect - from protecting system files and the registry from unauthorized changes to web browsing. Your computer is vulnerable to viruses, especially ransomware, that locks your files. This extremely dangerous threat is constantly evolving and tries to bypass the security features of the improved antiviruses, which is why their updates are so important.
Antivirus software is designed to detect, prevent, remove, and neutralize harmful applications and programs. Antivirus is the most important element of device protection against infection, but the user himself must also remember to keep the software and operating system up-to-date. Currently, antiviruses protect not only against viruses, but above all against malicious software (malware) of which the virus is a part. It is very important to protect your personal files from ransomware. Security vulnerabilities can lead to user files being seized, and unfortunately fees have to be paid to unlock them. It should also be remembered that today's cybercriminals do not have to be professional hackers - on the dark web, and sometimes even on eBay, you can purchase the appropriate software to proliferate ransomware.
Although malware is evolving very quickly, antivirus software is also being improved all the time. Of course, despite the fact that antiviruses are effective at blocking pests that try to penetrate your system, there really is no 100% effective protection kit. All zero day attacks are carried out by software vulnerabilities for which the manufacturer has not yet released patches. The malware that uses them is so fresh that it usually doesn't have a signature in the software manufacturer's database yet! Therefore, the speed of releasing patches is important for computer protection - the best manufacturers release patches in less than an hour from finding a vulnerability. The cloud plays an important role - a permanent connection significantly speeds up the process of introducing new defense mechanisms and enables a quick response to new threats. The mechanism of behavioral analysis is equally important - thanks to this, the antivirus can recognize the activity of fresh pests that may be present in freshly installed software. Their behavior can vary from trying to change registry keys to inserting add-ons into browsers. Ransomware is recognized when trying to encrypt files.
Unfortunately, very often security software classifies a harmless program file as a malware file. In this case, the application most often crashes, cannot be restarted, and sometimes even needs to be reinstalled. However, there is also a much worse scenario, where the harmless file is part of Windows, so it gets blocked, and the entire system crashes.
How do we test antiviruses?
The differences between antiviruses are mainly in the add-ons and the spectrum of solutions. The tests include detecting viruses not only by means of the pest signature database, but also by dealing with new threats, the signatures of which are not yet in the database. It is equally important to clean the damage created by a given virus, all traces of malware must be removed. Our test focused on paid applications, which usually offer more options than free solutions such as technical support or built-in VPN.
A separate aspect is protection against phishing. AV-Comparatives gives a special certificate to antivirus programs that detect at least 85% of more than 500 malicious links. It is worth paying attention to this, as phishing has been gaining momentum in recent months. The degree of phishing detection was taken into account in determining the ranking.
In terms of protection, all antiviruses were tested within 6 months in real time. In the second test segment, all products had to detect a set with nearly 60,000 attacks.
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Kaspersky and NortonLifeLock passed both test segments detecting 100 percent of attacks.
System slowdown
Unfortunately, one of the most annoying aspects of security software is that it slows down your system. This is because good system protection takes a lot of resources, which almost paralyzes the system ... Fortunately, these drastic scenarios do not apply to all antiviruses. A high-class computer and a standard computer were used in the test. Many operations were performed on both computers: launching websites, installing and running programs, downloading and copying data. The time required for these operations is the reference value for the test. Then all the steps were repeated - but this time with the security software installed. The experts compared the required times with a reference time and thus scored points.
In all tested procedures, Kaspersky, Avast and NortonLifeLock hardly put any strain on the system. On the other hand, a large number of Internet security packages showed a low system load: AVG, Avira, BullGuard. As a result, these packages scored 5.5 out of 6 points.
Here is a list of the best antiviruses.
Norton 360 Deluxe
First on our list is Norton 360 Deluxe Antivirus, which offers effective protection for 5 devices. Additionally, as part of the package, it cares for the user's privacy on the Internet. According to the manufacturer, it provides protection against viruses, malware, phishing and other threats from the Internet. In addition, it stops cybercriminals from gaining access to your personal data. In addition, the program provides 50 GB of disk space for cloud backups. Such backup protects the user from losing files due to hard disk failure, device loss or hacker attack. In addition, Norton 360 Deluxe includes Secure VPN, Password Manager, SafeCam and Parental Control modules. In the AV-TEST ranking, Norton 360 received the maximum number of points in each of the categories: protection, usability and performance.
Bitdefender FAMILY PACK 2020
The new edition of the Bitdefender FAMILY PACK antivirus program is designed for use on home devices. It protects up to 15 devices with Windows, macOS, Android and iOS. The manufacturer protects users against digital threats, i.e. viruses and malware. In addition, it includes the Advanced Threat Protection module, which additionally protects your files against ransomware encryption. The program offers some interesting features such as: Parental Control, Bitdefender VPN, Bitdefender Safepay and Bitdefender Anti-Tracker. Bitdefender Antivirus by AV-TEST is one of the programs with the least impact on performance.
Kaspersky Internet Security
Kaspersky is one of the most popular antivirus programs in Poland. Why is this happening? It's definitely an adaptive technology that adjusts antivirus settings to user activity. It also allows you to detect unauthorized devices, alerts you to suspicious websites, and allows you to create and store strong passwords. In each ranking, Kaspersky received the maximum number of points, thus scoring 18 points. That's the perfect result!
NortonLifeLock
NortonLifeLock is comprehensive protection for all devices that not only works in real time, but also lets you know if your login details are on the dark web! The advantages of this software include excellent results in protection against various types of pests, great anti-phishing protection, password manager, VPN service, data backup in the cloud and tools for optimizing system performance. In addition, every month the program generates a report with information about how many threats it has managed to contain.
Avast
Avast is certainly user-friendly, although it has a very capricious behavior - it has the annoying habit of showing ads and notifications at the most uncomfortable times, especially in the mobile version. On the plus side, however, there is protection of the webcam, a specialized module against ransomware, firewall and quarantine, on the downside - no password manager or cleaning tool. Avast performed very well in the AV-Test tests for anti-malware protection - 94/100 points, and was also third in the tests for the best consumer software. In addition, Avast received an anti-phishing certificate for detecting 94% of threats in the absence of a single false positive.
AVG
AVG is a solid product that protects the whole family with support for an unlimited number of devices. It offers a pest scanner, a built-in firewall, a module responsible for detecting ransomware, as well as multiple layers that effectively protect the operating system in every possible aspect. Additionally, it analyzes external USB memory connected to a computer or laptop, as well as DVDs and CDs inserted into the drive. The advantage is TuneUp, a comprehensive set of tools that will automatically speed up your PC, delete unnecessary data, optimize battery performance, update key software and deal with small glitches before they turn into serious problems. In addition, AVG has an integrated password manager, built-in VPN, and a utility that checks drivers for updates. The Android application has been very practically thought out.
Avira Antivirus Pro 2020
Avira Antivirus Pro 2020 offers protection against malware and other pests, including spyware and adware. It also offers the ability to scan your local network and router for unauthorized devices and weaknesses. Add-ons in Avira include System Speedup Pro - a module that optimizes the operation of the operating system, Phantom VPN Pro and a Windows firewall management tool.
Bitdefender Total Security 2020
Bitdefender Total Security 2020 is a product packed with lots of useful features, perfect for both home and travel. It scans not only files and the system, but also checks for any security gaps in the installed software, especially in those applications with newer versions. In addition, it also checks the reliability of passwords, and thanks to the use of the manufacturer's proprietary mechanisms, it is ready to protect against the latest threats that appear on the Internet. Other advantages are: a password manager, parental controls, anti-tracking tools and a built-in VPN that allows 200 MB transfer per day. In the VAV-Test tests, the software caught 98.8% of zero-day pests, and also gained the highest results in terms of functionality and performance.
McAfee
Total Protection is a promising antivirus, the main advantage of which is the ability to protect up to 10 devices with one subscription. Protects against viruses, including ransomware, without slowing down your computer. Features include a scanner and a password manager with multi-factor authentication. The application protects e-mail, allows parental controls, prevents unauthorized devices from connecting to the home network and allows you to keep important files confidential by storing them on your computer with 128-bit encryption. It works perfectly as protection against malware.
McAfee Total Protection is a solid, recommendable product to protect the entire family or office equipment. You can test it for free. A VPN surcharge is also possible.
BullGuard
BullGuard is a producer that is doing better and better on the security software market - in this ranking it is several places higher than in the previous one. It is equipped with a very powerful network scanner that detects malware, and a separate one checks the security level of the system and the application. The identity protection function allows you to check if your data was not included in any of the leaks. The parental control module allows for constant supervision and control of mobile devices used by children. Another advantage is the game mode, which blocks pop-up ads while playing online, and optimizes CPU usage during offline games. The program's interface is not minimalist - we have a lot of scanning options and settings here. The only drawback is the lack of a dedicated anti-ransomware module.
In protection tests, BullGuard is just below average, but perfect in terms of performance and usability.
