Lightweight antivirus. Fast antiviruses that do not slow down the system: a complete overview

WITH computer viruses sooner or later every Internet user faces, and if this has not happened to you yet, then everything is still ahead. Not too optimistic, is it?

But, nevertheless, in 2019, we are now in a more advantageous position than our predecessors, because at a time when antivirus software as soon as it began to appear on the market, computer viruses calmly and without hindrance roamed computers, sometimes causing damage worth millions of dollars.

Some 5-10 years ago, the only way to get rid of viruses was formatting the hard drive, which means - the loss of all data stored on it. Today, even the most inexperienced personal computer user, who is very poorly versed in computer protection methods, can oppose viruses with a serious rebuff and get rid of these malicious aliens.

Rating of the best free antiviruses of 2019 (TOP-10)

This article offers an overview most popular today 2019 and some tips to keep your computer safe. It is natural that protect your pc, the first step is to find good antivirus.

#1

A very worthy antivirus program of domestic development, which has the ability to find and deal with any threats your computer and is one of leaders in the CIS countries.

He responds to a threat that has arisen very quickly and immediately eliminates it. This program can automatically update, its interface is quite simple and straightforward, control is not difficult. This program will also be a decent protection for your computer.

Her only flaw is that she loads the computer quite heavily consuming a lot of resources.

#2

Latest Versions antivirus package Avast! 2019 possess high level of efficiency virus detection. The core engine used in the program has been certified by ICSA, is constantly tested by Virus Bulletin and has consistently received awards.

The program has a very simple and very clear interface even for a beginner, which allows even a not very sophisticated user to configure the scanning parameters. There is also a great opportunity to quickly customize appearance programs. It is also possible setting up a schedule for scanning computer.

Avast! Protection Applies a powerful module that can prevent a virus from attacking before it infects your computer. The system is capable update yourself... Summing up, it can be argued that the presence of this program on your computer makes you feel much calmer.

#3

360 Total Security - Antivirus which will help you to protect and optimize the work of your computer.

It provides protection against many threats that could steal your personal information, malware, junk files, privacy risks, viruses, and more. Simple and user-friendly interface makes using an antivirus very pleasant.

This application also allows you to get rid of applications that slow down your computer's performance and load by automatically searching for slow startup programs and unnecessary files.

#4

NANO Security NANO AntiVirus 2019 is relatively new product in the huge market for free antivirus software. He offers a comprehensive, modern protection from computer viruses, trojans, malicious and suspicious programs. It monitors web traffic, checks your email and keeps your system safe in real time.

He also scans RAM for infections and maybe even detect viruses in encrypted and compressed files such as archives or backups. Unlike many other free antiviruses, it does not limit the user's capabilities, but provides full feature set for free.

#5

This very popular Avira antivirus program allows you to protect your computer from various virus threats. Antivirus has the technological ability to detect new viruses and eliminate them.

Also, its advantages are the ability automatically update and does not consume large system resources. It is a very effective virus detection tool that can guarantee the safety of your computer.

#6

AVG Antivirus Free is constantly being improved to protect your computer even better.
It currently includes real-time security updates, scanning for problems and malware and performance, and even catching malicious files being downloaded before they reach the computer.

A very popular antivirus among PC users.

#7

Comodo Antivirus is an excellent tool for scanning and detecting Internet threats. Antivirus scans any disk or file, including unknown unreliable or suspicious mail files.

If the program identifies any files as attackers, viruses or worms, the system will identify and eliminate them... Comodo Antivirus checks the system for viruses automatically so as not to interrupt you while working at the computer.

#8

BitDefender Antivirus Plus 2019 has sophisticated PC protection style, which includes imitation of a computer inside a computer where program segments are activated in order to get time for pre-scan for viruses and other harmful things.

Powerful search engines BitDefender Antivirus gains access to the most remote and unused areas of your computer to detect any possible problems that might be there.

Viruses are removed from minimal data corruption, with the ability to recover damaged documents before deleting them. Web traffic filter prevents malicious files from entering your computer.

#9

Panda Antivirus combines cloud computing with antivirus, therefore it is an excellent solution, which reduces the requirements for local PC resources and creates reliable protection.

The flip side of the coin may be that a potential attack on developers' servers could hinder the protection of computers, however, this is highly unlikely. Thus, its advantages far outweigh the disadvantages.

# 10 ZoneAlarm Free Antivirus + Firewall

ZoneAlarm provides protection with flexibility for users with an intermediate computer knowledge.

ZoneAlarm 2019 is an easy-to-use program that protects your computer against threats from viruses and other potentially dangerous programs for the personal information that you have stored on your computer. The free version of ZoneAlarm includes daily updates.

On top of that, there is a function firewall which includes spyware and phishing protection; the user can manually define which program to provide Trust Level.

Additional virus protection

But, in addition to having a good antivirus program, the user must take into account a few more basic rules:

• Do not go to sites if you have no confidence in them reliability;
• Cannot be downloaded from the Internet unnecessary you files, even from well-known sources;
• You can not open and read letters that came to you from unknown addressees, since it is through mail that various viruses often penetrate into your computer.

What Anti-Virus do you use?

It goes without saying that in our computerized age, protecting information or entire systems from is imperative. In other words, any computer, in addition to the built-in tools of the system itself, must have at least some more or less functional antivirus. Let's try to consider the lightest antiviruses and, based on the test results, determine what is best suited for providing protection today.

Safety comes first!

As for antivirus software, now you can find not dozens of options, but hundreds. Of course, it will not be possible to consider all of them, especially since in terms of functionality they are completely unequal to each other.

Therefore, we will focus on several of the most famous software products. Perhaps the comparative results will tell someone what is the easiest antivirus for XP or the server version of Windows. Let's make a reservation right away that the same "ekspishka", although it still remains a very popular and demanded system, is nevertheless hopelessly outdated. However, a solution will be proposed for her too.

The lightest antiviruses: the main aspects of testing

Of course, not every person who constantly works with a computer can afford to purchase the most modern configuration with a powerful multi-core processor chip, a large amount of RAM, a modern video card, etc. Therefore, let's see what tests show for the lightest antivirus for a computer with average configuration. Let's take a Pentium 4 processor, 1 GB of RAM and an 80 GB hard drive as a basis. I think it will be just right for testing.

As for the main tests, consider the performance of several independent laboratories. Among the checks, we highlight the following:

• parallel work with resource-intensive applications;
• threats from unsafe sites;
• the speed of copying or moving data on the hard disk;
• work in the background.

Kaspersky Internet Security

So, before us is one of the most famous anti-virus packages of our time. Many may object. Why was it necessary to include a Kaspersky Lab software product in the list? The fact is that, unlike all other anti-virus packages, this program is the least demanding on system resources.

Although the test results on the above configuration are not perfect, they look quite encouraging. This primarily concerns the identification of potential threats when working on the Internet or when installing any software. However, along with this, there are also clearly expressed disadvantages. So, for example, the boot time of the system itself significantly increases, after its start, it takes a long time to connect via a Wi-Fi connection, when downloading files using the same torrent client, the time to save to disk is quite long. This is due to the verification of content in real time. By the way, Kaspersky is the only package for which this time is off scale.

When accessing the hard disk (copying files), a clear slowdown is felt. Not critical, but still there. And when you start the Photoshop package, in general, the system starts to slow down in earnest (the antivirus itself consumes too much RAM). So to say that this is the lightest antivirus for a laptop or a stationary terminal, it is hard to tell. It, in principle, can be used if you do not work with heavy applications in parallel. But in terms of protection, it is in the lead, even despite the increased load on system resources.

ESET Smart Security

Another major player in the antivirus software market is ESET's Smart Security suite. The eighth version of the program is currently available.

In principle, the behavior of this application is somewhat similar to that of Kaspersky. The system boot time has been increased, in addition, the initial check of automatically loaded components takes a long time (this is especially noticeable in Windows XP). On the whole, the protection showed good results even with the Anti-Theft function turned off. When accessing the hard drive, there are no delays, there are no problems with the speed of Internet access either, however, when Skype starts, the application takes a long time to load. However, if you look at the resource usage monitor, you will notice that the load is not as heavy as it might seem at first. It reaches its maximum peaks only when the anti-virus databases are updated and during the initial scan. It is also possible and necessary to use it, but it cannot be called the fastest, although in comparison with Kaspersky it is heaven and earth.

Dr. Web Security Space

Now about another well-known package, which is rightfully considered one of the best means of protecting computer systems.

What do its results show? Firstly, during installation, the program offers to install its own firewall, which in no case should be done, since conflicts with the native Windows firewall may occur and a significant increase in the load on the system. The system boot is fast enough (according to the report, about 60-65 seconds), but in fact, it takes much more time to completely stop accessing the hard disk. In parallel with Photoshop, work is almost impossible, the Wi-Fi network thinks a little longer than usual when connected, but in all other respects, the indicators are quite high.

Now fly in the ointment. As it turned out, the program sometimes spontaneously activates something like a hidden full scan. In this case, the load on the central processor can increase by 50%. However, this is only observed when using the standard default settings. If you disable all unnecessary, you can get quality protection.

Avira Antivirus Pro

Avira makes a pretty good impression. Basically, in terms of its performance, antivirus is somewhere in the middle of the list. Its only problem is launching resource-intensive applications. This is not expressed too strongly with Photoshop, but some with guest (child) operating systems refuse to work (at least when they first start).

In general, it cannot be said that this is the easiest one; nevertheless, it can be used as a reliable protection (especially, hardly anyone will install a virtual machine on weak machines). To summarize it briefly, a good solid middling.

Avast Internet Security

As for this software product, it scored true in almost all indicators, some errors were noticed when identifying potential threats.

But when starting Photoshop or accessing the hard drive, monitoring the load on the system showed an unprecedented result. For example, the consumption of RAM in active mode is only 80-100 MB! The only drawback is the excessive talkativeness of the program. Yes Yes! Precisely talkativeness, since the voice notification mode is enabled in the default settings. However, turning it off will not be difficult.

Microsoft Security Essentials

Finally, the native brainchild of Microsoft. As testing shows, it must also be included in the list "The lightest antiviruses". Since our most common systems are still Windows systems, it is almost ideal for them, because who, if not the creators of this family of operating systems themselves, know what kind of security holes they have. In addition, when using this package, the appearance of conflicts in the firewall is excluded.

For all other indicators, the result can be called satisfactory, except for the excessive load on the system when accessing the hard drive. Sometimes, when installing third-party programs, a false positive may appear, because some of them are trying to make the necessary changes to the system files.

What is the lightest antivirus?

What do the test results say, in which the lightest antiviruses were presented? The best overall performance is demonstrated by Avast. First of all, this is practically no load on the system, even when working with heavy programs. The protection system, of course, is not ideal, but for weak machines or configurations based on Windows XP, I think it is ideal. In addition, technical aspects aside, Avast is the lightest free antivirus out there. But most programs need to either be bought or constantly activated when using even shareware versions.

On the other hand, today there is not a single program that would meet the high security requirements, and moreover, would not load the system. And, of course, other well-known antiviruses like Bitdefender and based on it were not considered here, due to the fact that the antivirus itself is too gluttonous, and its modifications like 360 ​​Security, although they work quite fast, do not provide the proper level of protection, and even often give a false alarm. However, what exactly to use is a purely personal matter.

The Windows operating system, unlike GNU / Linux, cannot fully defend itself against malware by its own capabilities. As much as the developers praise Windows Defender, it is far from perfect, so you have to use external software. This article reviews the 2018 antivirus rating for Windows 7.

Criterias of choice

Each antivirus product offers users, in addition to detecting and eliminating viruses, a set of additional features. Usually, they are related to advanced PC control, network security, Wi-Fi protection, etc. The most important criteria for choosing an antivirus include:

• cloud analysis. Ability to scan files in an isolated environment;
• firewall. Blocking unwanted Internet resources;
• protection of personal information. First of all, these are bank data and some other personal information.

If any of these items are missing from the antivirus, this does not mean that it is bad. The effectiveness of a program is found in practice when it performs well its main function. The rest depends on the additional needs of the user.

TOP 12 best antiviruses

There are a large number of software that offer their services to combat viruses and Trojans. Each of them has its own pros and cons. Depending on the needs and capabilities, it is worth making a choice on the most suitable product.

Short review

Let's consider each of the antiviruses presented in the table, comparing their advantages and disadvantages.

In addition to the standard security feature, the antivirus offers a built-in security gateway when connecting to open Wi-Fi networks and a dedicated password store to keep your personal data in the cloud. There is also a game mode that turns off program notifications and reduces the load on the processor during a game session.

Advantages

• Wi-Fi protection;
• the presence of a game mode;
• password container.

Flaws

• no firewall;
• lack of protection against interception of input data.

Free version of the well-known anti-virus software, created especially for users of post-Soviet countries. The program provides online protection and has the necessary functionality to ensure the security of a PC from the introduction of malicious code.

Advantages

• powerful core;
• checking attachments in messengers;
• built-in VPN service.

Flaws

• lack of protection against interception of banking data;
• high consumption of PC resources.

Product of Chinese manufacturers. Became widely known in the Russian-speaking segment due to the linking of the capabilities of antivirus software and an optimizer. Several engines work in it. A key factor in its distribution and popularity is the large number of advertisements.

Advantages

• wide functionality;
• there is a firewall;
• several anti-virus engines are running;
• optimized consumption of computer resources.

Antivirus in a minimalistic style. Has a small number of settings and a simple menu. Additional functions of the program include only the possibility of forced scanning of a specific folder. Suitable for beginners to use a computer.

Advantages

• simple settings;
• a convincing indicator of virus detection.

Flaws

• limited functionality;
• lack of Russian localization.

The first free licensed product to implement a cloud analysis algorithm. When scanning files in an isolated container, the collective scan method is enabled, and therefore the results of other users' scan are taken into account.

Advantages

• efficient collective verification algorithm;
• minimum number of notifications;
• pre-analysis of flash drives.

Flaws

• small functionality;
• dependence on internet connection to work efficiently.

Unusual antivirus software that performs best when connected to the Internet. For scanning, the ClamAV offline core is used, in parallel with which suspicious objects are analyzed by twelve VirusTotal engines. SecureAPlus runs easily on a PC with a different security program.

Advantages

• highly efficient cloud scanning;
• software analysis based on a trusted list;
• works in parallel with another antivirus.

Flaws

• the proactive core is not powerful enough;
• lack of protection of personal data.

A very effective free tool. It has the ability to protect personal data, a built-in firewall and even a task scheduler. It stands out for its high degree of cloud analysis efficiency.

Advantages

• convenient functionality;
• the presence of plugins for data protection in browser forms;
• built-in firewall and task scheduler.

This is not a full-fledged application antivirus, but a curing utility that works offline. Contains the current virus database at the time of download. The program is recommended for selective scanning of your computer and does not protect in real time. The name of the utility with each download is generated from letters and numbers so that the virus cannot block its work by a static name.

Advantages

• highly efficient database;
• works offline.

Flaws

• limited opportunities.

AVG

The program uses 5 different algorithms for object analysis, effectively copes with attachments in emails and malicious files when sent in messengers. Antivirus is recommended for active Internet surfing, because it has the ability to scan the site's security by URL.

Advantages

• several scanning methods;
• pre-analysis of external drives;
• the presence of a file shredder;

The results presented by AV-Comparatives in this Antivirus Performance Benchmarking report only show the effect on system performance (mainly of real-time / on-access protection components) of various antivirus programs under given conditions.

Users are encouraged to try the antivirus program on their own computer and see how the antivirus works on a specific system configuration.

In April 2018, budget computers with HDDs (instead of SSDs) were used for the performance test.

Test computer

Antivirus performance testing was carried out on a Lenovo G50 laptop with an Intel Core i3-4005U CPU, 4 GB (RAM) of RAM and an HDD disk. Performance tests were conducted on a clean and fully updated Windows 10 (1709) (64-bit, English) system and then with antivirus software installed (at default settings). Tests were conducted with an active internet connection to ensure the real impact of cloud services and features.

Tested antiviruses

The following antiviruses took part in this benchmarking performance and performance test (default settings were used):

Tested antiviruses

• Tencent PC Manager 12.3 (English)

AV-Comparatives were using the latest antivirus versions available at the time of testing (April 2018). The test includes products in both the "Antivirus" and "Internet Security" categories, all labeled "security software". The lab has tested the products that vendors provide for the main test series. Keep in mind that the report results only apply to individual versions of the products listed above (i.e., to a specific version for a specific system architecture, for example, for a 64-bit OS). You also need to take into account that different development companies offer different functions (and their number) in their antiviruses.

The following types of operations / tests were performed on a computer with the latest updates to Windows 10, version 1709 64-Bit:

• Copying files
• Archiving / Unzipping
• Install / Uninstall Applications
• Launching Applications
• Downloading files
• Visiting websites
• PC Mark 10 Professional Testing Suite

Testing technique

Steps have been taken to minimize third-party factors that could affect test results and / or system compatibility. The optimization technologies used in the products have also been considered - this means that the results represent the impact of the product on the system after a period of user use of the product. The tests were carried out several times (with the optimization technology turned on and off) in order to obtain average values ​​and exclude measurement errors. After each launch, the test computer was defragmented and rebooted 6 times. The researchers simulated different types of file operations: copying clean files from one location to another, compressing files into archives, unpacking archives, downloading files from the Internet, and launching applications (opening documents). For individual tests, the Windows Assessment and Deployment Toolkit (Windows ADK) with the Windows Performance Toolkit (WPT) was used. This toolkit is widely used in the industry to measure the performance of computer systems. This tool allows vendors to easily replicate results and discover what is causing the slowdown. To prevent possible product optimization for the test, native ADK drivers were implemented. These tools allow you to assess the impact of products on performance in individual subtests, independently of other tests.

The lab used a third-party industry recognized test suite (PC Mark 10 Professional) to confirm the impact on the system during real use. Users are encouraged to evaluate different products on their own systems (results may vary due to software conflicts, user preferences, and different system configurations).

Antiviruses should be loaded on the system at an early stage to ensure maximum protection - such loading affects the computer startup time. Accurately measuring load times is challenging. The most important issue is determining the state of complete readiness of the system, because in many environments, startup activity continues for some time after the system has become fully responsive to the user. It is also important to consider when the antivirus protection is fully active, because this can be an important criterion for completing the boot process. Some vendors implement very late boot for their products - in this case the system can be slow for a while after it is fully booted. In fact, the product simply loads its services and processes late, leaving the system vulnerable for a while. The lab believes this situation can be misleading, therefore loading times are not published in the reports.

Test results

AV-Comparatives rating

• File copying- Copy files
• Archiving / unarchiving- Archiving / Unzipping
• Installing / uninstalling applications- Install / Uninstall Applications
• Launching applications- Launching applications
- Downloading files
• Browsing Websites- Visiting websites

• Slow- slow
• Mediocre- average
• Fast- fast
• Very fast- very fast

Overall score based on PC Mark test

Assessment of the impact of antivirus on the system (less is better)

Performance test. What is the fastest antivirus?

Certificates based on antivirus performance assessment with default settings in Windows 10 64-Bit:

(6) AV-Comparatives suggest that products with the same award should be considered to have the same impact on system performance.

To assess the effectiveness of antivirus protection, see the results of dynamic testing and verification of the malware detection level, which were carried out in early 2018.

The full report can be found at this link.

Found a typo? Press Ctrl + Enter

Naturally, free products will not be as effective as their paid versions. This is definitely worth considering when choosing an antivirus software. By the way, there is an opinion that the use of Linux completely eliminates the need to use antivirus software. Believe it or not - decide for yourself, but I will allow myself to recommend interesting materials about and. Well, we're starting.

Top 5 Free Antivirus Programs for Windows 2018

It is probably worth noting that I am not trying to give you as much information as possible about each individual antivirus in this top right now. I want to provide only the minimum, give you a head start, or just help you make your choice. It is better to look for all detailed information about each of the programs on official resources, as well as in other articles and materials (including on).

Avast Free Antivirus

In many tops, this antivirus (including its free version) occupies a leading position. I do not think that this is due to the venality of these very tops, because I myself have been using this antivirus as my main antivirus for a long time. What can I say, I'm really happy with it. For a free product, that's pretty much nothing. Moreover, the free version of Avast has some functions that are not even found in the paid versions of other antiviruses. Therefore, I do not know why you are still in doubt, quickly click on the button at the bottom of this item and go download an excellent antivirus.

A little about the features and benefits of Avast Free Antivirus:

• Intelligent antivirus protection: includes constant monitoring of the system, as well as timely blocking of virus software.
• Wi-Fi Test: detection of holes in home Wi-Fi networks, monitoring for unauthorized visitors.
• Intelligent scan: allows you to detect all vulnerabilities in the system, including insecure settings and saved passwords.

AVG AntiVirus Free

Another excellent antivirus that occupies a leading position in all sorts of ratings and tops. As in the previous case, it has a paid version and the ability to upgrade to it. However, the free version also has quite interesting functions and capabilities. AVG AntiVirus Free, according to the developers, it got even better. In addition to all the basic tools of comprehensive security software, AVG can scan the system for vulnerabilities in real time, as well as stop suspicious downloads.

It should be noted that the interface of the application has been significantly improved. Now it's even easier to manage your protection. And all this thanks to informative elements with which you can monitor the state of the system.

Application features:

• Protecting your PC from viruses, spyware, hacker software, ransomware, etc.
• Block unsafe links, downloads and email attachments
• Ability to scan the system for performance issues
• Real-time updates

Kaspersky Free

A free solution from developers from Russia, which has all the necessary functions to protect your home computer. This program is notable for the fact that it wastes very little of your system resources. And all this with a very high level of security; Many users consider this antivirus to be the most powerful in terms of protection.

Kaspersky Free can:

• Automatically block dangerous files, applications and websites
• Check your mail for virus software
• Protect you from phishing sites
• Provide a high level of protection without slowing down the system

360 Total Security

This software will not only protect your PC from viruses, but at the same time, it will help clean up and speed up your system. And all this is free, you will not be charged a cent. True, it is worth noting that this antivirus has an affiliate program with other companies (however, like many free solutions), so during installation you will need to refuse to install unnecessary software. Another feature 360 Total Security- support for engines of other antiviruses, and their simultaneous use. This approach helps to achieve the highest protection for your data.

360 Total Security features:

• Protection against virus and malicious software
• Protection against ransomware and ransomware
• Multiple engine support
• Sandbox
• Safe online shopping
• Keylogger protection
• System protection components (scanning disks, flash drives and vulnerabilities)
• Wi-Fi security check
• System Optimization and Data Shredder

Panda free antivirus

A powerful Spanish product designed to completely and completely protect your system from intruders. The program is now actively being promoted on various resources, and those who actually tried it speak with one voice about the high quality of protection. The application itself, by the way, is ready to work immediately after installation. As the official website assures, you just need to install it, and then forget that your system is generally threatened. Panda will automatically scan the system, protecting it in real time.

Panda Free Antivirus features:

• System protection from viruses, keyloggers and other malware
• Protecting your computer while working on the Internet
• Low resource consumption
• Etc