Reliable modern antivirus for PC. The best virus removal tool according to users

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

• virus protection;
• the convenience of use;
• impact on computer speed.

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

Anti-virus programs were selected for research on the basis of 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 the principles of selection, the study did not include the most expensive versions of software products from these brands.
• From one brand for one operating system, only one paid product could be presented in the rating. The second product could get into the rating only if it is free.

This time, products developed by Russian companies were included in the category in the international study. 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 protection against spyware 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 a particular function in the tested versions of the antivirus.

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

How good is standard Windows 10 security?

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

The standard antivirus, which, judging by the statistics, most people use, was only on the 17th line of the rating. Overall, Windows Defender scored 3.5 out of a possible 5.5.

The built-in protection of the latest versions of Windows has only gotten better over the years, but it still doesn't match the level of many specialized antivirus programs, including those that are distributed for free. Windows Defender showed satisfactory results in terms of online protection, but completely failed the test for phishing and ransomware. By the way, protection against phishing is declared by antivirus manufacturers. It also turned out that he does a poor job of protecting your computer in offline mode.

Windows Defender is quite simple in terms of design. It clearly communicates the presence of a particular threat, clearly demonstrates the degree of protection, and has a "parental control" function that restricts children from visiting unwanted resources.

The standard protection of Windows 10 can only be called decent. Based on the overall rating, 16 programs for protecting a personal computer on Windows turned out to be better than it. Including four free ones.

Theoretically, you can only rely 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 not to consciously visit suspicious sites. However, Roskachestvo recommends installing a specialized anti-virus package for greater confidence in the security of the PC.

How We Tested

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

• General protection

Each antivirus package was tested online for a set of viruses, totaling more than 40,000. It also tested how well the antivirus copes with phishing attacks - when someone tries to access the user's confidential data. Ransomware has been tested to protect against ransomware that restricts access to a computer and data on it in order to obtain a ransom. In addition, an online test of a USB drive with malware is carried out. It is needed to find out how well the antivirus copes with the search and elimination of viruses when neither the presence of malicious files nor their origin is known in advance.

• USB offline test

Detection of malware residing 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 alarm

We tested how effective the antivirus is in identifying real threats and skipping files that are actually safe, but which are classified as dangerous by the product.

• Auto-scan and on-demand scan test

It was tested how well the scan function works when it automatically checks the computer for malware and when it is started manually. Also during the study, it was checked whether it is possible to schedule scans for a certain time when the computer is not in use.

Antivirus is a utility for detecting malicious objects that penetrate the computer system via the Internet and removable storage media. During the period of excessive activity of hacker attacks and the constant emergence of new viruses and spyware, antivirus software developers improve and optimize their products for device security and secure web surfing in Internet. Competition in the antivirus market is high.

Some utilities create protection for the entire system and automatically recognize and quarantine viruses, others protect individual PC components, ensure a safe stay on the Internet, and some perform a one-time scan to identify "pests" and are portable. In the article we will consider the most popular and worthy anti-virus utilities with different functionality and computer protection.

A popular antivirus, whose fans have become more than 230 million users. Works on Linux, Windows, Mac OS, Android PDAs, Windows CE, Palm. The toolkit of the program protects the Wi-Fi network in mobile devices with the preservation of passwords and confidentiality. Four types of scans quickly detect and respond to embedded malicious junk. Protective screens carry out a comprehensive check of unknown sites, files opened, P2P connections and received messages.

A popular program that scans not only the computer system, but also removable media connected to the PC. The utility shows spam and malicious intrusion statistics, monitors the file system, has a "parental control" mode, blocks dangerous websites and checks email.

A utility from the well-known company Kaspersky Lab with basic tools for reliable computer protection. Blocks unknown sites, applications and malicious scripts. It has a quick, full, selective and check of external devices. It can work together with Kaspersky Security Network. It does not provide protection for personal data, so antivirus will not be enough for financial and confidential work.

A program that scans the system in a few minutes and provides a detailed report on the threats found and their location path. It is possible to schedule the next inspection by specifying the day of the week and start time. Parental Control blocks inappropriate content.

A competitive antivirus that performs well-coordinated and decent protection of your computer without any load on the system. The program modules detect and eliminate advertising trolls, rootkits and spies, provide email protection and identify dangerous links. Theft of personal information is kept to a minimum.

A powerful utility that provides real-time computer protection. It has configurable options for network security, checks downloaded files and scans the Facebook wall before downloading unknown links from it. The anti-virus scans emails and can be protected with a password.

A high-quality anti-virus utility with a large protective base against more than 200,000 types of viruses. The program module monitors the movement of suspicious files, an innovative scanning method protects against previously unknown macro viruses, and later versions of the antivirus block ad spam and spyware.

An anti-virus scanner for checking objects that get on the computer from removable media. Automatically scans flash drives, tablets, multimedia players, SD cards, smartphones and digital cameras for threats, and if detected, suggests sending viruses to quarantine or removal. It has a forced check and guarantees the protection of confidential data from interception. Additional features include scanning potentially dangerous URLs, deleting dangerous and temporary files, and restoring damaged objects.

A powerful utility that protects the system even in minimized mode. It has full, selective, quick and rating checks. You can schedule scans and set the depth of scanning files. Scans removable media, secures email, and constantly updates versions to keep your device up to date.

A powerful free antivirus with five optimized engines and protection against various kinds of viruses. The program protects web surfing, checks Wi-Fi and removes programs without a trace. In offline mode, two engines are turned on and the antivirus continues its work. Also implemented is the ability to check software, restore the system after attacks and failures, analyze media and protect the webcam. The anti-virus product analyzes the operation of suspicious files and has an anti-virus sandbox.

An anti-virus program with a unique heuristic mechanism that detects unknown threats and activates the utility even if it is blocked. Blocks malicious websites, anti-rootkits and spyware attacks. Does not conflict with other programs and antiviruses and constantly updates the database.

A program that detects adware, malicious plugins and unwanted software on websites. Detects objects that "fly" into the system when installing some programs, blocks unwanted toolbars and "pests" that change the home page in the browser. Does not require installation on a computer and can be used portable from removable media.

The results presented by AV-Comparatives in this antivirus performance comparison report only show the impact on system performance (mainly 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 performs on a particular system configuration.

In April 2018, we used budget computers with HDD hard drives (instead of SSD) 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. Operational testing was done on a clean and fully updated Windows 10 (1709) (64-bit, English) system, and then with an antivirus program installed (with default settings). The tests were run with an active internet connection to ensure the real impact of cloud services and features.

Tested antiviruses

The following antiviruses took part in this comparative testing for performance and speed (default settings were used):

Tested antiviruses

• Tencent PC Manager 12.3 (English)

AV-Comparatives laboratory specialists used the latest versions of antiviruses available at the time of testing (April, 2018). The test includes products from both the "Antivirus" category and the "Internet Security" category - all of which are marked as "security programs". The laboratory has tested products that vendors provide for the main test series. Please note that the results of the report only apply to individual product versions listed above (i.e. a specific version for a specific system architecture, such as 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 running the latest updated Windows 10, version 1709 64-Bit:

• Copying files
• Archiving / Unarchiving
• Installing / Uninstalling Applications
• Application launch
• Downloading files
• Website visits
• PC Mark 10 Professional Testing Suite

Test Methodology

Measures have been taken to minimize third-party factors that may have affected test results and/or system compatibility. The optimization technologies used in the products were also considered - this means that the results represent the impact of the product on the system after some period of use of the product by the user. The tests were carried out several times (with and without optimization technology enabled) to obtain average values ​​and eliminate measurement errors. After each launch, the test computer was defragmented and rebooted 6 times. The researchers simulated various types of file operations: copying clean files from one location to another, compressing files into archives, decompressing archives, downloading files from the Internet, and launching applications (opening documents). For individual tests, the Windows Assessment and Deployment Toolkit (Windows ADK) was used with the Windows Performance Toolkit (WPT). This toolkit is widely used in the industry to measure the performance of computer systems. This tool makes it easy for vendors to replicate results and discover what is causing slowdowns. In order to prevent possible optimization of products for the test, our own drivers for the ADK were implemented. These tools allow you to assess the impact of products on performance in individual subtests, independent of other tests.

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

Antiviruses should be loaded in the system at an early stage to ensure maximum protection - such loading affects the computer startup time. Accurately measuring download times is a difficult task. The biggest problem is determining the state of system readiness 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 antivirus protection is fully active, because this can be an important criterion for completing the download process. Some vendors implement very late boot for their products - in this case, the system may be slow for a while after it has fully booted. In fact, the product simply loads its services and processes late, leaving the system vulnerable for a while. The lab believes that this situation can be misleading, so load times are not published in the reports.

Test results

AV Comparatives score

• file copying- Copy files
• archiving/unarchiving- Archiving / Unarchiving
• Installing/uninstalling applications- Install / Uninstall applications
• Launching applications- Launch applications
- Download files
• Browsing Websites- Website visits

• Slow- slow
• Mediocre- middle
• Fast- fast
• very fast- very fast

Overall score based on the PC Mark test

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

Performance test. What is the fastest antivirus?

Certifications based on antivirus performance scores with default settings on Windows 10 64-Bit:

(6) AV-Comparatives suggests that products with the same award have the same impact on system performance.

To evaluate the effectiveness of antivirus protection, see the results of dynamic testing and malware detection rate checks that were conducted in early 2018.

PC Tools AntiVirus	Comprehensive FREE antivirus that is friendly with Windows XP and old computers.
	A free antivirus that focuses on protecting against viruses from the Internet. Lots of different functions and modules. Optimized for older versions of Windows.

Not all computers can pull powerful antiviruses - on weak PCs, these antiviruses eat up all system resources, and because of this, the computer "slows down". That is why we have made for you a selection of good antiviruses even for weak computers. Thanks to them, you can protect your data without slowing down or overloading the system. So that the old computer does not slow down, we suggest download any light antivirus from the list.

All antiviruses presented above are free!

You just have to download the program to your computer and install it. Do not forget that after installing a new antivirus, you will need an Internet connection to update the antivirus databases - this will keep your protection up to date.

And finally, I will say: do not rely on antiviruses for a weak computer - they do not use the full potential of the system and can skip a virus. It is better to buy a new laptop or make your computer more powerful to install powerful programs and antivirus programs.

Sooner or later, every Internet user encounters computer viruses, and if this has not happened to you yet, then everything is still ahead. Not too optimistic, right?

But, nevertheless, in 2019, we are now in a better position than our predecessors, because at a time when anti-virus software was just beginning to appear on the market, computer viruses quietly and freely hosted computers, sometimes causing damage to millions. dollars.

Some 5-10 years ago, the only way to get rid of viruses was to format the hard drive, which means the loss of all data stored on it. Today, even the most inexperienced user of a personal computer, 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 of today's most popular 2019 and some tips for keeping your computer safe. Naturally, in order to protect your PC, the first step is to find a good antivirus.

#1

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

He responds to the threat very quickly and immediately eliminates it. This program can be automatically updated, its interface is quite simple and clear, management is not difficult. This program will also be a worthy protection for your computer.

Its only drawback is that it loads the computer quite heavily, consuming a lot of resources.

#2

Latest versions of Avast! 2019 have a high level of virus detection efficiency. The core engine used in the program has been certified by ICSA, constantly tested by Virus Bulletin and consistently wins awards.

The program has a very simple and very understandable interface even for a beginner, which allows even a not very experienced user to configure scanning parameters. There is also a great opportunity to quickly customize the appearance of the program. In addition, you can set up a schedule for scanning your computer.

Avast Protection! It uses a powerful module that can prevent the effects of a virus before it infects your computer. The system is able to update itself. Summing up, it can be argued that the presence of this program on your computer allows you to feel much calmer.

#3

360 Total Security is an antivirus that will help you protect and optimize your computer.

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

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

#4

NANO Security NANO AntiVirus 2019 is a relatively new product in the huge free antivirus software market. It offers comprehensive, state-of-the-art protection against computer viruses, Trojans, malware and suspicious programs. It monitors web traffic, checks your email, and keeps your system secure in real time.

It also scans RAM for infections and can 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 options, but provides a full range of functions 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 novel viruses and eliminate them.

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

#6

AVG Antivirus Free is constantly being improved to protect your computer even better.
It now includes real-time security updates, issue and malware and performance scans, and even catches downloads of malicious files 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 drive or file, including unknown untrusted or suspicious mail files.

If the program identifies any files as attackers, viruses or worms, the system will detect and eliminate them. Comodo Antivirus scans your system for viruses automatically so you don't have to interrupt your computer work.

#8

BitDefender Antivirus Plus 2019 has a sophisticated style of PC protection that involves simulating a computer within a computer where program segments are activated in order to get time to pre-scan for viruses and other harmful things.

The powerful search engines of BitDefender Antivirus access the most remote and unused areas of your computer to detect any potential problems that might be there.

Viruses are removed with minimal data damage, 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, so it is an excellent solution that reduces the requirements for local PC resources and creates strong protection.

The flip side of the coin is that a potential attack on the developer's servers could interfere with 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 average level of computer knowledge.

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

On top of that, there's a firewall feature that includes spyware and phishing protection; the user can manually determine which program to grant "Trust Level".

Additional antivirus protection

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

• Do not visit sites if you are not sure of their reliability;
• You cannot download files you do not need from the Internet, even from known sources;
• You can not open and read letters that came to you from unknown recipients, since it is through mail that various viruses often penetrate into your computer.

A complete list of antiviruses can be seen on a separate .