Rating of paid antiviruses. Free antivirus rating: review, description and reviews

Floods, hurricanes, snowstorms, blizzards - no matter where you live, nature could have prepared something special for you! And what dangers can affect the computer? Ransomware encrypts important data all year round, regardless of the season. Hackers and scammers can make their own illegal actions being anywhere in the world. Do you have a comprehensive antivirus installed? Is his subscription still valid? If not, then you need to choose and install a comprehensive antivirus that offers all types of protection in one integrated solution.

Leading antivirus software vendors offer products that combine multiple security features. Some antiviruses are limited to solving basic tasks, while others contain many useful additional features. Read reviews of comprehensive antiviruses from PCMag portal and choose the product that suits your needs. This article contains the top 10 comprehensive antiviruses according to PCMag. All of them are quite diverse, so each user will be able to choose the most attractive product for themselves.

This article briefly mentions reviews of complex antiviruses and lists best products according to PCMag. If you want to get detailed information, read the reviews of the respective solutions on our website.

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Reviews and tests of antiviruses

Comprehensive antivirus and all-in-one solutions

Most vendors offer three levels of antivirus protection - a standalone antivirus, a comprehensive product entry level and an advanced package with additional features. Most entry-level suites include anti-virus protection, firewall, anti-spam, parental control, and different types additional privacy protection. Expanded mega-complexes usually additionally contain a system Reserve copy and a system optimization tool, and some solutions include a password manager and other additional security tools.

When a new product line comes out, PCMag starts with an antivirus review. In the review of the basic complete solution the results of testing the antivirus are summed up and additional functions that are found only in the complex are considered in detail. In the advanced all-in-one solution review, PCMag concentrates on advanced features, referring to lower-end product reviews for a detailed look at common features. Your choice of a basic or advanced antivirus solution depends only on what features you really need.

Symantec is an exception to this model. Previously, the company offered a variety of standalone antivirus and comprehensive packages for Windows, Mac and mobile platforms. Then all separate products have been abolished and combined in a single product - Symantec Norton Security.

One more clarification. The considered solutions are intended mainly for end users. You can use them for small businesses, but as the company grows, you may need a cloud-based SaaS solution. This type of service offers single system monitor and administer security features for all company computers.

Basic antivirus protection

Anti-virus protection is the heart of the complex product. Without anti-virus protection, there is no point in the complex. Naturally, users want effective anti-virus protection. When evaluating an antivirus, special attention is paid to the results of testing in independent antivirus laboratories. The fact that labs consider a product significant enough to take part in tests already speaks of a serious vote of confidence. The best antivirus products score highly in lab tests.

PCMag also runs its own amateur tests. For one of the tests, a static set of malicious samples is used, which is used regularly throughout the year. During the test, the reaction of the antivirus when trying to run samples is recorded, and the product itself receives points depending on how carefully it protects test system. Another test downloads malicious files from the Internet using URLs that are less than 4 hours old. The final protection rating is influenced by the results of laboratory tests, own amateur tests, as well as other factors such as ease of use.

Network protection and firewalls

A typical personal firewall offers protection in two main areas. On the one hand, the firewall monitors network traffic to prevent unauthorized access from an external network. On the other hand, the firewall keeps a close eye on running applications in order to eliminate attempts to abuse the network on their part. The built-in Windows Firewall monitors traffic, but does not include software control. Several complex antiviruses are devoid of a firewall, believing that system firewall already copes with the most important tasks of this kind of components.

The last thing users want is a firewall bombarding them with an endless stream of incomprehensible questions about online activity. Allow OhSnap32.exe to connect to 111.222.3.4 using port 8080? Allow or block? Modern firewalls reduce the need for such requests by automatically setting permissions for famous programs. The very best of them handle even unknown programs by carefully monitoring for unauthorized network activity and other suspicious signs.

Spam Protection

Few users encounter spam in their inbox these days because most email services have server-side spam filtering. If your ISP does not support this service, then find the right letter among the huge number of offers of quick money, men's accessories and Russian brides can be a daunting task.

If Post service does not support spam blocking, then you should choose a comprehensive antivirus with anti-spam protection. Choose a product that supports integration with your email client. This integration allows you to automatically redirect junk messages to a separate folder, as well as manually add erroneously allowed messages to spam and restore access to trusted messages that were erroneously sent to the spam folder.

Privacy Protection

The best antiviruses in the world will not be able to help in cases where a user submits personal data to a phishing site. Websites with phishing attacks masquerade as regular websites of banks, online auctions, and online games. When you enter your username and password, your account becomes hacked. Some sophisticated attacks allow the user to be redirected to a real site with correct credentials to avoid unnecessary suspicion.

Preventing visits to phishing sites definitely helps protect sensitive data, but it's not the only way prevent leakage of personal information. Some solutions offer specialized protection components for sensitive user data, credit card details, bank accounts, and so on. Any attempt to transfer sensitive information is blocked and causes a warning to be displayed. Some vendors partner with third parties and offer line of credit monitoring. Some antivirus software vendors equip their products with secure browsers that allow financial transactions to be carried out in a separate environment isolated from other processes.

Parental control

When evaluating complex products, their rating is not reduced due to the lack of a parental control system. Not every user has children, and not every parent needs monitoring and control over their child. However, if parental controls are offered, they should work correctly.

Blocking unwanted sites and managing the time you use the Internet and your computer are the basic components of a parental control system. Some suites also offer advanced features such as instant messaging client monitoring, ESRB rating based game launch restriction, and tracking social activity children. Some components cannot successfully perform even basic tasks.

Performance Impact

One big reason to opt for a comprehensive product over a collection of individual utilities is that an integrated package can do the same tasks using fewer processes and fewer system resources. By at least, that's how it should be. In fact, many modern antivirus packages have a significant impact on performance.

To assess the impact on system performance in the PCMag amateur tests, three standard system actions are performed with and without protection installed. For each type of activity, a large number of measurements are taken, and the final result is an average value. One test measures system boot time, another test moves and copies a large collection of large files between drives, and a third experiment archives and decompresses an identical set of files. Integrated solutions with the best performance have virtually no impact on system performance.

Backup and optimization

In a sense, having a backup copy of your files represents the ultimate level of security. Even if the cryptolocker destroys access to all your data, you can still restore it from a backup. Some vendors eschew the backup system for advanced versions of complex products, while some developers include these components already in entry-level complexes. The capabilities of backup systems differ greatly, you can get acquainted with them in detail in the reviews of individual products. Some vendors only offer standard features, which you can get from Mozy, IDrive and other services cloud storage. On the other hand, you can get 25 gigabytes cloud storage on the vendor's server together with the ability to create local backups.

Optimization system performance not directly related to security unless it serves to offset the slowdown provided by an antivirus solution. However, many optimization tools offer privacy-related features, such as clearing browser history, deleting temporary files and deleting the list of recently used documents.

The best comprehensive antivirus 2017

The PCMag portal has compiled a collection of the top 10 comprehensive antiviruses based on its own assessment. The list includes multi-platform solutions, all-in-one solutions and complex entry-level products. If you are satisfied with basic security tasks, then Bitdefender internet security 2017 and Kaspersky Internet Security (2017) share the Editors' Choice award in the Standard All-In-One category. Among full-featured all-in-one solutions, the Editors' Choice award was shared by Bitdefender Total Security and Kaspersky Total Security, which offer all sorts of security tools and features. Symantec Norton Security allows you to protect up to 10 devices, and McAfee has no limit at all on the number of personal devices to protect. Both of these products received Editors' Choice awards in the cross-platform antivirus category for protecting multiple devices. With one of these powerful protection tools, you can relax and not think about security issues.

In addition to protecting all personal Windows devices, Android, macOS and iOS, the product offers encrypted cloud storage with unique authorization methods.

Bitdefender Internet Security 2017 includes all the expected features of a comprehensive antivirus and additionally offers useful security support tools. The new look revitalized an already high-quality antivirus product.

Symantec Norton Security Premium(2017) combines high-quality security features with 25 gigabytes of cloud storage and a powerful parental control system. The product allows you to protect up to 10 devices on Windows, Android, macOS and iOS platforms.

Webroot SecureAnywhere Internet Security Complete offers non-standard but effective antivirus protection, a system optimization tool and 25 gigabytes of cloud storage for backups. It is the most compact and undemanding product on the market.

Bitdefender Total Security 2017 offers a comprehensive set of protection features for Windows devices, enhanced by numerous additional tools security. Plus, you get award-winning Android protection and powerful antivirus for Mac.

Excellent test scores independent laboratories And wide range security features allow Kaspersky Internet Security (2017) to become one of the best picks to ensure the security of your computer and mobile devices.

To the impressive feature set of a comprehensive entry-level solution, Kaspersky Total Security (2017) adds a password manager, an advanced parental control system, encryption and secure deletion of files, and others. useful tools. This is one of the best choices among full-featured all-in-one mega solutions!

To the feature set of the junior comprehensive antivirus, McAfee Total Protection adds file encryption and 4 True Key password manager licenses. Most importantly, you can install the product on all personal and home devices.

Norton Security Deluxe (2017) offers award-winning antivirus protection and an efficient self-contained firewall with minimal component impact on performance. The product allows you to protect up to 5 devices on Windows, Android, macOS or iOS platforms.

Although the product does not have a personal firewall, Trend Micro Internet Security (2017) offers anti-virus protection, spam protection, parental controls, and numerous additional features to help maintain high level computer security.

Today's computer cannot be imagined without an antivirus program. Its presence on a PC is as common as the presence in the system of some file manager, video player or regular browser. At the same time, an inexperienced user often does not know which antivirus to choose, since the number antivirus applications very large.

On the 5th place in the rating, I would put the antivirus Kaspersky. except standard set tools (including a program for cleaning a computer, creating automatic online backups, remote management, etc.) Kaspersky antivirus has its own special products, for example, Secure Keyboard(allows you to encrypt the text typed by the user on the keyboard, in order to avoid its interception by keyloggers), cloud technology kaspersky security network and others.

You need to download Kaspersky antivirus on the official website - www.kaspersky.ru/antivirus. With its advanced functionality, Kaspersky Internet Security antivirus is demanding on the computer and consumes a sufficient amount of resources. Therefore, only the fifth place among the best.

4th place - Webroot

The system has good level protection and the average load on resources, which grows when working with archives and file operations. McAfee is third in the ranking.

2nd place - Avast

Avast has three levels of protection: basic (free antivirus), advanced (Internet security) and full (premier version). The basic version of Avast antivirus has everything you need for protection - protection against spyware, checking links and e-mails, protection home network etc. The program is very lightweight, consumes few resources and this makes it one of the most popular antivirus programs in the world.

By the way, the creators of Avast have publicly promised that they will never share your personal information with any government agencies. Deserved second place. Download link www.avast.ru .

1st place - AVG

Personally, I use antivirus AVG for many years, and for all the years I had practically no complaints about him. The program copes with its role by 100%, despite the fact that I use the free version of the product. My findings confirm the feedback from users around the world, many of whom rank AVG at the top of their personal rankings. the best programs protect your computer from viruses. You can download AVG from the link - www.avg.com/ru-ru/free-antivirus-download .

The application has two versions - paid and free. The free one has a basic set of security tools - antivirus, spyware protection, phishing and email protection.

While the basic version is pretty good, the Pro version looks even better. It includes the functionality paid version, adding to it improved internet security in the form of protection against malicious downloads, protection from hackers who want to access banking data, protection of your e-mail from spam and other garbage.

AVG-PRO encrypts and password-protects all your important files, and even if the virus can get through general protection AVG, it will not be able to access the previously encrypted file.

The program is very efficient, consumes few resources, and its work is almost invisible. So, AVG takes a well-deserved first place in the ranking.

Conclusion

Of course, choosing the best antivirus is more a matter of taste and personal preference. Someone likes AVG, someone likes Norton or Avira, someone is an adept of Kaspersky and Eset Nod 32. New software products are constantly appearing on the market that offer reliable and high-quality protection for your computer. But personally, I would recommend taking a closer look at the five of the above programs that have already gone through the “fire and water” of working with various viruses. With a high probability, one of these programs guarantees a high level of protection for your PC.

In contact with

Austrian laboratory AV Comparatives is an independent organization that regularly tests new products entering the market. antivirus products, as 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.

Opens the list of the top ten antivirus programs of 2018 the product of the Indian computer company- Antivirus QuickHeal. 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 a high scanning speed. 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 Avast opportunity- disable system Windows 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 ranking goes to an Austrian product based on 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 now, and at the end of 2016 released a new version of 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 large set additional services- checking mail, sites 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 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 a simple antivirus home use to password storage software for smartphones and tablets, and even protecting children from online 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 same name German company. 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.

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

In addition, free software is not considered to provide the same protection as paid software. In fact, in the segment free apps 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. For 2016 Windows year 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 also acceptable programs for providing required level security. Windows Defender, which comes with Windows 8 and 10 systems, recognizes and eliminates up to 95% of common threats and about 85% of so-called zero-day attacks, i.e. attacks. 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 safety rules, the use modern browser and regular software updates allow you to successfully use the standard antivirus (reviews, Windows Defender rating confirm this possibility) as the main solution in terms of security. 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 big amount samples are regularly conducted by leading antiviral laboratories. Test results allow developers to improve their own products, so participation is usually paid. Basically, the rating of Windows antiviruses (the operating system is the most common, which is why tests are carried out on it) includes paid versions of programs, but if a free solution provides full protection— the software is also evaluated.

In May 2016, AV-Comparatives conducted dynamic testing of 19 antivirus programs. For the study, the Windows 7 platform was used (with current 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. Trend Micro and F-Secure also took the lead with 100% recognition results. malware, but respectively the 7th and 15th false positives. Rounding out the top five was Kaspersky Internet Security, which missed 0.3% of threats, but passed the test without false positives.

Free analogues of tested anti-virus programs

Bitdefender's free counterpart, Free Edition, is used as an alternative to many paid applications, provides background virus protection and is capable of detecting 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 free license, which has some limited features compared to KIS or Total Security, but still 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 are included in the comprehensive antivirus with multi-level protection ESET Nod32 smart security. In addition to the standard protection against phishing, file system security, Internet access, email in stationary email 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 is not far behind, Bitdefender Antivirus Free Edition and ESET NOD32 Smart Security. Significantly slows down loading Avira Free Antivirus (more than three minutes).

Scanning system folders (with equal detection of malware) takes Avast Free Antivirus, AVG Antivirus Free, Avira Free Antivirus and ESET NOD32 Smart Security about ten minutes. 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, a free antivirus (the rating recognized it as the best solution according to test results) does not provide any protection against data interception by third-party programs, it requires active compound with the Internet 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 the market computer technology Windows occupies a leading position, 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 conducted testing 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 choices 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, in addition, many useful additional features become available in the Pro version of the application, but this build consumes a large amount of resources, which can make the device run slower.

Finally

Antivirus is necessary program, after all, not always the needs of the user can be satisfied standard options protection against viruses and malware (especially on mobile devices). The choice of the optimal solution here 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 of 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.

Using the Internet, it is very easy to "catch" a virus or inadvertently download a spyware or other harmful application to your computer. You need resources to help protect your PC, including antivirus solutions. Among them are both free and commercial, and the choice is quite wide. What are good antiviruses? Are there any of these among the free versions?

We have compiled a selection of programs based on their versatility - each solution, judging by the content of reviews on the Internet, is optimal antivirus for Windows 7, for XP, for latest version 8.1.

First, consider the features of some commercial offers. Let one of them be Russian and the other foreign.

The main thing about Kaspersky

Among the world's most popular paid anti-virus programs is a product from Kaspersky Lab. The distribution kit from 2014 is able to protect not only from viruses and Trojans, but also from spyware and advertising scripts. Like most modern antiviruses, Kaspersky's program can detect threats that are not in the database. For this, heuristic analysis is used.

The main functions of the program from Kaspersky:

• tracking virus attacks, file treatment in real time;
• checking programs for reputation;
• analysis and detection of malicious codes in Internet traffic (links);
• monitoring the system for suspicious software actions.

The current version of Kaspersky Anti-Virus is compatible with the latest operating systems such as Windows 8.1. The proactive protection policy implemented by this solution includes tracking sites on which malicious modules are installed and early warning of the user about detected threats at the time of an attempt to enter such web resources. Experts note that the antivirus is adapted to the optimal use of PC resources.

Program from Kaspersky: activation nuances

For many years, to activate the distribution kit, Kaspersky required special keys for antiviruses (using such a scheme is a common thing). But since August 2013, the methodology of this process has changed. Kaspersky Anti-Virus can only be activated using a special code online, that is, Internet access is required. Necessary condition successful completion of this procedure - a correctly set system date.

Kaspersky and promotion from Yandex

There is an interesting precedent in the history of the Russian IT industry. Users had the opportunity to observe a rather unusual guise in which Kaspersky Anti-Virus was - the "Yandex" version of the product. In December 2011, two large Russian IT companies - Yandex and Kaspersky Labs - decided to hold an unusual campaign.

Users from Russia and several other countries of the near abroad got the opportunity to use a full-fledged product from Kaspersky, released in a co-branded version with Yandex, completely free of charge. In this case, it would be most fair to say that in this form, Kaspersky Anti-Virus - trial version. The fact is that the validity period of the license for the program within the framework of the action was not very long - 6 months. Participants of the campaign also had the opportunity to purchase a standard Kaspersky anti-virus at a 20% discount.

The action included a number of restrictions. In particular, there was no technical support for the version of the antivirus distributed through Yandex. If the user had difficulties with mastering the application, he was recommended to refer to the resources of the Kaspersky Lab knowledge base.

By now, the campaign has ended. Now you can use Kaspersky Lab products for free only if you download trial antivirus which works 30 days.

NOD: strong competitor from Slovakia

One of the most famous antivirus competitors from Kaspersky Lab is a product manufactured by the Slovak company ESET. We are talking about the NOD32 program (in Russia it is often called simply “NOD”). Its main functions are the same as those of most analogues: “catching” viruses, Trojans, adware, protection against phishing, etc. The program has its own heuristic analysis algorithm called ThreatSense.

Users and experts in the field of information security note low level the consumption of computer resources by the antivirus, as well as the low intensity of the use of Internet traffic when updating databases and main software modules. The work of the protection system is, for the most part, in the background. Some experts believe that the speed of scanning files this antivirus one of the best.

The ESET software package also includes the Smart Security application. Its main functions:

• email monitoring, malicious script blocking, spam filtering;
• detection and removal of spyware email programs;
• protection of the computer from outside connections (the application acts as a firewall).

Smart Security is also characterized by many experts as a solution that consumes a minimum of system resources.

According to many experts, NOD is an antivirus that, in terms of level, can be safely put on a par with the world's leading products.

Now let's move on to free antiviruses.

Avast - reliable protection for nothing

Avast antivirus (in the Free Antivirus version), according to some analysts, is the most popular product in the world in the free solutions segment. It has all the basic features you need to home program. Activated Avast antivirus It's very simple - just enter your name and e-mail. After that, the program can be used for free for a year.

Operating systems for PCs on which the free version of Avast can be installed are Windows, Linux and MacOS. Mobile platforms compatible with antivirus include Android, Windows. There are also several paid versions of the program: Pro, Internet Security, and Premier. There are a number of corporate solutions.

Many users note that Avast antivirus has a very comfortable interface. All the necessary options are displayed compactly and conveniently on the screen. Users like the display of interfaces related to real-time computer protection. This component of the program analyzes several sources of threats at once and shows on the screen how much of a particular source has been worked out.

The minimum amount of advertising in the application interface is also noted, as well as its complete absence when using some options in active window. Many users, determining for themselves which antiviruses are good and which are not very good, form their opinion based on the amount of advertising in free versions of programs.

Users comment very fast work module manual scanning as well as low consumption random access memory computer.

AVIRA: the universal protection format

Another popular solution among those that can be used for free is the Avira antivirus in the Free Antivirus version. This product consists of several applications: a monitor (which scans files in real time), an on-demand system scan module, and a malware database updater.

The main functionality of the antivirus:

• detection and removal of malicious codes, Trojans and other malicious applications;
• detection and filtering of advertising "exploits", spyware.

There are also commercial version product - AntiVirus Premium. Compared to a free antivirus, the program has several advantages:

• accelerated updating via the Internet;
• lack of advertising;
• the presence of the function of blocking sites containing malicious codes;
• the ability to check e-mail when using the POP3 and SMTP protocols.

except base platforms Avira offers users several specialized packages that are adapted to work on workstations, in corporate networks etc.

Lavasoft: simplicity and reliability

Users of this antivirus note the convenience and balance of the interface. The window displays only the necessary information, with a minimum of unnecessary data. If there is a need to enable some additional function, then this can be done in one click. If the user wants to scan the entire system at once, then just press big button ScanNow.

The only difficulty noted by antivirus users is that by default there is no option to choose to scan individual discs. However, this option can be enabled through the program settings menu. Additional features for antivirus users are available in a large number in the paid version. Some users speak of Lavasoft as not the most productive solution. Even in the background, active consumption of program RAM is noted.

AVG: simplicity and functionality

AVG is another free antivirus. The interface of the program, according to users, is very simple. It is a list of icons denoting a particular anti-virus protection module. The system scan functions are located on the sidebar of the window. Just like in many other antiviruses, there is a Scan Now button, when clicked, a comprehensive scan of the entire computer is performed.

The package from AVG contains a large number of additional modules. For example, those who are designed to protect email, filter web traffic. Some users say that you need to buy a license to activate many modules. Sometimes it turns out that the options are not intended for desktop operating systems, but for mobile platforms.

Many note the insufficient performance of the antivirus when scanning disks, but they are quite satisfied with the low level of consumption of RAM by the program.

Another disadvantage of AVG antivirus is a rather complicated interface. You can get confused. In order to scan a specific disk or other storage medium, you have to make several successive actions. In addition, to use some options, you need to enable special treatment, which is called "expert", while in many other antivirus programs this option is available in the main menu of the program. There is no need to activate any other modes, except for what is enabled by default.

Many users were impressed by the performance of the antivirus and its low consumption of system resources.

Microsoft Security Essentials: a free solution from the giant

Unlike other programs in our review (which provide free use only the most basic version with restrictions), this product is completely free. And this is despite the fact that it was released by one of the most commercially engaged IT companies in the world.

Many users note that the program interface is very convenient, they especially emphasize that there are no ads on it. There are, however, disadvantages: it cannot scan e-mail, it does not contain anti-phishing protection modules. While other antiviruses even include such features in the free version.

According to users, the product from Microsoft is characterized by an average level of performance.

Pros and cons of free antiviruses

Without claiming to be the ultimate truth, let's try to summarize the pros and cons for each of the free antiviruses in our review. Based, of course, on user reviews. We will not determine which antiviruses are good and which are not. We highlight the strengths and weak sides everyone.

If the user cares about the speed of work, then it makes sense to pay attention to Avira, even despite the shortcomings of the platform in the form of confusing interface elements. According to some users, the creators of this antivirus should definitely work on the appearance of the product. If they do this, Avira will have a great chance to get closer to the market leaders.

Avast antivirus can become the best choice for those users who do not gravitate towards an in-depth study of the program settings. Product performance is not bad. The interface is clear and pleasant. Advertising, if you do not pay attention to it, does not interfere with the work with the program at all. Many users will want to get a free antivirus for 1 year with the functionality that Avast has.

Solutions from Lavasoft and AVG are praised by users for good functionality. For some users, it is important which antiviruses are good precisely in terms of the capabilities that the creators endowed them with.

Focus on rating

User opinions about certain software products are subjective. Now attempts are being made to form an objective rating of antiviruses. Let's see who does it and what are the results of their work.

The research methods of the Safety-Gate portal are recognized by the Russian IT community as one of the most effective. Therefore, we will take the rating of antiviruses according to the experts of this organization. Satefy-Gate tests solutions from various global manufacturers every quarter. Testing sessions are called On-Demand (on-demand testing, that is, in manual mode scanning). In the second quarter of 2014, Safety-Gate tested the effectiveness of 26 solutions, both commercial and free. Let's look at the overall results and what are the indicators for antiviruses from our review.

During testing, the programs had to identify as many as possible of the 3266 files infected with malicious code, which were prepared by Safety-Gate specialists. The number of detected viruses was expressed as a percentage rounded to hundredths. That is, if, for example, the program found 3000 infected files, then the result was recorded as 91.86%.

Let's look at the distribution of places in the top ten rankings.

• The first line was taken by Ashampoo antivirus, its indicator is 98.96% or about 3232 viruses found.
• In second place (with a very small lag) is the Slovak product ESED NOD32, which found 98.71% of infected files.
• The third and fourth lines were shared by solutions from TrustPort (Total Protection and Internet Security, respectively). The first got a result of 98.07%, and the second lagged behind noticeably, having managed to find only 95.71% of the viruses.
• Emsisoft Anti-Malwre entered the top 5 of the ranking with a score of 95.34%.
• In sixth place is an antivirus from our Avira review. The program was able to find 95.22% of infected files.
• 360 Internet Security showed the seventh result, having managed to detect 94.76% of programs with malicious code.
• The eighth line was occupied by the Russian Dr.Web, showing a result of 94.3%.
• In ninth place is HitmanPro antivirus, which managed to detect 93.63% of infected files.
• The tenth line was occupied by the product eScan Internet Security, showing a result of 93.57%.
• What is the place of Kaspersky antivirus? One of the most popular Russian solutions showed a rather modest result, taking 12th place. The program found 92.92% of infected files.

What are the results of the remaining antiviruses from our review? Even lower.

AVG ranked 14th with 92.22% of infected files detected. Avast is located on the 16th line, having managed to find 91.64% of viruses. Microsoft Security Essencials and Lavasoft have not been tested by experts.

This is the rating of antiviruses according to the Safety-Gate portal. This, of course, is one of dozens or even hundreds of possible rankings, but it allows you to get a rough idea of ​​the quality of solutions for protecting your PC from malicious codes. Based on the Safety-Gate rating, the best free antiviruses we've reviewed in 2014 are Avira and Avast. The first was ahead of the solution from Kaspersky. The best paid antivirus from our review, judging by the test results, is Satefy-Gate, this is NOD32.

Having studied the general data on the leading antivirus brands and reviewed the test results, we can also pay attention to some expert advice regarding the criteria for choosing the best solution for protecting your PC from malicious codes.

Experts do not recommend using "cracked" ("cracked") versions of antiviruses downloaded from free torrents and other portals of this type. It often happens that the installation files of these programs are already infected with malicious code. In addition, manufacturers of modern antiviruses have learned to build reliable algorithms for detecting pirated versions. Most likely, an illegal copy of the program will be quickly detected and stopped being serviced (new databases and software components will stop downloading). Experts note that due to the tightening of the filtering policy by Russian providers search results in relation to pirated copies of programs, it will take a very long time to look for unlicensed versions of antiviruses or "keys" for them. Analysts advise to spend money on purchasing a legal copy of the software and save time.

IT specialists do not recommend choosing antiviruses according to the criteria of "lightness": a small amount of occupied disk space, low rates of RAM consumption, low processor load, etc. According to experts, a high-quality computer protection program cannot be "lightweight". The antivirus performs many functions, and this cannot take place without using system resources. Experts note that most modern computers are equipped with sufficient RAM and hard drives in order to ignore the requirements for PC performance that are recommended by software manufacturers. If it turns out that the capacity of the system is not enough, then it is preferable to upgrade it individual components than to change the antivirus to a less demanding one. The only difficulty is that by default it is not possible to select individual disks for scanning, however, this option can be enabled through the program settings menu.