Best Anti Virus Program?

[Dream Alien]

Im looking into a new anti virus program for 2016...I am trying to decide between Kaspersky or Bitdefender.

If anyone has any input on experience with either program or just general knowledge, that would be MUCH appreciated! My computer deserves the best! Thank you

 

[gothicfeline]

I am a fan of avast...

 

[Dream Alien]

Yeah I have that on my phone but im not sure if i want it on my computer. Ive been researching them both and they are two of the most recommended but I just want to get some second opinions before i decide. I have also been noticing ads all over the place for Bitdefender...

 

[fandango]

I have kaspersky on my computer for the last few years, seems to work great and I've never had any problems.

 

[Dream Alien]

Thank you! Its what my Mom has had for ages and what she is recommending as well. I always have to do a lot of research before I decide anything haha, which I guess is a good thing

 

[JerryBoBerry]

Just for a bit of sideways thinking here. Assuming you're running Windows OS, you already have one on your computer. Windows Defender in your control panel. And if you don't have a 3rd party AV installed, then it is already running. It disables itself when you install a different one.

Now if you read up about it you will find in testing it didn't do as good as other companies Anti-Virus software. But you'll also find Microsoft dismissing a lot of those tests as being set up unfairly biased towards Defender. Those tests grade them purely on how many viruses they detect. Microsoft claims Defender is designed to work within the total Windows OS environment with all the other security software features they've included. Those tests ran it as a stand alone software.

Also they tested the software titles against a random selection of 'all' viruses in their database to see which could find more. The thing is probably 98% of all viruses are basically extinct now. They've been rendered useless by updates or changing software. So Microsoft purposely chooses to not even test for those in Defender, just the most active ones and new threats. So of course it's not going to detect all those others. But as a result that means the virus database it's using to scan from is much more lightweight and isn't as much of a resource hog like most of those others. Ever notice your computer having slower start times, longer scan times after you download files, things like that after you installed a 3rd party AV? I did, and got annoyed with it.

To tell you the truth I got sick of 3rd party firewalls too. I just use the built in Windows Firewall now as well.

Basically this whole time you've been deciding on which anti-virus to use, you've probably already been protected by one that's been working. Something to think about.

 

[Dream Alien]

Just for a bit of sideways thinking here. Assuming you're running Windows OS, you already have one on your computer. Windows Defender in your control panel. And if you don't have a 3rd party AV installed, then it is already running. It disables itself when you install a different one.

Now if you read up about it you will find in testing it didn't do as good as other companies Anti-Virus software. But you'll also find Microsoft dismissing a lot of those tests as being set up unfairly biased towards Defender. Those tests grade them purely on how many viruses they detect. Microsoft claims Defender is designed to work within the total Windows OS environment with all the other security software features they've included. Those tests ran it as a stand alone software.

Also they tested the software titles against a random selection of 'all' viruses in their database to see which could find more. The thing is probably 98% of all viruses are basically extinct now. They've been rendered useless by updates or changing software. So Microsoft purposely chooses to not even test for those in Defender, just the most active ones and new threats. So of course it's not going to detect all those others. But as a result that means the virus database it's using to scan from is much more lightweight and isn't as much of a resource hog like most of those others. Ever notice your computer having slower start times, longer scan times after you download files, things like that after you installed a 3rd party AV? I did, and got annoyed with it.

To tell you the truth I got sick of 3rd party firewalls too. I just use the built in Windows Firewall now as well.

Basically this whole time you've been deciding on which anti-virus to use, you've probably already been protected by one that's been working. Something to think about.

Hmmm wow yeah I have never thought about it that way! I currently have the free trial of AVG pro but it expires in 10 days down to the free one. I have had it on my last computer and it worked just fine. But I just bought a new laptop that is running Windows 10 and I havent heard very many good things about the new Windows security on here. (but I could be wrong...)

Are you working with WIndows 10 at all?

 

[DaddyDominant]

Just for a bit of sideways thinking here. Assuming you're running Windows OS, you already have one on your computer. Windows Defender in your control panel. And if you don't have a 3rd party AV installed, then it is already running. It disables itself when you install a different one.

Now if you read up about it you will find in testing it didn't do as good as other companies Anti-Virus software. But you'll also find Microsoft dismissing a lot of those tests as being set up unfairly biased towards Defender. Those tests grade them purely on how many viruses they detect. Microsoft claims Defender is designed to work within the total Windows OS environment with all the other security software features they've included. Those tests ran it as a stand alone software.

Also they tested the software titles against a random selection of 'all' viruses in their database to see which could find more. The thing is probably 98% of all viruses are basically extinct now. They've been rendered useless by updates or changing software. So Microsoft purposely chooses to not even test for those in Defender, just the most active ones and new threats. So of course it's not going to detect all those others. But as a result that means the virus database it's using to scan from is much more lightweight and isn't as much of a resource hog like most of those others. Ever notice your computer having slower start times, longer scan times after you download files, things like that after you installed a 3rd party AV? I did, and got annoyed with it.

To tell you the truth I got sick of 3rd party firewalls too. I just use the built in Windows Firewall now as well.

Basically this whole time you've been deciding on which anti-virus to use, you've probably already been protected by one that's been working. Something to think about.

I'm going to quote this post because I believe it should be read again.

I've used many AV (Norton, AVG, Avast, McAfee) and they all share one thing in common: They tend to bloat themeselves to the point they become like a do it yourself DOS on your own box. I like Microsoft Defender, its part of an overall strategy don't do anything too stupid, if you MUST (why?) go to a site you don't trust, do it on a VM machine (Oracle VirtualBox is a decent solution), run ad blockers on your browser, run script blocker on your browsers, and don't trust 'bob from computer support.

 

[JerryBoBerry]

Hmmm wow yeah I have never thought about it that way! I currently have the free trial of AVG pro but it expires in 10 days down to the free one. I have had it on my last computer and it worked just fine. But I just bought a new laptop that is running Windows 10 and I havent heard very many good things about the new Windows security on here. (but I could be wrong...)

Are you working with WIndows 10 at all?

Yeah, I'm on Windows 10. But I started hating all the other free Anti-Virus and Firewall software before that while still running Windows 7. So I switched over back then. When I upgraded to 10 I never bothered with anything other than the Windows built in stuff. I noticed an immediate improvement in my computer.

Keep in mind with the free trial of AVG installed then Defender probably isn't running for you right now. It's designed to just get out of the way if you have any other virus software installed.

 

[Dream Alien]

I'm going to quote this post because I believe it should be read again.

I've used many AV (Norton, AVG, Avast, McAfee) and they all share one thing in common: They tend to bloat themeselves to the point they become like a do it yourself DOS on your own box. I like Microsoft Defender, its part of an overall strategy don't do anything too stupid, if you MUST (why?) go to a site you don't trust, do it on a VM machine (Oracle VirtualBox is a decent solution), run ad blockers on your browser, run script blocker on your browsers, and don't trust 'bob from computer support.

Hhahaa "dont trust Bob from computer support"! Omg yes so true! Im pretty smart with computers so I know what sites to not click on, I know when things look fishy to not trust them, I know how to keep my computer up to speed and keep it safe.

Yeah, I'm on Windows 10. But I started hating all the other free Anti-Virus and Firewall software before that while still running Windows 7. So I switched over back then. When I upgraded to 10 I never bothered with anything other than the Windows built in stuff. I noticed an immediate improvement in my computer.

Keep in mind with the free trial of AVG installed then Defender probably isn't running for you right now. It's designed to just get out of the way if you have any other virus software installed.

Ok good to know! Im going to go ahead and un-install AVG cause you are right, it tends to slow things down when it really shouldnt! I have heard from people that Windows Defender is just fine, but didnt believe them because they have lied to me before about things.

Thank you! I will see how everything goes with just Defender.

 

[JerryBoBerry]

I'm going to quote this post because I believe it should be read again.

I've used many AV (Norton, AVG, Avast, McAfee) and they all share one thing in common: They tend to bloat themeselves to the point they become like a do it yourself DOS on your own box.

This, so much!

That's exactly what I was finding. Such huge amounts of ram being used. Massive virus databases being downloaded. Scan times taking way longer than needed. And then when you research it you find that many of them are still including all the viruses from Dos, win 95, XP... Those software titles are stand alone and want to score well on tests. So they have to work on as many OS's as they can. Even for someone still using and old Dos machine as a server for some reason. That level of bloat just isn't needed for the average user running Windows 10 with all the current updates installed.

I rarely agree with Microsoft mentality, but on this I do. I think their strategy in Defender is just better.

 

[Dream Alien]

Oh another quick question...I download torrents (from good sites of course) is this going to be okay with Windows Defender as well?

 

[JerryBoBerry]

Oh another quick question...I download torrents (from good sites of course) is this going to be okay with Windows Defender as well?

Defender still works with that. Personally I would still take common sense precautions. Media files, music files, ebooks...MKV, AVI, MP4, MP3, Epub, Txt, Rtf, Mobi...files that don't 'run' by themselves are safer. If you download software that is executable or you have to install from a torrent you run a much higher risk. You could also be exposing yourself to the latest of viruses for which there isn't a virus definition, even in the 3rd party paid anti-virus software.

So yes and no is the answer to your question. It still depends on some level of wariness on your part. Also, as mentioned by @DaddyDominant other things never hurt. Adblock or Ublock Origin, Disconnect, Vanilla cookie manager in chrome.

Having Malwarebytes, Ccleaner, Spybot software installed is also a good thing. In the free editions those are usually only run when the user wants, not always running. So it doesn't hurt to run those once in a while just as added backup.

 

[gothicfeline]

for my windows 8.1 I use only windows defender. its a good anti virus and with the firewall is pretty good defense. easy to configure

 

[Dream Alien]

OK awesome thank you! I will look into installing some of those as well. its good to know that they dont keep running in the background because that always seems to slow down computers!

 

[gothicfeline]

I do tech support for a living. let me careen cap my settings.

 

[gothicfeline]

 

[Crumb]

even though I'm not as techie as some of the other guys who've already replied..
I used to be a fairly faithful Nortons subscriber, up until about 3 years ago when I let it run out and been using built in MS stuff ever since, and I've never had problems... wasn't inundated with viruses as soon as I stopped using Nortons (and I frequently torrent things) I'm just a little more careful of what I do download/torrent

 

[Khia Petal]

i've been using Trend Micro for years now and it's served me well so far

 

[Zoomer]

Ack, best free anti-virus?

First up - Windows Defender. Please... don't. Just don't. The detection rates are poor. It's used as a baseline whenever they're testing, and often would fail to even get the testing labs lowest certification.
While it isn't useless, and may be fine for those just generically surfing the web, it shouldn't be actively chosen over freely available alternatives when there's such a difference in ability.

Here's a comparison chart from one of the independent test labs:
https://www.av-test.org/en/antivirus/home-windows/

You can check detection rates and real world tests via av-comparatives.org as well. The results should see you dumping MS's offering.

Best current Free Anti Virus are Panda and AVG (I'm amazed at both of these, especially AVG as it used to be way down the list of reliable detection rates), though as always Avira is as strong as can be, and Bit Defenders free version is good too. Obviously "best" is something factoring in performance, ease of use etc and not just how good it is catching the bad stuff. However, AVG appears to have improved a bit, as has Panda.

Best paid products continue to be Bit Defender and Kaspersky.

I've been full up paid for BitDefender for 2 years and will continue to be so - but that's a personal choice to ensure my professional work remains as secure as it can be (within reasonable parameters -as I'm always likely to be the weakest link!).

 

[Dream Alien]

Ack, best free anti-virus?

First up - Windows Defender. Please... don't. Just don't. The detection rates are poor. It's used as a baseline whenever they're testing, and often would fail to even get the testing labs lowest certification.
While it isn't useless, and may be fine for those just generically surfing the web, it shouldn't be actively chosen over freely available alternatives when there's such a difference in ability.

Here's a comparison chart from one of the independent test labs:
https://www.av-test.org/en/antivirus/home-windows/

You can check detection rates and real world tests via av-comparatives.org as well. The results should see you dumping MS's offering.

Best current Free Anti Virus are Panda and AVG (I'm amazed at both of these, especially AVG as it used to be way down the list of reliable detection rates), though as always Avira is as strong as can be, and Bit Defenders free version is good too. Obviously "best" is something factoring in performance, ease of use etc and not just how good it is catching the bad stuff. However, AVG appears to have improved a bit, as has Panda.

Best paid products continue to be Bit Defender and Kaspersky.

I've been full up paid for BitDefender for 2 years and will continue to be so - but that's a personal choice to ensure my professional work remains as secure as it can be (within reasonable parameters -as I'm always likely to be the weakest link!).

Thank you for your response! Yeah I havent heard much about Windows Defender until the few responses above, but I still dont fully think that it would be best for me. I currently have AVG and have used it for probably the past 2 years now, it has never let me down and I really do like it.

But I sometimes wonder if paying to get more protection would be the better way to go. Especially since I download torrents. My Mom has used Kaspersky for years and she has had no problem with it until recently we got a huge virus that came in when trying to download Firefox on her computer and Kaspersky didnt catch it. :/ Ive been hearing lots of great things about Bit Defender lately.

Does it allow you to download it on your cellphone as well?

 

[Zoomer]

No, you need a separate license of mobile - which is about $10 for a year. Perhaps they have a total license one which includes PC's and mobile but I didn't look for that as I already owned their offering. I only got it because of work, before I had avast and that seems good (and free, with most offerings of paid for solutions). Do some research though

Depending on your OS for mobile, it may be overkill to pay. It is important to Google about mobile vulnerabilities though - apparently 87% of Android devices are vulnerable to exploits; manufacturers do not roll out updates in a timely manner (or at all). The anti virus may not prevent those vulnerabilities... I've changed so many settings (prevent preview/downloading of multimedia messages, I don't surf the web on the mobile, only use several very well respected apps) that hopefully I negate most issues, and the anti virus is overkill. Maybe. But cost little to be prudent!

As usual - the multitude of risks to computers primarily surround the user and their behaviour; what you've installed and where you visit/what you click. Keeping everything up-to-date is one of the biggest necessities as well as not visiting "dodgy" stuff or clicking links without forethought. Likewise, always read the install thoroughly - a lot of the "EULA" on less reputable (and even reputable) company installers that you agree to aren't even for the software you install and you can safely decline it to avoid it (custom install is the only way to know that you'd otherwise be installing 3rd party applications).

Torrents (they can be used very safely and legitimately if you know the source of the torrent and it's hash) can be a huge risk depending on what you use them for. I never use torrents, and in the modern day with fibre connections I personally don't see any use for them other than for illicit purposes. Verify what you're downloading - and if you use it for *ahem* reasons, then just plain stop

Keep flash up to date, keep java up to date, keep windows up to date, keep anything Adobe up to date; don't click to open stuff from sites that you don't wholly trust, don't click links without checking the uri. If it's a weird one, Google it first.

Anti virus can only do so much... it isn't a silver bullet. User education and awareness is important. Anti-virus is just one line of defence. The first line is the user, and unfortunately, the user is usually the reason behind issues.

 

[Dream Alien]

Ok awesome thank you I will check it out, but I have Avast on there now so that works fine for me. Ive never had a problem on any of my phones! But I always agree with the little extra protection.

Yeah its a lot of easy, simple things that keep everything on a computer running smoothly. I am glad that I do all of these things! Its crazy how many people dont do this...

Thank you so much for the answers.

 

[Sharleen]

Hey,

I use SUPERantispyware coupled with Malwarebytes, cleaning 100+ unwanted stuff every 3 days, but I dont know what it's worh...

 

[Ice32]

I've used Avast for years and it's always done very well. Did get infected once, but it took care of it.

 

[Dream Alien]

Yeah Avast is great for the phone! I love it! I just went ahead and bought Bitdefender, they were having a 75% off Black Friday Sale! Woooooooo!

 

[Sevrin]

I use Windows Defender myself. I had a bad experience with Kapersky rendering a computer inoperable as it removed a virus, although that was probably more the result of the virus than of a problem with Kapersky. With that said, given the current political situation, and the influence of the Russian government on businesses located there, I wouldn't install Kapersky again.

 

[Jovin]

Just stay away from Norton Antivirus... that program is way too resource heavy, will bog your system down.

 

[Dream Alien]

Oh man yeah Kaspersky is kinda off a little. My mom has it installed on her computer and she had a horrible virus get into her computer that Kaspersky didnt even catch so I had to go in and do all these things to get rid of it. Thank god for Google.

And yeah Norton is one of the worst! I remember it used to be good, but nowadays no way. Im super happy with Bitdefender, my computer is actually running faster now.