When we are going to buy an antivirus , or choose a free one to protect our computer, one of the key points that we must take into account is its security. If an antivirus is not going to protect us from threats that are hidden on the Internet, then it will not help. However, protection is not the only factor to consider. Other elements such as performance, reliability and ease of use are also very important when entrusting our security to software. And all this is what tests AV-Test to know which is the best (or worst) antivirus in the market.
AV-Test is an independent platform that is responsible for testing the main antivirus in the market so that you can know if they are good or, if not, if we should avoid them. This organization tests the security, performance and usability of these antivirus. And it gives each one a grade based on the results obtained.
To carry out the tests, it uses the latest version of the operating system and the latest versions of the antivirus, both from the software itself and from the database. After the last test published in August 2019, today we can see what will be the last security tests of 2019: the best and worst antivirus as of October 2019.
Best antivirus for Windows 10
Of the 19 antivirus that this organization has tested, 11 of them have received the award of TOP Product, that is, highly recommended antivirus that will protect our computer without problems. Although not all of them have obtained the same grade in all the tests.
As we can see, of all these antivirus scanned, only 3 have achieved a perfect score, 6 out of 6, in all aspects. These antivirus are Bitdefender Internet Security 24, Kaspersky Internet Security 20 and Norton Internet Security 22.
In terms of protection, everyone else has also scored 6 points out of 6, except for McAfee Internet Security 22.5, VIPRE AdvancedSecurity 11 and, by surprise, Windows Defender . We are struck by the Microsoft antivirus. Luckily, there is nothing to worry about. These data are due to the fact that in September the 0-day threat protection ratio dropped to 97.9%. The industry average is 98%, so despite this it is not worrying, although it has meant losing the position of better antivirus, now that it has finally managed to solve its performance problems.
Of the other data, the most interesting thing is that Trend Micro, Avast, AVG and Avira with the worst performance offered to the computer, and K7 the worst usability.
The antivirus that we should avoid
Any of the antivirus that we have seen before will perfectly protect us from threats that endanger our Internet security. However, there is antivirus, tested by this company, that does not fulfill its function.
Of those who have not received the TOP Product award, the worst of all in protection is Total AV 4.15. This antivirus has got the worst protection rating, so we must avoid it at all costs. In addition, PC Matic, Malwarebytes and eScan have obtained a score below 5 out of 6 in protection, so they will not be able to protect us properly.
In terms of performance, Malwarebytes and ZoneAlarm are the worst, and PC Matic the worst in usability.
How the notes have changed in recent months
Analyzing the data with the last period we do not see many changes. The results remain more or less stable, with the difference that the F-Secure antivirus has come out of the list and that of K7 Computing has entered.
What has caught our attention has been the change of Windows Defender . Microsoft’s free antivirus has always been characterized by some performance issues. Nothing serious, but below its rivals. It seems that the company has finally solved them, however, instead of getting a perfect 6 it has dropped a note in protection in September. Although October has already offered 100% protection, the September downturn has put a 5.5 out of 6 rating on protection.
In the list of worst antivirus , TotalAV has managed to get even worse protection rating, while Malwarebytes has worsened even more in performance. Quite curious facts the truth. We will have to see how 2020 is presented in terms of security, if Windows Defender is still the best free antivirus (even better than paid ones) or if new rivals appear.
A pity that some security firms, such as Panda, refuse to participate in these tests.
