Having an antivirus in Windows 10 is essential. Fortunately, the system includes Windows Defender , which is among the best antivirus on the market. However, its functionalities may fall short for some users, who prefer to install third-party antivirus such as Norton or Kaspersky to have greater protection when browsing webs, VPN, and much more. The problem is that installing third-party antivirus can leave us unprotected, but that is increasingly difficult.
AV-Test has published today the list of the best antivirus for Windows 10 analyzed this summer. Between July and August, the company has analyzed a total of 21 antivirus for home users, analyzing protection, performance and usability as they do in each analysis.
To check the protection capabilities of antivirus, they have tested 18,000 unique malware attacks , including common malware and zero-day vulnerabilities. In turn, they also analyze more than a million benign websites and files that should not be detected by antivirus to check if they detect false alarms.
These are the 4 antivirus to avoid
In testing this month, they have given more ‘recommended’ stamps than ever before. Of the 21 antivirus analyzed , 17 of them obtained the Top Product seal . For an antivirus to achieve this seal, it is necessary that it score at least 17.5 points or more in the tests. That is, it reaches 6 in two categories, and 5.5 or more in one of them.
The four antiviruses that do not obtain the Top Product certification are:
- Avira Security for Windows
- Malwarebytes Premium
- Microworld eScan Internet Security Suite
- PC Matic
Everyone else gets a 6 in protection, except ESET which stays this month at 5.5. Protection against zero-day vulnerabilities is 99.7% on average in the industry, while ESET reached only 98.6% , hence the lower score this month.
Windows Defender doesn’t get 18 points narrowly
In the case of Windows Defender , curiously, it drops to 5.5 in performance after more than a year getting 6. In the last test, the installation of frequently used applications has been 43% slower, compared to 20% of the rest of the industry, hence it has dropped to 5.5 instead of having a 6, despite the fact that in the rest of the figures it is even better than the rest of the industry, such as a slowdown when running common apps or when installing them by first time.
Beyond that, what this new test shows is that it is increasingly difficult to make mistakes when choosing an antivirus. Protection does not stop improving, despite the fact that new threats and vulnerabilities do not stop appearing in the operating systems and devices that we use every day. However, it is important not to use antivirus that does not receive the Top Product seal, as we may have some protection, performance or usability problem.