Cybercriminals are becoming more sophisticated, and the more steps you take to lock down your online security, the safer you'll be. Note that antivirus software is only a piece of the cybersecurity puzzle.
We regularly research and test software to determine which product leads the pack, and we update this list periodically based on those tests. These picks of the best antivirus programs are a combination of recommendations from independent third-party labs AV-Test, AV-Comparatives and SE Labs, as well as CNET's own hands-on testing. Windows-targeted malware has a larger base of devices to infect, giving it more potential in the eyes of cybercriminals.īut don't worry - we're here to help you find the antivirus software that best fits your needs. Windows devices make up three out of every four laptop or desktop operating systems, according to February data from Statcounter, which paints a bigger target on those devices.
The best antivirus software combines malware protection, secure browsing and monitored downloads to stop suspicious behavior and malicious acts.įinding good antivirus software is especially important for people using Windows operating systems such as Windows 10 and Windows 11. Whenever possible we’ll review security suites using a free trial to get a sense of what consumers see when they first try out a new product.Antivirus software has come a long way over the past few decades as people's lives move further online and as malware grows more complex. We’ll also take pricing into account and what you get for it. We’ll take into consideration reports from outlets such as A-V Comparatives, A-V Test and SE Labs.
Each security suite is tested on a clean install of Windows 10 Home.Īs for the antivirus suite’s detection capabilities, we’ll rely on the opinions of security researchers dedicated to this task. Our test machine is an Acer Aspire E15 with an Intel Core i3-7100U, 4GB RAM, and a 1TB hard drive. We then compare transcoding times to see if there’s any significant decline. On most home PCs, this encoding task utilizes 100 percent of the CPU. Then we compare the overall scores to see if the decline between the two benchmarks is significant.Īs a harsher stress test, we also use Handbrake to transcode a video before and after installing the A/V.
Then we install the software, have it run a full scan on our Windows 10 test machine, and start a second run of the benchmark at the same time. We run the benchmark before the security suite is installed. The first is PCMark 8’s Work Conventional test, which simulates a variety of workloads including editing spreadsheets, browsing the web, and running video chat. To test the suite’s demand on system resources, we run two benchmarks. We try to discern whether any of these extra features are particularly useful, or just frills that look nice but don’t serve a practical purpose.
We also examine the features on offer. Every good antivirus suite should have the basics like scanning and real-time protection, but many vendors offer elements that go beyond basic security like password managers or firewalls. How we testįirst, we take a look at the interface to determine how easy or complicated it is. Does the interface make it easy to get at essential tools like PC scans and password managers, for example, or is everything buried under multiple clicks? Are there elements that look like they should be clickable but aren’t? Are alerts interactive or purely informational, and does that make sense in context? Whether you need those extras depends on your personal situation.
These days, many security suites come with extras such as a backup service for your most essential files, Android apps for mobile security, a more advanced firewall, family protection (read: child restriction) features, and the right to use the program on multiple PCs.